In continuing to grow in, learn, and follow Dad’s impulses, He asked me to write this in response to the above question. The reason is because someone(or many someones) besides me needs to know the answer. Initial response tends to be that He rescues in order to use us for His purposes. While it is true we become useful to Him upon rescue, that is not His primary motivation. His primary motivation for rescue is love.
Whether He rescues you into eternal salvation or from potentially life-damaging physical circumstances, though it is true He can now utilize you due to the rescue, the primary motivation for the rescue is because He loves you.
I can share my own life story as a prime example. I have been married to my wonderful wife for going on eight years now, we have two wonderful boys, and I am currently embarking upon a dream in the form of a career He both equipped me and laid a passion in my heart to do.
Anyone who knows me and the path I have taken to get here though, knows it is not due to who I am or anything I have done. No, I am here because of who He is and what He has done and continues to do. He is Dad and by His grace, with the biggest example being what big brother Jesus did on the cross, is why I both am who I am (a son) and where I am (living life with and for Him). And the only reason that fully explains why the all-powerful Creator of everything did and still does everything He does, such as allowing us to call Him Dad, is because He loves us.
Dad had me write this because I am daily growing in this truth. He had me share it because someone (or many someones) needed to hear this for the first time or as a reminder. If you are hearing this for the first time, pause after doing so, ask Him to prove it to you, and then be still a moment or so to allow Him to do it. If this is simply a needed reminder, take a moment to both thank Him and bask in His presence.
If you have any comments or questions upon absorbing this, publicly or privately, let me know. Finally as always, I would appreciate your continued prayers as we continue to walk out the life we believe Dad has for us, and may He continue to bless you all!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Following the Impulses of Dad
Our pastor recently talked about following the healthy impulses Dad lays on us at times and proceeded to share one of his own recently involving Berlin, Ohio(12th-Living in the Moment). He then shared an awesome video clip to illustrate this as well. In considering this, I had one of my own moments shortly after.
It was a recent snowy day we had on 12-16-10 and I had just dropped off my youngest son and niece to preschool. This is when I normally go home until I have to pick them up from school a couple hours later. On this particular day though, due to the weather-induced slow and hazardous driving conditions and on what I would shortly recognize as a Dad-given impulse, I opted instead to stop in at the local Tim Horton’s to fill the remaining time. I felt this was an impulse moment rather quickly for, as anyone who knows me pretty well can attest to, I don’t normally do this sort of thing.
After going in and ordering a breakfast burrito, TRIPLE chocolate donut(yeah, I know!), and a bottle of water, I sat down at a small booth on one side of the room. I was coming near the end of my stop finishing up my water when nothing unusual had really happened, making me begin to realize that perhaps this stop was my own impulse.
As I finished the water and got ready to get up, a sign across the room caught my attention. It was a picture of an individual playing a sport with a #1 on the back of his jersey. The #1 played into a phrase on the board that I initially thought said “Making one is the #1 reason to play.” Not making a lot of sense to me, I got ready to get up to go across the room to read it more closely since I suspected my 20/40 vision was failing me from this distance.
As I got ready to though, the image came in instantly clear and read “Having fun is the #1 reason to play.” Recalling the moment of impulse combined with my momentary supernatural ability to make out the “writing on the wall” prompted me to sit and reflect on the moment a bit.
To get me where I currently am on my life journey with Dad, He has been gradually reintroducing me to my “inner child.” You know, the individual I once was before “life” happened. He has been trying to reclaim for me the healthy naivety I had regarding Him, myself, and others before life and the enemy sucked it out of me.
In a loving, yet firm, way He keeps telling me how much more powerful I can be for Him, myself, and others when I allow Him to restore me back to this. It is through this process that I will gradually be able to “see”(remember the moment of clear vision?)Him and His work in ways never encountered before.
