It was a rich evening for sure.  Imagine being surrounded with people of faith from at least two different faith communities choosing to meet together in unity and agreement.  And, add to that, the privilege to share your heart with them.  That is what I was given the chance to do recently in Australia.  What a blessing for me and I pray was for them as well.

I shared with them a short description of my journey and then gave a shared call for true people of faith to live that faith in these days just before the return of Isa al Masih (Jesus Christ).  In a time of rampant hypocrisy, bold rebellion, mesmerizing materialism, and deadly fanaticism, it is high time for us to wake up and move out of the darkness into the mighty light of the God of grace and mercy.  It is time for us to live out our faith in community, agreement, partnership, and praise.

The presentation was recorded and aired to other places around the world, apparently, but you can access it here.

Please let me know what you think of it.  And, let’s walk together for His glory.

Here is the audio for the presentation.

02 05-05-2011-SDA-BryanGallant-MoreThanWeRealise-1 Talk Only

If you would like to have the pdf of the slides presented, they are here.

More than we realize Australia

I just got my oldest son a watch that will hopefully stand up to his rough and boyish use and had planned to surprise him with it. I had given him a job to do so he could practice being more industrious and responsible and he had done very well with that. So, today seemed like a good day to bless him with a better responsible watch.

Therefore, later as he was running out to go practice piano, I told him to go and get a particular book in the library to read. He responded and said that he did not want to read that one and went and got another one.

Sadly, because he did not obey what I said he completely failed to see the blessing that was waiting for him next to the exact book I had mentioned! My father heart won’t give up and I will try to bless him another day.

But, as I reflected on his actions, I wondered how many times my responses to God produce similar, empty results?

How many times does God want to bless us and asks us to do things that we may decide to do only half heartedly and miss out on the greater blessing He had in mind the whole time?

Could it be that behind the calls to obey lie greater blessings? I suspect so.

Here are a few reflections from our recent move to Indonesia to lead out in an Intercultural Study Center.

I am sitting in the back room of our house in my new office listening to a chorus of “Allahu Akbar” or “God is Greater” on all sides of our home.  Ramadan has ended and the countryside is rejoicing in the coming of the holiday. I find it rather beautiful.

Beautiful to remember that God is Greater than anything.  Any trouble, any concern, anything:  governments, opinions, machinations of Satan, book burnings, all of it.

God is Greater!  God is still in control.  Take a moment and praise Him for He is worthy!  Praise Him that we have the promise of the soon return of Jesus Christ to finally and fully establish God’s Kingdom in our lives.

This morning I was awakened with three words rolling around in my mind. So, I have been working through some ideas about their relationship.

Ego – Position – Value

So often our ego needs and clamors for a position. W then judge our value based on that position which naturally leads us to a greater void in the ego (because it can never be satisfied) thereby perpetuating the cycle. Our joy and feelings are then in a constant state of going up or down depending on those external issues.

But, God desires to set us free from this threefold tyranny!

Because in His reality of life our value is set already. It is set not by any inherent activity of our own or from the external trappings from others. Our value is set by God as our Maker and the One who pursued us to buy us back when He gave that clothing of righteousness (taqwa) to our first parents a long, long time ago and again through the submission of the Messiah for all humanity (made like Adam again).

Therefore in God’s view (the only real one anyway), we are valuable with an infinite value because of Him and who He is! That value is unchanging and timeless. It cannot be diminished by anything earthy – nothing can separate us from His love because it is in Him.*

So, if our value is set and we are rested in that truth then the cycle breaks! Our position is irrelevant and our ego is subsumed in worship to such an amazing love and to the God of that love.

No more schizophrenic drives, no more irrational fear of worthlessness.

Life becomes whole, free, and purposeful.

Free to serve, free to receive love, free to give love, free to “be” instead of merely “do”.

What a priceless freedom. Only that reality can break this self-cycle of tyrrany.

True freedom from tyrrany!

——

*Of course not all will respond to that love and they will persist in rebellion. But even when judgment comes for them it will not be outside of this infinite love. Infinite love will be still be breaking for them as Love honors their choice of separation from Him.

I was just taking a moment to go through my journal after a very powerful conversation with a friend. My eyes fell on the entry just a few days after our being laid off last year.

Here are seven things that we reminded ourselves of and then chose to remember and live by. I hope they are a blessing to you. He has proven Himself again to us through it all.

1. God is passionately loving and loves us. If God is for us – who can be against us (God cannot lie).

2. God has a good plan. If I submit to His leadership, He is able to bring that to fruition faster.

3. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Implication: if someone leaves, it is us. So, if we constantly choose to be His, we will NEVER be alone and outside of His care.

4. We are His responsibility. He is our Father, protector, provider, and keeper. We trust Him – He cares for us.

5. All things that impact our life come from Him. The faster we realize that, the faster we resubmit our lives fully to Him and can watch Him orchestrate our lives for His glory.

6. Our choice is to submit constantly to Him because He is all we truly desire.

7. I don’t have to understand how God is leading. He is in control, not me. My “leadership” in my family or team is not in knowing what is ahead but in remaining fully connected to God and following Him wherever and however He leads. So, in leading, I am actually following!

What is your list of indisputables like?