Friday, January 29, 2010

Friday...good

January 29, 2010


FRIDAY...GOOD

Well, the day has come and most everything is boxed up.

We are scrambling a bit extra so as to not break contact with you. It is so critical that we know we are not losing touch. It gives us fresh hope continually. Thanks for being there.

New blog address:
daveargue.blogspot.com
We're calling it Spirit Life...the probable title of a book I will begin writing in earnest within hours.

You can e-mail us at jckargue@yahoo.com or dwargue@gmail.com.

The title today I thought of as a reversal of the incredible "Good Friday" in which our Lord did it all for all of us. But it was such a dark day as well.
I reversed the title out of a desire to say, the day is good for us. We are doing well, thanks in great part to the stuff done for us in the heavenlies on that Good Friday.

The new blog site, daveargue.blogspot.com features a picture...hmm, not sure how much that adds...but big thankyou to Shayla (our Minneapolis gal) and Jackie (my best friend...also my wife!) who conspired together to make sure the switch-over went off well.

Focus of teaching on Sunday will probably be Psalm 46 - which includes the oft quoted but hard to live line - "be still and know that I am God." Good words for a week like this.

Thanks for being my friend.

David

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Montana and the future

Thursday, January 28, 2010


Montana and the future

We got back from Montana last night.

Three sessions...wonderful people...great attendance.

We did a session on how pastors can manage truth...and the Sup followed up with a small group session in which we considered what I had just said and how the 16 Fundamentals of our movement line up with that. Fascinating....lively....life-giving.

Another session involved how pastors can pastor in the midst of the presence of God as the people are gathered in worship. We taught first and then did a lab....for a pretty long time with a wonderful sense of Presence, good participation...and lots of lingering into the night. Finally, Jackie and I closed with a session that included lots of our typical banter about our journey and some important life lessons for ministry. It was a wonderful time...so affirming and with such a deep sense that it was making a lasting impact on the great team of pastors and partners that had gathered. PTL!

Thanks for your prayers.

And now we are in a final days scramble to close shop at rmdc and open it in our home.

Please see the last blog for up-to-date contact info. And note that the e-mail address has changed to daveargue@gmail.com. If for some reason you can't connect, just call us and we'll tell you how to jump on board our fast-moving sleigh.

We love you!

"ALL things do work together for good,
for those who love God and are called according to His purpose."
The "called" and "love" are our part.
The "purpose" and "work" are His part.
And the good night's rest comes with reminding yourself of the meaning of "all."

God IS with you...

Us too.

David

Friday, January 22, 2010

Exit

Friday, January 22, 2010


EXIT

2:10pm

Well, the office closes at 11:30, but Jackie and I leave for three days speaking in Montana soon, so I have just two days (next Thursday and Friday) left in the office.

So I just loaded up little red (my 5 speed 2001 Civic) with boxes - removing about half of what I need to remove by next week.

This morning my secretary did a stupendous thing for me, producing a calling card that I can use in the interim.....it says:

DAVID W. ARGUE
Pastor, coach, consultant, communicator.
3989 Pronghorn Meadows Circle, Colorado Spring Co 80922
H.719-573-5183 C.719-339-7746 dwargue@gmail.com
and my blog address: daveargue.blogspot.com

Ah....there you have it. And do stay in touch.

The Blog will continue.

And the process of defining the future vocationally goes on.
Adjunct pastor to some churches? possibly.
Coach? Yes those wanting to be coached are emerging.
Communicator? Yes. Requests to "come" are on the calendar.
Writer? Yes...clearance for another Evangel article came this week. And I will begin writing a book very soon.
Blogger? Always.
Interim pastor? Yes.
Consultant for churches wanting to figure out where they are and how to move forward? Yes.
Servant to the church and its people in any way possible? Yes.

We appreciate your ideas, insights, prayers and words of encouragement.

Thanks for being our friends.

David and Jackie

Well, I will take more boxes and stuff out now and make sure the lights are out.

The office is dark...but I am not alone.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Affirmation

January 19, 2010

AFFIRMATION



It was one of the hardest times of my life.

My mother had died after a long bout with cancer - and in the middle of an all-night prayer meeting for her healing.

I was 17 and full of developmental raging and teen uncertainties.

I was having the hardest academic year ever at a special senior level in a huge downtown high school in the heart of french and catholic Montreal.

My sister was a newly wed with stars in her eyes and wonder at every turn.

The church and my lonely father were embattled.

Sundays were not celebrations and at times his agony could be heard in the dark of the nights that followed.

And my inner dialog was turning all this into self-doubt and statements negative and faithless.

Life was a crock.

Where was God?

This would never end.

Don't trust people......and don't trust even God.



