Thursday, February 7, 2013

Covenant Players, My Ministry


There has been a lot of discussion going on, about my ministry, which is a big part of who I am, who I have grown into. Some negative, some positive, some whiny, some divisive and rude, some pointless, and some pressing toward a point.

I don't want to talk about that, I want to share a bit more about what I actually do! For anyone that knows me and isn't quite sure. I want to share what it's like, and I want to ask you to pray for the future of it, for the people, for the opportunities, for the presence of God to fill every crack and corner.

I am a Covenant Player. I travel full time. I don't have a bedroom or a pillow. I don't have a guaranteed salary. I have never gone without because the Lord has always provided what I needed, and quite often, what I didn't even need, I just wanted!

I call (phone for the Brits that may read this!) a lot of people. I try to make contacts to new places, to share the ministry. When I call schools, I share how we want to encourage their English, and help them communicate about tough, relevant issues while doing it. Dealing with anger, respect, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol, making wise decisions for the future. When we aren't allowed to speak about the Lord, we respect that. When I phone churches, I tell them about how we want to help wake up the church, to use their gifts, to serve. I tell them about how we can do evangelistic outreaches such as dinner theaters to invite non Christian friends to attend.

I want to find out a way to contact prisons to share plays about forgiveness and peace and new life. I want to perform for homeless people to encourage them about hope and starting over.

Every few nights I travel with my team to the next place. I learn lines, in French and English. They are recorded on my phone and I listen and listen and repeat and repeat. We do devotions every day. We meet people and rehearse in churches and living rooms. We go to performances. We talk to people afterwards.

Covenant Players is about to turn 50 years old! It's an amazing number, and it's humbling to be a part of it, to think of all those people that paved the way. Pam Cowser, who went into Pastor's offices with a French/English dictionary to make the first contacts. The people who painstakingly translated plays. The people who went following a brand new vision and led to my coming, a scared to death 19 year old 7 and a half years ago.

I have seen many people come and go. Out of the 32 people that I have spent significant chunks of time with on the road, 13 are still in. I hold them all up with the highest respect- I mean, they lived and traveled with me! Especially those 10 in the States- man.

I have seen all kinds of people. Those who led with dilligance and cheerfulness, those who tenderly cared, those who didn't want to get too close, those that hid behind a veneer of professionalism and distance, those that hid full stop, those that were used to be taken for granted, those with low expectations, those depressed, those with ridiculously high expectations, those that worked too hard, and those that tried to find a balance. And, for two years, my husband and I shared leadership. Then I wanted to go back in time to really apologize to my old unit leaders!

I do have a point, not just in exposition. I heard a sermon that changed my thinking. I like life more with this simple thought.
On the cross, Jesus finished it. It is done. There is nothing we can do to add what he did already. He gives us the opportunity to have gifts and to use them for his pleasure. I don't have to keep the world going. Whatever I do, he will be there, and it's good. All of it.

So my ministry is going on a journey, literally and spiritually. I believe healing and refreshment is ahead, for those that left well, or badly, who carry scorn or disappointment, or confusion. It is finished. No human can ruin what God has made. One day he will wipe every tear, and we will be able to receive His forgiveness eyeball to eyeball. One day we will be able to forgive everyone that hurt us, seeing how small our forgiveness is in comparison to what we have already received.

Covenant Players is a vehicle, and serving has changed me and grown me. And it's still going because God is calling new people with passion and vision!

So fellow CPer's, or former ones, or family member, or random stranger on the internet- Just give up the burden, whatever it is- be it, not being good enough, or not getting enough results, or whatever. Enjoy life, enjoy what you do because it's a gift. Just be free and go on holiday with God in your heart because what we do is not what counts. It's what He did, and does.

Bless you!

P.S. If you want to read more about our 50 year celebration and how to be a part of it, see this great article written by a powerful lady I admire greatly.



Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Strangest Comment Ever


  1. About a week ago, a total stranger left a strange comment on my post. Because comments are rare, and because I liked my answer, I thought I would edit the comment for those I don't want to subject to crude language (which is  uneducated and unimaginative filler to punctuate strong feelings and/or ignorance) I'm not saying that to belittle the person. It's an observation seen in many others. 

    So here it is, the comment that caused me to scratch my head until it bled. Not literally. 

    The weak people in this world can't accept the world for how it is. Therefore they make up a better world. A world in which there is no injustice. A world in which there is order. The world they make up is afterlife. In the afterlife the ones who didn't have any joy in there lives, the ones who abode to "the lords" laws of chastity. Those people will be rewarded. Everything they couldn't be in their lives and therefore hate, will be punished in the afterlife. Everything from a man having sex with another man to mocking god, to abusing other people for their own good will be punished. These weak people are just blind for their own foolishness. They just can't see that the world doesn't work the way they wan't it to work. 

