Tag: church

Kingdom work

Karla Lees

When I go to work, I’m going to the Kingdom. I’m not working for the King, I’m working with the King. The Kingdom is not restrained to the walls of the Church. -Kris Vallotton

Many days, I used to drag myself to work.

But its not that I don’t love my jobs, for I do.

Rather its because I wasn’t seeing the bigger perspective about work in general.

Years ago, when in bible college, I dreamed of working in a church. One professor made a comment about how I was too radical to be church acceptable staff material, and my soul took on the weight of that barb.  Not knowing any better at the time, I let my dream of being on church staff fly away into my lost dreams pile.

Fast forward to more recent years.  Spending more time in the Word, I realized that the church in Acts seemed to do more “church-like” Kingdom work outside of the walls of the church buildings, right in the communities, wherever they were.

Immediately my eyes were opened to the reality that church work, Kingdom work, was never meant to be limited inside the walls of a building.

Kingdom work was always intended to be carried within the heart of everyone in the Kingdom, and shared with those who need to hear the Good News that they are welcome in His Kingdom.

  • The Kingdom is within me, for I am His.
  • The Kingdom walks with me, for the King is with me wherever I go.
  • I work with the King, wherever I work
  • All my work matters for His Kingdom when I do it for His Kingdom come and His glory.
  • When I am aligned with His heart for those around me, I am doing Kingdom work.

And I don’t need to be church staff, or in a church building to do so.

I only need to be lead by Holy Spirit, following Jesus’ example and allowing my heart to beat with my Abba’s to do Kingdom work.

For wherever I am, the Kingdom is too.

And the same is true for you!
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Sunday Psalm: these feet are meant to follow

Karla Lees

Today
I looked down
and realized
my feet
are designed
not only to hold me up
but to help direct my path.

My feet have recently
come under attack,
and when they did,
I realized just how precious
a gift they are to me,
to all of us
who have them.

For where my feet go, I go.

But as the feet
aren’t the head,
it takes the Head
to guide them in the right direction.

For feet are meant to follow.

And my feet?
My feet are meant to follow
the Head.

The Head Designer who formed them.
The Head of the body
to which I belong,
the Head who guides
my every step
when I allow Him
to lead me.

Today
I choose
to follow You.

May my feet
step where You would have me go,
and no other.

May my feet
submit to their Maker,
and be restored to their
rightful health.

May I never take
any part of my body,
or the Body,
for granted again!

#SundayPsalm

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the straw that loosened my tongue

Karla Lees

I have a confession to make.
After a particularly long & hot day at my far away job, hubby was chatting with me in the car as we headed home.  I was hangry, and looking back, just ready to blow.

Hubby shared about an email he got from a friend who is all riled up in his disappointment over the stand a public figure has made about what the church should do about a hot topic.

And i lost it, as i got revelation at the same time.

Strange but true.

I basically said quite loudly,
“Who the crack cares what he thinks about the church? Its more important what God says about it!”

We get all caught up in what he says or what she thinks, when we should be more focused on what He says, and seeking Him when things aren’t as clear.

His Presence, His Word is what matters in our present, not the words & actions of personalities.

I immediately apologized to my hubby for my yelling my comment at him, but we both agreed it was a true statement, despite the delivery method.

When did we accept what humanity has to say about the church is more important than its Head’s instructions?

When we judge, bicker, backstab & gossip about where we stand on church issues, we fail to see where Jesus took His stand.

The cross.

He died so we could find Him wherever we were, no matter what we have done.

He died to welcome us into His family.

He died so we could fully live, as He intended.

He died for us to be free from the world’s mindset & treadmill.

He died for us, so we could follow Him, where He leads.

Its time to stand on His words, and stop fooling ourselves that people matter more than His standards.

That’s what got us into the messes of our world’s history, and why He had to come rescue us.

How does Jesus feel about His church?

He died for her.

He doesn’t want us to settle for second rate or second best again.

He wants us to seek His ways first, in everything now that we are His.

Especially in regards to His bride.

As part of His bride, I want to be the bride He wants me to be.

Pure, spotless, whole.