In other words, in the way I would eventually restate the writing on the wall, “Having fun is the best way to play in the game of life.” Dad allowed me to restate it to make it personal because I believe love is the #1 REASON to play, but having fun while loving is the best way to love.
In reading this, maybe you feel Dad’s impulse to either tap or re-tap you back into your inner child as well. If that is the case, take a moment after reading this to ask Him to come love and enjoy you and then just be still for a few minutes to listen to what He has for you.
You can do this for a minute or longer, consciously, or during a nap or sleep. If you entertain this while napping or sleeping, invite Him into your dreams to love and enjoy you, ask Him to protect you from the enemy as He comes, and then to help you remember and interpret anything He gives you during your time together.
If you entertain this or have any other similar moments with Dad you wish to share, feel free to do so. Oh, and start calling Him Dad if you wish and see how that might revolutionize your relationship with Him as well. As always, thanks for reading, I would appreciate your continued prayer, and may He continue to bless you all richly.
It was a recent snowy day we had on 12-16-10 and I had just dropped off my youngest son and niece to preschool. This is when I normally go home until I have to pick them up from school a couple hours later. On this particular day though, due to the weather-induced slow and hazardous driving conditions and on what I would shortly recognize as a Dad-given impulse, I opted instead to stop in at the local Tim Horton’s to fill the remaining time. I felt this was an impulse moment rather quickly for, as anyone who knows me pretty well can attest to, I don’t normally do this sort of thing.
After going in and ordering a breakfast burrito, TRIPLE chocolate donut(yeah, I know!), and a bottle of water, I sat down at a small booth on one side of the room. I was coming near the end of my stop finishing up my water when nothing unusual had really happened, making me begin to realize that perhaps this stop was my own impulse.
As I finished the water and got ready to get up, a sign across the room caught my attention. It was a picture of an individual playing a sport with a #1 on the back of his jersey. The #1 played into a phrase on the board that I initially thought said “Making one is the #1 reason to play.” Not making a lot of sense to me, I got ready to get up to go across the room to read it more closely since I suspected my 20/40 vision was failing me from this distance.
As I got ready to though, the image came in instantly clear and read “Having fun is the #1 reason to play.” Recalling the moment of impulse combined with my momentary supernatural ability to make out the “writing on the wall” prompted me to sit and reflect on the moment a bit.
To get me where I currently am on my life journey with Dad, He has been gradually reintroducing me to my “inner child.” You know, the individual I once was before “life” happened. He has been trying to reclaim for me the healthy naivety I had regarding Him, myself, and others before life and the enemy sucked it out of me.
In a loving, yet firm, way He keeps telling me how much more powerful I can be for Him, myself, and others when I allow Him to restore me back to this. It is through this process that I will gradually be able to “see”(remember the moment of clear vision?)Him and His work in ways never encountered before.
In other words, in the way I would eventually restate the writing on the wall, “Having fun is the best way to play in the game of life.” Dad allowed me to restate it to make it personal because I believe love is the #1 REASON to play, but having fun while loving is the best way to love.
In reading this, maybe you feel Dad’s impulse to either tap or re-tap you back into your inner child as well. If that is the case, take a moment after reading this to ask Him to come love and enjoy you and then just be still for a few minutes to listen to what He has for you.
You can do this for a minute or longer, consciously, or during a nap or sleep. If you entertain this while napping or sleeping, invite Him into your dreams to love and enjoy you, ask Him to protect you from the enemy as He comes, and then to help you remember and interpret anything He gives you during your time together.
If you entertain this or have any other similar moments with Dad you wish to share, feel free to do so. Oh, and start calling Him Dad if you wish and see how that might revolutionize your relationship with Him as well. As always, thanks for reading, I would appreciate your continued prayer, and may He continue to bless you all richly.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Greetings again everyone!
My name is Mike and I am, by His grace, both a child of God's(whom I will refer to as Dad from here on out as well as Jesus as big brother at times)and creator of this blog.
