Odd one out or visionary? (Godly identity)

So last weekend I had my issue focussed prayer ministry session from my local Restoring the Foundations team. The plan was to work through some of the issues that had come up during my time of darkness that I went through at the end of last year.

The core issues they identified were abandonment, victimisation, rejection and anger. One of the recurring lies that came up was:

I don't belong, I will always be on the outside

Now part of the ministry is to reject this lie and ask the Holy Spirit to replace it with Truth. But I really didn't see this as a "lie", just a sad fact of life.

Sure I have been told I was "leadership material" by a particular church but never given a role and in the end had to leave them to pursue what God had called me to.

Sure I have been told to stop ministering to people (despite the freedom that was being experienced by those I was praying for) because of .

Sure I have given prophetic words to two churches that were ignored but turned out to be true and had they heeded them it would have prevented their implosions.

It's been a repeated sad fact of my life. I just don't fit in the comfortable church mould - that's why my wife and I ran an organic church for 3 years. We catered to those who didn't fit in the box.

It is what it is. I wouldn't have said it was a lie.

But I trusted these two people ministering so duly repented and asked God to show me the truth as I really didn't get it. Here is the picture story I experienced in my mind:

I saw a vague path in a woods. As I asked about it I saw Jesus' hand extended towards me in invitation - so I took his hand to follow him and left everyone else around me. As I did so I found that I was actually stepping off of a treadmill to go with Him.

I followed the path until it came to some overgrown bushes - I pushed through and found myself in a clearing with an overgrown fountain. I cleaned off the moss and it started pouring out water. I drunk some and it was refreshing.

I asked "Is this it? Is this just a special place for me?"

I saw myself filling an ice-cream tub with the water and taking it back to those I'd left who were still back where I left them. As I poured out this water for them to drink they were all clamouring to taste. They asked me where I got it from and I told them.

So then we all set off together and hacked a wide path to the clearing.

There were now picnic tables there in the clearing and we all sat down to eat and drink.

To me this picture story opened my eyes to the truth of my identity. I wasn't an outsider - I am someone who goes places while they are comfortable staying in the same place. I am a pioneer, a visionary, a prophet, whatever you want to call it.

But stopping with me having a nice time on my own drinking the sweet water is not God's purpose for me. Visionaries aren't just meant to go off and do their own thing or "what God told them to do" - starting up a ministry on their own independent/outside of the Body of Christ.

We're not meant to think that we'll always be on the outside. That's a lie that Satan tells us to prevent the blessing spreading to others.

We are meant to bring back what we find to the Body of Christ and let them taste it.

Just telling them won't shift them. It is only when they taste and see that the LORD is good will they develop any desire to go beyond where they are currently happy at.

And then we will all go and occupy the new place that has been found and share God's blessing together.

Don't believe the lie that we don't belong and have to be separate to the Body - it's a lie to prevent blessing from being shared - it's a lie to prevent the Kingdom from expanding.

I do belong to the Body of Christ and I'm the nerve that communicates Jesus' dream of our future journey to the senses of the Body so that the whole body wants to move and go up to Zion together. Amen.

The power of story to communicate truth (godly parenting)

A tricky situation

Some years ago, one of my daughters was a bit sweet on a boy who lived in our local neighbourhood. At first, I thought she was just going out to play with his sisters, but then I could see that she was openly flirting with the lad even though she was only about eight years old at the time.

Whenever she saw him, she would go outside and hang around. But it wasn’t until a chance observation that I realised this boy was treating my daughter appallingly. In addition to his nasty behaviour toward her, he was using her affection to get her to do whatever he wanted. I tried talking to her about the issue, but she just couldn’t see it.

Why lectures don't work

In the West we pride ourselves on Greek logic and rational thinking. Christians in particular are caught up in this and so we teach truth via clear explanations and facts.

But it doesn't work.

Be honest. How many sermons can you remember? How many lectures from your parents can you remember? In fact, how many of your university lectures can you remember?

If you do remember anything then I can pretty much guarantee it is because you remember a story or illustration or you remember how you felt.

You see information is great for the mind but it doesn't engage the soul.

Facts are dry and don’t engage the heart whereas stories draw you in and teach concepts in a much deeper way than ever “objective” facts could hope to do. This is the Hebrew way of life – sharing their collective redemption story with their children.

For example, telling their children the story of Israel's redemption through the Passover meal (Ex 12:24-27) or telling their children the story behind the memorial stones placed by the river Jordan (Josh 4:2-7). Indeed much of the Bible is written as narrative/story of God's interaction with people and then Jesus primarily taught truth through parables.

Stories, unlike facts, draw us in and invite our participation whether they're true or fictional.

A great example of this is the story of the Prodigal Son (Lk 10:25-37). What more needs to be added to the narrative that would help us understand the Father’s love? It perfectly carries the message as is.

You see parables aren't merely illustrations for the message – they are the message.

It is imperative that we let the story do its job and don't reduce it to a moral.

Those who tell the best stories will have the most power. Many criticised C S Lewis for "wasting time" writing the Narnia books. But history tells us the power these stories have had in shaping and inspiring people.

This is why Hollywood holds so much power - they are telling stories which influence people far more than a church that simply shouts truth. This is also why "Christian movies" have often been weak: they are so concerned about getting the message across clearly that they neglect the story.

How a story set my daughter free

Facts and warnings weren't reaching my daughter and so I needed something else that would communicate the danger of giving her affection to someone who was mistreating her.

So I made up a story called “The Princess and the Crocodile” where a princess who loves animals wants a crocodile but her father refuses saying it won’t be a good pet because it won’t love her back. So she decides to go to the river and...well, let’s just she gets in a sticky situation…

This opened her eyes to the reality of her situation and now five years later, I’ve expanded the tale, and have released it as an ebook to help other parents teach their children to realise how precious their love is. It is my prayer that it will help children to only give their heart to those who will value it.

You might also enjoy this post on speaking to children's hearts (not their minds).