As we seek His standards for the church He so loves, I pray we will press in to the Word, become more obedient to hearing His voice over all the distractions, and follow where He leads us.

#Hischurch
#Hisstandards
#Hisbride

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when words fail

Karla Lees

Hearing about how Christians are being persecuted, tortured & killed for their faith hurts.

For we are one body, one bride, one church in Jesus.

And when one part of the body hurts, the whole body feels the pain. Sure, those closest to that part may feel it more intensely, but when the part is removed, the whole body has to readjust and learn to compensate.

God calls us to life down here on earth, in the midst battle over the ground the enemy is trying to conquer as his….each of us.

You see, the enemy doesn’t really want land mass, he wants to rule the masses.

He is jealous for God’s kingdom, and will not stop trying to destroy it until Jesus comes and puts an end to him once and for all.

The enemy knows this, which is why he tries so hard to discourage, stir up dissent, distract & decoy us from Kingdom living.

He thought that if this slaughter of His lambs were made public, he could turn the flock away from the Lamb.

He was wrong.

God’s people begin to pray all the more and share Jesus all the louder when we hear & see His people being taken out.

For where the enemy leaves wounds, God brings healing.

Where hearts are broken, God binds up & makes anew.

Where anguish is the cry, God brings His peace.

These are not just platitudes, but hard earned truths I have experienced in my life.

You see, a few years ago now, my lovely sister in law decided she couldn’t take the burdens she carried any longer, and listened to the enemy’s lie that she was better off dead.

She succeeded.

And almost destroyed her husband, rocked our world & stirred up the mental strongholds the enemy has over a few of the family.

If it hadn’t been for God, there would be no family left. Honestly.

God showed up so powerfully at her funeral, and the gospel was fully shared for all to hear…for she was a believer.  I know, because i witnessed her genuine acceptance of Jesus as she poured out her need for him.

Had I not been there, I couldn’t have reassured her husband and mine that she was in God’s hands.
Not the enemy’s greedy clutches. as he had hoped.

God honors our heart’s cry for Him, even if we wander lost for a season or two in the desert.

The peace that God brought into this situation was beyond capture-able in words. 

He revealed His love and grace, mercy and calm beyond words.

We hardly had words to speak in our grief, but He knew.

So my prayer for all of us in the body who are dealing with traumatic loss, heart break, illness, family chaos, debt?

May you press into His Presence with everything you’ve got.
He will be there when you seek Him.
He will hold you together when you begin to fall apart.
He will never leave your side through the lows.
He will rejoice with you in the highs.
He will lavishly love you every step of the way for the rest of your life.

When words fail, the Word steps in and intercedes.

Because what breaks our hearts matters to Him.
When His children hurt, He hurts. When His children die, He cries for our loss as He gathers them Home.

Our words may fail us in the storms that come, but our Word never will. Ever.

If your heart is heavy, draw near to Him and ask Him to lighten your load.  If your soul is parched, ask Him to quench it with life & hope again. If you hunger for more, He will meet your need.

And if you find yourself facing your ISIS one day, He will more than equip you to stand your ground, and lead you into heaven at His side.

And what about the enemy? He knows his days are numbered, and he knows who will win.

He knows it isn’t him.

One God rules, forever and ever!

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Community Chatter

Karla Lees

Relevant Magazine recently posted an interesting article (6 Things Every Strong Community Needs) that got my brain pondering: Community

Here are their six headings, and my comments.

Intentionality

Sometimes we have to purpose to become community. And other times, it just happens.

This can happen in school, work, church, or your neighborhood. You may have kids all in the same grade or sports team, you may meet in a coffee lineup every day, or share a hairdresser…. Community is happening all around us.

We have to be intentional to plug into it.

Diversity

Not everyone is going to be just like you- in looks, quirks, likes or gifts/talents. I recently commented to a few of my closest friends that we all seem to have one skill we are able to use to bless one another in an area that person is needing a hand in. It is awesome how we can become so much more when we pool our resources, and encourage one another to be ourselves in healthy ways.

