John and Kathy Deisher

One Call, One Harvest, 50 Teams

God

Silences

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[Spiritual direction} listens to the Silences between the spoken Sounds.”

— Eugene Peterson
“[Spiritual direction} listens to the Silences between the spoken Sounds.” — Eugene Peterson

Photo by Hannah Donze on Unsplash

It isn’t hard to find places of silence.

What is hard is finding the desire to be in those places.

We fill our lives with the sounds of man…noise that follows us all day. News, social media, music, chats. Sounds that speak to us of our own importance. Sounds that we hope provide answers. Sounds that mask our true fear.

We are fearful of the silences.

In the silences, doubts can now be heard. Words that were used to harm us, shame us, repeat themselves over and over in the silences. In the silences we play over and over again the failures of our lives. We despair.

So we drown our fears in sound.

But, it is in the silences that we also find God. He waits there because he is the answer to those doubts. He is the answer to those fears. He is the one who turns death into resurrected life.

He answers not with words, but with his presence—his presence in the silence with love, acceptance, approval, direction, comfort, patience.

We have to desire to be in the silences and listen. There we will find God.

Craftsmanship

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The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

― Martin Luther
“The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”
Photo by Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash

I don’t remember what the project was that I was working on, but I remember my wife’s response when she came to look at it after I said I was finished.

She said, “I think you can do better.”

Better? It worked. Wasn’t that enough?

I was a little angry, a little hurt. I had expected praise because I had finished it.

What I got was, “I think you can do better.”

And she was right.

It was good enough. It worked.

But it was not my best. It was not a display of my craftsmanship. So I started over. I gave it my best.

If you are called by Christ to do what you do, then be God’s craftsman today. 

Make good stuff. Make God stuff.

Think Deeply

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Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do, to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self, with full attention given to nothing.” 

— Walter Brueggemann (Sabbath as Resistance)
"Multitasking is the drive to be more than we are, to control more than we do, to extend our power and our effectiveness. Such practice yields a divided self, with full attention given to nothing."

Photo by @plqml | @feliperizo.co on Unsplash

Think deeply.

I can’t remember who said that to me as a student, but it has stuck with me. I have found I need time and quiet to do that, so I get up early to read, to think.

Think deeply.

If I am reading my Bible, I read my Bible. If I am listening to a podcast, I listen to the podcast. If I am reading, I read. If I am thinking, I think.

But mostly, I listen. I listen for the voice of God.

And I think deeply.

In his book Deep Work”, author Cal Newport wrote, “The key to developing a deep work habit is to move beyond good intentions and add routines and rituals to your working life designed to minimize the amount of your limited willpower necessary to transition into and maintain a state of unbroken concentration.”

Slow down. Be present. Put down the phone. Take off the headphones. Pause and focus.

Listen to God.

Think deeply.

The Best

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We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

— C.S. Lewis
"We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."

I worked in sales at one point in my life. It was in the earlier days of home computers, and people were beginning to want a computer for themselves or their family. These computers were very expensive.

So, they would come to our store. They would ask questions. They would play with the computer and run the software and connect online to AOL or Prodigy. They wanted the best.

At some point, they would ask the question, “What is this going to cost me?”.

They knew they wanted the computer. They knew how helpful it would be — keeping up with their finances, playing games, connecting to the world. They knew that to prepare for the future their children needed access to a computer at home. They knew it was for the best.

We called the question “the pain point”. Was the the pain of paying that much money worth the benefit of owning the computer? Was it worth it to have the best?

Our job as salesmen was to help them see that it was.

But all we could do was wait for them to make a decision — yes or no.

We want God’s best. But, there is a price, a “pain point”.  The Holy Spirit helps us see that paying the price is worth it.

But we have to make the decision — yes or no.

Choose “yes”. God’s best is worth the pain. It is worth the price.

Companions

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It is easier to find guides, someone to tell you what to do, than someone to be with you in a discerning, prayerful companionship as you work it out yourself. This is what spiritual direction is.”

— Eugene Peterson
Photo by Andrea Tummons on Unsplash

I have said it. So have you.

“I wish someone would just tell me what to do!”

What should I study in college? Should I marry this person? Do I take this job or that job? How do I handle this situation?

Just tell me what to do!

So we look for a book, a speaker, a conference, someone, anyone who can give us an answer.

A guide who knows all, sees all, tells all.

But we should be looking for a friend, a companion. One who will walk with us, listen to us, pray for us. They will ask the hard questions that help us discover that God speaks to us and we can find answers through him.

Life is more frustrating if you keep looking for a guide.

Life is more fulfilling if you find a companion.

Go!

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The child, in Jesus’ mind, was not an annoying distraction. The child was a last-ditch effort by God to help the disciples pay attention to the odd nature of God’s kingdom. Few acts of Jesus are more radical, countercultural, than his blessing of children.”

– Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, “Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony

Some co-workers of mine have a year and a half old son. I had a chance to spend some time with him this past Sunday night. He has a new word he likes.

The word is “Go”.

And he does.

I try to get him to come sit. But he grabs my hand and says “Go”.

He always seems to be ready to go. He is always moving. He is full of energy. He is full of life.

I am more comfortable with “Stay.”

But he tugs on my arm, looks at me, and says “Go.”

The Kingdom of God is “Go”. It is movement. It is energy. It is life.

And when I am comfortable with “Stay” the Holy Spirit tugs on my arm and say, “Go”.

No wonder Jesus blessed the children.

In His Image

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Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.”

—A.W. Tozer, “The Pursuit of God” 
"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.”

I shared with our interns the other day a different way of looking at the Bible.

Instead of reading the Bible and asking, “What are you saying to me, God?”, we should read the Bible and say, “What are you revealing about yourself, God?”.

It seems simple when you think about it. We were made in his image. So, that means as we learn more about God, his nature and attributes, we learn more about ourselves.

We make adjustments to our lives.

What is God revealing about himself to you, so that you can live in his image?

God’s “Best”

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“The secret to following God’s will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God’s  best.” 

― K.P. Yohannan, “Revolution in World Missions”
“The secret to following God's will, I discovered, usually is wrapped up in rejecting the good for God's best.”

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

I have heard it said that “Good is the enemy of Best”. 

And I suppose that is true. 

There are times that “Good” is good enough. It gets the job done well enough to bring a sense of self-satisfaction. We can put that task behind us and move on.

But most times, “Good” doesn’t leave everyone else satisfied. There is a feeling that little effort was extended…that there was no thought for others.

And the question comes, “Is that your best?”.

Accepting “good enough” for a Christian means we feel satisfied with our lives. We have done the “Christian” thing and can now move on with what we want to do.

But it doesn’t leave God satisfied. Because he knows that there is a “best”.

When we follow him, he has a plan for us. And following that plan means that we make the hard choices to find his best so we can be our best.

“Good” is easy. “Good” is effortless. “Good” is convenient.

“Best” is hard. “Best” takes work. “Best” is inconvenient.

To find God’s best and follow him costs us everything.

But, it is the best.