Lori Stanley Roeleveld's Blog, page 21

The Alternative

I can get pretty worked up imagining that the furthering of the kingdom of God depends on me.

How am I going to convince people of the existence of God? How will I share the gospel with everyone in my life? When will I ever find time to research every trending controversy and know the biblical stand on it?

If the kingdom of God depends on me, we’re doomed.

Can you relate?

For many years I clammed up when faced with opportunities to speak biblical truth to people who don’t know Jesus primarily for fear of getting into a debate and botching my part – blemishing God’s reputation rather than representing Him.

Until I realized the greater truth.

Convincing people is not my job. Getting people to choose Jesus is not my job. Winning debates and turning people around, again, not my job.

Here’s my job – be the alternative – the one informed by Scriptural truth and pointing toward Christ.

That’s it.

When a friend or coworker sits across from me, I don’t have to become emotional about convincing them they’re wrong about their life choices, opinions, or disinterest in the living God. I just have to speak what is true, from my perspective, so they are presented with a biblical alternative.

They can take it or leave it. They are free to disagree, be offended, think I’m clueless, or tell me I’m nuts. But, they’ve been offered an alternative and so has everyone else listening in. A biblical perspective has been spoken, presented thoughtfully and creatively or simply and unapologetically, but it’s out there.

That’s my job.

The rest is between the listener and the Holy Spirit.

The same holds true on social media, newspapers, the general marketplace of ideas – we are not called to take on the world and shift the cultural tide. We’re simply called to be (and speak) the alternative to the way the world has opted to go.

It can be discouraging – this whole business of being a voice for the Jesus’ perspective. It can feel futile, fruitless, and unproductive at times. The truth is (the biblical truth) this struggle will worsen the closer the world hurtles toward the end. Fewer and fewer people will respond to the truth of Christ.

But, we still are called to do our job – to be (and speak) the alternative.

Like in the days of Noah.

I imagine that early on in his life, Noah engaged passionately in conversations with his neighbors – investing great energy in trying to convince them of God’s ways. Through the years, as he was laboring over his boat, suffering through jeers and scorn, he probably faithfully continued to speak (and be) the alternative to his community’s spiraling behaviors.

People didn’t respond, but that was God’s concern and theirs. Noah’s concern was the person he chose to be and the words he chose to speak, right up to the moment when God closed the door of the ark.

It makes the whole business far less stressful – sticking to my part of the job and leaving the rest to God and the listeners. And, I’m more faithful to speak up now.

What would happen if all the Jesus-followers kept the truth to themselves because no one seemed to be listening? Then the rest of the world would not hear there is an alternative to the culture of death, they would have no understanding that life is found in Jesus.

Be and speak the alternative to the way the world thinks is right. Don’t be preachy or judgy or angry or heated or condemning or arrogant or apologetic. Be humble. Be loving. Be direct. Listen more than you speak, but do not remain silent.

The kingdom of God does not depend on us – it resides within us – it has come within our hearts – and so we are the alternative – the walking, living, speaking, loving, light-filled alternative to the dark.

Be what you are in Christ and then speak up. Some will hear and each one of those is worth bearing the hardness of the rest.

The Alternative https://t.co/kU2c4VLrzs #communications #Jesus #faith Why bother speaking when no one is listening?

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 22, 2019

Worship Shootings – A Hard Conversation that is More than Thoughts and Prayers

Followers of Jesus Christ should be having some hard conversations with God and within their congregations in the wake of the New Zealand Mosque shooting.

We live in times when worshipers have been gunned down in mosques, synagogues, and churches. How, then, shall the followers of Christ respond?

First, let us confirm on every level and at every opportunity that there is no Scriptural support for hate. Those who follow Jesus Christ are called to love God, love our neighbors, love the brotherhood of believers, love our enemies, love those who persecute us, and, indeed, love the world. That leaves no room for exceptions or doubt. Far from the aisles of politics and regardless of what our governments choose to do, we – Jesus-followers- are commanded to offer hospitality to the stranger in our midst and to love at all time – even under fire.

 

Our God loves with a love that lays down its life – not one that takes them in hate. We must lose our distaste of distinguishing for the world that not every person who identifies as a Christian is following Jesus. It’s not our job to judge the world, but it is our job to discipline our own house.

To love others is not the same as telling them they are right. We can love people of other faiths while still holding forth the truth of ours. We can love those who pose as sheep but reveal themselves to be wolves while still setting boundaries around their behavior and distinguishing them for true models of Christ. In fact, it is often loves job to say the hardest thing and so, we, the church of these times, must rise to this task and speak now.

Second, let us ask ourselves (and then act on our answers) how we, as Jesus-followers, can show the love of Jesus to people of other faiths who have experienced this pain of murderers targeting their sanctuaries? May I suggest we grieve and mourn with them? May I suggest we offer to stand watch by the doors of their places of worship? May I suggest we pray for them, befriend them, ask how we can serve them, listen to their sorrow and pain, and speak up for them in the marketplace of ideas? May I suggest we demonstrate a fearlessness about continuing to love in times of hatred that stems from our deep trust that Jesus is our ultimate deliverer?

Third, let us consider what we are doing – both as individuals and as congregations – to outreach the angry young men and women of our times? What are we doing to reach those who feel hatred is the answer? Those who feel disenfranchised, powerless, isolated, overlooked, hopeless, full of rage, and lost – are we doing all we can to find them and demonstrate love to them?

Because I promise you this – the enemy of God is investing considerable time, energy, and resources to find them, to reach them, and to weaponize them. He and his forces are on every street corner, every dark website, every chat room and subversive YouTube channel and coffee shop. They are delivering deception with a zeal that proves they understand the battle for souls in a way we’d better start to grasp.

