Testimony

Lauran Parson’s shared the following testimony at her graduation from Empower. We thought it was powerful and wanted everyone to hear it!

August 2020 was the first time I had heard about Empower. I didn’t understand what the class was about, but with just moving, pandemic hitting, and homeschooling for the first time, I quickly declined. After my second decline there was unrest in me. I was working hard to be physically healthy, to provide for my family, but all that hard work left little to no room for my spiritual health. I decided to read my Bible, and it was while reading Proverbs I heard the repeated call to wisdom. As a mom, how could I hope to raise Christian children if I didn’t know the fundamentals of my own faith, my spiritual gifts, or my purpose? So Empower came up again, and I decided maybe it was time. If I didn’t commit and make the time happen, when would it ever happen? I was afraid of the financial cost, but I felt God reminding me of all the times He’s provided, and wasn’t learning about Him worth that price? God likes to ask me questions. I think He knows it helps me find the holes in my own logic. So I jumped in right before the semester began. It started off fast and kept me on my toes the whole time.

God has done amazing things. This time was harder than I could imagine. We struggled financially, my children’s health came into question, and my workload increased. BUT God…He showed up at every place of struggle and kept me. With financial struggles in our midst God asked me to trust Him with moving. We closed last week on a home that was more than I could have asked for. I felt peace, and His presence stayed close as I sat by my son’s bed on the DuPont cardiac floor and saw amazing healing happen for our son. I was able to reveal deep wounds to God, and He showed me He was there; I finally knew I was never alone. He was and is El Roi, the God who sees. He also taught me I can serve like Martha, but He wanted my heart like Mary’s more. I want to tell you of one specific miracle that took place in my life recently. While praying for my husband’s pain in the middle of the night, everything I learned about spiritual authority and God’s power came to mind. While we prayed in the quiet night, my husband’s back cracked with no movement and was healed. His pain he’d been suffering for years was gone. I don’t think I can explain the feeling of awe at our God’s power in that moment.

There are many more stories I could share, but I’d like to say thank you to the leaders of Empower for bringing the knowledge and path for me to follow and thank you even more Lord for your mercy, grace, and love. It is by you and for you I’ve come this far.

Philippians 4:19 tells us: “My God will meet all of our needs according to the riches of His Glory in Christ Jesus.”

May we continue to grow in our true identity as precious daughters of the most high King, may we walk in the fullness and richness that it comes only from our heavenly father. Thank you.

—Lauran Parsons

Covering the Eye

I have another story for you.

Years and years ago, in a very remote and primitive jungle area, a frustrated foreman had been hired from outside the region to supervise the clearing of an airstrip for the off-the-grid village. He soon discovered that if he were not physically present to oversee the work crew, no work would be accomplished. None. Even when he left explicit orders and detailed instructions, the men lounged around, took naps, and played cards as soon as the manager drove off for supplies or was otherwise engaged.

But this clever boss held a wild card.

He had a glass eye!

To his amazement and great satisfaction, he took out his artificial eye one afternoon and set it on a stump alongside the field that was to be leveled. He strode away. The wary workers, eyeing the prosthesis, conscientiously hustled and bustled about their duties all day just as if their boss was there watching them.

Until the day one of the men quite bravely crept up behind the shiny eye on the stump and tossed his hat over it!

The poker game was back on. Time to gossip at the water cooler once more.

It’s a funny story, right? But I think there is more to it than a smile.

I think many of us, consciously or not, have “covered the eye” and gone back to lounging around when we should be working.

We are lazy.

Paul Tripp, New Morning Mercies, says it is the bad news that we need, but don’t really want to think about. We agree the workers in that far off village were lazy, but the truth is, if sin lives in us, laziness will be a problem for us all.

Dr. Tripp explains. “Now, because as a sinner I tend to make life all about me, I work to avoid anything that is hard or uncomfortable to do. I tend to curse hard work, the need to serve others, the call to persevere, the inescapable reality of suffering, the requirement of daily labor, the call to engage myself in the work of a bigger kingdom than my own, or the moral requirements to use my gifts for the glory of someone other than myself.

