Many of our views of abundance come from an orphan or wounded spirit.

Matthew 6 Jesus is teaching his sermon on the mount. A big part of chapter 6 deals with why we shouldn’t worry, specifically about money. Jesus is addressing the orphan spirit that many of us have. It’s allows us to worry about the silliest things.

12 times in chapter 6 Jesus gives the answer to overcoming the orphan spirit. 12 times he uses a word that was rarely used in Hebrew Scriptures to describe God. The word is Father:

v.1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

v.4 Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

v.6 …when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

v.8 …your Father knows what you need before you ask him

v.9 This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…

v.14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you

v.15 …if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

v.18 …so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

v.26 …Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

v.32 …For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

“Father” is a positional term that comes into its fullness when you are in relationship. Fathers pass on certain characteristics because of DNA. A good father provides so much more because you’re in relationship with him.

You need know “who’s your daddy”.

That’s how you overcome the orphan spirit and train yourself to think God’s thoughts about you.

Has that penny dropped with you? How did you get that revelation? Sharing your story with others can help them. Can you share yours in the comments?

This is an excerpt from “How to Judge and Not be A Jerk”

I was speaking to a Comparative Religions Class at a local university on the topic of the early church councils. Much of the early debate of our spiritual ancestors revolved around the nature of Christ. Councils were called to settle disagreements.

The Council of Nicea (325) was called to settle the controversy the followers of Arius promoted by teaching that there was a time when Christ did not exist. The Council of Nicea met to decide: “Was Jesus Christ God or was He just a man?”
Teaching about the Council of Nicea led beautifully into asking the class the same question. I took a less direct approach.

I asked, “Have you ever been offended by someone telling you Jesus is the only way?” All but three were quick to agree. This was a secular university.

I responded, “I’m a follower of Jesus and I ask your forgiveness for others who name His name and use His words to condemn you. Jesus said He didn’t come into the world to condemn it. I’m sorry for the others who have done it in His name.”

That got their attention, so I continued, “It would be perfectly legitimate to feel offended at Jesus, if He was just a man and He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.’

But what if He was more than a man? What if He was the one who put 400 million stars in our galaxy and 400 million galaxies in our universe, and who knows how many more universes there are left to imagine? What if there was no philosophy good enough and no good work great enough to measure up to the standard of such a Being beyond our comprehension?

It would mean Jesus wasn’t being exclusive when He said He was the Way. It would mean He was being inclusive, making a way where we couldn’t make one on our own.”

The students sat in stunned silence. More than a few were wiping tears from their eyes.

I call it the apologetics of apology. Try it sometime.

Do you think it’s workable in this type of situation? http://revtrev.com/video-ministry/the-apology/ I’d appreciate your thoughts on it. Leave them in the comments.

Do you have questions about church history I can help you with? Contact me or leave them in the comments.

We’re having a spring snow fall today. The we’re giving the kids a snow day with the proviso “You’ve got to go outside to have an actual snow day.”

A big welcome to all the new readers of RevTrev.com, Book Shepherd, and the Negativity Fast. Drop me an email and let me know more about you.

The 2012 International Fast from Negativity comes to a close this weekend. Anyone can always sign up for their own personal fast at http://revtrev.com/negativity-fast/

Now onto the new newsletter.

It’s Maundy Thursday Not Monday Thursday

I told my son he had to learn something today if I let him stay home from school. The school’s are not closed, but look at the view out our front door.

It’s the sticky, impossible-to-shovel, great-to-have-a-snow-ball-fight with kind of snow. I love it. My wife can do without it. I’m going to have to chauffeur her around today. I don’t mind we have 4×4.

Anyway I gave my son a challenge so he’d learn something today. I said, “Today is Maundy Thursday, tell me what that means.”

“Monday Thursday” he asked. We’re not from a liturgical background.

“MAUNDY Thursday”

“How would I Google that?”

“That’s part of what you’ll have to learn.”

It didn’t take him long to come up to me with his laptop to make sure the spelling was correct. A few seconds later he was back reading from the screen.

