What do we mean “focus” on our Master and Tending?

DeVern Fromke wrote in Sharpen Your Focus, “WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FOCUS? Let me explain with this quote from Charles Cowman:

The human eye is so constituted that a sailor standing night-lookout watch at sea, can see a dim object more clearly by focusing on a point a little to one side of this, than by staring directly at it. In a similar manner, your spiritual vision is designed so that you can see God’s will for you, not by concentrating on it, but by looking at Him.

This can be an important correction for those who become focused on knowing God’s will. We should never let seeking God’s will become a substitute for God Himself. When we are rightly occupied with our Father/God, we shall find that knowing His will falls into its rightful place. Walking ‘in His light, we shall see light.’”

DeVern Fromke wrote as his life-focus, “My availability, my adjustability, and my accountability will be my constant focus—a life seeking to be well-pleasing to Him.”

Examples of God blessing and tending us include:

• God’s protection around Gloria
• His comfort for Whites, Ports and Elwynne having released loved ones into God’s eternal presence.
• And insurance recently paid for needed repairs and improvements in our roof.

Meditate in God’s Word and Listen for His Voice
In Genesis 2:15 the Hebrew word shamar is translated to tend, protect, keep watch, guard. The Hebrew word abad means to serve as in dress or nurture.

God tends and nurtures us.

We are made in His image so as we focus on Him we will be blessed and be a blessing (Hebrew word barak).

Ask Him to make you aware of a gift or blessing in your life and give him thanks. (Barak also means to adore, and abad also means to worship).

Ask Him to make you aware of how He can bless another through you:

Also ask God to reveal anything hindering your focus and love for God: Deut 6:13 only worship and serve God the Lord.

Jesus answered Satan and his temptation in the wilderness by quoting Exodus 23:24 You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.

The prophet Haggai called the people to not just tend their own house but to come together and focus on God. Then they would know he was with them and they would be blessed.

2011 A Year of Tending: Focus, Faithfulness and Fruit
Our theme verse echoes this focus on God:
Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit;
so he who patiently
and faithfully guards and heeds his master
shall be honored.
~Pro 27:18

Highlights from Vision Weekend

“Become the bear” Sat AM Dwight’s pastor, Dennis Cole, challenged men with the many commands in the New Testament to be imitators of our leaders’ faith and ways which help us become like Christ. And he told us how the trackers had to become the bear to try to find it.
Saturday night we celebrated “Barbara Awards” for various members of the congregation-praising character and service.

2011 A Year of Tending: focus, faithfulness and fruit.
Pro 11:18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored.

Dennis preached Sat eve and Sun AM from Haggai
“The Lord is with us." Haggai 1:13-14
And the Lord aroused the spirit of all the people, so that they came and labored on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God
The Lord is already stirring people and uniting hearts with "to do lists" and “to give.” Several have come to Dwight with what is on their hearts to do.

Ch 2 “Who is left who saw former glory? Be strong, courageous and work and don’t be afraid, because My spirit is with you.” Haggai said we're to tend Master's garden - his house.
He breaks our strength and intellect of self and pride but from this day forward I WILL BE BLESSED (vrs 21).
Dennis honored past leaders and called us not to look back but forward- ”It’s a new day.” God’s goal in us tending His “house” and our “garden” is to extend from Genesis 2 to Revelation 21 until the nations are healed
Larissa presented her prophetic painting of Haggai chapter 2: I will shake the nations and fill you with their treasures and my glory so the glory of the latter house will be greater than before.
Jeremiah Cole gave a word to us that wisdom of older is combined with the strength of youth so young don't shape according to bow of burden and wounds of older but rather the older be healed.
JK's painting of fire around a hand is God bringing light in dark through our hospitality and service and smiles.

Finances
We received $419 toward honorarium and expenses which totaled a little over $1,000. The difference was shared by MCOKC and CLC. We also received a $100 scholarship donation toward the GateKeepers Conference (brochures on counter).
As reported we’re trusting God to increase our monthly income to restore some things we’ve had to cut.

-PD

2011 Fasting Week Friday
-John Port

We are not really an agricultural society anymore, so when we talked about going into a year of proper planting, it was necessary to explain what was involved in planting—preparing the soil for the seed, and so forth. As we move out of the year of proper planting, we now need to realize what comes after the planting—which, by the way, a year is a really long window for a planting season. But after the planting comes a period of growth and not until after the growth and ripening comes the harvest. There are things that have to be done during those times in order to improve the odds for a good harvest.

Just as the soil must be prepared and the seed scattered or planted during the planting stage, in the growth stage, the new young plants must be watered, and fertilized, and weeded, and protected from birds and insects and vermin and even disease.

