Uprising

Who do you pray salvation for

A loved one

Your spouse

Your children

A friend or co-worker

everyone?

Whenever I am asked to pray for God to work in someone’s life I always think of my mom. She is an addict. She has been for the majority of my life. There is a lot of history between us and I have a tendency not to see her as Christ does. And maybe that is it, the answer to why so few of the people we pray for find grace.  How would she know the love of Christ if her oldest child can’t always find the words of forgiveness and love?

I got this text today: “I am out of the hospital today. I am now certified Crazy (LOL)! I need my family I Love you all. Please read Psalms 86 Mom”

So, I did. I read Psalm 86. And you know what I realized: my mom, your friends and family and our world need us to have an undivided heart. A heart that agrees with His love, His mercy, His grace and not our own.

^{Psalm 86:11}

Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

So, while I spend my time praying for God to save my mother from her addictions and her illnesses I will pray that my heart never be divided from His truth. And the same uprising I pray for unbelievers, I will pray the same Spirit consume me to love and forgive with all of the compassion that comes in response to the mercy I have been shown.

Be My Witness

No matter your perspective, you are never too small to make a difference.

The proof is in the ability of Canvas’ childrens ministry  to give more that 25 chickens to a village in China this year. Our God has an amazing ability to take what we give and make it exponentially more.

I firmly believe God knows the heart of the giver. I know God looks at Canvas and regardless of our size, knows we have a giving heart. I believe He is truly glorified when we give outside of our walls.I believe He can take anything that may seem small and make it touch the ends of the earth.

^{Psalm 67:1}God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us– Selah. ²That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. ³Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. ⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth. Selah. ⁵Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. ⁶The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. ⁷God blesses us, That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.

May the Lord continue to bless Canvas Fellowship and the ministries we touch.  (Acts 1:6-8) Please continue to pray and give to each of these ministries:

Our Jerusalem: Iva’s Place

Our Judea: KARM & The Water Angels Ministry

Our Samaria: Vineyard USA & ARC

Uttermost Pars of the Earth: United World Missions & Build International

Is there a ministry that you and your family support? Share with us. (This is the time that shameless plugs are completely acceptable)

Who am I?

^{Mark 8: 27} Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.”²⁹And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

Who is Jesus to you?

Describe the Christ that you have personally encountered on the grounds of your own self. Describe Him as you would to a friend over coffee. Describe not the diety you have heard about or been taught to believe exists, but only the Christ you have actually encountered. (19 Mercies: A Spiritual Journey, Brennan Manning #5)

I will start and I hope you will feel led to share……..Jesus, I believe you are my Savior. You are the thing my heart heart desires to love above all other things. You are the re-newer of my life and creator of my legacy. You are forever the faithful healer of my humanness. You break the chains that bind me. You give me undeserved freedom in your grace, beautiful grace. Thank you, Jesus, for who you are to me.

So, I wonder. Who is Jesus to you? Who is the Jesus you share with your friends, your family, your coworkers. Who is the Jesus of your testimony?

Process

Questions, Method, Process, Answers. Is there a God? How? Why? Grace, for free?

Not everyone has a fireworks, party moment when it comes to their salvation. For some, it is a process of finding and digging and discovering for themselves the things that God has already been working in them. Don’t feel left out if you are analytical and the concept of faith is distant and unnatural. Salvation is for you too. Don’t let the world tell you that your salvation is of any less value if it took you time to discover all the answers you were looking for.

^{1 Corinthians 3:5-9}(msg) Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.

What a truly beautiful word God gives us in this passage. Gardens, beautiful fields, open and ready to receive God’s promises. One step at a time, a process of planting, watering and caring for. God himself is a fan of process. From the beginning of time He wanted to be in relationship with you. He created the perfect plan to bring us to Him through His son Jesus.

My favorite part of the passage above is the reminder of the role that each of us play in being patient planters of God’s seed. It isn’t about how big and spectacular we can make the salvation experience. We plant seeds by living loving faithful lives. We water the fields by being prepared to feed and answer questions of those who are seeking His face. Then, and only by his grace do we get to see God truly glorified when He changes the lives of those around us.

Value

What is it that gives us value, worth?

What makes us worthy of love?

Life throws us punches, it beats us down, misguides and fills us up with things that leave us more alone and unworthy.

^{Romans 5:6-8} (msg) Christ arrives right on time to make this happen.He didn’t, and doesn’t, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn’t been so weak, we wouldn’t have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.

 

There is little in this life that comes close to the glory of telling us our value as God’s love. It is beautiful, it is unconditional and it was part of the plan from the very beginning.

