But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

As we are ambassadors for Christ, advancing God’s Kingdom worldwide, how do we influence others?

And how do those around us experience our influence?

Personal and Positional Power

Yukl and Gardner (2020) described the kinds of power people exert over others.

• Legitimate Power – When a person is assigned positional, formal authority.
• Reward Power – When a person can provide something that others want.
• Coercive Power – When a leader can punish someone, possibly by withholding a blessing.
• Referent Power – When people really admire and want to identify with a leader.
• Expert Power – Gained by natural gifting, life experience, wisdom, and knowledge.

Jesus uses all these kinds of power in the last chapter in the Bible, in Revelation 22.

• He is seated at the right hand of God.

• He offers tickets to get through the gate and into the heavenly city.

• He explains the punishment for not taking His offer.

• He is a beloved King, and the more people know Him, the more they will do anything to identify with Him.

• And Jesus is the all-time expert, the creator of everything.
  
  The problem comes in when people use power at the wrong time, or in the wrong way.

Maturity vs. Immaturity

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

Practically Speaking

Everyone is in some position of influence in their circles of family and friends. Many people have influence over small children, elderly parents, or both. How do we best influence people who are really different from us?

My brother is two years younger than me, and my sister is seven years younger than me. While I lived at home as a child, I related more to my brother. As a young adult, I worked on construction and road crews in Northern Canada when I left home. I was comfortable in the rough, mostly male camps. Then God gave me a wife and four daughters. It was a whole new world. Dr. Tim Kubacki, who is now a missionary in Angola, gave me some good advice. “Regularly go out for breakfast or ice cream with each daughter individually. Develop a personal friendship with each child.”

“What would we talk about?”

Tim taught me a power question.

“I’ve never been a 14-year-old girl. What is it like?”

Then let silence do its work. When the pressure is high enough, the other person will talk.

You may adapt Tim’s question for elderly parents, strangers at the bus depot, or even your pastor if you sense they need a friend and might consider you a peer.

Many people do not like talking with others who are different than them because they don’t know what to say.

Use the question. “I’ve never been . . . What is it like?” Or, “What is going on in your world?” The idea here is to go into the conversation with curiosity and the right open-ended question or two. It takes courage and discipline, but you can learn this.

Hopefully, when the relationship is strong enough, you will sense permission to share your experiences with God. Sharing your testimony is really important for you personally and for the other person.

Learn when to listen and learn when to talk.

Your thoughts?

When we were in Santarém, Edna invited us for a special meal of fish, pork, and salad. Edna recounted the following story.

A few years Edna and Angelita travelled over 2,000 kilometres to a distant city, Fortaleza, to visit an elderly aunt. They thought their sister, one of the non-identical twins, lived in that city of 2.5 million people, but they didn’t have any other details. One day they were on a crowded city bus, on their way home from sight-seeing. Because the bus was packed, Edna and Angelita were not close together. It was pouring rain outside. Somehow Edna sensed God saying, “Turn around. That is your sister behind you.” They did not know what their sister looked like. Edna tried to ignore the voice because Angelita is a pastor, not Edna. She thought if this was God, He should talk to Angelita. But the thought was persistent, so finally, she timidly asked the lady, “Is your mother’s name Isabel?”

“Yes.”

“Is your name Lindalva?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I am your sister.”

It turned out that Lindalva was coming home from work. She was supposed to get off at the last stop, but since it was pouring rain out, she decided to ride the bus all the way around the circuit and get off the next time around. City buses run in large circular routes in Brazilian cities.

This was a great gift from God to Edna, Angelita, and their whole family.

Lindete (in this photo with Deanna) is Lindalva’s non-identical-twin sister. Lindete was at the lunch meal with us. She had just arrived from another faraway city, Palmas, to spend time with her sisters.

How to Keep Children in Church

 Bob Logan helps leaders of churches and denominations. He thinks if children experience genuine connections with God, they are more likely to stay in church after graduating from high school.

 For the rest of Bob’s blog, CLICK HERE.

Help Others Get Their Own Experiences With God

As I pray about planting 1,000 churches and wonder how we will get there, I believe God wants us to help people have genuine experiences with him. Them personally. Their experiences. Once this is happening, the next step is to help them know how to teach others to get experiences with God.

My experiences are good for me, and my stories encourage some people, but they do not give other people enough energy to make long-term commitments.

Being nice, believing the right things, and good food are all important, but they are not enough. They are more like the consequences of genuine experiences with God.

How Can We Help Others Experience God?

