Growing in Resilience
Day 24, Read Isaiah 63
Reflection: Help Me Home, based on Isaiah 63.19, The Voice
We’ve become like strangers to You,
Like people You never ruled,
Like those never associated with Your name.
My life looks the same as others
the same failures
the same unhealthy appetites
the same shame and loneliness
the same pain
the same sin
I live like I never enthroned you in my heart
Like I never claimed you claiming me
There was a time we were close
We’ve become strangers
I walked away
Strayed
Small choices
Sliding slowly
I turned my back
Gave my heart to other gods, false and failing
I didn’t remember
Lord have mercy
I have swept away your wrongdoing, as wind sweeps a cloud from the sky: I have cleared you of your sins, as the sun clears the morning mist. I have rescued you; come back to Me.- Isaiah 44:22, The Voice
Jesus,
In the midst of our changing times
In the midst of our brokenness
Our division
Our violence
Our prejudice
Draw us again to your side
Call us and send us in your name
Give us the courage to travel light
To divest and downsize
And embrace the freedom that it brings
Give us the blessing of being fully present
Of trusting you for provision for ourselves
And your saving work
In the moment it is needed
Give us the wisdom to know our role
To move on from failure and rejection
To move on from accomplishment and welcome
The authority you give us does not dictate response
Nor is our faithfulness measured by the response
Ours is to go, to walk and to offer
To proclaim your deliverance and offer healing for body and soul
To proclaim your welcome and offer blessing no matter the location
To proclaim your repentance and offer your salvation and hope
We bow, humbly, before the honor of you choosing us
We rise to walk with you
Grant us the authority and grace and strength we need
Send us forth to do your bidding
You are welcome to use this prayer in a worship setting with proper attribution. Please leave a comment to contact me directly for publishing and posting consideration.
Sermon Series – Finding God in Oz The Wizard of Oz is a powerful allegory for so many of our foundational Christian beliefs. Walk with us as we Find God in Oz.
Sermon Notes
Wizard of Oz is a classic quest, a journey to an ultimate goal. Dorothy sets her face to Oz as a means to go home. Along the way she picks up companions – a bystander (Scarecrow), someone in obvious need (Tin Man), and someone trying to hide his need, an enemy who becomes an ally (Lion). The companions have very different strengths and needs, yet find common ground and commit to helping one another reach their destination. Along the way they encounter setbacks (the angry orchard at first appears a blessing but really isn’t), almost derailments (the poppy field, a not so subtle reminder how addictions can derail us), and evil (the witch and the wizard are equally dangerous), yet persevere. Sounds like our journey of faith
What is perseverance?
steadfastness, intentionality, tenacity
a continuing effort in a course of action/purpose/goal
movement towards a goal despite difficulty, delay, failure, or opposition
Jesus perseveres, it’s why we trust him
We persevere, it’s a gift and grace of God
What does perseverance look like for those who follow Jesus?
From Colossians 1:10
* leading lives worthy of the Lord
* desiring to fully please God
* bearing fruit in every good work
* growing in the knowledge of God
How do I persevere in faith? (Colossians 1:9-14)
1. Prayer- Unceasing prayer for myself and asking others to pray for me
* Prayers to be filled with God’s will, wisdom, and understanding
* Prayers for God’s strength, endurance, and patience
2. Giving Thanks
* naming who God is
* claiming God’s promises
* recalling God’s mercy, provision, and healing work in the past
This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness,
not health but healing,
not being but becoming,
not rest but exercise.
We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.
The process is not finished but it is going on.
This is not the end but it is the road. – Martin Luther
Prayer- Bring a Saving Work
ONE:
Jesus, Holy One, bring a saving work
ALL:
a peace that passes understanding
a strength that binds up the brokenhearted
a humility that destroys dividing walls
a love that dispels all hate and fear
a persevering rooted in your promises
a hope anchored in your resurrection
ONE:
Jesus, Holy One, bring a saving work
a healing and wholeness
far beyond all we can ask or imagine
ALL:
All for your glory
All for your glory
All for your glory
Amen!
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I’m excited to now offer mp3’s of my Sunday messages. A huge thank you to Leon and my brothers and sisters at Trinity United Methodist Church, Sarasota for all their help in making this possible. If you’re ever in Sarasota, please drop by for worship Sundays at 9am or 10:30am, or drop by during the week for a chat or small group. You and those you love are always welcome.
Psalm 59:17
O my Strength, I will sing praises to you,
For you, O God, are my Fortress,
The God who shows me steadfast love.
Holy One, you are my strength.
Your love for me and your grace toward me never wavers,
even when my faith and my obedience do
Forgive me my many failures to trust you
Teach me to rely on you
to seek you
to listen for you and follow through
Grow in me great truth
great grace
great hope
that I may share what has found me
In the sharing bring a great harvest of repentance and deliverance
In the sharing bring salvation and your kingdom come
In the sharing bring honor and praise to your name alone
Father… Son… Spirit…
Amen
The Magic Ingredient That Brings Pixar Movies to Life
Danielle Feinberg
TED Talks Live New York City, November 2015 Science and art working together. “We use science to create something wonderful. We use story and artistic touch to get us to a place of wonder.”
Try Something New for 30 Days
Matt Cutts
TED2011 Long Beach California, March 2011
Delightful. Encouraging. Big ideas- 1. You can build courage 30 days at a time. 2) Small, sustainable changes stick.
Success, failure and the drive to keep creating
Elizabeth Gilbert
TED2014 Vancouver BC, March 2014 Watch this talk! It took 6 years of failure before Elizabeth Gilbert was finally published. Why did she continue to put herself through that pain? “I loved writing more than I hated failing at writing. Which is to say I loved writing more than I loved my own ego. Which is ultimately to say I loved writing more than myself.” Writing is her home. She returns to it again and again in failure or success. “I will always be safe from the random hurricanes of outcome as long as I never forget where I rightfully live.” What is your home?
Wisdom From Great Writers on Every Year of Life
Joshua Prager
TEDActive 2015 Whistler BC, March 2015 Interesting project. “Like art and like color, literature helps us to remember what we have experienced.”
TED’s Secret to Great Public Speaking
Chris Anderson
TEDStudio New York City, March 2016 “Ideas are the most powerful force shaping human culture.” Ideas shape us and change us now. We carry this change into future attitudes and behaviors.
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I’m trying an experiment in 2016. Maybe you’d like to try it with me.
Here’s where I am
I’m tired of the spin. I’m tired of ideas, news, and entertainment really being one long sales pitch for profit or power.
I’m longing for creativity, curiosity, and inspiration. I’m in search of passionate people willing to speak to the truth and complexity of living with a heart of hope. I want to hear from authentic humans who are in the trenches working for the greater good.
“TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. On TED.com, we’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other, both online and at TED and TEDx events around the world, all year long.”
TED’s been around for 30 years. I’ve heard about them and even watched a couple of talks, but I’ve never spent any concentrated time mining the good stuff. So….
Here’s the plan
Watch 5 enthusiastic, inspiring TED Talk presenters a week for a year.
Apply and share the goodness.
Psalm 59:17
Revlisad.com 