A willing gift

But God asks us to decide without pressure

2 Corinthians 9:5-8 But I want it [the Corinthians’ gift to the needy church of Jerusalem] to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly. … You must each decide in your heart how much to give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. … And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

2 Corinthians 8:12-13 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves.

“Work harder.” “Give more.” “Give until it hurts.”

Does that sound like God’s voice?

Sometime, maybe so. Paul commends the Macedonian church: “I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more” (8:3). He hastens to say, though that they did it joyfully, of their own free will. Not because of manipulation or pressure or guilt.

When famine hit the church in Jerusalem, Paul asked for aid from believers who had more at that time. He encouraged the Corinthians to consider a donation, saying “I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now, you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it” (8:13-14).

I grew up in a small Mayan village in Guatemala where people lived at “subsistence” level. Our family lived humbly by North American standards—a family of ten in a house with two bedrooms (once Dad set up his study in the garage so he and Mom could move out of the living room), for which Dad paid $25/month rent, out of our $200 missionary income. We had books, and a few toys and games, and a small refrigerator. By comparison with our neighbors, we were wealthy, and our family generously shared what we had, receiving so much more in return of friendship and richness of culture and place.

When I came to the U.S. on furloughs as a child, I was overwhelmed by the extravagance of all that I saw around me. I struggled deeply with the question, “How can people live like this, when so many in the world barely have enough to eat?” I felt an obligation to work hard, to meet not just my own simple needs but to share with others. I gave sometimes from nothing, skipping meals to make up what lacked, and it was a joy to do so. Money has never caused me anxiety. I see this as a gift from God that has eased tensions when, for example, Dave and I struggled to make ends meet. I found it easy to believe God would provide what we needed financially. And we could always cut back, whether with groceries or in other ways.

On June 4 there were just two blossoms. God’s generosity blooms right in front of me.

It’s taken me a lifetime, though, to understand that saying “no” to service—the overextension of another kind of giving, my time and energy—can be an act of faith. Saying no acknowledges my smallness and God’s bigness; my creaturely limitations. Can I trust God to care for others through different means and people when my own resources—including emotional ones—have run dry? When I just want to crawl in a hole for a while and hide? Can I acknowledge my own needs for rest as being legitimate? That has been a much bigger struggle, and of course there’s more to it than what I’ve said here.

I’m sure I’ve made mistakes trying to live out this kind of faith, when obedience actually means saying no. Sometimes I’ve given when I shouldn’t have. Sometimes I haven’t when I should have, missing out on the special joy of sharing what God has given me.

In both cases, though, God’s love is bigger than my poor powers of discernment. Would God care for the people of Jerusalem some other way if the Corinthians pulled back on what they had promised to give? What do you think? I would love to know!!

I admire caring people who can take a careful look at their own situation and decide without guilt or self-recrimination to trust God with a given circumstance. Especially when I see them at other times give generously with enthusiasm and joy. They don’t think they have to respond to every need that comes their way. Yet they love to share when they can, when God has blessed them with more than they need. I see these people living simply, stewarding their resources because they so delight in giving to others.

Paul says two things result when we give in this way: people’s needs are met (sometimes through me; more often through others), and God receives praise (9:12). Later, he also says that the recipients of the gift will pray for the giver with deep affection. It’s a win-win; “overflowing grace” in both directions (9:14). I’m still learning to practice this grace-filled way of living.

P.S. I really would love to know your thoughts on my question a couple paragraphs back!

Goodness of God, by Hillsong

Happy Juneteenth!

But God sets captives free

Luke 4:17-19 Jesus unrolled the scroll of Isaiah the prophet and found the place [Isaiah 61:1-2] where this was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” … Then Jesus began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

On Juneteenth we celebrate the emancipation of slaves in the United States. The story of the slaves in Texas learning about this, months after it became true, will be told many times today.

Sadly, true freedom has taken—is taking—much longer to experience, because the other part mentioned by Isaiah in this passage, that Jesus applied to himself, is that the blind will see. John shows us in John 9 how many different types of blindness there are, especially of those who think they can see, those who hold power to bless others or to harm them (um, that would be each of us, right?).