“No, no, no” I said, “You need to read it, understand it and tell me about it in your own words.”

“But that’s a lot of information” he lamented looking over the blog post he found.

“You can tell it to me in two sentences once you understand it.”

He came back a few minutes later with understanding in his eyes. He got it right. Then his mother came up behind him and I told her, “He just learned what Maundy Thursday is!”

To which she replied, “Monday Thursday?”

So this is your challenge should you choose to accept it. What it the theological significance of Maundy Thursday to you?

We’re Finally Able to Announce Some Amazing News

We’re finally able to tell you about something fun that’s happened. My wife Karen entered a Hallmark Cards competition and was selected as a winner! Find out more and see the winning card here…

Upcoming on RevTrev

I may be changing hosting plans once again. There is too much good news about too much traffic coming to the site. If I don’t post for a while you’ll understand…when I say “if I don’t post for a while” I mean except for the 78 posts I have scheduled for the next little while.

Featured Discussion

• Guest Blogger – 4 Ways You Are Like the Full Moon
• Perspective – How to Stop Thinking About Finances from Place of Poverty 
• Practical God Talk – How the Bible Came to Be 
• Social Media Tips – Problogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging – REVIEW 
• Book Shepherd – Where to Market Your Book in Local Markets 
• RevTrev Writes – Chapter 1 – Part 5 The Emergent by Trevor Lund 
• Ministry Coaching Tips - Why Flexibility is a Must in Ministry 
• Counselling Corner – How Can I Find My Purpose in Life? 
• RevTrev TV – Joanna Penn on her Novel “Prophecy” – RevTrev TV 

Mind If I Pray For You?

Lord thank you for this time of year when we can reflect upon all you’ve done for us. Thank you that you are risen. Thank you that fact is so key to our faith. Thank you that Thomas didn’t need to put his hand in Your side even though he said he wanted to. Thank you we also don’t need to touch you to know you are risen.

On Last Thing

Have a great Easter weekend everyone! Celebrate with your family and may it be a powerful time of experiencing God afresh.

I’m praying for you

Trevor

I was out shoveling this morning and my neighbor asked me if I was enjoying the snow. “Sure, why not? It’s the last one.” I said. “It might not be.” She replied. Now this winter has been extremely mild and a spring snow storm is not uncommon for us. I just laughed and told her, “But if there’s another one, I’ll just think it’s the last one too.” Seeing the end in sight is a great way to get through anything. But this is the start of the newsletter, so let’s get on with it. Welcome to all the new subscribers of Book Shepherd, RevTrev.com, Life Above The Negativity and all my other lists. Glad to connect with you this week.

Can You See The End?

That brief conversation with my neighbor got me thinking. It was because of the joy set before Him that Jesus could endure the shame of the cross. Far too often we get caught in the hopelessness of the situation and lose sight of any concept that the best days are ahead of us.

I had a conversation with a pastor not too long ago. I can’t go into all the details, but I was adamant that the best days for himself and his church were ahead of him. He had to stop placing blame on others, start expecting God to show Himself good, and work to see that God’s goodness was shown.

I can’t blame the man for thinking the way he was. Right now, I’m not far removed from potential panic attacks (by the way check out this excellent guest post on panic attacks). Things have to change in significant ways in a very short period of time. And God seems to be using the Bible to hammer out beliefs I’ve held dear for a long time.

Here’s an example: I think I’m strong in trusting God. Jesus told us the Father knows what we need even before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8) and I like to rest knowing He does what He does right. I don’t like going to God with a long list of needs. I’ve had great experiences just resting in His presence and listening to His voice.

But in Isaiah 62 we have the prophet telling the city’s watchmen “You, who remind the Lord, no rest for you! Do not give Him rest until He establishes and makes her Jerusalem the praise of the earth.” (vv 6-7 HCSB)

It’s a troubling verse to me. I know Isaiah was being poetic to assure us that God would never forget to do what He’s promised. But doesn’t God know what we need? Why do we need to remind God?