“There are ways in which sin makes us all work avoiders. It tends to make us all think that the good life is the life free of the need for labor. But the fact of the matter is that we were created to work, and not just for the good of our own lives, but in willing and joyful submission to the One who created us. Work is not a curse; it is our created identity…Until grace has completed its work, we will tend to find work more of a burden than a calling and a joy. Grace and grace alone is able to make otherwise lazy people industrious workers to the glory of God.”

That’s what I’d rather be, wouldn’t you? The Jews in Nehemiah’s story, attacked, abused, and thwarted at every turn, certainly were industrious laborers as they rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple of God.

I think it would help us to keep in mind that all work is Kingdom work. And that our real Boss is the King of Kings. Work is not secular or sacred. It is all sacred.

There is something else to remember.

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.                      (2 Chronicles 16:9)

As His workers, His ever-watchful eye is trained on us, not in anger or simply to keep us in line, but to help us accomplish the tasks He so wisely and graciously planned for us before we were born. What a beautiful thought! Long before I knew Him, He had already purposed my daily chores, my jobs, my service. He cares what I do. He is watching out for me. He will help me, support me. He will give me grace.

Oh, how can I be lazy or careless or discontented or disillusioned or nonchalant or self-seeking in whatever task He has chosen for me?

I will weed for His glory. I will scrub for His glory. I will teach for His glory. I will drive the bus for His glory. I will answer the phone, prepare the reports, crunch the numbers, drill the tooth, care for that patient, foster that child, spread mulch at church, and preach that sermon—all to the glory of God, for the advancement of His Kingdom right here and now.

There is a lot of Kingdom work to do. He has a lot of grace to give.

And He’s the Boss.  

You can never really cover the eye.

—Eileen Hill

Whatcha looking at?

It was a cloudy morning. The glimpse of sun had turned the sky red, warning of the storm on the horizon. The weather outside resembled my inside. Like the clouds, fears were moving in as I focused on my past, present, and predicted failures. My mind was filling with burdens, each one expanding with greater consideration. The atmosphere was unstable. I called upon my Lord, the Light of the world, the one who sits enthroned over the flood. “Father, help me.”

I loaded my daughter in the car to take the 15-minute drive to her school, still preoccupied with the clouds without and within. Then, I remembered a simple song. I queued it up on my radio and told my daughter to get ready to sing. Together, we would lift our eyes unto the Maker of Heaven and earth. By the second pass of the chorus, we both sang out, “Your love is, your love is, YOUR LOVE IS STRONG”. I lowered the windows at the busy intersection in case someone else was having a cloudy day. We sang joyfully unto to Lord as we praised His love with all we had. I watched her in the rear-view mirror, sitting in her car seat, with a face brighter than the sun. She looked like Moses coming down from the mountain. 

 As we arrived at her school, I noticed the sign board out front.

“The whole earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord” – Psalm 33:5

I read the verse to my daughter and reminded her that no matter where we are and no matter how dark things may be outside or within, we always have something beautiful to look at. I told her, “Claraboo, the whole earth is filled with the goodness of the Lord.” I reminded her that the angels, the ones with more eyes than us, fix all their gaze on Him and can’t help but sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,’. Who was, and is, and is to come.” Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. May we consider the one who conquered sin and death that we could be set free. 

Because He is present, we can seek and find Him. When we find Him, we will taste and see that He is good and His love is strong. Brothers and sisters, again, remember the whole earth is filled with His goodness. Yes, this even includes the dark and scary places that we hide in or try to avoid. Praise God for He shows His lovingkindness in every corner of this sin cursed land and heart. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Right now, whatcha looking at? On cloudy days, may we change our gaze. Pray instead of curse.

In Christ,

Roger Garrison

Bazaar

It doesn’t take too many pages of Bible reading to grasp the picture that we humans are caught up in something way larger and more complex than we can fully imagine. Like tourists navigating an outdoor bazaar without knowing the language or customs, we stumble through, distracted here and there with that look that welcomes another to take advantage of you. Having been that neophyte, I know the difference that a trusted guide and interpreter can make in the overall experience.

 In Stara Zagora, my friend Tunde, was such a person. He knew what I did not know and shepherded me appropriately. He let me stretch on my own, make some missteps, yet kept a watchful eye to guide me from the normal pitfalls an adventurer like me easily makes in a foreign place. I have always needed those people who knew more than me and freely gave me the benefit of their lives without trying to conform me to something that my Father never meant for me to be.