And then my youth pastor sought me out bearing these words for me:

"David, life will not always be this bad.
This is really bad stuff right now....it is awful. I'm struggling too.
Do not take what is happening personally
...there is not much about any of this that you can affect.
Seasons of life like this have to be just walked through a day at a time.
And you will make it to the other side.
You are a good person and God will do things through you that will be very good.
I believe in you."

And that day I got a little more sane....and a lot more settled.
Strength started to appear - at least on the far horizons of my soul.

And we all walked through it - one day at a time.

My sister stayed very happy in her marriage.
My Dad recovered and remarried - and ministered till he was 77.

And I entered the ministry - in large part because I wanted to be like my youth pastor.

And all the while, I believe, my mother looked down upon us nodding her approval.


Affirmation has a power to revitalize the soul.

Some ideas to help us be effective in this:
1. speak the truth - not vague platitudes of kindness - but the truth as God has given it
2. be brief - the mind can only process so much - especially when it is already overworked.
3. be direct - get close, look unswervingly and kindly at the ones you affirm
4. speak hope in God - and there is always hope in God
5. say it simply - and repeat it - until you sense the person you are speaking to gets it
6. let your feelings show - put some of your soul next to your friend.

Affirm someone soon....it is the stuff of miracles.

David

Friday, January 15, 2010

Self Talk

Friday - January 15, 2010


SELF TALK


Self talk?

It seems most often to be the stuff of
....scarey movies
....and strange looking people
.....and anything irregular.

Self Talk.

People who "are a bit deranged, a bit out of touch, and bereft of good friends they can talk to."

Yep.

They tend to go about with moving lips and funny words and strange visage.

So we don't want to get caught muttering whatevers, wherever.

Really?

Actually I think all of us are talking a lot of the time....just not out loud, not with moving lips...but brain waves are going all the time in our consciousness.
How am I doing?
What are they thinking?
What is going on?
How could they?
What does this mean...?

Thoughts are flooding us all the time.

My discovery recently has been that a bit of good self talk - even out loud - can slow down or stop the negative brainwaves that are trying to dominate emotion and even interrupt proper action.

So I have found myself at times giving voice to words like:
"that doesn't really matter that much"
- "tommorow this situation will have changed"
- "this really isn't worth getting upset about"
- "Jesus is still Lord of my life."

And in working with this process I have discovered fresh insight that I need daily from Ephesians 4:15 - it says, if we don't want to react in an infantile manner and end up getting tossed about by life, we must learn to "speak the truth in love and keep growing up into Christ" (adapted).

The insight?
The "speaking the truth" part applies to myself also.

In these days, I have found that a pointed, clear, speaking the truth to myself, even out loud, is producing a noticeable movement of my spirit in the right direction.

I think it is a basic truism of Christian mental health. Give it a try.

Oh...
And if you run out of loving words and faith words to speak to yourself, let me commend to you self talk - in other tongues/purely spiritual expression from your heart - where your spirit is released, you are giving thanks, you are moving beyond the limitations of self only. (See I Corinthians 14 for a Biblical jump-start)

For each of us today, may this be a day of stability, growth and truth spoken clearly to everyone.

Including, ourselves.

Selah.

David

Monday, January 11, 2010

On Giving

As promised, here are the notes from what I shared with so many of you recently.

On Giving.

God set forth a pattern for giving very early in the Old Testament that has prevailed ever since,
among His people.

Here are highlights of it.

1. Tithe forms the basis of everything - Leviticus 27:30-32 - 10% of all income given to the place of spiritual formation and life

2. Every 7th year, cancel all debts and set your debtors free - Deuteronomy 15:1ff

3. Leave the corners of your fields uncut for the poor - Leviticus 19:9, 23:22

4. Take a Sabbath rest each week - Exodus 23:12

5.Redeem firstborn males of children and animals with an offering - Exodus 13:12-13

Any way you cut it, this was large amount of giving in a very challenging time - some have calculated it came to over 40% of actual impact in terms of their income and lifestyle.

What prevailed into the Jesus' and New Testament era (our time) was a tithe as a basis, given to the place where spiritually we are nurtured and helped to grow, plus offerings to the poor and giving as sparked by the Spirit of God, now released through the work of Jesus in His people. Basic to this all in our era is the conviction everything now belongs to God and is to be released at His clear bidding. Both Jesus and Paul are recorded as saying: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) I would rather have 90% of my income to manage with God's blessing than to be on my own with 100%.

What is the "blessedness" (or greatness) of giving all about?

Three things...

One - Giving is a form of spiritual warfare.
We cripple the power of mammon when we give and reassert the Lordship and generosity of Jesus in our lives.
a. I Timothy 6:9-10 - nb Matthew 13:22
b. Luke 16:13
* Illustrations - a couple and a set of tires -
* Us and Einsteins Bagels just yesterday

Two - Giving further establishes faith, confidence and certainty in our hearts
We give shape to the power of the Spirit in us when we simply follow the directions of the word.
a. Luke 16:11-12
b. Matthew 10:42 - You CAN take it with you.
c. Proverbs 3:9-10
Andrew Womack: I've never seen anyone moving in God strongly who is not generous.

