There are things that are possible in community that are not possible on your own.

 

It was such an innocuous statement shared with new friend who was at her parenting max. At that point in her life, she had some family in town but not deep community to share the load. To step in when she needed help, to carpool, to listen.

 

I realized as it came out of my mouth, the above statement was a testimony to how I was learning to survive the hard parenting days: deep friendships. This new friend just needed a few hours break every day. Just to sit and breathe. She didn’t know how it was going to happen. They couldn’t afford babysitting and no one was taking naps anymore.

 

No one had come alongside to share the load. She had no idea she could ask.

I have watched this family over the past two and a half years. She has blossomed as relationships with moms from our neighborhood school have play dates and carpool and ask her for help so she feels completely comfortable asking back when she needs it. Breaks are natural and friendships are flourishing.

 

There are things that are possible in community that are not possible on your own.

The last we left our exiles, the peoples around were setting out to discourage them and frustrate their work.

 

The Scripture section today inserts a letter about opposition which happened some 80 years later, around 448 BC. The way we know this does not address our current situation is because of the reference to rebuilding the city walls. (Our exiles barely have the temple foundation laid.) Also, in verse 7, the “days of King Artaxerxes” refer to Artaxerxes I who reigned from 465-424 B.C. Our exiles were working on the temple foundation around 536 B.C.

Interesting, isn’t it? Why would the author include it here? Let’s read:

 

“At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

And in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic language.

Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows…

 

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants, the men of Trans-Euphrates:

 

The king should know that the Jews who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.

Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty will be paid, and the royal revenues will suffer. Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, so that a search may be made in the archives of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place of rebellion from ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed. We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.” (vs 6-16)

 

Whew. That is quite an accusation.

 

And it worked.

“The king sent this reply:

 

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:

 

Greetings.

 

The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?

 

As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates, they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.” (17-23)

In the earliest Hebrew manuscripts, Ezra and Nehemiah were combined as one book. Scholars wonder if the author uses the first mention of the peoples around slowing the work in verses 4 & 5 to connect to similar frustrations later experienced by Nehemiah in these verses 6-23.

 

Either way, the point is clear: the work of God was being stopped. And by terrible accusations.

 

You know who is called the accuser of our brothers in Revelation, yes? Who is filled with fury because, in light of eternity, he knows he only has a short time to wreak havoc?

 

I think an easy way for us to get our minds off Kingdom Work and onto ourselves is looking for who to blame. In whatever situation. Marriage, friendships, disagreements between friends or communities or denominations. Shame and blame rule instead of Jesus and the work He longs to do.

Talking to myself here as well, what if we turned those accusations back on the originator? If we stopped pointing fingers at each other and pointed them at the one behind every work-stopping mess? In prayer, if we just let all the hurt and anger and resentment and fear and shame and deep, deep regret out to Him so He is free to be the Only Righteous Judge in our particular situations?

It might slow down the shame and blame cycle. The world really could see we are discipled by Him by how we love each other. Things could be taken care of in the only place we really have control: where we’re bowed down and handing over the control to Him. If we pretend it doesn’t matter, that’s no good. If we hang on and try to set it right ourselves, it only gets worse (ask me how I know).

But if we get gut-level honest with our Creator Who already knows, and release it to Him as many times an hour as it takes, day after day, our hearts could slowly be freed up. To obey the greatest commands.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 

 

This is my command: Love each other.

 

It is Final Friday time. Support local artists!

Whole Foods Market is offering 25 cent coffee or tea from their in-store coffee bar now until November 3rd.

 

Would you or someone you know like conversational English practice? RiverWalk Church of Christ hosts FriendSpeak, an internationally known program offering one-on-one instruction with a native English speaker using the Book of Luke. Call 316-265-9653 for information.

Don’t forget all the Trick-or-Treat/Fall Events listed at Wichita On the Cheap.

 

I hope your weekend is safe and fun!

These guys are still going strong in our yard

And each one so unique

Conference Week means friend time.

Beautiful Creator

Cousin love

Is he gonna eat my foot?

Fish sighting

Birthday men and soy sauce fun

Restaurant birthday photo

There were neighbor puppies

Love

Uncle Darrick is hours of fun

Heads Up 7-Up. With tickling.

One reason I love my sis-in-law

Treat Street fun

Target practice

Puzzle time

Delicate

 

Your 7 Days?

I recently decided to give Twitter an official go.

The hardest part?

Seeing world news headlines (with pictures) instantly.

I now know that, as of 30 minutes ago, the death count in Afghanistan and Pakistan is at least 60 from the powerful earthquake.

Sixty people dead and I know about it within the hour.

The best part of being on Twitter?

When sixty precious souls die, I know about it within the hour.