My daughter Valerie teaching her kids about Juneteenth

Today, I pray that God will heal my blindness. Especially in areas where I think I can see. And I pray blessing on all those whom God is using to heal the racial wounds within the Body of Christ. Be the Bridge. Here in Pittsburgh, Sisters Celebrating Diversity. You can fill in those working for healing where you live.

My granddaughter Liliana (Rachel’s daughter) at a Juneteenth parade.

As an aside, I will mention that June 19 is an important date for me in other ways too. My beloved older brother Steve was born on June 19. It’s the day our family, the kids sweating under long sleeves and pants to cover up their chickenpox, arrived in São Paulo, Brazil in 1990. On June 19 exactly one year later we moved into the house that would be our home for nineteen more years.

And it’s the day I have before me right now, in which to rejoice in the many ways God has set me free and to pray for those who still find themselves in bondage and oppression.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Sounds of Blackness – Juneteenth Celebration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH3a_xtjzZg

Our God, Open the Eyes that are Blind, Chris Tomlin

First things first

But Jesus’ poverty makes us rich

2 Corinthians 8:2-3, 5, 9 The churches in Macedonia are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity [to the suffering church in Jerusalem]. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will … for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord. … You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

I think these verses describe well many pastors and leaders to whom God has given a passion for discipleship and disciplemaking across Latin America. They inspire us daily.

If those terms sound strange or antiquated to you, here’s a simple definition of discipleship and disciplemaking: a commitment to grow and to help others grow into being more like Jesus.

What then does “being more like Jesus” look like? For me, it’s a blue butterfly. More on that below.

*This isn’t the blue butterfly in my vision, but enough to give you the idea*

The best summary of being like Jesus is his own: “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35).

“Just as I have loved you.” Until we personally experience Jesus’ love for us, we can’t love others in the same way. As Paul puts it: First, we give ourselves to the Lord.

And when we feel dry, we return to him. We offer our needy hearts to him again.

Maybe because I grew up “poor” by some standards, I tend to feel uncomfortable and insecure around people for whom wealth is a value. I know I will fall short in every direction when judged by their standards.

Perhaps that’s why Jesus’ choice to live as a poor man means so much to me. I can approach him without that paralyzing feeling of unacceptability. I know he values what matters to me: people’s selves, their souls.

One time God blessed me with a vision of myself as a child, playing in a beautiful meadow with Jesus and a lovely blue butterfly. This is the scene I return to when I feel needy of a fresh experience of his rich, unhurried, unpressured, uncomplicated love.

And when we feel his love so filling us that it spills over to others, we return to him, in thanksgiving. As noted in the last blog, “we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:7).

I know, and you know, the Source of anything good in our lives. I invite you to join me today in taking time to relax in his presence, opening our hearts to his great love. Then—be amazed at what he chooses to do through the overflow to others of his richly generous love.

Where did you last have it? by Rev. Jim Hobby, House of Gladness, Thomastown, Georgia

But God restores joy

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Note from Debbie: If you are a pastor or perceive that your pastor has lost his or her joy, contact the House of Gladness to schedule a retreat, a time to be heard and supported in one of the most difficult jobs on earth. Here’s an idea: Make it a gift from your congregation for Father’s Day. Write to Jim for availability: jim@houseofgladness.com.

As we talk with pastors, we continue to hear a deep weariness in their voices. The partisan ethos of our culture has so thoroughly marinated their congregations that every slight difference of opinion in the congregation often becomes a major point of disagreement that requires stances to be taken by the leadership of the congregation. Who knew that green carpets were signs of complete capitulation to the works of Satan? (Only a slight exaggeration!) As you pray for the ministry of House of Gladness, pray for weary and discouraged pastors who are berated by all sides. Research continues to show that a large percentage of pastors (just over 1/3) are giving serious thought to finding a less stressful occupation (like used car salesman, middle school social studies teacher, or alligator farmer).

When raising children, it can seem like 20-80% of one’s day is spent finding lost items: shoes, cups, coats, socks, books, papers, tablets…anything and everything. After the tragedy of the lost treasure is announced (because every lost item is always, by definition, “my favorite!”) the parental mantra is, “Where did you last have it?”

That question is a great starting point for pastors and lay leaders who have lost their joy in ministry. “Where did you last have it?” To remember a time of joy, many of us would need to go back before COVID-19 threw our worlds into turmoil.