Dad called me to full time ministry a little over seven years ago and has revealed that, for the most part, it isn't going to look very "traditional". This really doesn't come as a surprise to me or anyone who has known me for a while.
Given that, one thing I want to share is that I am willing to provide some "untraditional" ministry. In other words, don't let distance be a hindrance to Dad and I providing a service. If you feel a need for ministry assistance, please email me and we will see what we can do via email, phone, or whatever, just like Jesus did in aiding the centurion.
A final thing is that amongst all that being a pastor entails, I particularly enjoy sharing Dad's word both verbally and in written form. As a result, in addition to pastoral services provided, I am going to post occasional food for thoughts, devos, sermons, or whatever you wish to call them. These will primarily come from a combination of both being in His word and my own experience of walking life out with Him daily.
In beginning this adventure, I was initially tempted to lay a foundation for you to get to know me first personally and theologically. After careful consideration with Dad though, I believe that will begin to emerge through both my sharing and your interaction. As I share what is in my heart through the relationship Dad and I share, feel free to comment both publicly and/or privately and I will do my best to address any questions you may have. I believe this interaction is the best way we will get to know both Him and each other better.
Finally, I by no means claim that anything I share on here is written in stone. I am a work in progress just like everyone else and, as a result, something I share today is subject to possible revision tomorrow. With that, let the journey begin. As we begin to interact, I would appreciate your continued prayer and may He continue to bless you all.
Dad called me to full time ministry a little over seven years ago and has revealed that, for the most part, it isn't going to look very "traditional". This really doesn't come as a surprise to me or anyone who has known me for a while.
Given that, one thing I want to share is that I am willing to provide some "untraditional" ministry. In other words, don't let distance be a hindrance to Dad and I providing a service. If you feel a need for ministry assistance, please email me and we will see what we can do via email, phone, or whatever, just like Jesus did in aiding the centurion.
A final thing is that amongst all that being a pastor entails, I particularly enjoy sharing Dad's word both verbally and in written form. As a result, in addition to pastoral services provided, I am going to post occasional food for thoughts, devos, sermons, or whatever you wish to call them. These will primarily come from a combination of both being in His word and my own experience of walking life out with Him daily.
In beginning this adventure, I was initially tempted to lay a foundation for you to get to know me first personally and theologically. After careful consideration with Dad though, I believe that will begin to emerge through both my sharing and your interaction. As I share what is in my heart through the relationship Dad and I share, feel free to comment both publicly and/or privately and I will do my best to address any questions you may have. I believe this interaction is the best way we will get to know both Him and each other better.
Finally, I by no means claim that anything I share on here is written in stone. I am a work in progress just like everyone else and, as a result, something I share today is subject to possible revision tomorrow. With that, let the journey begin. As we begin to interact, I would appreciate your continued prayer and may He continue to bless you all.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Greetings!
This is dedicated to a ministry God has both equipped me for and laid on my heart to begin known as Fields of Grace Ministries. It is named such because I have a passionate love for both God(Dad) and others(my brothers and sisters) and any way He blesses me in assisting the family is merely Him working through me to accomplish His will.
I am an independently ordained pastor with a BA in Social Science and an MA in Pastoral Counseling. I am a veteran of the Armed Forces who has also served many years both supervised and independently as a social worker and pastor. I regularly attend and am a current member of the Vineyard church in Grove City, Ohio where I both serve regularly in various ministry opportunities and continue on-going ministry education.
The goal of Fields of Grace Ministries is to offer Christ-centered pastoral counseling and other pastoral services to those who seek it. Life in our day is often filled with grief and pain, anguish and trouble, together with a great variety of scarred and broken covenants and relationships. Yet sometimes, even the noise of the world around us is overwhelmed by the raging storm within. In these times, haunting memories of the past, the agonies of the present, and the fear of the unknown future drown out the still, small voice of God. The power and strength which still remain in us are paralyzed.