It’s not just this verse. Jesus also told us the parable that compared God to a judge who grants a widow’s pleading because of her persistence (Luke 18:1-8).

I need to see the end. Hope deferred makes the heart sick… and God keeps reminding me about the need to be persistent.

• Do you sit back and trust God is going to take care of things?
• Do you find it easier to quote Ben Franklin’s “God helps those who help themselves”?
• Where do you find the balance between your work and God’s work?

Today I don’t have the answer. Leave your comments and help a brother out.

Special Link to Mention

Someone from KeepYourMarriage.com signed up for one of my lists and, as I often do, I went to check out their website to see what it is all about. I downloaded the “Marriage Crisis First Aid” to see if I could recommend it to you and I’m glad to say I can. This is not an affiliate link and I didn’t approach them to let them know I’d be doing this. But I know by the questions many of you regularly send me that this is a resource that can really help you. If you need help in your marriage check out http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com

Upcoming on RevTrev

I’ve been praying about what to do with RevTrev Radio. I’ve been hosting it myself and having all kinds of issues with iTunes and other syndication. The bandwidth and disk space is a little out of control. I was excited to find some other solutions…so excited I’m preparing 5 different segments for RevTrev Radio -

1. RevTrev Radio – will continue to be preached messages by me and others;
2. RevTrev Interviews – will be audio from interviews I’m doing with authors and people in business and ministry;
3. RevTrev Reviews will be my review of books and products in audio form;
4. RevTrev Conversations will be audio I’ve recorded with people in ministry as we’ve talked about God and people. The one I need help with is:
5. Book Tips from the Book Shepherd. I’ll be asking those people who signed up for the One-Page Book Business Plan for ideas, but I also want to ask all the readers of RevTrev.com for help:

What are your questions about writing, editing, printing, distributing or marketing your book? Put them in the comments and I’ll try to answer as many as I can in 5 minutes a week.

Featured Discussion This Week

• Perspective – Defining Terms For Economy of Heaven
• Practical God Talk – Understanding the Development of Bishop Leadership
• Book Shepherd – Market Your Book In Your Personal Network 
• Guest Blogger – 3 Tips for Reducing the Cycle of Panic Attacks 
• RevTrev Reviews – RevTrev Reviews The Sorcerer Volume 1 by Jack Whyte 
• Social Media Tips – Find Out My Secrets About Blogging 
• RevTrev Writes – Chapter 1 – Part 3 The Emergent
• Ministry Coaching Tips- Are You Playing It Safe With Your Ministry? 
• Counselling Corner – Is It Ever OK to Leave My Marriage? 
• RevTrev TV – Joanna Penn on Self Publishing to Amazon’s Kindle- RevTrev TV 
• RevTrev Radio – An Interview with Award-Winning Christian Author Giselle Aguiar 

Mind If I Pray For You?

Lord, just as the disciples asked you so we do as well, “Teach us to pray.” Teach us to pray expectantly. Teach us to do our part. Teach us to always pray and never give up. Teach us to rest in the knowledge you’re taking care of us. Teach us the balance for the season or the moment or the time. Help us to always listen and do what Your Spirit says. Bless us this week with answers to our persistent prayers.  

On Last Thing

Could you let people know about my One-Page Book Business Plan? They get it when they sign up at http://revtrev.com/book-shepherd I’ve made it easy, just use one or all of the links.

Many of us (myself included) have done things that…let’s just say…help us marvel at God’s grace. Many others have done similarly ignorant and harmful things but don’t allow themselves to agree with God that He’s forgiven them. That’s what today’s devotional is about.
Learn more and leave your comments after the devotional >>>

Leave your comments below or please share it across your social networks.
Thanks for helping others live life above the negativity!

Looking to the horizon he saw the distant shore. The waves lapped up against the boat as the bow met every gentle crest. His thoughts returned to his first voyage across these waters.

He was a young man then. Only sixteen years of age. His wild living had ended abruptly as a band of Celtic pirates invaded the area he lived in and captured this Latin-speaking Briton to sell as a slave.