When you do remember a time when you were serving the Lord with gladness, where did the joy come from? Quite likely, your joy bubbled up from some blend of satisfying accomplishments, supportive relationships, a clear purpose, and consistent prayer times. If you are looking for lost joy, starting with those four sources is wise. The most critical one is time with the Lord because, when the other three wells of joy dry up, there is fullness of joy in the Lord’s presence.

Before you toss this aside as an admonition from a person standing on the beach to someone caught in a rip current to “swim harder,” let me assure you that praying harder (at least in my experience) rarely increases joy. Guilt, shame, frustration, yes; rarely joy. Instead, I’m inviting you to rediscover the presence of the Lord. You may encounter the Lord on your knees at set times of formal prayer (which the Church from the beginning has declared important). But you might also experience His presence while walking, or conversing with a friend, or reading, or painting, or bird watching, or lying in a hammock.

Added by Debbie: Or at a personal retreat at the House of Gladness. I have myself found rest and renewal in the Hobbys’ home several times—before this tender ministry was formalized as the House of Gladness. God has gifted Jim and his wife Shari for this work and equipped them through deep suffering of their own. They offer their love with empathy, grace, and prayer.

Crackpot

But God is the source of our strength

2 Corinthians 4:7 We now have the light of Jesus shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

At the REVER Congress in Pereira, discussing the theme “Finding Joy in Chronic Suffering,” I shared several ways Karis drew strength from 2 Corinthians 4. The whole chapter was important to her. From verse 7, and from a story her mentor Claudia Limpic told her, she adopted for herself the nickname “Crackpot.”

Claudia’s story, as I heard it, is this:

A farmer carried water on his back in two clay pots to his garden each day. On one side of the path from the well to his garden, flowers sprung up. The other side remained barren.

The farmer puzzled over this until one day he noticed that one of the pots was cracked. Each day as he walked to his garden, water dripped out of the cracked pot, watering one side of the path.

Enchanted by this story, Karis prayed that from the “cracked pot” of her “broken” body, beauty would be created in other people’s lives. That through the cracks in her life, God’s light would shine.

Another “cracked pot” concept has been important enough in REVER to make it onto a T-shirt. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, making it stronger and more beautiful than it was originally. In REVER, this represents God’s healing work in our lives.

GAVS stands for “Support groups for victims and survivors,” for those who have suffered sexual abuse.

As Karis put it, “All I see is grace.” May you and I find that grace in our own cracked places.

And vice versa

But God’s joy is our strength

Nehemiah 8:10 The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Two weeks ago, Dave and I were in Pereira, Colombia (coffee-growing country) speaking at the first Latin American REVER Congress (people came from fourteen countries!).

Dave and I are in there somewhere!

The theme was “Restoring Joy in Difficult Times.” For some reason, the organizers thought Dave and I might have something to say about that topic. They assigned us five 90-minute talks. I also had two two-hour workshops and Dave had two 90-minute sessions with pastors. All in two days!

Our five sessions were “Finding Jesus in the Storm,” based on John 6:16-21, “Restoring Joy in My Difficult Times” (Dave talked about what helped him through his five major depressions), “Finding Joy in Chronic Suffering” (using Karis’s experience as a case study), “Discovering Joy in Marriage and Ministry” (this one was the most challenging for Dave and me to do together—but our intense preparation paid off!), and “Celebrating Joy in the Church in Difficult Times” (Dave’s final address).

For the Chronic Suffering talk, I highlighted five Scriptures that anchored Karis and me through her thirty years. Here’s a story I told in connection with Nehemiah 8:10:

I often heard Karis humming a song, “The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength.” When she sang it, she often inverted the words as well, “The strength of the Lord is my joy.”

“It’s impossible for me to muster enough strength to cope with my situation,” Karis told me. “Admitting this allows me to rest in the strength of the Lord. It relieves me of a lot of stress, not having to be strong myself. I’ve given up trying harder. Instead, I relax into God’s power.”

Friends often visited Karis in the hospital or at home to encourage her. I noticed a pattern: within a minute or two, Karis would redirect the conversation to her visitor’s concerns and would end up praying for them.

One day a friend visiting Karis at home exclaimed, “Karis, explain to me how you manage to deal with your situation.”

“My situation?” asked Karis.

