by Donya Dunlap | Aug 14, 2013 | The Single Life, The Spiritual Life
During the last seven months of women’s ministry, I’ve sensed something amiss when sharing with others what God has been doing. In the daily work, it is exciting and thrilling to see God move hearts, change mindsets, and bring understanding and rescue. But when I am in conversation with others, or listening to co-workers share their stories from the trenches, I continue to hear a disturbing response. It varies in presentation, but generally boils down to, “how many?”
How many attend your services? How many people come to your Bible studies? How many people have been rescued? How many have accepted Christ? How many? How many? How many?
I understand the thought behind the question. It’s an innocent thing we humans do. We quantify. We analyze. We justify where we put our money based on results. It makes sense…but it is a concerning mindset for two reasons:
It plants a seed of hurry in the mind of the minister.
If allowed to grow, this seed can lead to focusing on the fruit instead of committing to be faithful to the work that God has called them to do. This throws the ministry off-point because God didn’t call us to the storage barns. He called us to the harvest fields. It is the minister’s job to minister and God’s job to bring about the results. If a minister develops a hurried spirit focused on numbers, he will soon find himself far from the path God placed him on with his ministry in shambles at his feet.
It overlooks the value of the one.
In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus pictures for us how much He values one soul. He said,
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.” (Matthew 18:11-13)
It’s true that Jesus died for the world as a whole, but He loves each of us as individuals. He knows us by name. He listens to our thoughts and our innermost groanings that we can’t even put into words. (Romans 8:26) Yes, He calls us to minister to the multitudes, but His plan is to win them one-by-one. A solitary soul is worth far more than the collective riches of this world, because it is for each one that Christ poured out His blood and love for on Calvary.
So I challenge you, the next time you find yourself chatting with a missionary about his field, ask him about the one. The one moment that has brought him the most joy. The first person that came to Christ. The most recent convert he was able to introduce to the baptism waters. If you want to be encouraged by a smile that comes straight from heaven, focus on the worth of one soul that Christ and that minister loves. I promise, if you asked them if all the heartaches they have had to endure in their ministry was worth the soul of one, they would say, “yes.” And Jesus would too.
And if you are that minister that is concerned about your tiny congregation or the recent dip in your attendance numbers, I challenge you to remember the immeasurable worth of one. Don’t give way to the call to hurry. Each soul is priceless and precious to the One that died for them.
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by Donya Dunlap | Aug 7, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
“I know I’m supposed to tell the truth, but…”
“I know God says I need to do this, but…”
“I know what I’m doing is a sin, but…”
What are we supposed to do when life seems to tower like a giant over what we know is the right thing to do? How are we supposed to trust that God’s way is the right way when it looks absolutely impossible?
In preparation for the upcoming Infusion Bible Study on Forgetting the Fairy Tale I have been digging more into the root of what a fairy tale means. According to Merriam-Webster.com, a fairy tale’s definition, synonyms and antonyms are:
1a: a story involving fantastic forces and beings (as fairies, wizards, and goblins)
1b: a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending
2: a made-up story usually designed to mislead
Synonyms: fable, fabrication, lie, falsehood, falsity, fib, mendacity, prevarication, story, tale, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), untruth, whopper
Antonyms: truth
Did you catch that last part? The opposite of a fairy tale is truth. God’s Word is truth. So when we choose to believe that our way is better than God’s way, or that our circumstances provide a logical excuse to ignore the Bible’s commends, we are choosing to live a lie. We are buying in to the Enemy’s fairy tale.
That might seem innocent to you, but consider the consequences…
- Eve thought she could eat the forbidden fruit and it would be okay. She plunged the entire world into sin.
- Sarah thought she could work the system to have a child through Hagar. Thousands of people have died through the generational war between Isaac and Ishmael’s descendants because of that decision.
- Achan didn’t think it was such a big deal to take a few spoils of war that God had said to leave alone. As a result 36 husbands and sons were killed in battle and Achan’s entire family was killed.
God doesn’t care about your “but.”
Mine either. In fact, He knew that we would want to argue with Him at times, because we’re His kids and that’s what kids do. So He beat us to the punch and wrote this:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13
Is God’s way always the easiest way? No. But it is always the best way. His way may have consequences that don’t jive with our wish lists, but the consequences of doing right always include His blessing with whatever earthly bitterness might also come about. So bite back that “but” and submit yourself to God’s way instead of your own. You’ll be thankful you did in the end!
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6
by Donya Dunlap | Jul 27, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Have you ever had someone rub your shoulders when they were really tight, and it hurt, but it was a good hurt? That pretty much sums up my week.