Let us act. Let us talk with the young people in our midst and ask them to help us find those who are at risk of becoming the next angry shooter. Let us use every ounce of creativity, every resource, every prayer, every pizza parlor and coffee shop at our command to tell them there is another way and there is a place where they can find identity, belonging, and a role in a greater story.

We have an opportunity to live without fear in fearful times. We have an opportunity to love freely in days when hate would rule. We have an opportunity to unleash our worship from within the walls of our churches and let it march in the streets to announce that yes, there are shooters in our midst, but our God is still on the throne.

He is coming again, and the tensions and disruptions will increase until that day, but we will not fear. Billy Graham is quotes as having said, “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.” The increasing danger of our times should not inspire us to fear, but to press in to Jesus as we never have be before and to live and love boldly in His name.

If not now, then when, loved ones? Let us learn to love under fire.

Worship Shootings – A Hard Conversation that is More than Thoughts and Prayers https://t.co/3SNDx9CtCf #NewZealandTerroristAttack #Jesus #faith

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 16, 2019

A Post I Wrote from Inside the Belly of a Large Fish

I’ve been studying the book of Jonah.

I used to see it primarily as a story about a man who ran from God. That’s not me. So, I enjoyed studying Jonah because it was a safe foray into someone else’s follies. Slim chance of personal conviction.

A prophet with issues. A follower who doesn’t like his assignment. A cautionary tale for a problem I would likely never have. No fish in my future.

But, I’m starting to see Jonah from inside the belly of Leviathan and I’m feeling a queasy kinship with the fleeing man of God.

 

Jonah had God in a tidy box. Yahweh was the God of Jonah’s people. He loved Jonah’s people – provided, protected, and prepared a future for them. Jonah was cozy with God and for Jonah, that was enough.

God’s heart was greater, and this part didn’t quite square with Jonah.

God’s mercy extended beyond Jonah’s carefully charted boundaries.

He sent Jonah to warn a vicious, warring nation to repent. He told him to speak out against the evil of Nineveh. Essentially, God pointed at an evil city, one that Jonah agreed was evil, and told Jonah to go there and pronounce them evil. He didn’t ask Jonah to do any great works – just open his mouth and let words come out. Speak aloud words Jonah already spoke in his heart and with those who believed the way he believed. Speak truth aloud.

Jonah wasn’t up for the job.

He didn’t share God’s vision for everyone. His heart – his loyalty – his faithfulness extended only to those Jonah deemed worthy, but he wasn’t interested in watching God extend mercy to those unworthy of redemption.

See the distinction Jonah made? He considered himself somewhat worthy of God’s grace. That probably snuck up on him over the years. He hadn’t even noticed when the self-righteousness meter ticked up on his soul.

We learn in chapter 4 that Jonah predicted exactly what occurred. The Ninevites repented, God forgave them, and Jonah pouted.

So, here’s how I ended up in the fish.

I feel pretty cozy with God. I like our relationship, the grace of which I’m a grateful recipient, and the eternal security.

There are others in my world who don’t know Jesus. I see their behavior and choices for what they are – choices to disobey and to defy God. I say it in my heart, but my mouth reserved tickets on a ship sailing in the opposite direction.

Why?

Do I think somehow my salvation was less of a miracle than theirs would be? Do I imagine by hoarding God’s mercy, I somehow receive a greater portion of that which is boundless and free? Have I secretly set up a seat in the shade with a great view of their judgment with some thought that I need the satisfaction of seeing their comeuppance? As if eternity in God’s presence isn’t enough for me?

Now I know the fish wasn’t the only stench in this story. Self-righteousness is putrid and hangs in the air like low-tide.

And still, I argue with God that the Ninevites in my world may not embrace the truth, they may not share the wisdom of the ancients.

And God, endlessly patient even with this folly, reminds me that my job is not to predict their response.

My job is to speak truth. The same truth He used to bring me to repentance. A repentance that was no small miracle and no credit to me.

Jonah’s story is my story and yours, too, if you remain silent in the face of evil and disobedience, if you imagine that another is less bent toward salvation than you were at one time, if your heart has boarded a ship bound for silence when you know the time of God’s return is near.

When was the last time you spoke the gospel aloud to another? When was the last time you gave voice to the disobedience you name in your heart when you see it in others? When was the last time you ventured beyond the boundaries you’ve charted for God?

Is it getting tight up here inside this fish, or is it just Jonah and me?

A Post I Wrote from Inside the Belly of a Fish https://t.co/wN4ASgmdWs #evangelism #Jesus #starttalking

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 13, 2019

Speaking Truth to Powerful Women

Women are powerful beings. 

With a glance, we can raise a man’s hopes or wither his self-esteem (often leaving me to wonder why burka-enforcing men think it safe to leave a window for the laser-beam of a woman’s eyes.)

As women have risen to inhabit an equal place in culture (which is a good thing), there has been an evil lie that has risen alongside (which is a bad thing).

This lie perpetuates the deceit that women are inherently, by virtue of being female, nobler, kinder, wiser, and more likely to safeguard others than the men who came before them or who serve beside them.

We have short memories.

We forget that God demonstrated original equality back at the dawn of time when both male and female had the power to make selfish, evil choices that impacted generations to come. Throughout time, women who rise to power have proven themselves to be capable of great good or evil – just like men.

We live now in a culture of threat and death, where it feels dangerous simply to speak the truth. But just as the men who came before us

had to be bold to speak truth to male power, so we women must find the courage to do the same to powerful women who would steer the ship of our culture’s soul off course into the shallows.