1. Personal Experience: We need to know how to experience God for ourselves.

a) If you do not have this, think of some people who might, and go and ask them what they do.

b) Experiencing God usually involves disciplines. Here are a few that we are finding helpful these days.

c) Discovery Bible Studies – Helps groups of friends learn to obey what they think God is saying in a Bible study, and then have them come back the next week, share what happened, and do it again.

d) Lectio Divina – Put yourself in a Bible story, especially one from the gospels. Keep rereading until you get to a deeper understanding.

e) Immanuel Prayer – Get a good memory. Find Jesus in the memory. Ask Him what He wants you to know.

f) Centering Prayer – Spend time with God, just thinking about Him for 10-30 minutes every morning.

g) There are many other ways too, like studying, journaling, a gratitude journal, praying through lists, intercession, fasting, etc. 

2. Pass It On: If you share your experiences, they become yours. It is critical that you share your spiritual experiences.

a) LISTEN: First listen. It is helpful to get permission to share. You gain people’s permission or confidence by listening to their stories.

b) SHARE: At some point, when the time is right, share your God-experience stories. When you share them, your brain will hear you sharing them, and you will start to change. Your brain will start to understand this is who you are. You are a human who has experiences with God. If you do not share them or record them, they will fade away and cease to exist. Sharing also helps you get more experiences because the flow will increase.

Your thoughts?

Now when I pray I often tell our Heavenly Father, “I want you to be Present. Being a good provider is important but I want a Father who is present all the time, and who will train me how to do stuff.”

Jesus says “This is the kind of prayer our Father loves to answer.”

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

I am the oldest, Henry is two years younger, and Marlene is seven years younger than me.

When Columbia Bitulithic had a paving plant that was losing money they would send Dad in to get it profitable again. He would get up at 2:00 a.m. to start the burners so the tar would be sufficiently warm at 6:00 when the trucks arrived. He went to bed early and mom had to keep us kids quiet as we lived in small hotel rooms all summer long. The company paid for Dad’s meals at the cafe, and since we were a family of five they allowed us to have supper at the restaurant every second night. We could get whatever kind of pop we wanted. This was very special. All the other meals mom cooked as the hotel room had a kitchenette. The smell of hot asphalt still floods me with good memories. Mom was the best possible mom through those years and of course we couldn’t live year-round on the road crews but as a young child I hated the months when dad was up North and we had to go back to the Fraser Valley. Maybe this is partly why I quit high school at 17 to go North to find work.

My dad is the second from the left, the middle of the dark coveralls.

I thank God for various mentors over the years, but mostly I thank Him for His commitment to be present, to carry me when things get too rough, and to help me walk out my destiny.

Eulevan was a dedicated bodyguard and specialist of Saint Benedito. Fatima belonged to a special group of women who were dedicated to worshiping this patron saint of Gurupá. Heitor, their 16-year-old son, prayed for his parents and sister for years. After Fatima became a Christian, she grew tired of her 30-year-old common law relationship with Eulevan. She came to Pastor Edna for counsel. After her Immanuel Prayer experience with Jesus Fatima “gave up on giving up on their marriage” and she started to pray. This year, 2020, Eulevan came to Jesus and they got married in November.

Eulevan and Fatima got married this year, and transferred their allegiance from St Benedito to Jesus.

Heitor, far left, is hungry ready to do God’s will, as are a growing number of young people in this region.

Edna and Leão are pastors in Gurupá, and at the November 2020 training event they were ordained as regional supervisors for the Xingu and Marajó Regions. It is a huge area, a God-sized challenge to evangelize well.

1. Christmas is a great time to call or message someone and wish them well.
2. Look especially for relatives or old acquaintances with whom you sense and emotional cut-off. Many of us have a family history of cut-offs. If you see this trend in your life, especially in your family, work on reversing it. Roberta Gilbert noted that “cutoff is so prevalent among us that America has been called “a nation of cutoffs.’ That has to do with the large number of immigrants living in this country and the high incidence of cutoff present in immigration in general” (2018, p. 53). Cutoffs are prevalent among people in Canada and Brazil as well.
3. Use this Christmas season to bless people.
   • “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14).

Build Deeper Friendships.

1. Deeper friendships require deeper conversations.
2. Try to have conversations with people that are not shallow and not about someone else, not gossip. This is surprisingly difficult.

• A person-to-person relationship is conceived as an ideal in which two people can communicate freely about the full range of personal issues between them. Most people cannot tolerate more than a few minutes on a personal level. When either party becomes anxious, he begins talking about a third person (triangles in another person), or the communication becomes impersonal and they talk about things.