One of the primary biblical models guiding the providing of these services is the New Testament image of compassion for all persons (Matthew 14:14). For those whose personal lives, relationships, or covenants would benefit from a conversation with a competent pastoral person, I am here to assist you on a journey of change, growth, and transformation in the context of Christian faith.
Pastoral counseling combines the insights and principles of Christian faith and theology with the knowledge and skills of the behavioral sciences. Pastoral counseling is an intensification of the general ministry of the church. Its primary goal is to empower people to experience increasing wholeness centered in Christ through the process of counseling conversations and with God's presence as a foundation. Because of the presence of God's Spirit, pastoral counseling conversations are more accurately understood as "trialogue" rather than "dialogue."
In addition to pastoral counseling, I offer other pastoral services such as Premarital Counseling(different from typical pastoral counseling provided), Wedding or Funeral Officiating, and sermon speaking engagements by appointment. Other pastoral services not listed here may be provided as well and, upon request, I will assess my ability to provide the service.
Any services provided will be done so on a donation basis. Inability to provide a donation will not hinder either the availability or quality of a service provided. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis at my discretion. In regards to any donations provided for services, in as much as God wants us as humans to provide for the needs of one another just as He is the ultimate provider of all we have(2 Cor. 9), the only request I make is that you seek His guidance concerning amount of any donations provided.
If you are interested in receiving any assistance from Field of Grace Ministries, please email me today for initial consultation information.
FIELDS OF GRACE MINISTRIES
PASTOR MICHAEL J. HOWARD
emh112203@yahoo.com
I am an independently ordained pastor with a BA in Social Science and an MA in Pastoral Counseling. I am a veteran of the Armed Forces who has also served many years both supervised and independently as a social worker and pastor. I regularly attend and am a current member of the Vineyard church in Grove City, Ohio where I both serve regularly in various ministry opportunities and continue on-going ministry education.
The goal of Fields of Grace Ministries is to offer Christ-centered pastoral counseling and other pastoral services to those who seek it. Life in our day is often filled with grief and pain, anguish and trouble, together with a great variety of scarred and broken covenants and relationships. Yet sometimes, even the noise of the world around us is overwhelmed by the raging storm within. In these times, haunting memories of the past, the agonies of the present, and the fear of the unknown future drown out the still, small voice of God. The power and strength which still remain in us are paralyzed.
One of the primary biblical models guiding the providing of these services is the New Testament image of compassion for all persons (Matthew 14:14). For those whose personal lives, relationships, or covenants would benefit from a conversation with a competent pastoral person, I am here to assist you on a journey of change, growth, and transformation in the context of Christian faith.
Pastoral counseling combines the insights and principles of Christian faith and theology with the knowledge and skills of the behavioral sciences. Pastoral counseling is an intensification of the general ministry of the church. Its primary goal is to empower people to experience increasing wholeness centered in Christ through the process of counseling conversations and with God's presence as a foundation. Because of the presence of God's Spirit, pastoral counseling conversations are more accurately understood as "trialogue" rather than "dialogue."
In addition to pastoral counseling, I offer other pastoral services such as Premarital Counseling(different from typical pastoral counseling provided), Wedding or Funeral Officiating, and sermon speaking engagements by appointment. Other pastoral services not listed here may be provided as well and, upon request, I will assess my ability to provide the service.
Any services provided will be done so on a donation basis. Inability to provide a donation will not hinder either the availability or quality of a service provided. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis at my discretion. In regards to any donations provided for services, in as much as God wants us as humans to provide for the needs of one another just as He is the ultimate provider of all we have(2 Cor. 9), the only request I make is that you seek His guidance concerning amount of any donations provided.
If you are interested in receiving any assistance from Field of Grace Ministries, please email me today for initial consultation information.
FIELDS OF GRACE MINISTRIES
PASTOR MICHAEL J. HOWARD
emh112203@yahoo.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)