Excited--Me?!

I am so excited!  Of course, if you know me then you know that I can be easily excited!  I just try to be happy most of the time...and I usually succeed!

I just registered for my fall courses at Tozer.  Catalytic Leadership--motivating others to good deeds...and Authority of Scripture & Epistemology--how can we trust the 'truth of scripture' as truly the truth...

As the Tozer students gathered for intensive classes this past June, we were given a laminated card, I chose to begin carrying mine in my wallet.  This card has the motto, vision and mission of Tozer on it:

Tozer Motto:  Come Deepen Your Relationship with God
Tozer Vision:  To Build Integrity in the Church
Tozer Mission:  To Teach People to Think Christianly

These words may or may not mean anything to you, dear reader.  However, this is truly my heart--I want a deep personal relationship with God, not just a label, or a religious practice--a real, vibrant relationship with My King--completely sold out for how ever He would choose to use my life.  I can testify that if it were not for doors that God has opened, I would not even be thinking of registering for courses at this institution.  I am so thankful for each opportunity, each friendship forged, each book I have read, or been inspired to read and for the way I have been inspired to deepen my relationship with God-- I have truly had to depend on Him.

Also, I think that Jesus would be loved and better understood, if His people truly sought to live with integrity in the church...as Christians, we are human and we make mistakes--we do things wrong sometimes, but 'where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom'(2 Cor 3:17)...because of that freedom we can mess up and then humbly ask for forgiveness--a chance to set things right--when we offend others' there is a place in us that should not allow us to sleep until we have settled accounts, and made it right--remember Levi the tax collector, OR Zacchaeus--as soon as they met Jesus, they were motivated to make it right--what ever 'it' had been in their lives.  Unfortunately, within the church, we listen to the enemy and cover up our mistakes, or sometimes do things deceitfully because it's easier, and accepted by our culture.  Pride tells us that we do need to make it right, and then we cover it all by saying that we 'prayed about it' and 'that's what we felt God called us to do'.  However, integrity in the church looks attractive to those outside the church...it is being honest in all you do, honoring people you encounter, not showing favoritism, being disciplined with your resources, displaying humility (boasting in your weakness, as Paul says)...and spreading hope and joy that can only come from a relationship with King Jesus.

To teach people to think Christianly is very different than just telling them to always ask the question "what would Jesus do?"  The real question lies more along the lines of do you really know what it means to think Christianly about everything you encounter in life...what does it mean to think Christianly about your marriage, your sexuality, your children, job, money, politics, history, eschatology, medicine and science, how about death and dying, or your decorating scheme, or the way you treat the people you encounter at the dry cleaners?  Thinking Christianly is not a 'check list', but it is about thinking...using your mind, your intellect,  to come to consensus in a way that honors God in everything you do and encounter--to further His kingdom work while you are here and there is breath in your body.  Thinking Christianly has no room for fear, for where there is fear, trust cannot exist...we are called to live by faith, not by sight...what does that mean? 
As I listened to a 'Christian' radio talk show just yesterday, I got sick to my stomach.  The hosts were basically reducing and keeping God in a box--saying something about living in such a way as to please God so that He will answer our prayers--  Yes there are things that hinder our prayers, scripture is very clear about that...but this guy did not even mention grace...not a word.  Or the fact that God uses, even the most unpleasant things in this world to bring about His plans for those He loves--for God is God, we cannot even fathom Him.

Job 28:28 And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'

A very wise young man recently told me that he spends most of his time reading Job and Proverbs.  That was music to my ears, for this young man is not a fellow student at Tozer.  He is, however, a friend of our family, whom we truly love.  I think scripture is the only place to end this post...finish reading by turning to Job 40 and 41--see how God answered Job, then take time to think!