I cried. Not once. Not twice, but THREE TIMES. Anyone that knows me well can testify to the rarity of such an occurrence. It’s not that I don’t ever feel sad, I just rarely am brought to tears apart from a death or a Nicholas Sparks movie. (But really…who can watch one of those things and not cry?)
I can’t share what drove me to gushing saline, but I can say that I wouldn’t trade those circumstances for much. Maybe a trip to the beach…but again, I digress. This time has been difficult, overwhelming and challenging, but through every step I have felt the Lord doing the pulling and prodding as gently as only He can. He is changing me, stretching me, pruning me.
John 15:1-2 explains the process in Jesus’ own words:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
The process of purging and pruning is initially a painful one. Things that hamper growth are cut away for the benefit of the vine. Jesus does the same with us. He knows that we occasionally need to go through times that are hard, overwhelming and painful to produce in us a beautiful harvest. But even as He cuts, He does so gently, and with words of encouragement and strengthening from His Word.
God is a good husbandman.
He is a loving one. And everything He does, He does for our good and His glory. Resisting the process is what causes the most pain. “Kicking the pricks,” as He accused Saul of on the road to Damascus, will hurt far worse than leaning into Him as He does His necessary work. Any parent knows that sometimes you have to do things that cause a child pain for their own benefit. Getting shots or stitches or pulling a splinter out of a tiny foot is a painful process, but healing comes as a result.
So while I hate to cry, I can honestly say that God is good and He is at work in my life and in the lives of others around me. In fact, it seems that the hardest times are often the best times because I can feel the Lord drawing me in to His side. I know that He is with me and that He will be true to His promise to never leave me or forsake me…no matter what lies ahead. (Hebrews 13:5)
Have you experienced “a good hurt” from the hand of God? Can you testify to the closeness of God as you traveled a rocky path? If so, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. Blessings to you!
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by Donya Dunlap | Jul 22, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
Does 1 + 1 always equal 2? Not in Jesus math!
In speaking with a friend this weekend, I was reminded of advice someone gave me once.
Start with what you have, where you are.
I was struggling at the time with a huge vision and burden the Lord had placed on my heart, and I was frustrated. It seemed every time I tried to pursue that vision I would run into a wall. I felt like my dream was a carrot at the end of a stick that was always out of reach. This confused me because I knew the vision was God ordained. I couldn’t understand why He would give me a vision and not allow me to pursue it.
My very wise friend shared that God often gives grand visions of plans He has for us at a later time, but with only a first step to take in the moment. That first step seems so small. It’s tempting to dismiss it as a waste of our time or energy. We want to jump into the thick of the dream, but Jesus wants to teach us to be faithful in the little things. Jesus wants us to take our little and do great things with it so that He can be glorified. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Sometimes Jesus uses the rich, the powerful, the popular, the strong…but most of the time He doesn’t. Most of the time He takes the little bit of who we are and multiplies it through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- One former persecutor of the church writes half of the New Testament
- Two loaves and two fishes feed a multitude
- Five talents are doubled
- Twelve blue-collar guys cast out demons, heal the sick, and minister to multitudes
- One hundred and twenty followers of Jesus start a world-wide revolution and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth
What do you have that Jesus wants for His equation?
Do you like to knit? You can make baby booties and blankets for a local pregnancy shelter. Are you musical? You can sing or play in church, or join a community group for musicians and reach those people for Jesus. Do you love kids? You can volunteer to babysit for people that wouldn’t normally be able to afford a sitter so they can have a few hours to themselves. Do you have a crazy big dream that seems impossible for you to tackle? Good! Ask God where He wants you to begin and start in the power of the Holy Spirit. If you consistently surrender to the little promptings and seek the strength of the Holy Spirit, in time, He will take your little and multiply it to reap the harvest He planted in your heart.
Have you experienced Jesus math in your own life? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
by Donya Dunlap | Jul 16, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
I am a dreamer. I’ve always had big ideas and bigger plans. When I was a little girl I thought I might write children’s stories. For a while I thought maybe I would make a great teacher. Then there was the short-lived dream of singing with a southern gospel quartet (true story) followed by dreaming of a stint on Broadway. When I started music lessons in high school I fell in love and decided to become a music teacher and arranger. But even then I had a back-up plan in case that didn’t work. I took extra classes to qualify as a teacher if necessary and really wondered if I might be a part of a church-planting team or a pastor’s wife. Oddly enough,
God had other plans.
