Fil Anderson, with Journey Resources, shared with us today (Nov 8) during our "Faith at Work" lunch. Our Gracious Abba has used Fil in powerful ways in many lives. I am honored to call him a friend. It was refreshing to hear him again. His humility and wisdom was like drinking from a snow fed mountain stream on a hot summer day.
The opening quote is from a wise woman Fil knew years ago. We are all broken. I know I am. The people who do the most damage (including ourselves) are the ones who do not walk humbly because they don't embrace their brokenness. A vital part of our spiritual growth, and our ability to lead well, is to be aware of our brokenness. This is what draws us to Jesus, and enables us to serve and lead others in His healing love.
Here are some more insights from Fil today:
- There is a difference of living FOR God verses living WITH God. (one is performance based--the other is relationship/abiding based)
- We can be far better at telling others how to be with Jesus than actually being with Jesus ourselves.
- One of the first ways we minister to others is by listening to others.
- Be for people...like Jesus. When Jesus told Peter, "You are a rock," he was actually a crumbling mess. It is important we learn to be an encourager, to speak life into others, to call out the good we see in each other.
- "Always have your nose in the Gospels."
- We can learn a lot from St. Benedict and his plan for monastics under his care. He taught four key components for a rhythm of life: 1) Meaningful service and work; 2) Spiritual practices like worship, prayer, scripture reading, solitude and silence; 3) Rest/recreation; 4) Community
- Spiritual disciplines are like "working on your tan." We don't really do much work to get a tan. We put ourselves in the presence of the sun, the sun does the work. The same way with spiritual practices, we put ourselves in the presence of the Son. Transformation is something being done to us, not by us. And this is not just your devotional time, but in all of your life...in all you do...learning to be in the Presence of Jesus Christ.
I wanted to give a few nuggets for reflection. The wholeness, healing and life we long for is found in God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. We are all broken. It is ok to be broken. May our brokenness lead us to Jesus with deep hunger and thirst. May we lead others into His healing love.
Dodd Drake
Director of Greensboro Fellows
