I was intrinsically frustrated because I saw a continual pull from the current church paradigm that exists 'out there'. In curiosity, I visited some web sites of ministries and churches and it seems that there was so much busyness, so many agendas, so many programs, so many words - the complexity of the web pages made me lose a sense of peace. I simply believe that it has to be more simplistic than this. I also believe that true creativity will rise up and flow powerfully in a simplistic environment that simply rests in the power and plan of Holy Spirit. Was I naive and somewhat confused? I think not. In fact I actually think so different inside of me that I am never content with the norm or the mundane or the status quo. I seek change, not for the sake of change, but for the sake of creativity which is movement and where there is true Spirit led movement, there is faith. And where there is Biblically based faith, we move from glory to glory to glory. That is my desire to impart to people. Not to fit them into a program or a place but into Him.
So the Lord, in my frustration, simply said to me loud and clear - "Debra, match your paradigm to your picture." What on earth does that mean? Well on earth it means nothing because it came to me from heaven and so I must seek the Spirit in order to interpret what the Lord is saying to me.
Paradigm = a model of pattern for something that may be copied; a pattern; a framework
Picture = what I see inside of myself; the desires that God has placed deep within me; MY PICTURE
I saw that my paradigm and my picture were out of step and out of sync with the Holy Spirit. God made me, created me passionate and radical and creative. Yet my current paradigm was still influenced by the religious norm that is out there and I must break out of it or die. Now the wilderness was a great place of training to break out BUT when one comes BACK IN one sees that the current paradigm of the church's busyness and boredom is often like a magnet trying to pull you back in. I can't go back in. I can't and I won't. So where does that leave me?
Again my learning season is in establishing this ministry in Benicia. Where is it for you? How are you learning to match your paradigm with your picture? I have a picture of myself that I believe is from God. It is flowing against the norm. Leaning into Holy Spirit and flowing in prophetic song, declarations, purpose, direction, art, music, business and all of the above. It is a picture that God has given to me to flow.......to flow........to flow. Now flowing is not some flaky agenda that requires some manifestation but is a flow that requires us to befriend the Holy Spirit and allow Jesus Christ to be Lord of our life. He leads and we follow. And............when He leads there is always a move away from predictability and into creativity.
My picture did not match the paradigm. The paradigm that I operated by to a certain extent started with simple things that may seem crazy to you but not to me. I have been crying out for the Lord to show me a Holy Spirit form for Rivers of Eden. I don't want meetings at predictable times, conferences or gatherings for no reason. I don't want children's programs or women's programs or men's programs. I don't want. I don't want. But what is it I do want? The current paradigm of the church is like a magnet for someone like us starting to establish after spending so much time in the wilderness. The current paradigm pulls on you to fit in. They constantly tell you what won't work and how to just fit in and don't rock the boat. I can't and that is what led to the Lord speaking to me this way.
"Debra, match your paradigm to your picture."
I pray this is making sense to you somehow or someway. My paradigm has to be shattered. Jesus Christ said He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. He would build it and I need to join into where He is going and leading us. For instance, I don't want programs. I want to just be simple and have simplicity rule and reign and trust God in all things. Does that sound naive? Well we will see because it is the way I want to walk from now on.
In going to see these web sites, I did not do so for the purpose of judgement or criticism. I did not do that at all......I just wanted to see something that would catch my eye but I did not. I saw so much of the same packaging with new descriptions or pictures or graphics but the same stuff - old wine trying to fit into new wine skins by just tweaking the catch phrases or some such thing. I want the new wine for the new wine skins. Nothing less than that.
So what did this mean to me? Well my paradigms are being shattered to match up with the picture of my purpose for these Kingdom days. My God given purpose in these times. I am unique and individual and must follow my God ordained path. In doing that I will walk in a unique creativity and a pure unity in the Body of Christ for He did indeed make us different and unique.
I am not rereading this as I am writing but just sharing my heart with passion and purpose. It seems when I do that I get so many unsubscribes buy hey, what the heck.......that is truly okay to me now for I want to fit into His plan and not what others assume or presume about me. Long story made short here. Selah.