I know how hard it is to grasp the idea that it is even possible to believe someone loves you that much. Regardless of where you have been, the addiction you can’t quit, the anger you can’t resolve, the gossip you continue to spread, the depression that keeps you in your bed, You have value to God. So much value, that Jesus died on the cross for you.

Unconditional, no perfection required, love.

Homeless

“……approximately 675,000 people are homeless on any given night. In any given year, 2.5 to 3.5 million people will experience at least one night of homelessness.” National Alliance to End Homelessness
Homelessness is an ugly truth. Most of us have lost compassion for those we see on the street with cardboard signs. Shouldn’t they just get a job? It isn’t our fault they have mental illnesses or struggle with addiction. Is it my responsibility to have to pay for their lack of education and motivation?

^{Isaiah 58:6}“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
⁷“Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸“Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

We are called as the children of God to care for the poor and homeless. It isn’t pretty, it is a sacrifice. We are called to pray, fast and act on their behalf. The same God that has given you freedom wants to free them from their plight and He needs you to act on His behalf. The hardest part is realizing that we don’t get to pick and choose who God loves or who we are called to love on. Your preconceived ideas of where, why and who deserves what doesn’t matter. If you want to be in agreement with the Creator, He wants reconciliation for us all.

Pray with me this week for those in your community that are without a home. Pray for freedom over addiction, abuse, mental illness, pain and self-doubt. Give away the change in your pocket and don’t decide what you think they should spend it on. Skip a meal and give the 5 dollars to a local charity. Be active in changing your world, it isn’t going to happen unless we all get involved.

Be active: Do you know of a local group or organization that helps in the area of homelessness? Please comment with their contact information so we all can be an active part in housing the homeless in our communities.

KARM: Knoxville Area Rescue Missions

New Location

Here we are, Canvas Rhapsody, making a new blog home at WordPress. I hope you like the changes. You will find all of our past posts here and hopefully some new ones to come.  Don’t be afraid to let us know what you think……

Jesus Is Coming

Urgency. Preparedness. Anticipation. Excitement. Purpose.

^{2 Peter 3:8-9}Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.

¹⁰But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.

^11-13Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.
God knew me before I was born.

God has a plan for my life.

God is waiting patiently on me.

God is coming back for me.

Grace really is a beautiful thing.

Be Still

^{Psalm 46:10} “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

Being weak and trusting God in difficult situations can be the most I ever ask of myself. It is hard to stop moving and dodging the punches that are being thrown at me. What if….just for a moment….. I stopped trying to defend myself and prove myself and hold still long enough for God to defend me? What if I stopped wanting all the glory and I gave it to God? What if I stopped controlling it all and really see what God’s plan is? There isn’t anything that I can do better than God can do.

It’s time to know the promises of God, it is time to trust in His word and know Him. It is time to be still. He is with us.

Psalm 46

¹ God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

³ though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

⁴ There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

⁵ God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

⁶ Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

⁷ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

⁸ Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

⁹ He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

¹⁰ “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

¹¹ The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Shifting Gears: Fight

Who? How? When? With what? If the battle is inevitable are we prepared to break down the walls so that we can fight? It is hard for me to grasp the idea of breaking down my walls. I spent a lot of my life building them, putting each peace perfectly in place to keep things out and protect myself from the things I don’t want in. These walls, they make it impossible for me to claim the promises of God in my life.

Right now, in my life, there is a battle brewing. I know it is coming. Instead of preparing like I should I feel like I am looking for more bricks to pile on my wall. In my heart I know that if I am following God’s word I have to break this down. It is hard when a life time of fear and lack of confidence has built itself up. Then, there is this pesky need I have of never upsetting anyone. I know, you can’t please everyone but no reason to pick fights, right?!! Okay, that is entirely wrong. We are called to fight, to carry our crosses, to stand on God’s Word, to make a difference for our God’s Glory. How do I do that if I am closed in a perfect wall?

I don’t know where you are at. I am sure you have a wall of your own that needs to be torn down. Where do we begin? Read the Word, I think we need to know His promises in order to be filled with hope. Worship and Music to fill our hearts with the joy that comes from singing His praises. Prayer and Relationship, if we want God to go before us in our battles we should be talking to Him about it.

^{Mark 4:18-20} Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

It is time to make a plan. Be ready for the battle that is coming. Remember that your plan is Plan B. God knows what lays ahead and His plan is your Plan A. Be obedient to the process. And one more little piece of advice, don’t do it alone.