An exercise for hearing God this Spring.

Posted on May 6, 2016May 3, 2016 by Matthew Laker

I was hiking with my family in a local marsh area and it was early spring. Things were still brown and there was a spring wind in the air keeping it cool.

As we started the trip I pulled my family together and instructed them that as we walk this trail, “I want you to look for things that remind you about Jesus.” Then we would talk about what we saw at supper when we got home.

As we walked we often paused to just take in the images, smells, and sounds. We would often pause and watch the birds come close and eat out of our hand. We saw the beginning of new growth and heard the sound of many frogs.

All of our lives are busy and often we pray and ask Jesus to be with us and guide us. This is a good prayer. However, I am becoming more aware that Jesus is already with us. We have just become deaf to his voice.

In this moment with my family I had three objectives. One was to just enjoy nature and spend some time together. Two was to help my kids begin to look for reminders of Jesus in the everyday. Three, to listen to what the Holy Spirit may have to say to me on the journey and as I listened to my kids share later. It was not an overly spiritual event, we just went for a walk and enjoyed it.

Later we drove home and prepared supper and at supper, I asked the question, so, “what did you see that reminded you of Jesus?”

A simple exercise for hearing God.

Go for a walk
Be open for reminders of Jesus. Some may want to pray inviting Jesus to speak and to give you the ability to see clearly. In the moment above, my family just went for a walk.
Enjoy nature, the sounds, the smells, and the images.
Quick reflection – two questions to ask

What did you see that reminded you of Jesus?
Why did do you need to be reminded about that?

This spring as you go about life, Jesus is with you. To enter, engage, and experience the life you were created for, take steps to listen to Jesus in the every day of life.

My experience has been often that he is not calling us to something new, but reminding us who he is and who we are.

What is your favourite place to go for a walk? How do you best hear God in your life?

The Apostle Peter, us and fear

Posted on November 20, 2015November 16, 2015 by Matthew Laker

Series Walking with Peter part 4

In Matthew 8:14-17;23-27 we find Peter, and the rest of the apostles, in a boat and full of fear.

The disciples have been listening to Jesus share about faith and trusting him. Peter and the disciples watched as Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law. Now they are in a boat and a great storm comes. In this moment they will learn more of who Jesus is and who they are.

The storm is fearful and scary and Jesus looks at them and says “Why are you so afraid?”

It is a question we really need to ask ourselves.

Why are you so afraid to follow Jesus?

Do we believe that Jesus is powerful enough?

If we do believe that, how does that change how we view ourselves and how we live? In the boat the disciples were afraid and doubted. I can be just like them at times. I know that God is leading my life and yet I get into situations and wonder and struggle with fear. Yet like the disciples I have seen God at work.

Where have you seen God at work in your life?

When we are in our storms what do you think the characteristic of Jesus will be? Will God hold back his grace and mercy? Will he leave you alone? Will Jesus use the storm for his glory and to shape you?

Peter learns about Jesus’ sovereignty, grace and mercy.

Many followers of Jesus are inclined to look to the uncertainty of the storm and not the certainty of Jesus.

To follow Jesus is to put our trust in him; that he is good enough and great enough. So when we fear, we assess it in light of who Jesus is. We respect what our fear tells us, but we see it through the lens of Christ.

When Jesus asked Peter and the disciples his question, he was revealing the unbelief that was still in their hearts. He was revealing to them and to us that fear does not have to become a driving force in our life. He was revealing that death is not our end as followers of Jesus.

As psalm 27:1 shares, “Whom shall we fear.”

I am not there yet. But Jesus is revealing a radical way of living that he is slowly calling Peter to.

The truth, however, is it is not just Peter he is calling to this life, but us as well.

True or False? You Can really be anything you want to be?

Posted on November 13, 2015November 9, 2015 by Matthew Laker

“You can be anything you want to be,” was one of the cultural beliefs I remember hearing throughout my school years. Today this idea still seems to be a basic foundational belief in our culture.

The reality is this is just simple not true.

When American Idol first came out, people believed they were going to be pop stars and no one could tell them differently. It is true though, that someone could be rejected in that setting and still have the strength and talent to become a pop star, but the reality is, many could not. At the end of the day, many people still pursue a dream that does not align with their strengths.

This is a hard lesson to learn and accept in our life. At the same time just because we get a rejection, does not mean the dream is over. We need to adjust, and work out of our strengths. Working out of our strengths will give us greater opportunity.

As a follower of Jesus I see a connection to one of Jesus’ parables where there is a master who gives a certain amount of money to three individuals. The expectation is they invest it and then they can succeed with it. One person is not greater than the other, but each is given an amount based on their strengths and ability. If they accept that reality and work from it they can experience God deeper and have wholeness in their life.