In God's financial system:
a. there is total security
b. there are eternal dividends
c. there is heart focus, confidence, and faith in the now

Three - Giving is a gateway to the miraculous, the road to adventure with God.
Luke 6:38
a. People give earrings and God turns it into cherubim - Exodus 25, 35, 40
b. A woman of little means gives a jar of oil - and bam! - I Kings 17:7-16
c. A boy gives up his lite lunch and 5000 people sit down to eat - John 6:9ff
d.A soldier gives regularly to people in need and God shows up extraordinarily - Acts 10:2

So, get started or catch up - join the adventure and feel the presence and security of being a generous giver.

Malachi 3:7-12


As you give, exercise faith to...
break the power of mammon in your life
speak your faith in the present time - God is your source
open your heart and watch for the adventure this brings.

Selah.

Three -

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Doors

January 7, 2010

DOORS


Just sent out 40 letters of update information.

Searching for what is next. (See prior blogs for the full story.)

40 little taps on doors to see if something might open that is God.
40 attempts to stir up prayers and ideas with some people who we know listen well.
40 attempts to tell God and those around us we are listening and watching and open to His direction.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap..........


As I have prepared to do this I have been so reminded of words spoken in the first century to a church in Philadelphia.
(not Pennsylvania!)

Here it is....

(find the complete text in Revelation 3:7-13)

What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
I know your deeds.
See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
I know you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

I take comfort that this is a widely applying promise.
Qualifications, after all, include:
a little strength
have not denied my name
part of a large church

I take note that the doormaster is not me or my deeds, but God Himself and His invincible will.

I also reflect a lot about a series of thoughts that turn this into a lesson from every room in our lives:
About panic: You never have a door without also having walls....so don't get down when it is not a straight line shot to the goal. That zig zag you're on. Could be pure God.

About pace: Walls cause us to slow down, and walk straight. - so we have to navigate clearly with the lights on brightly. Rather than pressing the accelerator, you might try the brakes.

About progress: Walls too let us mark progress and find our way home.
Ask me about my first try getting home in the dark in the Springs. No mountain to signal - "west." Nah, better not ask.

And walls are sometimes an annoyance to us..
(..unless we've already read this blog :)

So let us deal with the "walls" with grace and wisdom...and not lose any precious energy or time in a fretful, mistrusting, reverse gear.

Let us keep trusting in He who opens and closes, and knows the plans He has for us...that the closed will open or the open will close in just the right time.

"Our Father, in heaven...thanks for accomplishing Your will in us. Thanks for your care over us and the details that come under Your gaze. Thanks for openings and closings that keep us on the long and often winding road - to home. We even thank You for the walls, that add direction, excitement, care to our lives. Jesus, You are the best. Amen."

Rest well tonight.

God is in control.

Selah.

David

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

New Year - New Us

January 6, 2010


NEW YEAR - NEW US


With all the topsy-turviness of life in these times, (see prior blogs) Jackie and I have begun some new patterns to stabablize and hear the Lord's voice better.

Here's one....

Set aside the last alert-and-together hour of the day for a time together or with household members, that, with flexibility and the prompted direction of the Holy Spirit, includes a combination of the following:

* You and the members of your family that can be or choose to be present. No force on anyone.
* A comfortable, suitable room, uninvaded by extraneous noise and traffic. (Do you need to post a sign on the door? :)
* An hour, available to be used - so this does not become a brief perfunctory action.
* Your most used Bible - the one you use for personal devotions. (We have also been bringing the current spiritually relevant things that we are reading, in case we sense a prompt to share them.)
* The freedom given to each other to speak out loud, to sing, to be emotionally transparent and deeply honest.
* A notebook so that you can write down things that come to mind as important, or things that you together sense the Lord is doing in your midst.

The Hour:
* Pray over the gathering place and dedicate it for the time set aside to be especially the Lord's.
* Gather and get comfortable.
* Begin, most often, by getting quiet and comfortable with the gathering.
* As led by the Spirit - pray, sing, read, be still, write, just listen, talk, confess, implore the Lord - all of these movements of the heart as frequently, long or short, simple or complex, spoken or sung, standing or kneeling or just sitting still. Lingering or leaving....but following the heart and soul and Spirit.
* Interact with one another about what is going on as appropriate.
* And at the end, be sure to include:
summarizing ("What will we take away from this time?) and
a final time of being still
(Just to see if the Lord has a bit more of something to speak into each one.)

Need more strength for challenging times?

Try Psalm 77 - (be sure to check out the Message version)

David