Watching the snow come down - and joining in the complaining about it - reminds me that the weather is very much like the rest of life - sometimes cooperative & structured, sometimes unexpected and plan-changing.

Anyone else ready for more than a few hours of spring at a time?

I was asked today whether I felt God still led by dreams - and whether those dreams would be crystal clear or confusing - allow me to share my response:

What a great question!

Yes, I do believe that God still speaks through dreams. I don't believe it is a primary approach He uses - since we have a complete revelation in His word - but I don't think it's appropriate to attempt to limit Him either.

How know? Question the dream - is it consistent with God's word? Does it hold up during times of prayer with Him? Do those I trust spiritually provide some positive input on it? Is it consistent with other leading He's done in your life?

I would be careful with the "no confusion/God of order" argument. It comes from I Corinthians 14, is specific towards worship services, but is often used out of context to prove that God only does things systematically and logically. In reality, God does use mystery, sometimes His sharing is not crystal clear (perhaps because of a receiver problem?) - and dreams are, by their very nature, not very logical or systematic. God's initial leading might be into confusion - it might only become clear over the long term (or in eternity, think of those who lose a loved one and don't know why).

That's what I think. I can only recall one occasion personally that He used a dream in my life - but that may say more about my memory than about His methods.

My avocation is birding. I tend to walk or drive through natural areas 4-6 times per week, generally before coming into the office. I track seen & heard birds on a weekly and yearly checklist - generally seeing 250-280 species annually in Minnesota.

This week I've noticed how late bird migration is - have not yet seen a Killdeer (normally back by mid-March), saw first two Eastern Bluebirds this morning (few days late), few Sandhill Cranes in area, few migrating ducks in the air or fields. Ponds open briefly during the day, but freeze again overnight. Last year Mille Lacs Lake opened March 28th, this year it could be 10-14 days later. This could end up being a slower birding year, since some species could skip central MN (and its frozen lakes & ponds) on the way north.

Sometimes my Type A personality can be impatient - not a good attribute for a pastor or follower of Jesus Christ overall.

Growth

For my first blog, thought I would share my most recent newsletter article (about Christian growth)

Growth


“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” (Ephesians 4:15-16)

“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God….” (Colossians 1:10)

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with every-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”


God is in the growth business. He is actively working in individual’s and churches’ lives to transform them into His likeness – pruning out sin (see John 15) and building in holiness – preparing us for works of service, unifying and maturing us (Ephesians 4:11-13).

He uses at least four methods in this process:

Personal time spent with the Lord – reading His word, praying (talking & listening), exercising spiritual disciples (like silence or journaling). A recent study documents this as the number one spiritual maturity measure in a local church.

Teaching & training – Sunday school, preaching, small groups, seminars & special courses – all are designed to grow you in your relationship with the Lord – not just to fill our heads with additional knowledge – or give us something to talk about.

Relationships – whether intentional or unintentional – God plugs us in with other people to mutually grow us into His Son’s image. Of course, He also allows us access to the plug….we do have a choice.

Crises & trials – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) We often beg to be spared, or delivered, from trials – little realizing that God is actively using them in our lives to change us – and may continue to do so until we’ve learned and grown.

So are you growing, or stagnating? Plugged in, or unplugged? Rewired, or “retired”?