Continuing the Journey (#659)
Why are we so inclined to prefer the stagnation of routine rather than embrace the joy of a journey with ever-changing circumstances but a deeper knowing of who he is? Wayne shares a dream that one of the God Journey listeners sent him about Jesus moving us on from places we've grown accustomed to so that we can experience a greater exchange with him. He and Brad talk about knowing God in times of joy as well as fellowshipping with him in times of suffering. He's invited us on a journey of transformation, not to build a home in the valley of our own comfort.
Podcast Notes:
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I haven’t listened to this whole session yet, but your introduction made me immediately think of Zephaniah 1:12 and “settling in their lees (KJV)” or “stagnant in spirit (NRSV).” Looking forward to listening to the entire piece!
I used to pray that prayer Paul prayed often to Know Him, the power of His resurrection, fellowship of His sufferings, and be made conformed to Him even unto death…when I arrived and stayed amongst brethren in South Sudan, I felt the gift of fellowship of His sufferings being amongst children half dressed or no clothes, families who had been persecuted…
I don’t exactly know what fellowship of His sufferings means but I do know I am attracted to and want all of Him and I find intimacy in fellowshipping in His sufferings…when I see the Passion and think of Jesus on the cross I have a cry and longing inside of me to be one with Him on that cross (my spirit does anyways not my flesh) 😉
I’m in love with Him.
I have felt for a while now a shifting that He may be leading us on and sure enough things started happening at my husbands job to seemingly direct us on and his latest interview didn’t go well, yet I have complete rest and gratification in this place of unknown that I love Him and am SO thankful wherever we end up moving into in this next step I am in Him and He in Me…we are in constant reminder HE is our home…no greater place to be! Yahoo!!!!
I recently had a dream Wayne…it was incredible…I LOVED this dream! I will copy we post in next post the dream:)!
This is the dream I had with Wayne in it:)…I share it publically here to also help others see the Father’s character of love and relation with His kiddos:). Wayne, this is a testament to you also representing Father Gods love!
Dream 11/15/18 written from my journal that day:
I loved this dream!!!!
Wayne had like this option for people to come and meet with him and option for us to talk about what we wanted to…then I laid down on the floor with him in his arms and he held me…we were like this for sometime and he started with topics that he thought that would interest me since he knew I love justice and doing help for others and he said something about the church doing help in that way and usually that is right down my alley of what I would want but I said I just want to be held, and that’s all I wanted was to be held and I said to him that it’s kind of like he says it’s not about doing all the time…I just laid there with him, him wrapping his arms around me and I turned over and talked face to face and it was amazing. I knew eventually I would want to get to the topics he was suggesting but I definitely wanted to just be there in his embrace and with him. He had a mahogany colored book there too. Mahogany color floor?
Interpretation:
Wayne: one of my favorite peeps in Kingdom of God, he talks of Father and His love and not having to do do do I think maybe this is a representation of Father God and God knows my niche/passion for justice and helping the needy but yet was willing to just have my desire to be held. A representation of Father God’s acceptance, pure love, safety,…and God’s interest in my hearts desire, not a controlling agenda. Father God’s invitation to us to be in His embrace. It gives me a taste and glimpse of the reality of my Heavenly Father’s character and love and how I can relate with Him.
This touches me so much. I was in traditional church my entire life, and as a leader for 18 years. It just became stagnant and dead, and it threw me for a major loop. We walked away a year or so ago with no anger or real issue other than we just couldnt feel God there anymore. The judgement and abandonment that we have faced has been so so hard because here in the Bible Belt this type of journey is just not honored or respected by most people. We found a larger church about 6 months ago where one of our teens enjoys the fellowship of the youth group- and I WANT it to feel so meaningful when we go, but it just doesn’t. Not that those people are wrong for being there, I just don’t feel like I need it, I can’t feel him there. It frustrates me when I really try to force it, but when I just give in on Sunday mornings and stay home and enjoy Him on my porch and with a peaceful morning, I recognize that stream just dried up for me. I still face guilt from my upbringing about not attending every week or having my kids in a service all the time, and I’m asking God to help me see where He is in all this. Please pray for us in the journey. We have come SO FAR, and I did go through the phase of anger at where we came from, but I see how God used that stream at that time in my life. The hard part is the people we love that truly believe we have walked away from God because we “attend church,” even though we connect with other believers and teach our kids about God here at home. I want to be able to deal with the judgement and comments and condemnation with grace but it’s not easy- and I have been there as the one judging on the other side, saying WHY can’t they just come to church?? What is their problem? How could they not care about God? Now I get it and I’m on the other side learning to deal with that hurt. Thanks for the vulnerability and the continued conversation and prayers.