“Yes, all of this.” The friend made a sweeping gesture that encompassed Karis’s TPN pump and IV pole and oxygen that tethered her, the hospital bed, commode, dressings, ostomy supplies, rows of meds, etc. “How can you smile and avoid bitterness when you suffer so much?

“We are the same, you and me,” Karis told her. “You just told me about the problems you face in your life. Your problems are too big for you, and mine are too big for me. We’re both forced to depend on God’s strength and wisdom.”

“True, but… your problems seem much more serious than mine,” the friend replied.

“Well, since both your problems and my problems are greater than our strength, there’s no point in comparing them. What matters is our dependence on the Lord.”

“For example…”

“For example, today when I woke up, before I opened my eyes, I said to God, ‘Ah, Lord, how I wanted to wake up today in Heaven with you. But here I am … You know, Lord, that I do not have the strength to endure this day. So, for whatever reason you still want me here, you have to live this day for me. I absolutely depend on your grace covering my weakness.’ And here we are, you and I, sharing those precious moments together, celebrating the strength and joy of the Lord.”

I witnessed conversations like this many, many times. The joy of the Lord was Karis’s strength. And the strength of the Lord was her deepest joy.

After her death, this friend told me, “Each time I want to complain about what I have on my plate, I think of Karis. God’s strength was big enough for her. It is surely big enough for me, too.”

For you and me also.

Joy of the Lord by Rend Collective

Longing for Restoration, by Meg Sateia, Pittsburgh mom and educator and artist

But God makes beautiful things

Isaiah 35:1-2 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

This is what we found when we came home from Colombia. More about that next time!

Longing for restoration has been a theme for me as I waited for two surgeries last year, after a long time of attempting to resolve my problems non-surgically, and as I tried to be patient though the recovery process. Ever since sin came into the world, we exist in a perpetual state of longing for things to be made right.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can have hope that God cares about the pain in our world enough to enter it Himself and that He is powerful enough to put an end to death and sadness. He promises to come back again someday and mend all that is broken.

Isaiah 35 gives a glimpse of what God’s kingdom will look like when it is restored to its intended design. It will not just be improved, but perfected. Beyond meeting our basic needs, all of creation will flourish and be made beautiful.

This year I’ve taken comfort in the fact that God doesn’t ask or expect us to fix all our problems in our own strength, but that He invites us to participate with Him in His work of renewing what has decayed and creating new things that are good. When we think about the current wars, our deteriorating bodies, relational conflicts, or our selfish hearts we can feel overwhelmed. But help is coming. Justice is coming. Jesus is coming.

In the meantime, we don’t have to sit back and say, “Nothing matters, because it’s all going to fall apart anyway, and God will just fix it all.” Just as I give small tasks to my young children to help with a bigger job than they can do on their own, the Lord gives us our small part in his work. He uses us despite our past or ongoing faults, with whatever limited resources we have.

As we humbly engage in God’s redemptive work, our values become more fully aligned with God’s values. We become invested in the people and things we’re responsible for and we grow in desiring their good.

For me, working for good means homeschooling our kids, teaching classes on our homeschool community days, helping out in Kids Church, taking meals to people, and hosting people for dinner. I also enjoy weekly time for creative projects like drawing and songwriting.

What’s going on in your corner of the world? Where do you long for restoration? What areas of growth or healing have encouraged you? How are you working to bring about goodness and beauty? I would love to learn from you!

Beautiful Things by Gungor

Crunch time

But God’s grace gives us strength

Hebrews 13:9 Your strength comes from God’s grace.

Psalm 23:4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.

The image I chose for “Ordinary Time” is a father holding his child’s hand. It speaks to me of security, love, and strength.

Shutterstock: Vyestekimages

This day in “Ordinary Time” is a crunch day for Dave and me as we prepare to fly to Colombia early Wednesday for the first Latin American REVER Congress. (REVER stands for “to take another look,” a fitting acronym for emotional restoration ministry.) The theme of the congress is “Finding Joy in Difficult Times.”

This special event is drawing participants from across Latin America. Dave and I, as the “grandparents” of REVER, which we started in Brazil in 1996, will be speaking for 15 hours Friday and Saturday. Luciene, international director of REVER, has the opening plenary Thursday evening. (For those who prayed Lu through her terrible accident almost a year ago: I learned yesterday that she’s walking short distances now without a cane!)