He was sold to a druid tribal chief named Miliuc moccu Boin, who put him to work herding cattle. It was on those rolling green hills he had his natural revelation of God. He sensed God in the winds, the seasons, the creatures and the nights under the stars. He prayed to the triune God his grandfather taught him about and more and more the love and fear of God came to him. His faith grew and his spirit was exercised until he found himself praying up to one hundred times a day and in the night nearly as often. The change became obvious to his captors.

He began to understand Celtic culture and language. He identified with them and hoped for their reconciliation with God.

One night, after six years of captivity, a voice spoke to him in a dream saying, “You are going home. Look! Your ship is ready!” The voice directed him to flee for his freedom the next morning. He awakened before daybreak, walked to the seacoast, saw a ship and negotiated his way on board.

A sea gull culled and his attention was arrested from past memories. He looked around to his traveling companions to see how they were faring. The few priests and seminarians were encouraged with his gaze and smiling nod to them. Most were battling fear, having no real idea what to expect.

These people were barbarians. They could not join the church, why they didn’t even speak Latin! No one in the church hierarchy thought their mission was prudent. Sure Pope Celestine was enthusiastic, but it was hard to find anything this Holy Father was not enthusiastic about. “Those people can not be reached, they can not be civilized.” Was the prediction everyone on this mission had heard from his peers. “The church has been established nearly over 500 years and we will only reach those willing to change.” Is what they were taught in school.

Yet this man they followed, this Bishop, this friend, had a different spirit in him. He was older than all of them, but like Caleb of old, his passion kept him vigorous and strong. They had heard of his dream, his “Macedonian Call” to this God-forsaken land. They remember how in a dream an angel named Victor approached him with letters from his former captors. As he read one of the letters, he imagined in that moment that he heard the voice of those very people who were near the wood of Foclut. They cried out as one voice “We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us.”

When he first shared this dream with each of them, every last one’s heart leaped. They knew they would participate in the impossible. They would go counter to common sense. They would, God helping them, reach the unreachable.

In the time the Bishop spent with them preparing for the mission. He laid out some very unusual techniques they would be following. They knew the apostle Paul tried a similar approach reaching the ancient Greeks, but it hasn’t been tried for over 300 years. The Greeks were civilized, these Celts needed to be… didn’t they?

Download Your One-Page Book Business Plan Today!

He taught them the language and the beauty of it. He told them of customs and how they could be used to explain the good news of Jesus Christ. They sang the Celtic songs and began to appreciate the significance of this people’s artwork. They considered themselves blessed that the island had by this time, one basically common tongue and one basically common culture. These they learned well.

He told them how they would enter an area, love the people there and bring them into the fellowship of their community of faith. Within this fellowship: conversation, ministry, prayer and worship would take place. In time, those welcomed in, would eventually discover they believe in the one sent by God and only then would they be invited to commit to the community. Once that community of faith was established. Some would stay to prepare God’s people for the works of service. The rest, along with a few eager neophytes, would travel to the next area and start the process all over. In time, monasteries and nunneries would be established as centers of community.

What a thrill being chosen when the rest of the church was waiting for people to come. What a thrill, but what a challenge. That is why Patrick’s nod and smile meant so much to this rag-tag bunch of adventurers attempting the impossible, facing certain death, trusting in their God.

Upon landing on the shores of Ireland, Patrick resolved to return to the area where he lived as a slave. He desired to approach Miliuc and pay the bond money for his ransom so that he could share with him about Christ who paid the ransom for Miliuc’s freedom from sin and death.

Miliuc was an old man now, even older than Patrick’s 48 years. Ever since Patrick and his followers landed on the emerald island Miliuc had been hearing rumors about his approach. Fearing the rumors and the worst, Miliuc locked himself inside his home and burned it to the ground. Patrick mourned, but set out to show Christ to the people of this land.

More rumors spread and people were drawn. Drawn to the respect Patrick and his men showed their culture. Drawn to the integrity of Patrick himself. Through hardships and difficulties, druids and tribal kings, Patrick shared the good news in ways Celtic people understood. Through songs and stories and prayers and paradox at least 40 of the 150 Celtic tribes in Ireland became followers of Christ within Patricks 28 year ministry.