(Bowen, M., 1993, p. 499)

If you find yourself in an emotional storm, try to stay present.

1. Do not enter the emotional drama. Do not react in kind.
2. Do not distance yourself emotionally or geographically. Stay present.
3. Do try to be kind. Be curious. Give the other person emotional space to work through his/her stuff while you thoughtfully consider your part in what just happened.
   • “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

References

Bowen, M., 1993, Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. Jason Aronson, Inc. Kindle Edition.
Gilbert, R., 2018, The Eight Concepts of Bowen Theory, Leading Systems Press. Kindle Edition.

Coffee Shop Incident

There was only one other couple in the café. We got our coffees and sat down at a different table. The early morning coffee tasted even better because it was snowing outside. The businessman I was meeting was burdened. Memories of many coffees like this decades ago helped the stories to flow. My friend started explaining his concerns and convictions. I was soaking in the Northern air, sipping my coffee, and listening to my friend’s interpretation of the news. Suddenly the other table in the room exploded. The chairs scraped back, almost falling over. The beautiful lady jumped up and came over, madder than a hornet. All I really heard were the loud f-words and that my friend needed to “stop talking immediately!” The huge bearded giant in a checkered flannel shirt who was drinking coffee with the lady followed a few meters behind her, affirming her by casting derogatory comments at us in calmer manner as they cursed their way to the exit. I was so surprised. Until that table exploded I had forgotten we were in a public setting. My first thought was to apologize and to try to hear their story but my friend had a different emotional response. Instead of letting them leave as peacefully as possibly he immediately and loudly tried engaging them with even more of his version of the truth. This was not well received. I was able to stay engaged without getting triggered by the emotional drama. “Interesting. Social anxiety is really high. This is unusual behavior for Canadians.” My friend looked at me in discouragement. “See, this is what bothers me. I’m not even allowed to have my own opinion.” I apologized to the barista who was staring at the couple as they left. She was gracious and shrugged it off with a smile. Now we had the café to ourselves so we continued with our conversation until our coffees were gone.

Multigenerational Transmission Process

We learn many of our primary emotional responses from our parents. If our parents experienced great trauma in life, some of that gets passed on to some of their children. My own personal history, for example, includes generations of Christian blessings. It also includes great trauma. My uncle wrote that my great-grandparents owned 78 yoke of oxen which they used to plow their fields. They were huge land-owners and employers in Russia. My grandfather, their son, escaped to Canada with his wife and two small children in the 1920s but his father died in a Siberian prison camp. Seven more children would be born in Canada, including my mother who learned to speak English when she went to school in Grade One. Can you imagine the difficulties? On my father’s side, his grandparents owned a mill in Russia. All the people in their village worked for him. One day at lunch he left the big mill running and escaped out the back door with his family and a suitcase full of cash. They bribed their way out of Russia ended up as pioneers in Northern Manitoba. Those who could not get out suffered severely. My mom has her grandfather’s original journal, written in pencil while in a Siberian labor camp. These stories are common among the Mennonites. God rescued them and led them to Canada, the United States, Brazil, and Paraguay. The people who fled the government persecution lived to prosper elsewhere. This is my people’s history.  Now our Canadian government is forbidding public church services and forbidding family gatherings at Christmas. Back to the lady in the café, I wonder what stories her parents experienced and passed down to her and how she learned to cope with chronic stress? I am really curious about her story.

Preparation for Revival?

Seasons of great stress may be a Preparation for a Revival. When we run out of our own resources and we are desperate, this is a great time to abandon ourselves to God. This is a time for some people to engage in different kinds of conversations, the deeper kind. May God’s people rise up strong during this opportune season to be a kind and powerful Presence. In order for this to happen we need to be more connected than ever to God.

1. Learn to attach to Jesus above all else. This takes time, personal time, with Him. Learn to let Him carry you in spite of all the dark possibilities. I find a minimum of 20 minutes daily of Centering Prayer most helpful. My brain used to feel so scattered with possible bad emails, or bad news. God is using my Centering Prayer time, my quiet time in His presence, to start my day with a better perspective.

2. It is helpful to be aware of how you are feeling. The Prayer of Examen is one way to do this. Every day we reflect on our actions and emotions. Click here for an example.

3. When you are in a dark place keep going with your last instructions from when you were in the light.

• God has told me many times through a variety of sources that we are coming in to an abundantly fruitful season.
• Im sticking with this until I get further instructions.

4. Sometimes the Discipline of Indifference is helpful. Ask the Holy Spirit what is at the root of your anxiety. Then use words to give that to Him. In an act of radical abandonment commit to putting God first no matter what.

