A neat experience from last night to share....

Last night I had a friend crash at my place, and after our talking together for a while she began to drift off to sleep, so she prayed that she would dream of Jesus, and I added my prayer to hers that Jesus would speak to her and sing over her in her sleep.

She fell asleep and I remained awake, and though she was asleep, a couple of hours later I heard her say these words:

"What's going on - why are we here?"
"Jesus, why are we back here? Did we miss something?"
(and my personal favourite....)
"Ha-ha - we are hilarious tonight!"

She was obviously having a great conversation with Jesus in her sleep, and it sounds to me like it's not an uncommon occurrence.

Praise the Lord that He answers prayer and that He is a God that never sleeps.

Couple of GREAT worship thoughts from Jeremiah to share today. (It looks like a long blog, but it's mostly scripture - dig in!)


Jeremiah 7:4 says this: "Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.' I find that fascinating that there is that repetition there - it even sounds empty as it's being read.

And here's why - the people were not offering to God the worship that He Himself desired. Check it out: "For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbour, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. (Jeremiah 7:5-7)"

Sounds to me like the reason that God is bringing this up is just because these thing are not happening the way He wants them to. And if you read the rest of the book (or even the chapters leading up to this point), that is exactly the message - that the people were worshipping God on their own terms, and not the way He both deserved and required. (It's extremely reminiscent of Isaiah 58, too....)

Check the last part of this section out: "Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, 'We are delivered!'--that you may do all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it," declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 7:5-11)

I love the fact that God calls His people on the fact that they are saying "We are delivered" and "Peace, peace!" (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11) when in fact they are absolutely NOT delivered, NOR is there any peace upon their nation. They are utterly deceiving themselves and ignoring God's commands and His pleasure.

I like, too, the distinction that God makes just a little later in the chapter where He says, "For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.' (Jeremiah 7:22-23)" God wasn't looking for ceremony, He was looking for obedience. The "day that He brought them out of the land of Egypt" was the same time that He actually did give Moses the 10 Commandments and all the rest of The Law for the Israelites, but here God makes it clear that He wasn't looking for just the sacrifices and the rituals to make Him happy, but rather the relationship and the obedience. I love that He so plainly says that here in Jeremiah.

So am I just revelling in Old Testament theology and wording? It sometimes happens, but in this case, nope. Can you see the parallel for us in our times today? Do we ever enter the temple saying, "Hey, we're in church, we must be good people"? Or, "Hey, we did the singing thing and handed out sandwiches tonight, we must be good people and OK with God"? Have we ever said, "We are delivered" simply because we used the words "Forgive me" without really repenting, and in fact just ended up heading back out to do the same things again and again? We deceive ourselves with this fake confession, and we need to realize that we are not forgiven when this is what we do.

God is looking for more depth, more truth, and hearts more passionate about finding out what pleases Him and then doing it.

Let's be Biblically solid in our worship and find out what pleases HIM, and not just us.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8-10)

Let's be truthful in our confession, and rigourously examine our lives to ensure that we are not deceiving ourselves with unrepentant sin.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

God is pleased with worshippers who worship in spirit and in truth - not just ceremony, not just outward appearance, not with deceptive and empty words. They are worshippers who speak truth, act in obedience, and preserve God's justice - worshippers who truly pursue HIS pleasure.

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24)

Not sure if you've all noticed, but a week or two ago I changed the top of my blog page from Romans 12:1-2 to this quote from Richard Foster:

I've decided that one of my most feared phrases from the lips of my friends lately is, "That's bloggable!" Generally speaking, it is said after a particularly embarassing revelation or action. (One of the last times I heard the phrase was after blowing bubbles out of my nose in a restaurant. I can't believe I got away with it not being blogged on Tara's blog, and now I really can't believe I just mentioned it here!)

Regardless of bubbles, the phrase itself makes me think about how our lives should be lived in such a way as to be able to have every ounce of it blogged by others and still be a shining example of Christ's light in our world. Is that going to happen? Our being a perfect, shining, holy example every day and in every situation? Not likely, not on this side of heaven.

But does that mean we give up? If you're like me, once in a while the temptation is to do just that. Or worse yet - we try to live our "public" lives as an example, but our thoughts and chats with friends leave much to be desired in the Shining Light department. That tendency is not as secret as those using it would hope to believe, and is one huge reason that many would-be believers are turning their back on what they see as a hypocritical church.

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:13-16)

One thing I regularly say to people is that I "respond better to authenticity." I like authentic people. I don't mind people who are hurting or in process with God and the witness that is their lives. I don't care for it when people pretend to have it all together, because, really, don't we all see through that? Isn't it obvious to everyone - including those who are examining us to see if God is real - that we are faking it?