I don’t expect to post this Thursday. By the time we get home next week, I hope my Inbox will be full of your “But God” stories—a feast of rejoicing in God’s work in your lives! I promise: YOU will be the one who benefits most, as you remember and tell and find yourself encouraged by what God has done for you, your hand in His.

This song says it all.

God of Every Grace, Keith and Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, Matt Papa

Everything new!

But God’s work is beautiful May 16, 2024

Revelation 21:3 Look, I am making everything new!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart.

Genesis 1:31 God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

I find nothing so refreshing as a walk in the woods. The rhododendron blooming all over Pittsburgh right now remind me of a walk I made when I was trying to complete—in sections—all 70 miles of the Laurel Highlands Walking Trail. On a previous hike, Dave and I noticed the buds covering the rhododendron plants along the trail. This time, they were in full bloom, stretching as far as we could see through the trees in every direction. Breathtaking.

I would not have seen this had I sat at home.

As gorgeous as our world is now, something even more beautiful awaits us—a new creation, unspoiled by the events of millennia and the impact of billions of people. I can’t wait! CS Lewis in The Weight of Glory and The Great Divorce imagines our need to grow our souls to be able to coexist with such intense beauty. One way to do that must be to open ourselves to the beauty we already have available to us.

God also does beautiful work in our lives. I would love to see and share this beauty! With Pentecost this Sunday, we will enter what the church calendar calls “Ordinary Time.” It’s in our day to day “ordinary” living that God enters and does extraordinary things. I would love to “see” and share the beauty of what he’s done for you! When have you seen God intervene and make something beautiful from a difficult situation? Don’t keep this loveliness to yourself! Honor God’s power and love by sharing your “But God” story.

Here’s how: write your story in one page and send it to me: debrakornfield@gmail.com. I post twice a week and will let you know when I post your story. If you like, you’ll be able to share the link with others.

If writing isn’t your thing, you can text me to schedule a time for you to tell me your story (by phone or by Zoom), and I’ll write it for you. Don’t worry—I’ll send it (or read it to you) before I post to be sure I have the details right. You’ll have a written record of an important moment in your life. And you’ll encourage other people who need to see evidence that God is still alive and well and active in our world today.

Will you accept the challenge to remember and tell how God turned crisis into beauty in your “ordinary” life?

A new heaven and new earth

But God says, “Make every effort”

2 Peter 3:13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth God has promised, a world filled with his righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

The most memorable statement in the sermon about Jesus’ ascension yesterday, I think, was “Jesus decided to work from home.”

One day, we’ll share his Home (Revelation 21). Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit, first poured out to the believers on the day we celebrate next Sunday, Pentecost, joins us in the trenches as we stay the course, faithfully pursuing “long obedience in the same direction,” as Eugene Peterson so famously put it.

Like perennials, Jesus will come back!

Jesus warned us there would be bumps and bruises along the way. “Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows” (John 16:33). Why are we surprised and resentful when this proves to be true? Could it be that we’re seduced by the idea that this is all there is, that life ends with death?

I had the interesting experience Saturday of attending a memorial service immediately followed by a birthday party. Funerals, of course, always make me think of Karis. Perhaps that’s why I found myself telling someone at the birthday party that Karis longed to go Home. In her last year of journaling, she wrote repeatedly, “Father, I can’t do this anymore. Please take me Home. Please.”

So in our sorrow and missing her, we know Karis is exactly where she wanted to be, living her best life. Glimpsing ahead of time the “new heavens” promised to us.

The writer of Hebrews tells us the heroes of faith “agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. … they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland” (11:13, 16).

I think the promise of a new heaven and new earth, where there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4) gives us perspective on our trials and motivation to make the most of our time here, doing with the energy the Spirit gives us whatever God has asked us to do. Peter and other New Testament writers liked the phrase “make every effort,” or “work hard” as some versions translate the phrase:

Make every effort to respond to God’s promises (2 Peter 1:5—see also 1:10, 1:15).

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone (Hebrews 12:14).

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).

Make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification (Romans 14:19). … Never pay back evil with more evil … If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:17-18).

Some versions use the word “harmony” instead of peace. Peace, of course, begins in our own hearts. Worth thinking about, for as long as we’re on this side of the story.

This World Is Not My Home, by Albert Brumley, sung by Jim Reeves.