4. As you think about what is causing you anxiety, remember the Serenity Prayer. Twenty-five years ago in Santarem a doctor friend explained to me, “We like to think about worst-case scenarios. What is the worst thing that could happen? If we can face that question we can move forward.” This kind of thinking helps me.

One of Jesus’ names is Counselor.
We ask for counsel, and then we choose obedience.
Making the right choice is comforting even when it is scary.

“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace”(Isaiah 9:6).“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid”(John 14:27).
5. On a practical level, if you struggle with chronic anxiety and it won’t go away, a friend explained to me how he developed a hobby that took all of his concentration. His mind could not focus on two things at once. In this way he could get his peace back.

Questions:

1. How is chronic anxiety affecting you on a scale of 1-100?

2. How do you cope with it?

3. Is your method working for you?

4. Have you had any chances to genuinely share the reason for your Hope?

A sign of God’s presence is unsolicited spiritual conversations.

This week I was getting our car fixed. The manager was a beautiful lady in her mid-twenties. As I was paying the bill I noticed a one-word script tattoo on her arm. I asked her what it said. “Resiliencia (translation: Resilient)“. I nodded, paid the bill and drove off. Twenty minutes later I noticed a strange rattling sound coming from my car, and it was getting more pronounced. I decided not to feel annoyed even though this was the end of a day of minimally-productive line-ups and waiting. I drove all the way back to the mechanic shop, got out, and explained my situation. As the mechanic was under our car checking things out I became aware of this manager girl by my side.

“Are you a pastor?”

“Yes. Kind of.”

“I didn’t know you were a pastor.”

“I go to church with Marques”. Marques was the mechanic who was under the car.

After some silence I asked her, “Are you a Christian?”

Blank look.

“Where do you go to church?” 

“(Pause). Everywhere. Nowhere. (Pause). Is my tattoo a sin?”

I was surprised by her question. “Hmm. It was a sin under old testament law. (Thinking). Some people think we should follow some of the Old Testament laws.”

“My life used to be really horrible. It was terrible. Unbearable. I got this tattoo to help keep me on track.”

“I understand. God loves you. He doesn’t care about your tattoo.”

Pause.

“Well, I only have one small tattoo.”

Just then Marques stepped up and gave me the keys. The car was fixed.

I pray daily for God to show us People of Peace (Luke 10). These are the people who will with the people of the Amazon for Jesus. Maybe God will help me connect someone to guide this lady and her friends through a Discovery Bible Study. Discovering what God wants by studying His Word with friends is powerful.
………………………………………………………..

As we spend time in the morning with God our spiritual force field increases, sometimes manifesting in power encounters, guidance, protection, or unsolicited spiritual conversations. This power leaks out all day long, sometimes quite quickly. This creates a continual need / desire to get refilled. If we go for a long period of time without personal devotions we get very weak, just like not eating physical food for a long time makes us physically weak. Thankfully the Holy Spirit is willing to show us how to maintain a steady, healthy spiritual diet to keep us spiritually strong.

Your thoughts / experiences?

To all who mourn in Israel

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

Isaiah 61:3

My friend grew up in New York in the mid-1900s. Every so often his grandfather would come to visit. My friend would run to the train station, to greet his grandfather, and to walk back to their house together. His grandfather would always ask, “What do you have in your pocket Danny?” My friend would dig into his pockets, and find something. Sometimes he found a little rock, or a stick, and sometimes there was just a piece of lint. He would  show his grandfather. His grandfather would then reach into his own pocket, where he always found a dollar. “Would you like to trade?”

Our heavenly Father loves to trade us beauty for ashes. God loves to leverage what appear like bad times, to transform them into exceeding good results.

1. Apostle Paul loved to travel, and to plant churches. When he got put in chains, beaten, and thrown in jail, he wrote most of the New Testament. His bad times produced incredible blessings.

2. When Joseph was sold as a slave, this was his ticket to becoming the second most powerful ruler in Egypt.

3. When Abraham left his home and family, and let his nephew Lot choose the luscious rich plains, leaving him in the desert, this was the path to becoming the Father of Christianity, and of much of the Arab world.

4. Jesus permitted Himself to become the ultimate sacrifice for us. He traded His worst experience in exchange for our biggest blessing.

5. When you are in a desperate and potentially horrible place, this never looks like an ideal place to flourish. But God works in mysterious ways. We activate God’s plan with our choices. Our best option during terrible times is to use our will to get closer to Him, which puts us firmly in His plans for us.

On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

ESV Psalm 138:3