Immediately after college I began working as an admin assistant at a local church. I loved the work I did and ended up being rather good at it. During that time I discovered graphic design and fell in love all over again. After years of teaching myself and getting some tutoring on the job, I finally decided to go back to school to get a degree in the field. Shortly after I began school, God began stirring in my heart the desire for women’s ministry. I thought I was finally coming to the place where my passions and placement were coming together. I would support myself through freelance graphic design while ministering to women. What a perfect plan!
But wait…there’s more.
In the process of learning about trafficking and women’s ministry I began feeling the need for education in counseling. To be honest, I resisted this new direction. I thought that if I really felt strongly about it in a few years, I would pursue counseling after I finished my art degree. I didn’t want to start over. I didn’t want to “waste” all the money and time I had invested in design. I felt threatened. I didn’t want God to take away the art that I love.
I prayed and researched my options. I questioned my feelings and prayed some more. I asked for advice. I considered some non-college courses, but due to the nature of the abuse I expect to be dealing with, I felt a degree in crisis counseling would be more beneficial. I prayed some more. I applied to a new school to test the waters, but didn’t register for courses. I wanted an escape route. I questioned my past choices. Why did I go to a Bible college? Why did I take art classes? How is this all part of God’s plan? Am I really listening to His voice or am I just going with the whims of my own heart?
But then, as I was preparing for the Infusion Bible Study I lead on Monday nights I read this:
There is a real difference between adding the Spirit to your life and actually following Him minute by minute. If you add the Spirit to your life, you’re not open to change; you just want to enhance what you’re already doing. This is not what the Spirit came to do.
On the other hand, if you begin following the Spirit’s leading in your life, you will find yourself changing. The Spirit may prompt you to let go of things that were once important to you. He may even call you to give up some good things in your life, at least for a time, in order to accomplish His purposes in and through you.
– Francis Chan, The Forgotten God
The life God has for me is better compared to a prism than a path.
Every turn catches the light in different ways, but every change is beautiful. It’s all part of the whole. The whole of me. Of who God wants me to be.
I learned things at Bible college I could never learn at an accredited university. I learned things in art school that made me a better artist and a better person. All along the way I have met people that play into my future in ways that I’m not even aware of yet.
Regardless of the steps I took, I never left God’s hand.
I’m still a “diamond in the rough” but with each refining change God makes, I reflect His light more purely and beautifully. Instead of resisting the process and regretting the changes, I am embracing them for the beautiful rainbow of purpose that they are…and I look forward to seeing how God uses every facet for His will in years to come.
Photo credit: Laurence & Annie / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
by Donya Dunlap | Jun 17, 2013 | The Spiritual Life
My dad once told a friend that if he ever took me to a football game, I would be worried that the guys in the huddle were talking about me. He was right.
Go Blue!
Well, not literally of course, but figuratively he was spot on. I struggled quite seriously about what people think about me for years. It was a problem that would often steal my joy, fill my mind with worry and cause great anxiety. The Holy Spirit really worked in my life in this area, mainly through the message of a book called Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George and through meditating on Philippians 4:8.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. – Philippians 4:8
I actually felt like this was part of my past, until recently I have found myself struggling again with regards to my writing.
I have had several people ask why I wrote Forgetting the Fairy Tale and my answer is always the same. I couldn’t NOT write it. I have a deep passion to help young women realize that they can only find satisfaction in Christ, and not in all the ways the world is teaching them to look for it. That passion drove me through the writing, editing and publishing process and continues to burn in my heart.
Lately however,
I’ve put a lot of effort into building what is referred to as a “platform” in order to sell my book and help the message spread. While that isn’t a bad thing in itself, it has lead to a change in my internal focus from helping others into a desire to see my blog numbers increase. I started worrying about what the guys in the huddle were saying again.
Why does one post spread and others aren’t hardly opened? Maybe people really don’t think I’m a good writer. Maybe I need to be funnier. Maybe I’m just wasting my time. I hardly get any comments—I wonder what my readers are thinking?
In all of the striving I lost sight of the goal. I lost sight of my passion. I lost my love for the “game” and became annoyed with the work of running the plays.
(And I have now reached my limit of football knowledge and applicable metaphors. Not a sports chic. Sorry.)
Instead of applying Philippians 4:8 to my writing I have been letting my mind dwell on the necessary, but secondary elements of promotion.
So today I confess to you my sin and begin again.
I will still read the writing books and learn what I can about creating a better blog, but my focus will no longer be on the stats and how I’m scoring in the blogosphere. This means tightening up my posts and not trying to please people with my writing. No more filtering. I’m going back to the basics of putting my passion on paper and loving people, not worrying about what they can do for me.
Photo credit: marylea / Foter.com / CC BY-SA
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