We must be wise and brave enough to say that effective ideas, noble motivations, and forces of change that serve our greater angels do not originate in the uterus, but from the hearts and minds of people of integrity and proven character determined to serve others, not their own agendas.

Women are a force. Beautiful women, those of lasting, enduring, empowering beauty that rises up from faithful, truth-filled souls, use this force to create life – childbirth being only one avenue for this birthing.

It also emerges through our art, our work, our words, our ways, our home-building, business-building, fund-raising, consciousness raising,

our organizing and administrating,

our generosity, our curiosity, our peacemaking and our cake baking, our wound-binding and our child-minding, our passions released and our voices unleashed, 

our coming, our going, our telling, our showing, our hips, our lips, our trips, and even our slips can be used to nurture life, for the beautiful woman is a force.

And the power fueling her is none other than the laminin of the universe, Jesus Christ, through whom her magnificence is focused like a beam of light, made brilliant and surgical and magical and luminous through the lens of His broken, risen body.

Sadly for us, ugly women (those whose spirits have embraced the godlessness of our times, the culture of selfishness and death, the short-sighted, faithless argument that we are our own gods and to the loudest and most cunning go the power and the glory) are forces as well.


Destructive, soul-sucking, heart-crushing, mistresses of death and deception who supplant our dreams with starless wormholes leading to relentless caverns of insatiable want and ravenous, greedy demanding dens of darkness and endless gloom.

Here’s the tricky part: ugly women appropriate superficial beauty as an effective disguise, while beautiful women may be hidden beneath a surface with small initial appeal, 

so one has to search diligently, and the lazy heart is likely to be ensnared by a Medusa before realizing the mistake.

Like King Herod.

Enraptured by the beautiful mask artfully worn by his brother’s ugly wife, he allowed his smaller self to follow her (or lead her) into adultery, and when she lured him even deeper into her toxic darkness with her undulating daughter’s unveiled treasures, like a fly he found himself adhered to her web, forced to behead God’s man or eat his own pride

but John’s skull stuck in his throat.  And I daresay when Herod faces judgment he won’t be recalling Salome’s dance with any sense of allure.

False beauty is like that. It leaves an after-taste like cigarettes and stale-beer, a morning-after sense of disgust and shame, sure to receive a million hits in your mental YouTube, and there’s no escaping an ugly woman’s emotional residue without washing in the Living Water of Christ.

This ancient story illustrates the truth we scarcely admit that people’s private beliefs  and personal desires always affect their politics and impact culture through them – no matter how effectively they’ve been veiled.

A beautiful woman is a fount of living water, it springs forth from within her because she’s embraced her Source, and she refreshes all she touches with her bold and generous heart.




When her life dances, she is not unveiled. Her beauty is guarded behind the gates of wisdom, grace, generosity, love, and restraint. It is revealed only to those persistent enough, brave enough, patient enough, faithful enough, godly enough, and and loving enough, to be found worthy of witnessing her brilliance and light.

Once we witness her in action, we lose our appetite for ugly women.

A beautiful woman is a life-force like a super nova. Be that woman. Seek that woman.

Leave the ugly women to perform or parade or politic for the insatiable, lie-loving masses deluded by the prince of the air playing deceitful tunes on his pipe and blowing smoke into the mirrors of the age. Soon enough, the freak show that it is will be revealed, and there will be weeping, wailing, sorrow and many hands grasping for an illusion that isn’t there.

But not us.

For we will come to Christ and we will inhabit the beauty He created us to exude.

And we will come to Christ, and we will seek out women who have established their beauty within the very Source of all life.

And on that day, we will embrace one another – as husbands and wives, or brothers and sisters, or fathers and mothers, or sons and daughters, or friends of God, or coworkers in the kingdom or fellow warriors or worshipers,

and together we will engage in the most powerful of all adventures -that of following Jesus in His kingdom of life and piercing the darkness with His Light.

Speaking Truth to Powerful Women https://t.co/GifBgUV7Bp #womanpower #faith #theartofhardconversations

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 8, 2019

A Hard Conversation with the Witch Next Door

Have you ever learned a lesson about your own faith from someone opposed to it?

God taught me a significant life lesson through an encounter with a warlock.

Fresh out of Christian college, I had energy to burn and invested it all in the residents of an inner-city runaway shelter in Providence, RI. Not sure how my parents survived their first glimpse at this place. It was not a great neighborhood. But I was idealistic and confident of God’s eye on me. All I saw was opportunity for kingdom building.

Except that initially, it was all about me.

“Look what I’m doing for God.” “Look at what I’m risking for Jesus.” “I was the blinded by the glare of my own shining light until I ran smack into actual darkness.

It appeared one day on the doorstep. Darkness, that is. A man dressed in black. His hair slicked back and accented with a single white streak. Right out of central wizard casting standing on the steps of the shelter.

Something within me recognized the darkness within this man but at the time, I had no name for it – just a sense in my spirit that the veil between the worlds had suddenly grown thin.

He asked if I was the Christian taking “Mike” to church on Sundays and talking with him about Jesus. I was.

He explained that Mike was his “apprentice,” a young man he was mentoring in his local coven, of which he was head. A warlock. A practitioner of the “dark arts,” he explained, as casually as if he was telling me Mike was apprenticing in an electrician’s guild. Certainly, he continued, I could respect that and not interfere by talking with Mike about Jesus.

I remember standing on there thinking some truly stupid thoughts. Like, Why does this guy care about so much about Mike? To my shame.

Mike wouldn’t describe himself as a runaway, but as a “throw-away.” His mother was an addict, his father unknown, and Mike just a boy running from state care until he was found again and recycled through the system like a plastic bag.