I honestly don’t know what that would mean in a spiritual analogy, but we might need to find out, because after the planting comes the growth, and typically the growth season is much longer that the planting season. I understand we’re subject to God’s economy and timetable here, so it might not be very long at all, but if planting season is typically a few weeks, and growth and ripening several months—we just went through a year long planting season and we may be several years growing before we get to the harvest. That could be a whole lot of watering, and fertilizing, weeding, and protecting!

And if the analogy holds to the next stage, harvesting includes things like cutting, and hauling, and storage. What does that mean, and how do we get ready for that?

Sowing: The natural verses the spiritual
-Glenn Beaty

Sowing in the natural take a lot of patience, time, and work. The farmer plants his crop then works it weeding, watering, and waiting for something to happen. When another farmer plants a fruit tree he waters it, prunes it, and waits ( for 7 years ) for it to bear fruit. This takes much patience.

Sowing in God takes a lot of faith. As you sow your money, time, help, or work, it goes with a lot of prayer. You must have faith, for this is a miracle in progress. For when it comes, it comes in the blink of a eye. It may happen at the moment you pray, or it may happen at another time, but it happens in a blink of an eye because it is a miracle of God. This takes much faith.

Jesus said if we only had faith we could move a mountain. (Matt 21:21,22)

Review of words and prayer from Friday’s Night of Prayer

(PARTS OF THE MEETING WERE RECORDED)
Many words like Faithfulness, Continued Commitment, Tenacious Tending and Trust.

Tim—Heb 5, if we still need milk it’s because we haven’t matured enough to be teaching others. (The context in Hebrews 5 is that if ears are dull and hearts hard from not listening we remain infants dependent on milk.) Mary added that it’s time for us to be not just seeds and babies on milk but mature graftings and looking around how to help others into maturity.

Larissa and others also had confirming words on tending garden, Kendra—excitement of anticipation for seed we’ve planted and been waiting for to break through the ground—this year break through. John—growing seasons vary in length but there is time in waiting for growth after planting and still more time waiting for harvest. Mary—this coming year growth and the next and the next but God will also prune after each growth stage to increase fruit. Jeffrey—as things mature we tend them differently. Robert Miller received a detailed picture of a family farm from having spent half his life on one (he will share Sunday morning).

Dennis had a word from Psalm 133 on us being blessed by properly relating to authority, from elders to deacons to servant leaders through the whole congregation. He also prayed powerfully and clearly from Hebrews 13 that we would honor and submit to and obey our leaders that they can give account with joy. Levi reminded us of Gary Cake’s word on changes in Dwight and Barbara and leadership and us not to be critical. Dwight shared details about relating to Pastor Dennis Cole now and commented on change with Barbara being home with grandkids and the effects in him from doing the St. Ignatius Prayer Retreat in Daily Life last year.

Tim McCoy gave word on Preparing the Way for the Lord: that this was to be a year of breakthrough for leadership and the congregation taking their places with strong heart and spiritual authority.

Many others also had prayers and comments. Continue to pray and fast as led and to write down the words and send them to clcweekofprayer@gmail.com.

Richard explained the financial report from 2011: $5,000 shortfall after a $3000 shortfall in 2009 (which in 2009 included the loss of Ash Gockel and Rosh Pinah’s rent). 2010 tithe was down nearly 2% producing a monthly deficit of $400 (meaning we have been using reserves). But it was also our second year in a row of making cuts to keep pace with both the loss of rental income in 2009 and the decreases in tithe. Three options are more cuts in staff salary/benefits, to find a renter or to sell the building. Regardless of how we address the financial shortfall, the answers come as we as members of Christ seek intimacy with God to see and hear his vision and become his incarnation into the world.
Dwight shared that after listening to all the words he felt an increasing and common cry and hunger for growth and outreach, building on the sound of repentance and desire from last September’s congregation meeting which produced our prayer walking the neighborhood, fall food drive, fall party and neighborhood Sunday. It is growth and obedience to God in mission which releases faith and provision.

Fifteen years ago the congregation decided to not close the church and sell the building but to call Dwight to come from Ohio to be the pastor. One confirmation was that they had just received a new roof from insurance settlement. We are about to have some repairs and improvements made to our roof also paid for by insurance. There was specific prayer to make up the $400 monthly deficit so there would be no more cuts and to increase beyond that to restore things that have been cut and to grow and go in mission.

Larissa presented a beautiful prophetic painting and Scriptures on God’s glory being on His people who seek Him and His kingdom, even as He is shaking everything that can be removed all around us in the world. Laura danced while MC’s led worship and presented a prophetic song they received Thursday. We also prayed for the sick members of our congregation and for lost people.

THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS BEGINNING