Okay so back to a few more points. I am not seeking to break out of my current paradigm of church into the Kingdom by simply seeking a new thing but in seeking Him and He will point the way out. Out of what? Out of religion and out of mundane apathetic Christianity. There is only one way out..............by Him, and through Him, and to Him and with Him. There are no shortcuts. He leads the way out and the invitation is available for everyone - not just me. It is for the brave of heart to seek Him and trust Him.
Now to think that this all started because I was not wanting to transition into this building doing the same ole same ole. But what to do? What is creative? What is our purpose? He is showing us step by step, leaning into Him and not our wisdom, our agenda or our self-proclaimed purpose. He leads. We follow.
Now I am laughing for I don't even know when to have the meetings. Do we do them Wednesdays, Sundays, Saturdays, Fridays? Each has its obstacles. What about the kids that come? Do I set up a children's church? What about those who need healing? New converts that need discipleship. What about? What about? Well.....Jesus did not stress about any of this. He only did what He saw the Father doing and so shall Marvin and I. I will not be pulled into a magnetic field of predictability. I also know we are not for everyone but for those whom God sends - TO US.
Thank you Lord. I will match my paradigm to this picture you have placed inside of me of a creative equipping center that is devoid of agenda and busyness. An equipping center that relies on the Holy Spirit to birth new and fresh ideas in our hearts. An equipping center that truly believes that Christians should take personal responsibility in their walk with the Lord and that we are equippers to point the way and help them find their way. An equipping center that does not seek to separate by gender, age or whatever and truly believes that the same Holy Spirit in me is the same Holy Spirit in a 5 year old. What do I do with that? Well He will tell me. So much more but I am off on an incredible journey in the Lord to keep this picture alive in me.
I desire creative people to come to the waters to drink. Those with tremendous gifts of music, song, art and so much else. What am I? I am simply a conductor that sees by the Spirit and encourages those with creativity to step out and BE this unique and wonderful person that God has created them to be..................okay so that's enough for today but something is stirring deep within me after writing this............I love it love it love it. A great adventure lies before us and where it leads, who knows......we simply follow Him.
Selah.
Hello Debra..
ReplyDeleteAs I finished reading this blog...I thought WOW!..Then what came to me was:
"He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed.!"
Exciting...Blessings,
Drema
Thanks Drema...as always you are such a blessing in encouragement and truth. Thank you so very very much. The flow on this word was real and true, sending it out to impact where it was meant to go. Finding one's place is imperative in these days.
ReplyDelete"Now I am laughing for I don't even know when to have the meetings. Do we do them Wednesdays, Sundays, Saturdays, Fridays? Each has its obstacles. What about the kids that come? Do I set up a children's church? What about those who need healing? New converts that need discipleship. What about? What about? Well.....Jesus did not stress about any of this. He only did what He saw the Father doing and so shall Marvin and I. I will not be pulled into a magnetic field of predictability. I also know we are not for everyone but for those whom God sends - TO US."
ReplyDeleteHeh, Debra, have you realized that this would be nearly exactly how the disciples felt when 3,000 new believers suddenly wanted to be baptized?
I believe that eventually or even early on some parts of "synagogue" format were adopted (I believe that is what Paul was referring to in 1st Corinthians 14 when he talked about the "law" of women having to be quiet, since that kind of command was not found in the Torah). But at the beginning and for a long while, "synagogue" was the establishment while "church" was something non-establishment. Church was something that happened *outside* of the establishment. It is very akin to going to a church service today (which has become the establishment) and then going out for coffee and sharing with a friend afterwards or during the week. The coffee "meeting" is where the deep, personal sharing can happen, and where the Holy Spirit can also speak without being contained, where there is room for Him to interrupt and put in a word edgewise. Where things are not so busy with "teaching" that the agenda must be organized, and where He's able to take time for questions (and so are we). Etc. God was not afraid of having His flow interrupted, and was willing to take time for someone "sitting down"... not to mention taking time for "the least of these".