In that time at least 700 churches were planted and perhaps 1000 priests were ordained. Tens of thousands of people bent their knees to Christ. The kingdom of God grew within individuals heart with such a zeal that within a generation the Celtic church was sending it’s own mission to Iona and later, beyond.

Such is those who take the good news to where it does not make sense to go.

The 2012 International Negativity Fast hosted by RevTrev.com starts February 28 and goes for 40 days until April 7th.

For those of you who aren’t part of the tradition that observes Lent or you’re not currently running your own autoresponder, I should explain a few things.

Lent is a 40 day fast that starts on Ash Wednesday and goes until Easter. The thing about Lent is that it doesn’t include the weekend. Don’t ask me why, observing Lent is not part of my tradition either.

Now my daily emails go out every day of the year. They start the day after someone signs up. There’s no easy way for me to say “don’t send emails on the weekends”…I just found out my autoresponder provider no longer supports that for me.

So it’s more technology and the fact I can’t upgrade that technology out of pocket at this time. I’ve been paying all the expenses for this fast since 2006.

Don’t forget to check out the video and let people know what you think about the idea of fasting in the comments on this page. http://revtrev.com/negativity-fast/ I’m getting excite about what God’s going to do this time.

 This is a powerful spoken word message. What do you think about it?

Here’s a question from a reader who is going through a difficult situation. You can leave her your encouragement in the comments.

Question:

I am so much confuse right now.  I wanted to move from the heartaches and for being abandon of a husband. We just married for almost 4 years but I never felt being loved instead he showed how he had hurt me for having an affair to many women and worse had already a child of their own.

He returned to us and I forgave but again he continue with his sin.

I am trying to forget him because he left us again but i am still hoping and praying that God will change him.

For almost 4 years of crying out to the Lord that He would change him why is it he gets even more worse. I love him as my husband even he doesn’t cares on me. Is it right of begging the Lord that he will give  my husband  and be transformed. Is he not the will of God for me? I have a hard time understanding  the plans of God. Please send me a message of wisdom to fully know the will of God?

Answer:

My prayers are with you. I’ve learned it’s much better to agree with God than beg him. What is His promise for you and your children, and all who are far off? I know at least it’s the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:39). There are a lot of more promises you can pray in agreement with God for your life. Don’t stop with that one.

That being said, your husband has broken his vow and his covenant with you. You are not bound to it. IF you choose to continue to show him love, I strongly suggest boundaries.

In either case, if you try to reconcile again or if you go your own way, keep on forgiving him. It’s for the sake of your relationship with God, not your relationship with him. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting, it means turning him over into God’s hand. Paul told Timothy (1 Timothy 1:20) that he turned to people over to satan so they “would be taught not to blaspheme.” It seems to me that blaspheming is one of the things you’re husband is doing. He’s blasphemed his covenant, you and therefore God.

I’m assuming this doesn’t matter to him, but in 1 Corinthians 7:14-15 Paul is talking about a Christian spouse living with an unbelieving spouse. He says,

For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.

So you sanctify your husband with the grace you’ve accepted from God. Removing that sanctification from him is “turning him over to satan”.

If you’re not ready to do that, another thing you can do is stand in his place before God and ask for forgiveness. Jesus did this on the cross when he prayed “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what to do”. When we do that for people we pray for who only seem to get worse, we find they often get a lot better.

I hope something in that helps. I really felt I needed to get something out to you quickly. I am praying for you.

Trevor

We continue to find out our part in God’s plan.

Can God Amplify Your Story? – RevTrev Radio  (Part 2)

We all know people who have given up on Christianity. Some have even gone over to the enemy’s camp. Have you ever wondered what it would take to get them back? You’ve got to hear this message based on an incredible passage of Scripture that will make you pray, “Lord do it once more through me!”

Listen Now >>>
Download audio file (amplify2.mp3)

Download the Entire Message

Listen to:

•  Part 1