I said at the beginning of this blog that "That's bloggable" is one of my most feared phrases. I guess that's true, but not because I'm afraid of people knowing the real Karyn Baker. It is more because I am afraid that what would be blogged about my life would be a sharp reminder that I am not living up to even my own standards of holiness, let alone God's standards. We are called to be holy, because our God is holy. He will assist us. He will also fill us with a confidence in our identity in Christ so that people knowing that we occassionally blow bubbles through our noses will not be a fear.

Don't give up. God loves those who worship in spirit and in truth. May our lives be lived out in worship. May our worship be based in and on truth.

So, I thought it was about time that you all bought Phil's new CD - "All I Held Onto." I'd like to tell you that it's all I have been listening to lately. It was, but after playing it for a friend, she loved it and wanted to borrow it until getting her own copy. I haven't seen it for a couple of weeks.....


I guess that's a pretty good plug, too.

You can get your copy at CD Baby, which is a verified secure site. (When I ordered a couple of CD's a couple of days ago, I then got an e-mail titled, "CD Baby loves Karyn!" Fun!) Seriously, though, it's well worth the buy, especially if you love hearing CRAZY good piano playing and heart-felt worship lyrics from a humble and beautiful guy. Check out his blog, too, at www.phillaeger.com.

OK, enough shameless promotion? I like listening to worship music from people who really are good at the music, but really all about the worship. It's a good CD. Knowing a little of the heart of the guy behind the music makes it an even easier sell. Check it out.

So, I tried drinking coffee yesterday afternoon. Goodness knows why - I have never liked coffee and never been a coffee drinker. Although that in itself confuses me a little - I adore Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream, and like mocha flavoured chocolates, candies, etc. But the actual drink itself I've never liked.

However, yesterday I brewed a pot of coffee (I finally learned how to do that without asking for directions from my dinner guests), filled a mug, put some sugar and cream into it, and tried a gulp or two. I almost got as far as sitting down on the couch with it and nursing it along, but before that I realized that no, I don't like coffee, not even with a MASSIVE amount of sugar in it and a generous dollop of cream.

So why do I periodically attempt to drink it? It's perfectly acceptable that I don't drink coffee. Perhaps I figure if I drink coffee then I'm a "real grown up." Come on! Who are we kidding? It will take a lot more than coffee to pull that off!

It reminds me of how I often will forget the lessons that I've learned from God so far in my life. I'll forget that I need to slow down before I speak and think about what I'm going to (or hopefully NOT going to) say. I'll forget that I must book one or possibly even two days for myself in the space of a month. I'll forget that without rest, worship, time in the Word, prayer, and listening to the voice of my Beloved, I'll get tired, weak and drained, rather like a withered and dehydrated orange peel (that's a nice parallel, eh?). Sometimes I even forget that I've read a certain scripture, and I might revert back to the understanding that I had through my culture before I learned that truth of God.

Worse than forgetting specific lessons, that need I seem to have to periodically question what I think I know and to try drinking coffee reminds me that every so often what I have learned to put my faith in (i.e. that I DON'T LIKE COFFEE) gets tested and questioned.

The remedy? I have been saying this so much lately to pretty much everyone I know - time in the Word. The Christian handbook. The place with all the answers, the faith-boosters, the assurances, and the truth.

Time.

I'm sure it's the same for all of us - one of our most precious commodities. Is it worth it? Getting up earlier to spend time reading the Bible? Staying up later just to talk to God? Giving up on other enjoyable activities to make time for the greatest Lover that ever lived? Oh yes, make no mistake - time with Jesus is always well worth it. It may start as a discipline, but will end up being a passionate joy. It is completely satisfying - more so than anything else.

But I have to say, a not-so-distant second was pouring the rest of that pot of coffee down the sink.

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise His name with dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.
Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
To bind their kings with chains
And their nobles with fetters of iron,
To execute on them the judgment written;
This is an honour for all His godly ones.
Praise the Lord!
(Psalm 149)


If I could do anything in the world today that had the power of God behind it, it would be to call us, the Lord's people, to truly worship Him.

In abandon.
In exultation and joy.
In truth.
Even in brokenness.

For His beauty.
For His faithfulness.
For His name's glory.
For nothing that we will receive.
For the pleasure that He will receive.

Leaving behind our selfishness and self-focus.
Leaving behind our agendas and wrong motives.

Longing only to see the great King of the universe - our souls' passionate Lover - brought fame, glory, pleasure and true love.

That's what I would long to see in the world today. God is perfectly faithful - He will take care of our needs, our wounds, and our worries. Let us take care of glorifying Him to the fullest extent that He is worthy.