In other words, in the early times, early Christians went to the synagogues to stay in touch with their Jewish families and to read from the Scriptures housed there. But to get into the real meat, to share back and forth about Jesus and more, that was something for *outside*... at homes, by the river, wherever, etc.
All that said, "synagogue" was quite a different place than "church" is today... I mean, according to 1 Cor.14 the Spirit had enough carte blanch to interrupt, and the speaker/prophet/teacher had to step aside when someone thought He was talking to them. And then everyone got to weigh what was said and discern for themselves (instead of passing through a pastoral "filter" before it gets to the rest of the body). Synagogues also had enough freedom back then for Jesus to go in and read and speak even though He'd been out of town for awhile, or they had enough freedom for Paul & other apostles to share in the middle of whatever "program" they had going on. They were even *invited* to share although no one knew anything about them. That is just *incredible* if you think about it!
But anyway, as fascinating as that is, it's all the external mechanics of things. The heart of whatever He's calling you to (or others to) is likely to have a different shape of a vessel here, but with the same heart of His. For me here, and whatever is going to happen, it is very *people*-focused, I think. What He's put in me is a care for people and desire to hear them and help them. So just taking the time to listen to people and share with them is awesome.
Bless you in His heart as you lean on His breast!
Hi Debra,
ReplyDeleteYes and yes.
My three separate thoughts.
I heard on the news today there was a 5 alarm fire in Miami... it took over 100 firemen to put it out. In my spirit I heard diversion -
a lot of man power, and energy and a lot of water was required to quench that destroyer and while everyone's attention was on that, attention was not being paid to __________ fill in the blank.
I have been pondering the power of water lately since we were previously stationed in Japan and I have stood on that coastline....which in so many areas now is completely rearranged. It seems that there are two kinds of water being released in the earth today, in the natural, destructive waters in some places and in the spirit,true healing waters in some places. Your name is Rivers of Eden. Rivers flow, rivers swell, even in a dry desert area rivers bring life to anything planted near it, you can see the green s turns where the river flows against the dry parched land. Have you thought of a river for your Holy Spirit Form. A river that is alive as it goes through seasons, a spiritual river that doesn't stay in the same place as a natural river is confined to it's geography by land, sometimes it is calm and refreshing, sometimes it is breaking the banks and rearranging the landscape.
Two of my favorite Bible teachers are Derek Prince, who was intimately acquainted with the Holy Spirit and who understood and taught people to war with the sword. The other one is Mark Virkler who has a series called Communing with God.... practical, biblical lessons on how to get quiet and really hear God. We really need to understand how to war with the sword and really hear God's voice, there are many speaking.
Blessings and Love
D in Korea
This is so awesome,exactly what Dan and I have been looking for all these years. Those times that we took on a church thinking that this is what there is for us, I can see why there was such conflict. We did not fit there and neither did our vision, we did not want the status quo, the same old same old. But that is exactly what the people wanted right then and I believe we probably freaked them out, which caused conflict. I sure wish we were Americans so we could just move there and become part of this powerful new work. This excites me so much. Good on you all!
ReplyDeleteWe just talked about this :) about how we should match the paradigm with the picture. And not just wait untill God gives it all that you need for the picture to come true, but to keep coming to the Lord and keep reminding Him of his promises. And that i can just wait my life to start somewhere in the future when i get this and that... I have to take steps one at the time to get closer to the promise and just be Faithfull with what i've got right nOw.
ReplyDeleteIf i'm faithfull with small things he will trust me with bigger things.
Thanks :D
Bless God what you write is what God has spoken to me..go inside yourself and see the you that I have created and become what you see.. walking in the likeness of him who formed me. I began to see myself as God see me and I have become so creative with the visions and spoken word.. words that only come from heaven.. I thank you for this confirmation of paradigms and pictures because God will truly show you pictures that will become your reality.. I do desire the change.. bored with church and programs.. I just want Jesus and to walk with him daily as time allow me.. I feel his presence as I write this comment to you and believe that God has so much more for you to share with us..continue to go into that place with God and share the newness of his life to you with us and I believe new doors will open up on the inside of the readers and the seed that has been planted with take root and begin to grow..blessings to you and I love you.
ReplyDelete