Seamless Provision

The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. - Joshua 5:11-12

I notice something from this passage which seems to be true about most transition seasons. They are opportunities to trust God when resources we’ve come to depend on are no longer part of our lives. But trusting can be difficult to do when we can’t see the path forward or envision the ideal future we long for. Wilderness transitions are like that. We struggle to believe. We imagine worst case scenarios…

 What if my support dries up? What if I let go of this dependable paycheck so I can launch this dream, and God doesn’t come through? What if someone in my family experiences a health crisis while in the middle of this transition?

 Transition seasons challenge our ability to trust for daily provision, especially when the transition involves prolonged time in-between jobs and subsequent loss of income. I’ve worked with multiple clients who have struggled with trusting as they navigate this messy middle, having lost one dependable source of income while waiting for something else to replace it.

Manna represents God’s desire and ability to care for and sustain his children in wilderness seasons…miraculously. The Israelites experienced 40 years in the desert…a long season defined by the miraculous. Talk about prolonged transition! During this time, God provided a fresh, daily supply of manna (sort of like bread) from heaven to sustain them. There were other ways He provided as well. He caused the sandals on their feet to not wear out. He gave them water from a rock on more than one occasion. He led them through the desert by means of a pillar of cloud by day (shade and protection) and a pillar of fire by night to light their way (guidance).

 Finally, after a generation had passed, they crossed the Jordan river and were standing on the other side (think successful transition, phase 1). Suddenly the flow of manna stopped and seamlessly a new source of provision came through. Did I say seamlessly? Yes, God’s provision can be seamless in transition seasons when we understand the depth and breadth of his care.

 Here’s 3 things to know when it comes to experiencing seamless provision in times of transition…

• Seamless provision is not measured merely in monitary terms. As I look back on those in-between seasons of my life when money was scarce, I can truly thank God for the many other ways he seamlessly provided. He blessed my family with good health during times when a large dentist or medical bill would have been devastating. Unexpected gifts came from unexpected sources, causing me to thank God not only for the provision itself, but for the people through whom it came. He’s given me peace and courage to press on when I’ve been tempted to take the easy way out instead of staying on a more rewarding, albeit a more difficult path.

• Seamless provision doesn’t mean the absence of scarcity. Resources can become scarce when things are shifting. Previous wells dry up, requiring us to dig new ones. While traversing the desert, the Israelites did not feast on pots of meat every day like they did in Egypt. It was a lean and prolonged season. Lean because of the environment; prolonged, at least in part, due to their disobedience. Nonetheless, God met their needs through hostile places and uncertain times. He can do the same for us.

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. - Isaiah 42:16

• Seamless provision is actualized one step at a time. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan and ate their first meal from the produce of the promised land, they had no idea that the manna would not be waiting for them to gather outside their tents the next morning. It was a sudden shift in provision following a long journey, made possible by a step of faith in harmony with God’s mysterious and perfect plan. It was seamless as long as they kept moving forward, in step with God’s plan. They would soon face the next step of faith as they approached the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6).

 Transition is less about big leaps and more about a sequence of steps. It’s less about being a one-time event and more about process. - Tim Austin

 What do you need today to embrace and engage this transition season you’re in? What shift in perspective do you need in order to move through a transition of seamless provision?

 How can I help? Book a discovery call with me HERE.

 P.S.  Provision is waiting on the other side. Clarity is just around the corner.

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*Photo by Gabriela Palai from Pexels

Expressions of Faith

In the world of life coaching, action steps are expressions of commitment to our goals. No coaching session should end without some kind of intentional action toward a stated goal. Coaching clients who do their homework and follow through reach higher levels of growth and success.

Our faith works the same way. It becomes useless and lifeless without expression.

Faith expressing itself in love, the apostle Paul says, is a clear sign that we are allowing God to rule our hearts. When I was younger, these expressions of faith were more life-altering because they were big decisions that would forever change the course of my life: going to college, choosing my life partner, landing on a career choice, moving my family overseas...

As I age and mature, however, I'm learning that the smaller, seemingly less significant choices have just as great, if not greater impact over time. And guess what? It takes more faith to live in obscurity, doing the right thing even when nobody around us notices. Smaller yet more consistent splashes maintain the ripple effect more than a big splash every once in a while.

Think about it. What do you want to accomplish? How can you reach your goal(s) through consistent and intentional choices? What kind of expression can you give to your faith today? 

 …the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love.