My un-Christlike thoughts continued: Surely, this guy isn’t going to battle me over this one kid? What’s the big deal? There must be a hundred other kids like Mike within a needle-squirt of this doorstep. One kid! C’mon. You can’t seriously be taking me on over one soul.

Shameful thoughts until a light came on within me. Not a light of my own making, but illumination from Jesus. Suddenly I understood something this warlock already knew – the value of a single soul.

Whatever either of us saw in Mike, none of that mattered. What truly mattered was what Jesus saw in Mike. Jesus saw a lost sheep. A child He loves and bled and died to save. Not a throw-away, not a street kid, not a nothing, not a project for a self-involved young college grad, not an apprentice in the dark arts – a lost soul, deeply loved and sought after – a soul worth fighting for, a single soul worthy of a battle.

The evil one, too, saw the value of this single soul. Not because he loves or values Mike but because every soul has value to God and the evil one seeks every opportunity to capture and destroy what God values.

In that moment, I saw it, too. For the first time, but not for the last.

I cut my teeth on that spiritual battle. I wasn’t accustomed to my weapons nor to my armor. I wasn’t engaged with a knowledgeable unit of fellow warriors. It wasn’t pretty. It doesn’t have a happy ending. There were casualties. But I remember the lesson that landed on that doorstep like a smart bomb, like a dispatch from headquarters, like an all-points bulletin, like an actual emergency on the emergency broadcast system- every single soul is worth the battle.

As big as God is, as vast as the heavens, as infinite as the cosmos, it all comes down to His love for every single soul. Even if those of us who enlist in His army are too blinded by the glare of our new armor to see it – He never forgets what this is all about.

Mike’s soul. My soul. The soul of that warlock. Your soul, too.

No one falls off God’s radar. And to Him, we aren’t “blips” on a screen, but amazing works of living art, His creation intimately known by Him and sought after with a passion and zeal it would probably destroy us to completely comprehend.

The value of a single soul – this is what God taught me through a warlock and his interest in the unwanted child of a heroin-seeking woman of the night. God also taught me the reality of the spiritual realm and the battle that rages there, although the victory for Christ is certain.

We live in times where there is an unprecedented rise in Wicca and practitioners of magick. There is even a rise in those who claim themselves to be Christian witches.

We are unwise if we just dismiss all these souls with a click of our teeth and a shake of our heads. They are vocal, proselytizing purveyors of a false matrix of the Christian faith. If we don’t encounter them, our children will or the people we’re trying to reach with truth, will, so we must be wise and ready.

How do we prepare for hard conversations with or about “Christian” witches?

First, live and speak authentically for Jesus without apology. Our greatest downfalls are not our beliefs, but our “near-beliefs.” We confidently discuss those things of which we’re certain. When we stumble, it’s a sign that we “nearly” believe that truth, but likely need to dig deeper into God’s Word or press deeper into Jesus in order to discuss it with Christ-informed confidence.

Second, do not be afraid of these misguided souls nor spread this fear to others. There is an active spiritual realm and there are people who dabble in dangerous spiritual practices, but God calls us to live free of fear because He is with us. Don’t elevate these practitioners by imagining their powers are any match for the One that lives within you – Jesus.

Third, understand that those deceived by these false teachings are looking for things that we can relate to – a sense of belonging in a world that tells them they don’t belong, power and control over their lives and circumstances, a faith that honors the magnificence of creation, a sense of their own beauty, and a way to make sense or meaning of their lives. The better able we are to articulate how those things are best found in Jesus and the more perfectly we live that out in Christian community, the better able we are to dialog with those at risk of entering greater deceit.

Fourth, it’s not hard, when listening to their videos or reading writings by self-proclaimed “Christian” witches, to find the false teachings in what they proclaim. If we listen without fear and with confidence in Christ, we can easily hear and refute the lies (or at least go to the Christian leader or teacher in our lives with intelligent questions for support.)

Fifth, many of the most vocal witches and wizards are spiritual bullies. Don’t fall prey to their methods and don’t resort to mimicking their methods because that’s not the way of Christ. A calm, steady, unrelentless presentation of the truth can be delivered without hatred, mocking, anger, name-calling, judgment, or violence.

Sixth, there is nothing new under the sun. The heresy and false teaching of these “new age” peddlers of “ancient truth” is as old as the prince of lies himself – it’s part Wiccan, part Gnosticism, part Hollywood, and all wrong. He has no powers of creativity, so they’re not even innovative in their deception. Evil isn’t interesting – it’s as boring as the dirt from which we came. Light and life captivate and fascinate the truly seeking soul and these are only found in Jesus.

Seventh, let this rise in opposition spur us on to love and good deeds, to prayer, to God’s Word, and to a renewed obedience to Christ. If not now, when? When will we live and speak and love from the great heart of Him who died for us, if not now?

I know this is a long post. Some of you don’t even know what I’m talking about. But come April, there’s a conference of “Christian” witches coming to Salem, MA, and the rise of this false teaching is actively at work trying to discredit our faith through every venue of social media. If you haven’t encountered them yet, you will. We must live wisely and embedded in God’s Word in these times – full of love, free from fear, speaking truth. Are you ready?

A Hard Conversation with the Witch Next Door https://t.co/SSXLO6xEG9 #theartofhardconversations #wiccan #Jesus

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 4, 2019

One Bible Story Every Modern Christian Should Model – But Sometimes Doesn’t

Nobody wants to be thought a fool.

I sure don’t. I’ve always hated being laughed at or considered “not in the know” by others.

That was the story of my childhood – being laughed at by cousins and neighborhood kids who weren’t afraid of the train that ran through my grandmother’s back yard or big dogs or getting into trouble.