I’ve been having a hard time lately keeping my mind off myself.

This helps.

 

Pray for the Middle East with me?

“Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

(Ezra 4:4-5)

 

Well, we could probably have guessed the peoples around were not going to be happy with our exiles’ answer to their query on help.

The disgruntled locals couldn’t reverse the edict from King Cyrus, but they could certainly make use of a good old fashioned bribe to slow the importing of materials or make sure the money from the royal treasury didn’t get to our exiles. Based on the kings mentioned in verse 5, the work slowed for around twenty years.

 

But let’s look at the wording: set out to discourage. That is intense. Discouragement was not just a by-product of the situation; our disgruntled locals set out to make it happen.

 

The Hebrew word for discourage is “raphah” : to sink, relax, lose heart or energy. The peoples around had one goal: to make sure our exiles lost heart and their work sank.

How about us? Many things can cause us to lose heart. A while back a friend and I had a conversation I regularly return to in my brain. Often a way the enemy of our souls can make our work sink is by bringing up past sin. Regrets have a debilitating way about them, don’t they?

This friend and I talked about how being free in Jesus doesn’t mean we pretend the past didn’t happen. It means we take off the binding chains causing our work to sink and our hearts to crumble, and declare based on what Jesus did on the cross that it’s forgiven.

 

But you know what many of us do, don’t you? We immediately pick those wretched chains back up, and as we’re binding them back around our wrists and feet and neck, we explain to everyone watching that yes, we’re free and forgiven. But please know we don’t deserve this. And we still struggle with this thing over here. And we’re far from perfect.

 

Trust me when I tell you I’m saying this to myself as well:

 

No.

 

Leave those chains down. Refuse to put them back on. Declare over and over that of course you don’t deserve this. That’s the gospel. And of course you’re not yet perfect. You’re working out your salvation.

 

You claim as many times as it takes that His death was enough of a guilt offering for you.

 

That there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus.

 

And that He shows up best in weak people.

 

And, friends, let’s do this no matter who tries to hand us back those chains.

 

The Wichita Asian Association is presenting their Asian Festival on Saturday from 5 – 10:30 pm at Century II. Admission is free, but you’ll want to sample delicious food.

Food Trucks at the Fountain this Sunday.

 

Beginning next Tuesday the 27th, the Sedgwick County Extension Office is hosting a five-session Mommy and Me Cooking Class. Register here.

 

Andrea Cassell and Jason Bailey will be at Watermark on Thursday and Friday, respectively. Then on Saturday, author Aaron Barnhart will be reading and signing his book Firebrand at 3:00 pm.

 

This Saturday is also Zumba at the Ballpark. Come to Lawrence-Dumont Stadium from 10:30-11:30 to dance to great music and get in a great workout with others.

 

Wichita on the Cheap has a great list of upcoming free and cheap Trick-or-Treat/Fall events in the area. I love that some churches’ Trunk or Treats are included. Our church is hosting Treat Street this Sunday the 25th at 6:00 pm. The youth group does a great job with games, photo booths, prizes and, of course, candy.

 

The 21st and Maize Green Acres Market will be hosting their Grand Opening from 11-3 this Saturday. The first 50 customers will receive a free gift!

Library:

Friday the 23rd, come to Rockwell Branch at 10:30 for stories and crafts based on Pete the Cat books. Ages 3-6.

Make play dough with your 3-12 year old at Linwood Branch on Monday the 26th from 6-7 pm.

And today, the 22nd, at Rockwell Branch come from 4-5:30 pm to find out how to protect your computer, its contents, and how to stay safe on the internet.

 

Have a fabulous weekend!

This cookbook has inspired all sorts of fun in the boys’ minds

Making pumpkin cupcakes

Making friends smile

Making friends travel

Making smoothies

Making Friday nights about family

 

Your 7 Days?

God and I have been working very hard on the aspect of leadership lately. I love how He designed leading others with the intention of serving. But also for the way servant leadership refines us.

 

I am feeling raw about it all, as I teared up multiple times in a meeting yesterday with people I love – who happen to be three fabulous leaders themselves. Leadership forces you to own up to shortcomings for the sake of the people you serve. Not always fun, but, if we let it, character building.

I am fascinated by all things personality, including the Strengths Finder and Strengths-Based Leadership. Saw this one at the library last week and gleaned a couple of helpful nuggets.

 

But, in my opinion, the best resource for leadership for those who seek to be under God’s authority and point people to Him is The Making of a Leader by J. Robert Clinton. Many people I respect have recommended his work to me over the years, and a couple years ago I took the leap.

 

I have since read different sections multiple times and the whole thing straight through once (I think). Clinton scours the lives of different spiritual leaders from the Bible, the past, and the present, and identifies the Biblical principles God used to grow them.