Tom Rath in his book “Strengths Finder 2.0” shares “you cannot be anything you want to be — but you can be a lot more of who you already are”(Rath 8).[1]

Many people in North America work to try and hold up an identity they believe will bring them success. Many of us run after a false identity for too long. As I have watched and journeyed with others, the reality is we cannot be anything we want to be, but we can still be successful.

I believe we have God-given strengths that are unique to every person. Yes there are commonalities in people, but if we can understand our strengths and play to them, we can find success in life.

The greatest barrier to this will be accepting reality and not idolizing a dream that is false. If we work out of our God-given strengths, a wholeness can take shape.

Here are a few questions for reflection:

1. What are your strengths?

2. Based on your strengths, and assuming you fan their flame, how will this effect the direction of your life?

3. What skills are you needing to develop?

4. What is one step you can take this week to build on your strengths?

You may have a dream that is just a dream. However working out of your strengths will help you enter, engage and experience wholeness in life.

[1] Rath, Tom. StrengthFinder 2.0. Gallup Press. Kindle Edition.

Jesus Revealing Himself One Step at a Time

Posted on October 23, 2015October 19, 2015 by Matthew Laker

Jesus often reveals himself one step at a time.

When we look at the life of the Apostle Peter, we see there were multiple touch points that led to Peter taking off and choosing to follow Jesus.

There was one day, in my own life, when I stood and watched my Father as he was helping one of my daughters learn to ride her bike. He encouraged her and he held on to the seat and walked behind her, steadying her. Then he let go. She did not know that he had let go, but he continued to shout encouragements. It wasn’t until she put her feet down to stop, after riding all around, that she realized grandpa was no longer holding on. He was close, but she was riding on her own. It was the multiple interactions with her bike, and encouragements from my Father, that had built up to this moment.

In a way, following Jesus is similar. He reveals who he is and that begins to push change in us. We become familiar with Jesus and we learn who we really are and how to walk with him, one small step building upon the other. As we put into practice the life he calls us to, we begin to take off. He does not leave us, but encourages us to ride and flourish.

We first encounter Peter in Matthew 4:18-22; Lk 5:1-11; and John 1:35.

If we put each moment in chronological order, the passage from the gospel of John would come first. This would suggest there was a progression for Peter coming to follow Jesus with multiple touch points that led up to him dropping his fishing nets. Before calling Peter to a full-on following though, Jesus let Peter come to him. Then as Peter’s understanding of who Jesus was increased, there was an adjustment to Peter’s commitment to him. The same is true in our own lives. As our knowledge of who Jesus is goes deeper, there will be a call to change in our own life.

When I look back upon the many stories I have heard of people coming to follow Jesus, each one generally has multiple touch points, either from reading the gospel or from actual experiences of Jesus. Like a rudder on a sail boat, the touch may be small, but over time there will be a great impact.

Try this exercise:

Take a moment and look back over the year. Where have you seen God at work in your life or in another? Write them down.

God seems to reveal himself to us in small portions in order to push us toward him. Sometimes there is one big experience, but for most of us, we experience small pushes that have the potential to redirect our lives in big ways.

Jesus often reveals himself one step at a time. Over the last few months, what has he been revealing to you?

We see in Peter’s story a number of interactions with Jesus. This brings change in Peter’s life. As our knowledge of who Jesus is goes deeper, there will be a call to change in our life. This will be a change that leads to wholeness; a change that leads us to producing the fruit we were created for.

Where is Jesus pushing into your life and challenging you?

Pray a different way

Posted on October 14, 2015October 12, 2015 by Matthew Laker

A Group of people were on a boat and a great mountain stood in their way. Up out of the water this mountain arose, not letting them pass. They began to pray and pray and pray, but the mountain did not move. They asked God to remove the mountain and prayed more but still nothing. Then one of the persons, who was enlightened by the Holy Spirit said, “We should pray that the water would rise up over the mountain. Then we can float over it.” They begin to pray a different way, and the water rose and the boat was able to float over the mountain.
Rev. Atef shared this story when he spoke at the Downtown site of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in 2013. It was one of the images my small group talked about at greater length. We could ask ourselves how might we pray differently then we currently do. Yes, sometimes we are called to wait, but what if we are praying for something that is just not going to happen.

Sometimes we need to ask the Spirit how we should pray. How should we pray in light of this mountain in front of us? How should we live in light of this mountain standing in front of us?
What if you let go of how you think it should be removed and asked God? What if there is a different way to see the mountain and circumstances change?

We are so afraid sometimes to see things differently, but maybe that is us trying to control the situation. I do not have all this prayer stuff worked out, but what if you need to pray differently?

What do you think?