    So let me get this straight, if you don't do what you wanted to do, you get the afterlife. Hell was invented by people who want to see others get punished? Not quite.
    Christians know that is takes weakness to trust. It takes humility and trust, to look at a Father God and trust that He will take care of us. It takes strength in hope, in resilience  in not giving up, even when things don't look or feel fair. But Hell was not invented by us, nope. Hell is the Enemy punishment, waiting for Him with open arms. Hell is the place that Jesus saved us from with his sacrifice. To trust that His cross will bridge the gap between man's failures and the Lord's Power to lead us into heaven, that is what our faith is in. 

    Therefore they take a drug, that drug gives them confidence to go on living the life they are living. This drug makes them believe that being the weak one, the one who doesn't stand up for himself but turns the other cheek, is the right thing to do. This drug is religion, invented by poor slaves and bums like Jesus and Mohammed, to make their lives more bearable in absence of heroin. 

    The real drug is our sinful nature, our flesh, trying to separate us from the love of God. He died for us, and the enemy just wants us to slide by, losing ourselves in passing pleasures so we walk straight down into hell without even noticing when the road curved.  Turning the other cheek is the right thing. It's not weak to walk away. Jesus didn't defend himself as he was being delivered to die. He washed his disciples feet. He was a servant and his example showed us that we are not to be served, but we are to serve. We show His love by loving those that don't deserve it. Jesus didn't have a place to sleep. But he wasn't a bum. He trusted in His Father to supply His needs, and he is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, sitting on a throne in heaven right now.

    There were a lot of bums in those days and so religion spread throughout the world, doing all the opposite things it stood for and making the slaves masters. If religion was true to itself, it would of never tried to get the message across to other people by using violence. It would never have conquered land or tortured people who wouldn't agree with them. But religion is an invention of human beings and therefore it works like human beings. When the religious people felt they could grasp the power because of their huge numbers they seized power and forgot all about the values they used to speak of. 

    There is a point I have to agree with you on- religion can be a terrible thing. It can take the focus off of what is important. It can be a bunch of people wearing fancy clothes arguing about who fasts more, it can be a pharisee thanking the Lord that he is not like that sinner over there. It can be too many discussions and not enough action. It can be gossip thinly veiled by prayer requests. It can be a bunch of people wearing masks, not sharing their real problems because they need to be seen as all together. Jesus came to save the sick, those in need of a doctor. Violence is obviously not the answer. Power corrupts many. Religiosity, self righteousness and so many of us need to be shaken up now and then to go back to the word of God and look at our hearts and examine just how good we feel about ourselves.

    So people talking about how we have to abide to god and how about christianity is all good and all the rest is evil "…filler filler, junk, not worth reading...."( basically I'll do bad stuff to you.)  Not because I hate religious people, no, I'll do it just for the sake of getting you mad. 

    There's a lot of anger here, and I'm not sure what it has to do with my blog- especially this post. I think its pretty strange to take so much time to spread hate. I don't hate you, and I don't hate people that disagree with me. I'm not about condemning people. I don't appreciate being subscribed to that brand of people, though I know it is the common thought. Not all Christians hate, but we sure get a lot directed at us. I pray that you will come to know that Jesus loves you and died for you to have peace and freedom, not as a drug to be injected, but as deliverance from all that anger and hate spewing out. I ain't even mad, though. Confused, but I don't make that old mistake of holding non-Christians up to the standard that Christians should be living in, that is, of agape love. Loving those that are hard to love without expecting anything in return.

    P.S. I'm actually god and I read your message about how your heart is longing to share and all that. Well I gave you a  "filler filler, junk, not worth reading."
  2. No. No, you aren't. You are a person. I will continue to share my heart for Him and for whoever reads this. It's aimed for Christians,  but I do pray that some that don't know the Lord will find this, and will get curious about the Bible, about Him, about His promises. I pray that I can be a blessing. Amen.


Monday, February 4, 2013

Sitting on the Promises

Here's something a little different- you've been warned!

Sitting on the Promises
Sitting on the promises of Christ my King
Now and then I'll try and let His praises ring
Through gritted teeth I will mumble and sing
Sitting on the promises of God

Chorus
Sitting, sitting, sitting on the promises of Christ my Savior
Sitting, sitting, I'm sitting on the promises of God

Sitting on the promises that might once fail
Fighting howling storms of doubt to no avail
With the book upon my shelf I wither and wail
Sitting on the promises of God

Chorus

Sitting on the promises of Christ the Lord
bound to death eternally by sin's strong cord
My fears will continue to have the final word
Sitting on the promises of God

Chorus

Sitting on the promises I always fall
Listening intentionally to the lies that maul
I wish I could eventually stand free and tall
But I'm sitting on the promises of God

Chorus