Mocked by even adults for having my nose in a book and taking Jesus seriously in 2nd grade. Derided in high school for refraining from everything others were trying in the seventies.

Sometimes I earned the laughter. Like the time I ran down the hill from my house to my Grandfather’s store and pulled everyone out onto the street to warn them that the Germans were invading our small town. Of course, they laughed as they pointed out that it wasn’t a zeppelin armed with weapons but only the Good Year blimp. Yeah, I earned that.

But, most of the laughter was about how much I was missing out and how lacking I was in “life knowledge” because I believed the words written in the Bible. “A little religion is fine,” they said, “but no one likes a fanatic.”

I think it’s because of those childhood and adolescent experiences, that I don’t like it when Christians find it amusing or feel superior to others who don’t know the truth of Christ. When others create arguments and defenses about topics on which the Bible teaches an opposing truth, I struggle when commentators deride them or mock them as “not in the know.” To me, it’s ungracious and unkind, and not the way of Christ.

For the past two weeks, I’ve listened to the story of Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter over and over (Luke 8:49-56). In this story, the mourners laughed at Jesus.

Jairus had asked Jesus to come to his home and heal his daughter. Along the way, Jesus delays in order to heal a woman who touched the hem of his garment. Before he can start toward Jairus home, someone comes from Jairus’ household to let them know it’s too late, the girl has died. Jesus is undeterred.

When he arrives at Jairus’ home, the mourners are already at their work. Jesus tells them “Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping.”

Here’s the verse that kept replaying in my mind: “And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.”

The thing that strikes me about this verse is that they were actually right. We forget this when we read this passage. Those of us who are privileged to live on this side of the resurrection, might be tempted to snicker that these mockers are “about to get theirs.”

It’s not that they weren’t in the know. They were. With all the information they had, what they could know is that the girl was dead.

It’s not that they didn’t know something true – it’s that they didn’t know all there was to know. Their knowledge was incomplete because they didn’t know Jesus and His power.

When they laughed at Him, Jesus doesn’t react. Being the One who was truly in the know, He could have scoffed at them and made a great show of raising the child to life. Instead, He lets the life He brings to the situation speak for itself.

The church of our times (you and I) would benefit from reviewing this story over and over. We often lack Christ’s humility and that diminishes our effectiveness. We need to remember that we are “only in the know” because of His grace and mercy toward us.

We also are engaging in the spiritually criminal act of withholding truth from those around us. When we don’t speak truth into conversations loaded with deception – whether out of fear or a lack of faith that “it will make any difference,” we fail to adequately represent the life Christ brings to those with an incomplete knowledge of life.

And when we speak, we must speak with love, humility, and confidence in the truth of the spiritual realm – Jesus’ kingdom come.

This is only possible as we surrender to and lean on Jesus for every word we speak. What is impossible with us is possible with God.

The people of our times are in the know about many things, but their knowledge is incomplete because they don’t know Jesus and His power. This isn’t something to laugh at, it’s something to address by speaking and living truth at every opportunity with love, humility, kindness, and quiet respect for the value of every human life – even those who would mock or scoff at our faith.

There are mockers and scoffers in this world, but woe to us if we engage in these practices as ambassadors of Christ.

Let us, instead, be defined by our gracious, humble, confident, unapologetic, life-giving words and acts so that the mockers’ laughter may be transformed to eternal joy.

One Bible Story Every Modern Christian Should Model, but Often Doesn't https://t.co/KtHvEUXAA1 #theartofhardconversations #truth

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 2, 2019

The Dangerous Job Interview Question I Wasn’t Prepared to Answer (Coming to an Interview Near You!)

At job interviews, I’m prepared to answer just about anything. But, I wasn’t prepared for the question I heard from one potential employer. Not just once, but in a series of interviews for a job I found intriguing.

Conversation flowed. We connected. It was going well.

Smiles. Nods. Quiet laughter. Then, a glance at my resume. A mention of my writing –a skill worth noting on a resume. Nothing to hide! Communication skills a plus. Writing talent a boon. Publication an achievement that speaks to excellence, perseverance, and determination.

But, you know, I write for Jesus.

There’s no camouflaging the nature of my writing (and why would I?) since two of three of my books mention Jesus right in the title – so, it’s out there. Which for me is a gift.

It bolsters me against the temptation to obfuscate in moments when my old sin nature beckons me to slink, to be less than God designed me to be, to relegate Him in to the “religion” box in my life.

I see a slight eye flicker as the interviewer glances over my titles. There’s a brief clarification of the genre. Yes, I write for the Christian market.

Another nod and smile, but then, the question. The tone is casual, but the question is not benign: “I’m wondering, how will you keep your faith from interfering with your job?”

I’m sorry, what?

Replaying the chat, of course I see I should have asked a clarifying question before responding. Jesus knew to ask a question before He answered one. “What is your specific concern?” or “Has this been a problem with other employees?” or “Is this a something you ask every applicant?”

But, it’s an interview, I need the job, and we’re solidly in the question/answer mode. Plus, it’s my personality to maintain the relationship, avoid confrontation, look for the work around. God is working on me but it’s still my default.

If we were in court, I would hear the judge respond to my objection, “I’ll allow it since your resume opened the door to this line of questioning,” so, by God’s grace, I respond:

“Well, my faith informs the excellence with which I do my job so I don’t think you want me to keep it from ‘interfering.’ If lying or committing fraud are part of the job, it will definitely interfere, but I don’t think that’s how you operate here, so we’re good. (polite laughter at this) Are you asking if I’m judgmental? I’m not, but that’s because of my faith, not in spite of it. Have I answered what you’re asking?”