-Galatians 5:6

Soul-Care from the Cave

Read: I Samuel 22:1-2; Psalm 142 What does it look like to care for our own souls when hope feels like a distant memory? When what was promised is not delivered? David, forced to flee from a raging king, had made his temporary home in an abandoned cave. Bad news was imminent. Saul and his army were in hot pursuit, ready to take his life.

David was no stranger to caves. But this cave was more than a place of shelter for a tired shepherd boy. It was a place where he would learn resilience- how to relate to God in times of deep loss and confusion. How to steady his feet on God's promises and forge ahead with hope. Here are some ways we can learn, like David, to practice soul-care in the cave:

• Talk to God about your trouble. We can be brutally honest here. God is wise and sensitive, NOT fragile. He can handle our lists of complaints. I recently became extremely frustrated with a situation I was having to deal with. I was angry at others and God for not having solved my problems. In my frustration I said, "Leave me alone God!  Lay off!" Those words surprised me as they came out of my mouth.  I realized, however, that God was not shocked; he did not retreat. Those weren't the only words I said as I poured out my heart to Him. He heard every raw, gut-level complaint, and he loves me just the same. David said, "I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him" (Psalm 142:2). We can tell God anything. He can't break and he won't run away.
• Know He Knows. We can be assured that God knows the exact place we're in and the trajectory we're on. He knows. From inside the cave, there is a lot we can't see, much we don't know. Our vision and perspective may be limited by things outside of our control. But rather than feeling forced into a corner by our limited understanding, we can choose to take advantage of the opportunities the cave gives to relate, reflect and regroup. There is a knowing which comes from this. We begin to say with David, "When my spirit faints within me, you know my way (Psalm 142:3). Yes, He certainly does.
• Give people the benefit of the doubt. People aren't always going to be in a position to help us. We come to seasons in life when nobody seems to understand or care. Those who try to help may give simple answers to complex questions. They just don't understand. This season in the cave is between us and God. That should release us from placing the burden of making it better on anyone else, and to accept them for who they are, not what they can or cannot do about our situation. David despaired, "there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul." (Psalm 142:4) Fortunately that's not true all of the time. Just sometimes, and often in the cave.

I love how David ends his psalm in hope:

Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. - Psalm 142:7

I'm still learning the value of the cave, the treasures which God reserves for me when I'm willing to sit in the dark with Him for a season. How do you find ways to care for your soul in life's darker seasons? I'd love to add a few more strategies to my list.

Prayer: Jesus was sent into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1). David was forced into a cave. Whether I'm being sent to the hard places or feel forced into them by circumstances beyond my control, help me to know that You know my way. May I learn life-transforming lessons while walking with You in difficult times.

Image Source: http://all-free-download.com/free-photos/download/joseph_wright_art_artistic_218722.html

Silence and the Coaching Session

As an introvert, I tend to welcome (and need) a good degree of silence.  I can sit comfortably for long periods, embracing silence as a close friend. I gain renewed energy and focus when I take time to soak in a quiet place. During times of silence, even a brief pause, I'm much more inclined to speak out of a greater sense of clarity. Outside of the coaching conversation, I have no problem with silence. But when silence overtakes a coaching session, I can start to feel uncomfortable. Too much "dead space" becomes unbearable, and I search for a way to end it. I recently invited a client to share his thoughts with me on our coaching experience. He proceeded to tell me that coaching, from his perspective, is geared toward rewarding the type-A verbal processors who are quick to speak.  I learned that this particular individual did not feel heard at times. He felt like he needed permission to wait and process in silence. Had I too often short-circuited the discovery process by interrupting silence with a question?

I didn't agree with my client's conclusion that coaching favors verbal processors, but I knew he was on to something which could help me grow as a coach. So I probed a bit further. It really came down to one question for me when working with non-verbal processors and/or clients who need space and time to think through an issue before a response: How comfortable am I with silence?

Father God invites us into the quiet place. Jesus often withdrew to lonely, quiet places (Luke 5:16). He realized the need for solitude and quiet. He was comfortable in the silence. And he served powerfully out of those retreats.

Tools to Transform the Conversation: Befriending Silence in the Coaching Session

• Practice solitude. We are more likely to encourage silence with our clients when we as coaches are comfortable with it. Thirty seconds of silence in the coaching session may feel like an eternity to us, but it could be really appreciated by our non-verbal, thoughtful client who needs space to process something. When we allow for this, one of the benefits is that we are more likely to get to heart level issues. We can start getting re-acquainted with silence by taking 5 minutes two or three times per day to hit the pause button. Find a peaceful place. Read a Psalm, say a prayer, or simply sit with God in silence. Silence will gradually become your friend again, and most likely you will crave more.

