the problem

with me having a blog is that I think as I type. I have about 5 drafted blogs in my gmail draft folder, none of which packs enough punch to post yet. I have to keep reading and thinking and typing, and then get tired of it and post what I land on. I am not an excellent writer, so I am thankful you read. This blog is a stewardship tool to me.

Stewardship is a constant word in my head. Several years ago, actually in 2002 at the end of my summer in Jordan, our team hosts/leaders challenged us to steward that experience well. Very few people I know have been or will ever go to the Middle East, grow a heart for Muslims, make Arab friends, ache for Iraqi refugees, and so on. But I did. I went, I grew, I made friends, I felt an ache, and I came home. Was I to put that experience on the shelf in a photo album? No, because I had lessons to apply, stories to tell, recipes to try, prayer requests to share, and an ache that still won't go away. Ever since that time, stewardship of experiences & lessons learned & thought processes have weighed on my heart. Stewardship is not for money and possesions only, it is important with all resources we have. I do not believe I have profound answers, but this walk we are on- a walk toward truth and making His Kingdom come- a walk we are to do together. We dialogue, we share, we grow, we learn, we sharpen.

One topic that has not made it from my head to the computer yet is this: the harvest.

When I drove to Minneapolis a couple weeks, much of my drive was through fields of something. I have no idea what, and they could have already been harvested for all I know (I'm a city girl, what can I say?)

But for the first time in my life I saw fields that looked WHITE. The stalks of corn or wheat or who knows what were blowing in the wind that swept across the field. It looked like a choreographed dance from the Beijing Olympic opening cermony.

I often hear people say, the fields are white for harvest....and now I have a mental picture of this. I remembered the words of Jesus,

Luke 10:2
He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Sunday morning in Minneapolis, I worshipped at Bethlehem Baptist and Pastor Piper mentioned this verse in his teaching! As he spoke, I pictured the fields.

Jesus told his disciples (we are his disciples right?) that the harvest needs workers to gather it! We are to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers!

PRAY for workers to gather the harvest, Pray to the GOD OF THE HARVEST.

As Pastor Piper said, get rid of the burden of believing you have to save people. You are not a savior, you are a witness. He said your job is to OPEN YOUR MOUTH! Tell people about Him, bear witness to what you have tasted and seen of the Lord! And then His workers get the privelage of serving Him in the harvest.

He talked about John, who was not the Light but a witness to the Light. John humbly said he must decrease so Christ could increase. (I love the song Matt Redman wrote from that verse)

Jesus is mighty to save. He is the Light.

In the words of Pastor Piper,

Here’s the lesson for us. We must be his witnesses. It is a great necessity. Faith comes by hearing a witness. But we must not make much of ourselves.

OPEN YOUR MOUTHS!

and pray to the God of the Harvest.

Full sermon text is here: John was not the Light but a witness to the Light
(minus all the OPEN YOUR MOUTHS! he passionately shouts to his congregation :) )