A Willingness to Embrace Awkwardness

Getting close to a group of people you don’t know can be very awkward…and I should know. I much prefer to write or sing it versus speak it to people. Its not a matter of feeling scared, but in feeling I won’t be accepted if I show who I really am. Yet, once we feel safe in community, this can be a wonderful picture of true caring for one another in being a safe place to land when you need it. This leads to….

Openness

Being able to be yourself with a group of people is a precious aspect of community. Yes, there will be disagreements as no group of people will agree about every thing all the time. The freedom to be open in a respectful way where everyone is honored is a vital piece of a strong community.

The Ability to Have Fun Together

If you have a good mix going on in your community, this will naturally occur once people feel free to be themselves in a safe respectful environment. I remember a few people I worked with at school meeting with me for coffee, who made the comment they didn’t know how funny I was. I replied, “When you are lunch monitoring preteens, you can’t let them know you are fun loving, you need to show your work face.” :). Don’t do so much work that you never take time to relax and unwind with one another over coffee, a movie, or a group outing.

Inclusiveness

If all feel welcome, you are showing a healthy community to those looking in from the outside. There are times when you are in a set few weeks where you are intently studying something, and a new person in the mix for those meeting would be awkward all round. That’s why every month I lead my ladies group, we have a fun night built in somewhere. Maybe coffee at the nearest book store, maybe second hand shopping, sometimes a movie night. A time when anyone is welcome to come and hang out.

Final Thoughts?

God invites us into community with Him in these six ways too:

Intentional. God intentionally invites us all to come.
Diversity: God welcomes everyone from any & all backgrounds.
A willingness to embrace awkwardness: I think Jesus demonstrated this by reaching out to us all right where we are at.
Openness. God is 100% approachable, all the time. The ability to have fun together. God is great company, and people who hang out with Him are able to find joy in His Presence 🙂
Inclusive. All are welcome to join His family. The perks come from. the privileges you are blessed with when you are in.

I find I am able to maintain my hope and focus on God when I feel connected, and a part of community:
At home with my family.
At work as part of the team.
With my closest friends.
But especially in my walk with God.

What do you feel you need as a healthy aspect of community?

discover what you love

Karla Lees

Now you need to discover what you love.

#TheMercifulScar

http://www.faithit.com/watch-the-response-wil-heaton-gives-to-a-little-girl-that-has-millions-of-nerds-like-us-clapping-in-front-of-their-monitors/

There is risk in people knowing what we love.

Many of us get hurt when they make fun of us, or bully us with words, fists, rejection.

And many of us will hide who we are, what we love or want as a result of that hurt.

I know I have.

I was the girl who loved school. Loved to read, to write, to ask questions, to learn. Loved to play every instrument (except clarinet, suffice it to say that I had a few best friends who had that instrument covered!) and to sing.
I also loved drama. Mime or sign language set to music.

I was stifled in my creativity not in public or high school, although I was teased for being a nerd/geek/artsy fartsy.
I was still doing what I loved to do, confident that I was made to do so.

My main gifts are all communication based.
My supporting gifts are relational.

I became stifled at church.

I was pegged as Sunday school helper and teacher, who sang on the side.

My heart has always been the reverse.

I will, and would, choose worship or freedom ministries over teaching any day.

The church I grew up in once we came back to Ontario began that process, with limited breakthroughs from time to time until very recently.

We felt called out of the church home we had been content in for almost 13 years, into a new church that felts challenging, large and overwhelming.

It has been the best thing for all four of my family members.

We have finally all unfurled who we are, where we have come from, and have all been received with love and safety and grace.

That doesn’t mean people didn’t love us where we were at church before, because they did, and do.

It just means that the place we were meant to serve was closer than we realized.

We moved to Aurora as a family 17 years ago.
And have never gone to church locally until this year.

Don’t let regret for what could have been stop you from being who you are meant to be.

Discover what you love.
Learn what you are designed to do.
Find the right location to deepen and grow.

No matter what name you were called as a child or adult.

The fault lies with the name caller, the enemy, not you.

Take some time to rediscover what you love.
Then go do it.
Our world will be the better for it.
And inside, so will you.