Why On Earth Am I Blogging?
I used to think blogging was for nerds or people that have too much to say and like the sound of their own keyboard! – Ha, what did I know? And what’s wrong with being a nerd anyway?! lol. I decided to start a blog because well, I’m benefitting alot from other peoples’ blogs, and the more I’m reading from others, I’m realising I’ve got some things to say too that might benefit someone else. I guess its a bit like Larry Norman‘s old song, “When you know a wonderful story, you tell it to your friends…”.
I’ve kept journals periodically over my life, mostly for recording significant lessons, insights or revelations in relation to my journey with the Lord Jesus, a type of witness to my life if you like. I didn’t always refer to Him as the Lord Jesus though, mainly just as God, who He is of-course.
In about 2010, I was in bed one night and my husband was sitting up in the lounge room, desperately surfing the web, for anyone out there who shared the desire we had to meet with other believers in a more organic fashion than the traditional church ways we had always known. After a little while I heard him weeping.
The next morning he told me how he had stumbled across a podcast called Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. My husband had found his first love again. And this did something to me. It made me realise that I’d actually never really known Jesus, certainly not like my husband did. Even nearly 40 years as a christian at that stage, actively following God and serving Him, meeting with a prayer partner weekly, being a so-called worship leader in the past, a preacher and involved in leadership in various ways within church/christian outfits. So I began to pray and ask God to reveal the Son to me, because it became more evident to me that this intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ was missing in my life.
Only a few months later, my husband and I were praying together at the kitchen bench over breakfast. The Lord gave me a vision. It was only short, but it has changed my life. I saw white fluffy clouds in a bright blue sky, and as they slowly separated, there was Jesus dressed in a purple robe, with His hands out at His side. That was it. But what was more amazing than what I could see, was the revelation that exploded in my heart – EVERYTHING IS ABOUT JESUS!!! – I yelled it out! I even remember saying the strangest thing, “…even tithing is about Jesus!”. I hadn’t tithed for years and wasn’t particularly bothered by it, so it seemed strange to me that this should jump into my heart!
I even went to my friends’ house that very same day, friends who we were attempting home fellowship with, and asked “Did you guys know, it’s all about Jesus?? It’s all about Him! Everything is about Him! The Holy Spirit is about Jesus, the Father is about Jesus! The whole of everything is about Him!”. They laughed kindly at my child-likeness I think, rejoicing with me in my new found revelation!
So a real journey into knowing the Lord Jesus began for me and it continues today and since the riches of Christ are unsearchable, it will never end. What I will share in my blogs, will be what I believe the Lord gives me – personal insights, revelations, lessons learned, and struggles struggled with as I continue getting to know this most glorious Jesus Christ. I humbly pray that everyone who reads any of these blogs, will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a deeper way than ever before 🙂
How is it that you can even just start to read read a blog and you just know, “Ahh! I like them! Them is kindred spirits! How’s that happen:
Your longing for organic fellowship centered around Jesus in the midst. Your blerting out, “It’s all about Jesus.”
…and you quoted Larry Norman! 😉 And you mentioned Frank Vioia… So have you met Milt Rodreques?? He did a organic early church plant down your way.
I too long for more of Jesus. More of Him being expressed/manifested in our gatherings as beleivers. My wife Pam and I are part of a small group, some of which long for more likewise, but most are caught, I’m afraid, somewhere between the institutional norms they have been used to and the organic possiblities where Jesus has become the functioning head, the Lord of lords, and not only the reason for gathering, but as you said, the reason for everything!! Thanks for reading and writing!
Well Rob, so great to meet you brother!! Yes, my husband Derek and I were so privileged to spend 10 days living with Milt and Mary while they were over here in 2012 and our lives have never been the same again. Such an impartation of Christ! This is such a wonderfully large body of Christ that we belong to, and I was so refreshed to read your blog and I look forward to exploring more of it! I look forward to exploring more of Him through your walk brother! Maybe we’ll get to meet one day but if not we can share Christ together through this strange world of cyber space blogging weirdo stuff! (Also glad to meet a Larry Norman fan!) Thank YOU for reading and writing! 🙂
We recently got to spend some time with Milt and Mary and Jon Zens and his sweet wife at a weekend gathering in Sonoma CA… Yes. Christ was imparted and we were encouraged! And reading your blog has been a refreshing reminder, a drink again from that same well of Living water. Thanks! RE: Larry Norman… He was one of those guys that forced us to re-examine our “normal Christian life”. Yes? And that’s why I’ve enjoyed the writings of Frank Viola, his re-examination of church as we knew it: i.e., Pagan Christianity? (& more), crystallized for me why this preachers kid while growing in the Institution had been so alienated and insulated from, the Life. Yeah. I swallowed the red pill. (I wrote about all that somewhere on my blog…) Ok… enough of that. Gotta check out some more of yours.
Yes, thank the Lord that He has always had those ‘outside the camp’, those voices crying out in the wilderness, from the very beginning. I join them now, now that I see there is no other life anywhere to be found than in Christ alone! So glad you were blessed to have some time with Milt, Mary, Jon and Dotti, although I’ve never met John and Dotti, Derek and I really receive so much of the Lord through Jon’s teaching. We almost had them come and stay out here a couple of years back to spend some time going between a few little groups here in Australia, but circumstances changed and we weren’t able to. ….Well, what a relief to have swallowed the red pill brother, though not an easy one to swallow, there is certainly no turning back from here! 🙂