July | 2016 | MND GMZ MINISTRIES: Reclaiming the Rules, Finding Identity in Christ.

So, I had the honor and privilege of sharing with over a hundred 4th-7th grade girls yesterday at GEMS Camp. (Yes you read that right – 4th-7th graders. Jesus be near!) They were ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL. As I studied John 10 in preparation to share, I realized that the message I was going to give them was as much for me as for them. (Isn’t that the way it always goes!)

John 10:1-10 says:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! ²But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. ⁵They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”

⁶Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, ⁷so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸All who came before me^[a] were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. ⁹Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.^[b] They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ¹⁰The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

The imagery of sheep and shepherds is prevalent throughout Scripture and John 10 is a prime example. One of my favorite authors, Margaret Feinberg, wrote a beautiful book called, “Scouting the Divine” where she spent time exploring first hand the meaning behind some of the most frequent Biblical metaphors, including sheep. One of the most amazing things I learned is that sheep really do know and respond to their shepherd’s voice.

Margaret spent time with a real shepherdess on a farm in Oregon. She describes arriving and accompanying the shepherdess to go meet the flock. After quietly approaching and ensuring the gate was securely closed behind (we’ll talk about the importance of gates in a future blog), the shepherdess called out, “SHEEP, SHEEP, SHEEP”. And to Margaret’s amazement, the sheep came running. Yes, sheep really do know their shepherd’s voice.

So…do you know your Shepherd’s voice?

Have you learned to recognize it above the buzz and distractions of daily life? Have you taken the time to develop the trusting relationship required to know when your Shepherd calls? If not, maybe it is time. He’s calling you, and if you read closely, he’s even calling you BY NAME!

(Next week we’ll talk more about sheep, shepherds, and these precious GEMS girls.)

I am the queen of awkward…seriously, you don’t even know. I’ve heard I’m known as “Professor Awkward” on campus. I can’t argue. I once insisted that I recognized someone at church from RPM spin class, even though this poor man repeatedly insisted that he had never been to a spin class in his life. I continued repeatedly to insist that he had been there – as if someone is going to forget going to a spin class! Trust me, when you come that close to believing you are going to die by exercise, you don’t forget! (So sorry Jesse – so glad you joined the small group despite our awkward start!) Then there was the time I was asked to take a family new to the community a meal following the birth of their first child. I was running late and so burst in the door, setting the meal on their kitchen counter while proclaiming, “Hi, I’m Karen. Cute baby. Here’s a meal. Sorry to rush but I’m late for dinner plans.” And then I left. I’m not even sure of the person’s name! WHO DOES THAT!? And why does the director of hospitality continue to ask me to interact with real life human beings! (Jenny – that’s you!) There are actually small children at church who enjoy teasing me by greeting me with the taunt of, “AWWKWARD!!!” I seriously seem to have a knack for making a perfectly normal situation extremely awkward. I just do. It’s a gift.

Well, without even trying, this moment is naturally awkward…

Maybe not Kanye interrupting T-Swift awkward.

Or Steve Harvey announcing the wrong winner awkward.

It’s not “butt fumble” or “butt slide” awkward.

It’s not even Dan Quayle trying to spell potato or President Obama trying to spell respect awkward.

But it is awkward…it’s awkward that it has been over a year since MND GMZ Ministries has posted on a regular basis. So we are owning the awkward.

But I want to assure you that we have a very good reason for our absence and that we are back with new material that will be posted on a regular basis.

First, let me explain the “we”. Although I (Karen) have been the primary contributor to the website, MND GMZ Ministries has always been a “we”. And I am SO excited to introduce you to others who have been, and continue to be, an integral part of the ministry. You are going to be SO BLESSED by them! And yes, you’ll still hear from me on a very regular basis as well.

So what happened? Well, frankly, God called us away from writing for a season so we could focus on other aspects of the ministry. Which is awkward when you are primarily a speaking and WRITING ministry. Sometimes being obedient feels awkward. God calls us to do things that don’t make sense. However, being obedient is also so rewarding! And God’s way, as awkward as it may feel or seem, is always the best way! God has been so faithful to the ministry over the last year and we CANNOT WAIT to share with you all that He has revealed to us and taught us. Oh man is it going to be a fun ride!

So where are we going? Here’s a sneak peak – we are still ALL ABOUT IDENTITY. And that is not going to change anytime soon. But we are going to take our discussions around identity to the next level. You can read the first blogs on identity by clicking HERE. And HERE. And HERE. And HERE and HERE. I told you – we’re passionate about identity in Christ! We’ve spent a great deal of time discussing where identity comes from and where it shouldn’t come from. Now we’re going to begin discussing what it means to actually live from a Christ-centered identity. And I. CAN’T. WAIT!

And as always, you and all of your peeps are invited to “join the journey”. Those of you in the Pella area can join physically by attending the Summer Series this Tuesday at 12:00 at Third Church. Check out the promo video below and if you are in the area I hope to see you there! (And if you’re not, don’t worry, it’ll be available online later next week!)

Blessings!

Karen (and the entire MND GMZ Ministries team)

MND GMZ MINISTRIES: Reclaiming the Rules, Finding Identity in Christ.

Monthly Archives: July 2016

Do you know the Shepherd’s voice?

AWWWKWARD!!!!