• Affirm the non verbal processor for their often well thought out responses even when it takes some time to get there. Affirm what they value and how they are wired. Phrases like these may be helpful: Take your time. It's alright to pause here for a moment. I appreciate the way you value time to think through and process decisions.

• Give your client an opportunity to prepare for the next session ahead of time. Give them a bit of homework which requires them to think through an issue before meeting with you. They will most likely come to the session feeling better prepared and more confident. That's a win for both of you! In my second to last session with the above mentioned client, I asked them to come to our final session with some feedback for me. I never dreamed they would take this so seriously! They went to work that week writing down their well thought-out reply, which proved to be very insightful and helpful.

In the natural world, the quietest places are often the deepest places...the deep sea, deep into the woods, a deep cavern. These can be frightening places to explore, involving a fair amount of risk and uncertainty. In the same way, navigating silence in the coaching conversation may feel risky and uncertain. However, as coach and client embrace silence, we allow God to take us deeper into those places of discovery.

Image Source: http://www.silencesounds.ca/

The Payoff of Persistence

Scripture Focus: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

Slugs and Snails are abundant here in Istanbul.  Until recently, I thought they were confined to the lower realms. Those tenacious little creatures have proven me wrong. One day last week my daughter and I marveled at a little snail which had managed to make its way up to our 2nd story kitchen window. Who says snails don't long for a higher realm, a place to catch a glimpse of something other than dirt and weeds? A bit of fresh air?

A few days later as I crawled out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, I almost stepped on a big slug meandering across the parquet floor. I was bewildered as to how a slug made it up to the third floor of my home AND managed to creep its way indoors!  I must give credit to Istanbul slugs and snails for their persistence.

A little more persistence could be just what we need to make steady progress toward our goals and dreams. Often, the assumption is that doing more and going faster are the answers. Persistence with payoff, however, must be grounded in the substance of rest, reflection, and a good dose of play from time to time. This is one important aspect of self-care, giving us the staying power we need to make it to the finish line.

The slug, as it moves along, secretes a layer of mucus that it travels on, which helps prevent damage to the foot tissues (Yes, slugs do have feet!). Similarly, intentional time-outs for rest and reflection protect our souls from burnout. Like the snail confined to the ground, sometimes we lose heart, hope and strength because we fail to see the forest through the trees. Could it be time to step back, find a place of rest, and see from a new vantage point? What might God be waiting to show us? To give us?

Thought for the Day: Persistence which God rewards is grounded in rest.

Prayer: Jesus, as You invite me to come, You offer the enticement of rest. I accept Your invitation to enter into Your rest today. Help me to draw from your strength and grace in order to accomplish the work you've given me to do.

Image Source from the story Slugs and Snails by Jenny Blackford

Delusional Pigeons

I used to raise pigeons as a teenager, so I have a fairly good understanding of their behavior. But today I was given a reminder. As the bus I was riding on came to a standstill in traffic, I spotted out my window a group of pigeons. One little fellow in particular caught my eye. He was strutting around the others (I assume they were females) showing his manly pigeon figure and colorful array of feathers. The other pigeons seemed to be ignoring him as they picked and scratched at the ground for whatever it was they were eating. His efforts to draw attention to himself seemed in vain. Was he delusional or just very hopeful?

While I pondered the pigeons, the verse came to me, "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:3)

I wonder, how many times have I tried to draw attention to myself while the world around me goes about its business? Have I fallen into moments of "delusion", trying to conjure up some false image of myself to impress others?  It's so easy to get caught up in appearances and lose sight of who we are in Christ. It's time to let His image in us be that which grounds us emotionally and speaks to others spiritually. Our opinion and beliefs about ourselves must represent what God says; anything less is delusional, a break from reality.

Prayer: Dear Lord, my efforts to be noticed may or may not show on the outside, but you know my heart.  I receive the grace you have already given to me, in order that I might have a realistic opinion of myself and an unwavering trust in you.

Transition

Read: Jeremiah 23:23-24

Scripture Focus: Genesis 28:15-16

Big life change can often bring about a sense of confusion or feeling lost. When the familiar things in life are replaced by the unfamiliar, God can seem distant and unconcerned. That was certainly how I was feeling two years ago after moving to the bustling metropolis of Istanbul, a city of over 15 million people.

Me, my wife and our two children had moved into a small apartment in a bustling part of the city. It was at the crossroads of two busy streets. The traffic noise was like nothing I had ever experienced, and it seemed to be constant throughout the day and night.