Smiles. Handshakes. The interview ends on a hopeful note, but it leaves an uncomfortable aftertaste.

How easily I joined the narrative, the implication that I would naturally understand their assumption that my faith is a problem, that perhaps I wouldn’t be able to contain my judgmental views, that no one wants to hire a trouble-maker so, of course, they have to ask.

Why did I enter that narrative so willingly, with a smile, without resistance?

And as I’ve told this story, some believers have shrugged and said, “Oh, they’re worried you would proselytize or refuse to do something that’s unbiblical. That’s all it was.”

That’s all it was? I’m sorry, WHY ARE WE HOLDING HANDS WITH THE STORY THE WORLD TELLS ABOUT US?

Did my answer give them the idea that I’m one of those “acceptable” Christians? One who believes Jesus would never tell anyone their actions or attitudes were sinful?

One who follows the domesticated, generic Christ who never would have been dangerous enough to have to die like a thief on a cross? Surely not someone who follows the wild-eyed Jesus who wove a whip and said such hard things he turned away crowds! Did I come across as a compliant believer? One who would never cause trouble?

Some would say that’s good, but I know my own tendency to stay quiet, to fear trouble, to avoid making waves, to stink at sharing my faith, to capitulate hard truth, so the conversation unsettled me. How subtly, smilingly, I can be encouraged to “play nice” and only bring the “agreeable side” of my faith to work.

How will you keep your faith from interfering with your job? I replay that moment and consider other answers, better answers, answers that refuse to walk hand-in-hand down the corridor of the false narrative being spun in our times.

“Will my faith interfere with my job? Why? Do you anticipate asking me to lie, commit fraud, steal, or conspire in deception? If so, then my faith may interfere. My faith has taught me that no matter what I do, to do it as for Jesus, so I bring that integrity with me to the workplace, surely you wouldn’t prefer I leave it at home?”

“Will my faith interfere with my job? In other jobs, people appreciate the love, compassion, respect, and generosity of spirit I extend to everyone I encounter, as instructed by my faith. Will that be a problem in this workplace? I’m not sure I can learn to work without being kind, honest, patient, and loyal. You may have to consider someone else.”

“Will my faith interfere with my job? Why? Is this a place where people must conform, where conversations are monitored and screened, where people check their souls at the door, where ideas pass through a filter before being aired? Is this a place where freedom has been given a shelf on the same locker in which I place my lunch?

When did we start buying into the story that others tell about us? Loving and following Jesus is what makes us someone you want at your place of business. In all we do, we work as if we’re doing it for Him, so our work bears the mark of excellence, integrity, truth, and creativity – because every day we are more like Jesus.

They offered the job. I declined. It’s a small thing – no sacrifice because I had another option. I’m just one person in the smallest state but we have to start, in small ways, to refuse to align with the lies. To say no to any narrative that says the world’s story is the true one, not the one we live.

I only tell this story now so you’ll be ready for the question: How will you keep your faith from interfering with your job? What will be your answer?

How are we preparing to resist the false narrative the world is weaving about our faith? That, my friends, is the question that really matters.

Are you ready to answer this dangerous job interview question? I wasn't. https://t.co/XhPNz3tv3S #faith #theartofhardconversations

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) February 24, 2019

The Next Billy Graham is Here

Let me get right to the point with this post.

I have been deeply influenced by some great Christian preachers and teachers of our times. For their words and example, I am (literally) eternally grateful. It’s been nearly one year since the Billy Graham stepped from this life into glory and many have wondered who will be the next Billy Graham.

The answer, I believe, is that there is no next Billy Graham. For the better part of his ninety-nine years, Rev. Graham preached and counseled millions, delivering the gospel in countries around the world. Myriads of souls went forward and entered a relationship with Jesus in response to one of Billy’s alter calls.

I was one of those souls. It was probably the 1965 televised crusade and I was a little girl, maybe 4, almost 5, when I heard him preach and issue the call. I walked forward in front of our black and white television in our living room as my mom sewed at the dining room table. I can still hear them playing “Just as I am.”

I loved Jesus from that moment forward, and while I’ve still managed to sin and make a mess of things at times, I have followed Him from that moment on and never looked back. This frightened face, it what I still look like inside – not a likely candidate to go on to teach about hard conversations, but that’s what Jesus does – He works through the meek and unlikely to impact eternity.

So, I am deeply grateful there was this one man who reached millions. There was a time for that, clearly. Our generation was blessed through his ministry.

But now, that time has passed. And I believe that what Jesus would say to us now is that we don’t need another Billy Graham to preach the gospel and minister to millions. NOW, we need each of those millions to touch the lives of those around them, whether they can reach many or few.

Just as the Israelites needed a Moses to lead them into the promised land, but when they returned to ruined Jerusalem after the dispersion, Nehemiah showed them now each family must build and defend the wall in front of their own home. So, it is with us. Each of us, much build and defend the kingdom in front of our own territory.

It is why I wrote my most recent book. While I deeply appreciate the great preachers and speakers of our times, these are not the ones everyday people turn to in times of need with hurts, questions, struggles, or fears. Billy Graham’s preaching changed my life, but when I needed counsel, direction, or encouragement, I turned to those closest to me.

Each of us needs to take seriously God’s commands to speak the truth, share our story, minister to the sick and grieving, bear with one another through trial, correct those going astray, and represent Jesus to the world through our actions AND our words. When we stop avoiding hard conversations, release our fear and need for control, and trust God enough to open our mouths, we will see Him work in ways that will thrill and surprise us.