To be honest, I don’t see enough of that kind of shepherding in the church organizations I’ve known. Yet, I can identify a truck load of people Father sent my way to guide me. I also have the benefit of the Word of God and other writings penned by lesser authors. Historians, as well, to remind me of the continuum of valor and treachery that is the human experience. I can learn from and be guided by all these sources together. I do not have to be a cosmic traveler, bumbling through the Turkish bazaar of life unless I am too proud to trust my trusted God who speaks in voices that sound like a child, my friends, my wife, Tunde, a host of other sources, or even me.

 One translation of Psalm 95:7-8a reads: “For we are the lovers he cares for, and he is the God we worship, so drop everything else and listen to his voice”. In the sad but hauntingly beautiful chapter 30 of Isaiah, we find these words to countermand the obstinate steering of our own way through life: “Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Too much of modern Christianity is based on sanitized and institutionalized discipleship that produces anemic believers. It reminds me of the car dealership my grandfather managed. There was a beautiful Corvette just sitting there to capture my young 14-year-old fancy. One day he tossed me the keys and said, “Would you go warm the Vette up? Someone is coming for a test drive. Don’t take it out of gear, but just sit in it and listen to it purr.” Oh, the imaginary roads I traveled behind the wheel of that beast although I never drove one inch.

Unlike that experience, I know I am made for more than idling Christianity. I have a trusted guide in the Holy Spirit, a wonderful Savior, and loving Father. I have beacon lights all around; the guardrails of scripture, the experience that others have in God, and an overcomer’s heart. So, get me out of the parked, beautiful muscle car and take me to the bazaar where I was meant to walk with abandon and spiritual authority. Not imagination only. Remind me to live a life of adventurous abandon within the broad guidelines and wisdom of my King. A life not in someone else’s discipleship box but lived following my master, the one who called me to be with Him as His disciple in the first place.  Anyone want to come along?

—George Davis

Love to the Uttermost

John Piper give us a small taste of the depth of Jesus’ love for us in this article.

Take a look!

Depth of Love for Us

As I have pondered the love of Christ for us, and the different ways that the Bible presents it to us, I have seen four ways that the depth of Christ’s love is revealed.

First, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by what it costs him. If he sacrifices his life for us, it assures us of deeper love than if he only sacrifices a few bruises. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love by the greatness of what it cost him.

Second, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by how little we deserve it. If we have treated him well all our life, and have done all that he expects of us, then when he loves us, it will not prove as much love as it would if he loved us when we had offended him, and shunned him, and disdained him. The more undeserving we are, the more amazing and deep is his love for us. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love in relation to how undeserving are the objects of his love (Romans 5:5–8).

Third, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by the greatness of the benefits we receive in being loved. If we are helped to pass an exam, we will feel loved in one way. If we are helped to get a job, we will feel loved another way. If we are helped to escape from an oppressive captivity and given freedom for the rest of our life, we will feel loved another way. And if we are rescued from eternal torment and given a place in the presence of God with fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore, we will know a depth of love that surpasses all others (1 John 3:1–3). So we will see the depth of Christ’s love by the greatness of the benefits we receive in being loved by him.

Fourth, we know the depth of someone’s love for us by the freedom with which they love us. If a person does good things for us because someone is making him, when he doesn’t really want to, then we don’t think the love is very deep. Love is deep in proportion to its liberty. So if an insurance company pays you $40,000 because you lose your spouse, you don’t usually marvel at how much this company loves you. There were legal constraints. But if your Sunday School class makes all your meals for a month after your spouse dies, and someone calls you every day, and visits you every week, then you call it love, because they don’t have to do this. It is free and willing. So we will see the depth of Christ’s love for us in his freedom: “No one takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).

To push this truth to the limit, let me quote for you a psalm that the New Testament applies to Jesus (Hebrews 10:9). It refers to his coming into the world to offer himself as a sacrifice for sin: “I delight to do your will, O my God” (Psalm 40:8). The ultimate freedom is joy. He rejoiced to do his redeeming work for us. The physical pain of the cross did not become physical pleasure. But Jesus was sustained through it all by joy. He really, really wanted to save us. To gather for himself a happy, holy, praising people. He displayed his love like a husband yearning for a beloved bride (Ephesians 5:25–33).