It will take a lifetime to do.
We had better start today.

At the Sunday evening service I regularly attend, we have been studying Revelation. We've jumped around a bit, and tonight we hit the church at Thyatira - Revelation 2:18-29. Here's the part that struck me the most:

'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20)

The speaker tonight did a good job of talking about our own personal responsibility to recognize when leaders are leading us astray, and to know the Word enough to see the false teachings. But I think there's even more to be seen in Jesus' rebuke for this church, and more responsibility that we have.

I completely agree that we absolutely must know the Word so as not to be led astray. But I also am struck by the word "tolerate" in verse 20 - the church tolerated Jezebel (or a Jezebel-like person, or the spirit of Jezebel) in their midst. It seems to me possible that not all of the church was led astray by Jezebel (Jesus says she led "My bond-servants," but He doesn't say "she led you" - I could be wrong, of course). And if so, then He seems to be rebuking the church for knowing that she was there and her influence was causing people to sin, and yet they did not expell her and her influence. They tolerated this evil influence amongst them and allowed it to corrupt their brothers and sisters around them.

Have you ever seen what seems to be a purely unclean influence in your local congregation? Do they seem powerful, manipulative, frightening to confront? Welcome to Jezebel. But ignoring her presence does not make her go away, nor does it avoid some kind of huge scene within the church. Instead, ignoring this spirit/attitude simpy allows it to continue in its work, influences others to sin through its apparent 'leadership' within the body of Christ.

I have met a couple of people through my life who embody the spirit of Jezebel (I'm not saying they are possessed, I am saying that they have the characteristics of this Old Testament woman) - they are most often in leadership in the church, and any other leaders who see that person's destructive influence often feel completely powerless to fight against it, for fear of it 'taking out' the entire local church as that person is cast out. In other words, that person, through manipulation of all kinds, has the potential power to destroy the church.

My question as a church leader is this: should we then allow it, to save the pain and devestation that this woman could bring?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

It is a question with more than one possible answer. Jezebel was leading beloved children of the Lord into sin. Jezebel does lead beloved children of the Lord into sin. Sin separates us from being in good relationship with God. Sin leads to death.

What we must do is PROTECT THE BODY.

Is there a Jezebel amongst your body? There might not be. Praise the Lord, and may He continue to protect you. If there is, do not tolerate her (or him - I use "her" for simplicity and to represent Jezebel herself, or the spirit of Jezebel). Seek the Lord for wisdom to deal with her, and pray for Him to take her out from your midst. In Revelation she did not want to repent. She only wanted to wreak havok. Get rid of her.

God, grant us great wisdom and favour, and protect your body from the infusion of the spirit of Jezebel into our leadership. Where she exists, open our eyes and reveal to us Your great wisdom and discernment; show us where people may be redeemed, and where we must expell the evil from among us. Purify us, protect us, keep us from sin.

Let Your kingdom come.



"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' (Revelation 2:18-29)

Here's something I'm not sure I have ever really pondered before, until reading John 6 the other day. (Actually, it IS entirely possible that I've pondered it before, and just completely forgotten about it until I read this again....)

Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" Now He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. (John 6:70-71)

Jesus actually chose Judas. I guess that makes sense, since Jesus already knew the plan of the cross, and what would have to take place to have that plan executed. But it still struck me all the same - that total devotion to the will of God in His life, even unto rejection by friends, betrayal and death.

May it be so even in our own lives, Lord.

The banner - the flying flag at the front of an army that told everyone under whose command that regiment was fighting. Our banner is to be LOVE. We are to fight under the colours of the banner of Love - to be defined by that banner, to be identified as belonging to that banner.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)

Love like Jesus. OK, at the very most, now I think I'm at the BACK of the army, trailing miserably along, wondering if I am only here because I have a rich father or something who bought my commission.

Wait a minute - I am only here because I have a rich Father who bought my commission - a Father slow to anger and rich in love (and a commission bought with blood). There it is again - LOVE. Why is it that when we think of how we're supposed to love (like God), we often walk away feeling guilty or at the very least sub-par? Because we aren't loving like Jesus loved?

Of course we don't love the way that Jesus loves. God is literally defined as love. I don't see anywhere on my business cards, "Karyn Baker, Youth and Worship Pastor and Love." And I see that the only way I'm going to even come close to becoming that lover of people that both I and my Father want me to be is to ask God to do it in me. It scares me a little, because big prayers like that often come with process to get you there. But honestly, if I'm not loving, I am only making a noisy racket with my life anyway.

Teach me to really love, Lord.


If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. (Psalm 145:8-9)