 

And the bottom line for spiritual leadership is: Ministry flows out of being.

 

God uses testing, conflict, crises, failure, relationships and spiritual warfare in a developing leader’s life to change the leader. In Clinton’s words:

“Quality leadership does not come easily. It requires time, experience, and repeated instances of maturity processing. Mature ministry flows from a mature character, formed in the graduate school of life. Ministry can be successful through giftedness alone; but a leader whose ministry skills outstrip his character formation will eventually falter. A mature, successful ministry flows from one who has both ministry skills and character that has been mellowed, developed, and ripened by God’s maturity processing. Character formation is fundamental.

Ministry flows out of being.” (pg 145)

 

One of the biggest areas of growth for a developing leader seems to be what Clinton calls The Authority Problem. Leaders often want to do just that: lead. But, more often than not, what God wants first from them is to follow. To learn how to submit to the authority in their lives, whether or not they agree with that authority. After all, anyone can submit when they are on board. It is a greater challenge to trust the Ultimate Authority’s heart behind the imperfect – but proper – human authority in the developing leader’s life when he or she disagrees with a decision.

 

But by trusting the sovereignty of God in their submission, developing leaders learn the beauty of His faithfulness to them.

 

We are a generation that, overall, doesn’t seem too interested in the chain of authority or submission or setting aside our rights. But it appears to be one of God’s main ways of learning to trust Him, knowing how to use spiritual authority for the sake of others, and developing our character.

 

Ministry flows out of being.

 

 

—————————————–

 

Ever read this book? Or learned important lessons about authority and character in your life?

“When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said,

 

‘Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us here.'” (Ezra 4:1 & 2)

Enter our peoples around. They’ve been watching. Our exiles have rebuilt the altar. They’ve begun sacrificing and resuming their holy days and feasts. And now the foundation is laid.

The sounds of joy and weeping, not to mention the trumpets, have been heard from far away.

 

And so they come.

 

Do you remember who our peoples around are? They are Samaritans, mostly peoples of surrounding nations the King of Assyria had brought in 180 or so years ago to replace the 10 Northern tribes he had drug out. These foreigners intermarried with any Israelites who remained in the land. In addition, due to a situation with lions, the peoples around were instructed on how to worship the God of Israel.

 

However, their worship was mixed with worship of other gods.

 

This is not a good idea.

 

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demands all our allegiance. Not for some sort of insecurity on His part. But for sanity, peace, and joy on our part.

 

And because He’s worthy.

As readers, we have the advantage of seeing the Samaritans described as “the enemies of Judah and Benjamin.” We know allowing them to help is probably not a good idea. But what will our exiles do?

 

“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered,

 

‘You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”

(Ezra 4:3)

 

This looks harsh. Why not accept help? And why so blunt?

 

It is hard for us to understand what it was like during Old Testament Israel to have God’s emphasis on one nation. It was a savage world. Every nation for themselves. No United Nations or rules of engagement.

 

When the God of Angel Armies fought for tiny Israel, everyone knew their God was mighty.

But everyone also had their gods. It was a polytheistic world. Worshiping only one god was ridiculous. You had to appease different gods for different things. Want your crops to grow? Make sure you’re good and sacrifice to that god. Need to have lots of children? Placate the god of fertility.

 

And our band of exiles had learned experientially what happens when they try to represent to the watching world the Most High God Who created all and worship the gods of other nations: captivity.

 

So being firm and declining their enemies’ “help” was a stand of obedience ensuring that the Temple they rebuild to worship Covenant Yahweh wasn’t mixed with idolatry.

 

How about us? I’m so grateful worshiping the One True God is no longer connected to a national identity or His Presence subjected to the Temple.

 

During this time on God’s kingdom calendar, the flood gates are wide open. With the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of His Spirit, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation are hearing about and bowing down to the One Who seeks those who worship Him in spirit and truth.

But as His followers, we still show a watching world what He is like. And when we’re tempted to take our allegiance to Him and mix it with devotion to lesser things, our worship, too, is tainted with idolatry.

 

Asking myself at the same time: what is it for you?

 

Your reputation? Money? Success? Comfort? Control? Security?

 

And if any of those are of higher allegiance in our hearts than Him, how will we know? And what will we do?

 

I believe the answer is: His Word.

 

Without the clarity that comes from the Sharp Sword, we so easily get confused. And I don’t just mean we should read once in a while or at church.

Daily.

Bathe your mind in the Truth of the Holy Scriptures. Memorize and meditate. Let it rewire your brain. Let it expose your idols. Ask Him to give you a pure heart. He is merciful and a Good Shepherd. He will walk us through our struggles.

 

The world is watching. Let’s show them He alone satisfies.

 

And invite them to bow down.