The keys to transformation, unification, and authentic breakthroughs are usually found on the other side of hard conversations. And most soul-shaping, life-altering discussions won’t happen before international audiences or from televised pulpits, but in kitchens, cubicles, foyers, and front porches.

I guess, if truly pressed, what I believe is that you and I are the next Billy Graham, God’s final wave of influence before the times become nearly impossible to navigate. We are the ones designed and equipped for these times. We must trust His wisdom in placing us here and believe that He will provide us the words we need. All we have to do is open our mouths and let them come out.

Buy my book or don’t buy my book. That’s not the point of my post. In the great battle for souls, these are the days of the guerilla gospel, hand-to-hand soul-combat, and special forces sent to foray for stragglers behind enemy lines, and we are the ones to carry this out – conversation by conversation.

Look at what the Bible has to say about our words and then do what it says. Stop waiting for the next great preacher – it is you. Stop searching for the next wave of revival – it has begun and you’re an agent of it. Stop thinking it’s going to come through another and believe that Jesus is with YOU and that the souls within your hearing are as valuable and worth reaching as the throngs who walked forward to “Just as I am.”

He is coming again – the time grows nearer every day, but we aren’t home yet. Ultimately, the world doesn’t need a church free of conflict. It needs a church, individual believers, who are unafraid of conflict and tough talks because our God is with us.

Thank you, Jesus, for the work you did through Rev. Graham. Grant us, now, the courage and confidence to carry on, each one, in Your name. Amen.

A SPECIAL VIDEO MESSAGE FROM LORI

The Next Billy Graham is Here https://t.co/V54AGUEsdb #BillyGraham #theartofhardconversations #faith

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) February 19, 2019

When You’re Fine – Except, You’re Not

Earlier in this decade, I thought about dying every day for a year.

I wasn’t planning suicide or battling a life-threatening illness, I was simply overburdened and weary to the point of imagining that perhaps even a brief hospital-stay sounded like a relief.

My life was a super-highway with no scenic over-look, so my mind searched for an off-ramp.

The year prior had been rife with transitions – a move I didn’t want to make to an unfinished house, my youngest graduating from homeschool, a new full-time job I hadn’t anticipated needing, career upheaval for my husband.

The year that followed brought an unexpected diagnosis for Rob, more work pressure, shifts in my parents’ health, continued support for my adult children in their new situations, and luscious opportunities for speaking and writing that were welcome yet required me to work in the narrow margins of my life.

And I was fine.

Effective on the job. Valued at church. Writing words well-received by readers. Caring for Rob. Present for my adult children and parents. Supportive of friends.

This is life, right? God is with us and strengthens us through it all. I prayed. Studied my Bible. Did all the things. He works them all together for good for those who love Him, so this would all be for my good and His glory, yes? I trusted. And I was fine.

Except, I wasn’t.

Somewhere deep inside – my heart, mind, and soul were telling me clearly that I wasn’t okay.

I brushed them away like gnats. I’m a warrior. There’s a battle waging. I’m a kingdom-builder and this is my assignment. I’m a servant and God knows what I need. I’m a grown-up and this is life. Soon, I’ll rise on eagle’s wings.

Except there came a week where, twice, as I left clients’ homes after crisis visits, I blew through stop signs. Not my style. I don’t even speed. Three times, as I drove to familiar places along familiar routes, I didn’t recognize where I was. Couldn’t recall where I was going. I lost patience at home. Not my style. I cried in my car in between appointments. I slept, but never felt rested.

I scheduled a check in with my doctor.

He held up the 10-question depression screen I’d completed in the waiting room. “Let’s talk about this,” he said. I’d answered yes to nine out of the 10 questions. The only one to which I’d replied “no” was “Have you considered suicide in the past 30 days?” So, I’m fine, right? I asked. I’ll get through this. It’s just a tough time.

He thought differently. What followed was a very concrete discussion about sleep, food, exercise, rest, stamina, spiritual support, and mental health. Things I know for other people but forget for myself.

I found someone I could trust to talk to about job stress. I told my family and a small circle of friends about my state of mind. Hard conversations where I admitted I’m no super-hero. I need help sometimes even if I look fine and keep going.

I said no to some things. And, I started remembering that I represent God, but I’m not Him. I have limits. I need rest.

So, I reinstituted a Sabbath rest each week. 24-hours. No work. Worship. Naps. Books. Movies. Food. Staring at the sky. Chatting on the porch with friends. Rest. And, like Jesus, I pull away to “desolate places” to recharge and hear from my Father.

Moses needed his father-in-law, Jethro, to remind him he couldn’t (shouldn’t) try to do it all.

Elijah went from blazing victory to death-wish defeat and needed God to send Him to rest beneath a broom tree.

The apostle Paul wrote this, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 ESV

Yes, we have Jesus. Yes, we’ve matured in our faith. We worship, pray, give, serve, obey, read our Bibles, and do all the things. But, sometimes we need help, rest, healing, and restoration and the people around us can’t tell because we’re still showing up and doing. And we’re so busy helping others take care of themselves, no one notices (not even us) that we’re slipping away.

That’s how we’ve lost some wonderful servants of God. We don’t want to lose you, dear reader, if you’re starting to lose heart.

Are you losing sleep? When was the last time you looked forward to something? Do you find yourself resenting people for needing things or grumbling in your heart where you used to be gracious and full of love?

Are you eating or drinking or spending or clicking too much? Are you thinking it wouldn’t be so bad to be laid up for awhile? Does your mind wander to the rest promised in death? Maybe, once or twice, suicide has entered your thoughts.

Maybe God doesn’t give us more than we can bear, but the world certainly does. And we take more on ourselves than God’s asking us to take. And the enemy sneaks in with burdens we’re too busy to fend off.