The call to prayer rang out from several different mosques in our neighborhood. I was feeling a bit lost and distant from God. I was thousands of miles away from the spacious house I had been living in for the past seven years, complete with a large garden and fruit trees. Unfamiliar surroundings. New sights and sounds. I was beginning to wonder, “Lord did I hear you right? Are you really in this move?”

Just then I heard God’s whisper through the scriptures, “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” (Jer. 23:23). I realized that He was encouraging me to trust Him with the change and uncertainty I was feeling. I could never escape his sight and his presence, even in this faraway and unfamiliar place. In fact, during the days and months that followed, His nearness became more real to me than it ever would have been if I had chosen to stay in my comfortable surroundings.

Thought for the Day: God is nearby in faraway places.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust you with the uncertainties of transition. In lonely and uncomfortable surroundings, may you be our constant companion and ever present help.

Now Give Me This Mountain!

"Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said" (Joshua 14:12).

Forty-five years after laying eyes on his inheritance, Caleb confidently comes to Joshua with a request to make good on God's promise. God had promised something humanly impossible for Caleb and his descendants. Was Joshua secretly hoping that in his old age Caleb would have forgotten?  Not Caleb.  At 85 years of age, he was ready to lay hold of his promise.

What was happening during those 45 years in between? I imagine Caleb helping his brothers take possession of their inheritances, raising a family, and working the land.  As they wandered in the desert, He watched the original band of spies slowly die in their unbelief. Only he and Joshua were left.  I imagine Caleb with a habit of speaking to the mountain on a daily basis, a mountain he would some day claim as his own.  So, approaching Joshua with this request was simply a formality.  It was, in fact, already his.

Once Caleb got the go-ahead from Joshua, he still had the difficult task of driving out the inhabitants of the land.  There was a progression: Caleb spoke to the mountain and he trusted God.  And behind the scenes, God was lining things up until the day Caleb would go in and conquer.

I'm learning the trust God more these days. One of my  "mountains" has been establishing effective financial partnerships for our overseas work.  I've been speaking to this challenge in prayer frequently.  I need to pray and trust more.  I have 45 years of total life experience under my belt; Caleb had 40, then he waited 45 more years until he was 85. Then the real work began. Should I be encouraged?

Prayer: Lord, you know my heart.  You know how difficult it is for me to wait and to maintain perspective.  Remind me that every mountain I face is an opportunity to grow in trust and patience, and to sharpen my skills along the way.

Contagious Faith

There's something about faith when lived out with tenacity, boldness and sincerity.  It takes on a life of its own, influencing others in its wake.  That's how a legacy of faith gets passed down through the generations. Of Caleb, we're told that "he followed the Lord wholeheartedly." (Joshua 14:14).  That's impressive, especially when we understand the longevity of his wholehearted devotion. I love to imagine the impact this must have had on those around him. At one point, Caleb's own daughter approached him boldly with a request, "...Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs. (Joshua 15:19). She wasn't afraid, even in a man's world, to ask and believe for big things.  Could it be that she learned from watching her father all those years that God is hilariously generous - if only we will ask?

Caleb's nephew, Othniel, became the first judge of Israel. And he was himself a valiant warrior (see Judges 3:9).  I wonder if he too had been inspired by observing the faith of his uncle....

Prayer: Lord, shape in me a spirit like Caleb's, that I might wholeheartedly pursue You and the gifts You have for me.  And help me to pass down a heritage of bold and tenacious faith to those within my sphere of influence.

*From reflections in Joshua, chapters 14-15.

Baskets, Ropes and Strong Hands

We normally perceive the Apostle Paul as bold, courageous and somewhat independent. He was not one to let anything stand in his way, let alone some fellow Jews and an earthly king who were trying to take his life. I've often wondered about the placement and point of 2 Corinthians 11:33 which states, "In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands."  What's the significance, particularly in relationship to the rest of the chapter? At first glance this doesn't seem to match up with Paul's boast of weakness.  But let's have another look.

The truth is that Paul understood and acknowledged his weaknesses.  In fact, this is a striking picture of a man who had come to the end of his rope and needed a new one, a rope with a basket on one end and strong hands on the other.  He was "let down through a window in a basket."!

A basket, a rope and someone else's hands to grasp and lower Paul down to safety.  I imagine Paul curled up in a fetal position inside this basket.  By no means is this a visual picture of strength and courage! Visualize this man of faith in a basket and you begin to understand the interplay between courageous faith and times of weakness.  One could say that living out of a sense of weakness takes more courage compared to living out of a feelings of strength.

Prayer: Lord, today I feel weak and vulnerable.  I need a basket, a rope and some strong hands to carry me through my trial. Thanks for helping me and bringing me safely to the other side.