"I am a Wrecker"

This past weekend my kids and I went to see Disney's, Wreck-It Ralph.  We had seen the movie before but this time my ears heard it all differently.  Maybe it was all the time I spent thinking about shame and the power of shaming messages over the past two weeks.

During the introduction, Ralph describes himself as a "Wrecker."  He actaully says - "I am a Wrecker."  He identifies himself as someone who destroys everything around him.  He describes the hero of his game, Fix it Felix, as the good guy.  He says:  "If I had a magic hammer from my Father it would be easy."

I actually pulled out my phone and typed that last line into my notepad.  I was astounded.  Ralph muses that if only he had a "magic hammer from his father" his life would be better.  Later in the movie Ralph recites the Bad Guy Affirmation:  "I am bad and that is good."

  I sat back in my theater seat overwhelmed by the animated truth.

How often have I heard someone say or thought it myself:  If only I had this... then I could be that!

In this case Ralph identifies with the bad guy affirmation - which states that is OK to be bad and good to accept his fate.  This is a LIE.  God created us in His image.  We all have access to our Father's "magic hammer."  Our Father's "magic hammer" is the truth that we are new creations in Christ.  The old has passed away and the new has come.  We do not need to accept the bad.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made.  God's promises are the "magic hammer".  There are 3000 promises in the Bible.  The promises give us hope when we feel hopeless, peace when we feel anxious and love when we feel unloved.  Surely one of those promises can give you hope and a future.

May we share the good guy truths of God.  May we share our "magic hammer."  The gold hammer that magically fixes everything Felix touches.  That "magic hammer" is the truth in Love.  We have the ability to fix or destroy.  I want to use my "hammer" to fix, to heal, and to bring HOPE.

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life."  John 3:16 

May we add the "magic hammer" to our toolkit and be people of peace, hope and love!  For God says the greatest of these is LOVE!

The Elijah Project #4: Safe People

Who has my ear? I have been asking myself this question lately. Who do I listen to and who's words do I most value? Unfortunately I don't really like the answer. Many times I desire the approval of people so much that I use very little discernment when I listen. I put certain people's voices higher on the value meter than others. I guess this would be good if I discerned to check the words of those voices with the WORD OF GOD. But many times I don't. Many times the words of others are valued more than the word of God. Ughh. I hear the voice of the critic louder, stronger and allow those words to go on repeat before the gentle words of God. This is the way that Satan deceives me. The perfectionist pleaser in me hears the words that press me to work harder, serve longer and idolize approval. God is inviting me to stand up and stand firm grounded in His word. The more I am nurturing the Christ-follower in me by enveloping myself in His word, the more grounded I become. And the easier it is to discern when the words I hear are from the "pit of Hell." Today we have a choice. We can walk in the promises of God and we can encourage others to do the same. Or we can give our ear to the whim of the critic which allows Satan to set up residence in our soul. God is waving to us. God is cheering for us. He is inviting me to climb under His wing of protection and listen to His promise of provision. "Like an eagle protecting its nest, hovering over its young, God spread out his wings, took hold of Israel, carried him on his back." Deuteronomy 32:11

The Elijah Project #3: What's Wrong with Me?

The Elijah Projects goal is to facilitate a process of soul searching so that we might rest. I have had many times in my life when I felt exhausted but I could not sleep. I felt worn out but I couldn't get my mind to stop racing. Elijah's story is thousands of years old and yet it still rings true. This week we are talking about shame. I Kings 17:18 breaks into the widow's story. After losing her precious son she asks: "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" This is a shame reaction. The widow falls prey to the universal question: "Am I being punished today for the wrong in my past?" It is nearly impossible to find rest when the tapes in our heads play on repeat... cataloging our wrong. This is Satan's trap. He takes our sin, mistakes, wrong and then deceives us to believe that that wrong is us, rather than a mistake. The truth of the gospel is that in Christ, we are FREE. We are responsible to deal with the consequences of our mistakes but when we ask for forgiveness Jesus throws our wrong as far as the east is from the west. Try something with me. Turn your neck to the left or right, whichever side has more mobility. Strain your neck to look between your shoulder blades. TRY REALLY HARD! Can you see that spot right between your shoulder blades about 1/2 way down your back. NO, unless you are a Cirque du Soleil gymnast you shouldn't be able to see that spot on your body! That is where God moves our wrong. He moves it so no matter how hard He might strain He can not see it. God didn't have to do that, He chose to give us a way to freedom. Satan uses shame to keep us trapped. He uses shame to attempt to name us, to identify us as being something wrong. For instance someone who tells a lie is a liar. God does not name us by our wrong. He sees us as "fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. Today... take a step toward the truth. Identify where you are feeling shamed. Invite God to reveal your true identity and your name. This is not easy. It takes a great deal of vulnerability. It requires us to be honest with what we have done wrong and take a courageous step to ask God to forgive us. God is our Protector and our Provider. In Him we find our strength. I encourage you to identify one of the many names for God to cling to today: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Fisher of Men, Potter, Restorer, Alpha and Omega, King of Kings. For more work on this subject take a look at pages 15-18 of The Elijah Project Workbook.

The Elijah Project #2: The Brook Dries Up!

"There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: A right time for birth and another for death." Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 MSG We meet Elijah in the Kerwith Valley being fed by ravens and drinking from the brook. Next the brook dries up and God gives Elijah direction where to go next. He promises to protect and provide for Elijah. I have a very difficult time letting go of things. I think I would have struggled with the brook dried up. I probably would have moved up stream to make sure the water was "really gone." My husband calls me a "finisher". I think I'm a fighter that won't let things die. I've just recently got better at letting things end. My desire to "please people" gets in the way of God's best sometimes. I find myself fighting so much to be liked, that I lose myself in the process. I am more aware of my tendency toward "people pleasing" than ever. My synapse gap between feeling like pleasing and doing what is right has narrowed. But I still find endings difficult. I particularly watch my self-awareness and boundaries evaporate when I am under increased stress. In section 2 of the Elijah Project we recommend completing the Holmes/Rahe stress test. This simple test can be accessed at: http://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory It is important to recognize your stress level as it is a predictor of your emotional resilience. This session we are focusing on identifying what we need to "end". Webster defines endings as: "The part of an area that lies at the boundary. Or a point that marks the extent of something." People can become exhausted. God is the only all-powerful, eternal, in-exhaustible resource. Trusting in God as our Protector and Provider signals an end to our self-reliance. This is the first step as we evaluate where we are protecting and providing for ourselves and where we need to invite God to take over. Take a few minutes to evaluate what you are hanging on to. Identify what you need to end in your life today!