Often, God renews our strength, but when He doesn’t, He’s trying to get our attention.

When you’re fine – except you’re not – tell someone. Stop and get a little help. More important than all you do is you. We need you, not all the plates you keep spinning.

If there’s no one else you can tell, email me, and we’ll brainstorm.

Even warriors of valor fall prey to battle fatigue. You don’t need to press on – you need to sit down. Listen to God. He has the battle. You catch your breath.

(Please, if you really are fine, send this post to a friend you care about and check on them. Let them know you’re there if they need you. We need one another.)

My new book releases next Tuesday and I’d love your help spreading the word! Here’s a 10 question survey to help your church leaders or ministry team decide if they would benefit from learning how to have hard conversations. And here’s a link to The Art of Hard Conversations where friends can read an excerpt. Thank you for praying that God will use this book to His glory and to the benefit of all who read it.

 

When You’re Fine – Except, You’re Not https://t.co/vAexth1Hk2 #depression #faith #starttalking

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) February 12, 2019

Five Ways to Be an Older Women Younger Women Will Hear

They’re not listening.

This is the complaint I hear from my contemporaries about the next generations.

Women of a certain age worry about the generations coming up behind us.

We know we have a biblically-ordained responsibility to reach and teach younger women, but we flounder in this task. Largely because we view it as a task to be done, rather than an art to be practiced, an adventure to be lived, an act of love to be expressed with our whole being.

There’s a lot I don’t know about reaching the next generation. (I invite anyone under forty reading this to share your thoughts in the comments.) But, we all have to start somewhere. Certainly, younger generations are responsible to have ears that can ear, but older generations must do their part.

Here are five ways to be older women younger women can hear.

Live a Great Story – If the only Jesus-story or testimony you have to share is three decades old, it’s time to update your God-card. What exactly are you doing with this freedom Jesus died to provide?

If you’re reading your Bible, praying, obeying, worshiping, serving, giving, and sacrificing, there should be stories. If there aren’t, check in with a mature believing friend and ask God to refresh your assignment.

Don’t get stuck in a lesser story than Jesus designed you to live! Genuine, mature faith deepens like wine. Religious practice alone, like old bread, grows stale with time. Younger women yearn to be part of a great story. Older women living one will earn their attention. Once you have it, invite them to join you.

Vision Forward, Not Back – One of most ignored Bible verses is Ecclesiastes 7:10, “Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” Older woman are too often walking in the path of Lot’s wife – so busy looking back they’ve been left behind.

Travel light into tomorrow. Leave the past where it belongs. They weren’t better days, they were just different. Jesus is in this day and where He is is where we need to be, even when times are hard.

God designed you for these times. He designed you to be an older woman in these days. If your focus is the eternal adventure stretching before us, your eyes will be full of light. If your focus is the past, you risk the fate of Lot’s wife, simply a cautionary footnote who ended her future trying to cling to her past. We may not share a similar past with younger generations, but we share today, and we could be friends into eternity, so keep your vision focus forward and you’ll find more opportunity to make connections with youth.

Know Something About the Culture – Seriously, watch a movie made in the past five years. Check out a television show that’s not on TVLand or MeTV. Listen to the radio. Read a best-seller. Explore modern happenings.

If God called you to the mission field, you’d explore the culture. He’s called you to the next generations. Explore their culture – and not like it’s a smelly fish – like it’s a fascinating puzzle. Invite younger women over to binge watch something with them on Netflix or listen to their favorite musical artists. Trade off watching one of their favorite movies followed by one of yours. Ask them what attracts them to their entertainment choices.

Start a book club and invite the younger women. Switch off book choices by generation. Have a makeover weekend where the younger generation makes over the older and vice-versa. Be teachable, accepting, and curious. That’s a combination that is the foundation of role models. Laugh Easily. Love generously. Re-invent old age.

Be Vulnerable, Available, and Present – No matter how old we get, we’re sinners saved by grace alone. As we mature, we begin to get some things right, but we still fail. We don’t know everything. Forget the fake. Park your pretense. Let your vulnerability surface.

Confess your failures. Tell younger women your fears and needs. Be emotionally available and wholly present with the young woman beside you. Listen to her. Ask questions. Let time go lightly when she’s around. Be willing to go where she is when she’s available to talk. Younger women don’t want someone who’s perfect, they want someone who’s present.

Start an advice club where women share wisdom across generations. Older women can ask advice about talking with their daughters. Younger women can seek advice about careers, growing in faith, men, managing money. Single women can share counsel across generations. The middle generation can ask advice about dealing with aging parents. Widows can discuss dating with the thirty-somethings. We’ll get past the issues that divide if we don’t hide.

Finally, keep growing up. In this phase of life, we may be seniors, but in the light of eternity, we’ve only just begun. In 2 Peter 1:1-10, he lists eight qualities (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love) that if we have them in increasing measure, they will keep us from being ineffective and unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus. If we don’t increase in these qualities, we are nearsighted to the point of being blind. Make every effort to grow in these qualities and we’ll be effective and fruitful with the generations coming up behind us.

We lose a lot as we age. Here are some things to intentionally lose for the sake of building the kingdom in younger women – fear, a critical spirit, inflexibility, arrogance, hypocrisy, and pretense. We each contribute to the culture of women in the kingdom of Christ. What does it look like in your corner?

Add to my list. Comment with your own ideas about being older women younger women can hear.

**A version of this post ran on my blog last Spring, but in these days, it seemed a truth that bears repeating.

Five Ways to Be an Older Woman Younger Women Will Hear https://t.co/6m5GUjvmh5 #mentoring #Jesus #starttalking

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) February 8, 2019