More than
once I've mentioned to people a special small closet
that was located in my daughters room in a house we
used to rent. When I first began to place things
upon the shelves in that closet, I did not realize the
unifying thread that connected each item to the
next.
The
time eventually came when I could not place anything else in that
closet. I
started to look at the items to see which could be
replaced and only then did I see what each had
in common. Each special item was something that was
loved and cared for - but was broken or missing
something that made it whole. In my creative
mind, I told myself that I would fix each one of them,
and if they couldn't be fixed, then make something new
from it.
One
of the items that I had a hard time throwing away was
an antique crystal sugar bowl. Belonging to a
much loved relative who had passed away, it had more than sentimental
value - it
had creative value as well. My creative idea was to take
the broken side of the sugar bowl and bury it inside a basket of flowers
and lace napkins to make a dining room centerpiece. However, the time to do this never
seemed to present itself and the sugar bowl as well as
all the other items on the shelves continued to hang
over my head in a sort of subconscious bitter-sweet
"To Do" list. The closet, in essence,
became unusable and cluttered - and a constant
reminder of my own disorganization and unwillingness
to let go of anything that had a hint of value or
possibility.
This
type of mentality seems to be common with
creative-crafty people....and pastors. More
times than I can count, a pastor has shared his or her
frustration over staff people that seem to only take
up space and rather than attend to the tasks that have
been assigned to them, use up the valuable time of
other employees or volunteers, wailing about their
broken lives and missing 'parts.' The vision of
the church becomes stalemated due to the dysfunction
of office staff while the pastor becomes weighed down
with the emotions that come from failure thinking because he
cannot fix the broken lives in his office, nor can he
get anything else accomplished.
Then
too are the many programs and traditions that were
once begun with the passion and love of congregational
members or an inspired moment - only to later be found
flawed in some area and 'put on the shelf' to be
worked over and perhaps revived. The tradition
or program is never forgotten, but always hanging over
the heads of the church members as yet another failure
and task left uncompleted.
What
is it in us that makes us hang on to broken
things? Of course we see value in programs,
traditions, people and things, but do we see a bigger
picture of the 'Greater Whole?' My closet of
broken things was a constant reminder of the things
that I had tried in my life, but failed miserably at,
and was a constant reminder of more than one of my
'good intentions' that had never come to
fruition. So it is with the pastor who
cannot bring correction or order to his dysfunctional
staff or volunteer force. Leading the broken ones to
those who are qualified to heal, rather than enabling
their brokenness, makes us humble ourselves and face
the possibility that perhaps we really CAN'T 'do it
all.'
Programs
and traditions that do not work as smoothly as we'd
like, or no longer work must be cut off so that the
thinking that is focused on those old things can
become new and fresh. Leaving the old and
allowing things to become new is a Godly thing.
It is trusting in God's more perfect way. It allows
creativity and possibilities to come to the surface
that were once hidden by stagnant methods.
Allow
God to show you your closet of broken things. You
might be surprised at how many dysfunctional and
fractured things you've allowed into your lives. AND,
I can guarantee that once you see these things and
take care of the house cleaning that needs to be done
that that oppression that you've been dealing with
that has made you feel like a total failure will
lift. Then, and only then will you be able to
see possibilities that you never thought
possible!
Ask
yourself these important questions:
-
"Have
I held on to my broken 'things' because I felt
that I was the only one that could bring
repair?
Is pride my issue?"
-
"Do
I have a problem believing that I and the vision
God has given me really has value and worth, and
therefore I've thought that I only deserve the
'broken things?'
"Is shame my issue?"
-
"Have
I become so comfortable with the cluttered closets
and neediness of my staff that I have settled into
a pattern of enabling and complaining to avoid the
responsibility of the new?"
"Is apathy my issue?"
-
"Am
I terrified that I might make a mistake and make
things worse? Am I afraid of the responses of
people who have a hard time letting go of stagnant
things?"
"Is fear your issue? Who do you fear the
most? God? or Man?"
-
"Do
I not know what to do with what I have?"
"Is ignorance your issue? Then study - seek
out counsel!"
To
get to the root of these issues, one must ask God to
first show them the root of where these things come
from. To clean out a physical closet, clean out
your spiritual and emotional closets."
Funny how things in the spirit manifest themselves in
the physical....I believe it's time to take inventory!
2 Cor 5:17-18
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
(Here's
a twist: If we have old things in our lives,
is it because that 'old thing' is not 'in
Christ?')
How
you see the problem - IS the problem.
~ John Haggee
Dear Shannon,
Could you please put a note in an up coming issue of "Joy in the
Kitchen." I have been asked to do a seminar at a ladies meeting in
March on "Ministry without Money." I got myself into to it...and look
forward to it and have lots of ideas but need more. Several ministry
wives have shared their ideas with me...ideas on how to minister
personally and through church without breaking the budget. Our group
has many small churches that hear great ideas from larger churches but
feel they don't have the resources to do the same things so, many times
they don't try new things. I want to be able to share ideas on how to
get the most out of every penny God gives us...or how to do something
for free...so, if possible, could you but a note in asking anyone with
ideas to contact me at: glitch@dnet.net.
Thanks ever so much for your help.
Pat Litchfield
Web
Design Assistance
For Dot's
Delights Recipe Archive
If you have
web design experience on FrontPage or a similar program, and love to
search and organize, we have a wonderful opportunity to sow your
love. A person is needed to search the JITK archives for Dot's
recipes, collect them and organize them into categories so that the
members of Sarah's Tent can enjoy all the recipes in one convenient
location.
For more information please call Shannon at
shannon@sarahstent.com
Letter
Writers for Prison Inmates
Romans
Chapter 8 Ministry
http:/members.aol.com/WriteMin/Home.html-(you must be connected to
AOL to reach this web site. Write them for more information.
Do you enjoy
letter writing and mentoring or encouraging? We've been contacted by
a wonderful ministry that encourages prisoners through letter
writing, protecting the identity of the letter writers, and bringing
life and hope to forgotten prison inmates.
If you are 18 or
older and serious about making a commitment please contact Susan at:
writemin@aol.com
Click Here for
More Information
Spiritual
Abuse and Recovery Workshops
Spiritual
Abuse Recovery Resources and The National Association
for Christian Recovery
and Pacific Hills Treatment Center Inc.
Invite you to a workshop/intensive on:
Recovery from Spiritual Abuse - Workshops and Intensives
with Jeff VanVonderen
The workshops and intensives will be offered in February
at two locations in Southern California.
If you are unable to travel to Southern California for one
of these events, we have several dates available for workshops
in other locations. If you are interested in sponsoring an
event of this kind in your community, please contact
Jeff VanVonderen
Spiritual Abuse Recovery Resources
PO Box 7481, Capistrano Beach, CA 92624
Voice: 949-248-5666
Email: jeff@spiritualabuse.com
URL: www.spiritualabuse.com
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Joy in The Kitchen Volume
5 Issue 2
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