Call to Courage

Healing of A Woman’s Heart – To Be Seen or Not To Be Seen – by Thomas Koester

A little girl understands the significance of inner beauty from her daddy. Her mother may teach her the practicality and meaning of femininity, but her daddy will teach her the importance of feminine beauty and being captivating in heart and soul.

To ignore this writes John Eldredge;

"...to dismiss her little twirls, bashful smiles, and cries, of: "Daddy, do you see me? Daddy, do you delight in me? Daddy, do you have time for me?" Creates ugliness on the inside and an overemphasis on external beauty.

So many little girls are wounded in heart and soul by a brute father, cruelty, or physical violence. This is not to marginalize or diminish the pain of abuse, which so many little girls and women have suffered, but a father's absence, busyness, or silence can damage her inner beauty and feminine heart.

I know this because I have a fantastic, graceful, brilliant, and gentle daughter named Tessa. She is blessed with a natural outer beauty, and, despite my long periods of absence in her younger years, she radiates inner beauty and a love for life. She is also very creative and has become a very bright and savvy businesswoman.

Yes, I know about wounded little girls and wounded wives. I wish I could undo the absent and silent years while I was too busy with career and acclimation, fame, and fortune. I hate that not only did I validate much of my wife's wounding, but I created wounding within the heart and soul of my precious daughter.

But, as fathers and daddies, if we turn our hearts back towards our daughters, they can be set free to twirl, smile, and light up with inner beauty, no matter how young or old. It is never, absolutely never too late to heal the damage we men, young and old, have inflicted on the most precious gift as a little girl.

If we don't, she'll go on, accentuating her outer beauty and cultivating and shaping her femininity as a weapon against other women and allurement to capture men's primal instinct and attention, whereby she'll ruin herself repeatedly.

The hole in her heart is caused not by strangers, boyfriends, or lovers but by a father, and no other man on earth can make her whole again except the man called daddy.

A wound where there are no tears, but only a hardened heart and dry soul, is a heart and soul that a miracle can only heal. Fathers, you are that miracle!

My daughter has told me many times, while we're in public, "did you see the way that girl looked at me?" It took me a while to understand and catch what she had experienced, but one day, I saw the snarling look girls gave to pretty girls. The irony is that the angry or jealous girl may be blessed with outer beauty.

But doesn't this speak to the real issue -- the real battle within the wounded feminine heart and soul?

She feels threatened and at war with outer beauty; no matter how unattractive or beautiful an opponent may be, she can't help but constantly compare herself to them. Her extreme focus blinds her to the inner emptiness of others. This is because she has long forgotten or is unaware of her inner beauty. So all that is left is the shell and not the substance of who she truly is. She is lost.

A wise and good father will point his daughter to a greater Father by loving her from the inside out. By loving her from his heart to hers, he grants her the belief and faith in a Loving and Father-Hearted God.

"No one can come to the Father, Jesus has said, except through me." John 14: 6. And, with the passageway and destination to God being both males, a father-wounded girl may have difficulty trusting these words of Jesus, or the goodness of the heart of a Father-God.

The Evil One uses a father's inexperience and his childhood wounding from his own father to harm the daughters and sons that he's begotten. This is called a schism, a well-planted wedge of hurt and pain from one victim to the next, from one father to daughters and sons, until generations are inflicted with heartlessness, self-loathing, and with an over-emphasis on the flesh.

If we fail to turn to our daughters, a wounded girl will compete aggressively among other sufferers, among other wounded girls. The only difference between a wounded little girl and a wounded and grown woman is the cost of their hair, makeup, clothing, and accessories.

I have nothing against makeup, clothing, or a little bling. But, if you want the right kind of man, wouldn't you instead captivate him with your heart and soul? If not, you may fall for a guy who'll not see you, not delight in you, and not spends time with you. You'll settle for the abuse of silence and busyness, a hollow man only satisfied with your competitive and external beauty, which you must constantly fight against, foods, fads, and aging.

Wouldn't you want a man who values and is captivated by your heart and soul? After all, your heart and soul are eternal and not external.

Healing is possible. Life is possible. And Love is worth fighting for, and a daddy's love is worth risking the hurt of possible rejection. But, "faith, hope, and love are eternal," and, as it further says in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13, the Love Chapter, "Love keeps no record of wrongs."
..Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hope, and always perseveres. Love never fails.
..And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13: 4-8,13.

If you want "Happily Ever After," you must find the guy who's after your heart, not your body or made-up face. When you do, you'll be happy and free to live and be loved truly.

It is the heart; it's always been the heart. And not only is this the part of you which Christ came to heal, but also to make his home with you, inside your heart.

"The Spirit of the Lord, the Eternal, is on me. The Lord has appointed me for a special purpose. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to repair broken hearts, And to declare to those who are held captive and bound in prison, “Be free from your imprisonment!” He has sent me to announce the year of jubilee, the season of the Eternal One's favor:

For our enemies, it will be a day of God’s wrath; For those who mourn, it will be a time of comfort. As for those who grieve over Zion, God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness." Isaiah 61: 1-3 (VOICE)

To be seen or not to be seen? That is a great question. Start with the healing of your heart, and all will go well with you.

Be seen as radiant and beautiful of heart, and let all other fads, fashions, and accessories go, as nothing is more important than you and the little girl who was once lost and is now found, loved, and celebrated of heart and soul.

I see you!

I love the scene from the movie, "The Last of the Mohicans," when Cora Munro, played by Madeleine Stowe, is seen by Hawkeye, played by Daniel Day-Lewis.

Cora: "What are you looking at, Sir?"

-She neither expected nor anticipated the answer she received and appeared awkward and bashful, but she is captivated by his seeing her.-

"I'm looking at you, Miss," Hawkeye said steadily.

https://youtu.be/pnQ7l7UhQTM

I'm looking at you, Toni. You are a captivating, radiant woman of heart and soul. ... I see you!

The Devil Has Awakened - The Battle Against The People of God - By Thomas Koester

God's People Need Not Fear Bad News or Rumors of War.

"Call your councils of war, but they will be worthless. Develop your strategies, but they will not succeed. For God is with us!”

A Call to Trust the Lord

"The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think as everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. He will keep you safe." - Isaiah 8: 10-14

From the movie Lord of the Rings:

King Theoden: "I will not risk open war."

Aragorn: "Open war is upon you whether you would risk it or not."

It is becoming more apparent that war is upon us and our soil. But, we as God's people must think and act differently than the masses, than even those whose job is to develop strategies and seek war counselors.

Our job as believers is to seek God, obey Him and to respect Him with great reverence and trust, and allow our reverence and confidence to be displayed to our nation and the world. This is all about the clash between light and darkness, between the ever-expanding Kingdom of God and the dwindling kingdom of darkness.

"...And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus." Revelations 12: 17

The conflicts we all see between the Left and the Right, in our politics, in our culture, and in our society is nothing more than the manifestation of a great spiritual battle.

Will we be swept up in this conflict?

Will some of us be tested?

Will some of us lose our lives?

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it." - Matthew 16: 25

Did you know that the most potent and most dangerous soldier is one who realizes that he's already dead?

Movie quote, Band of Brothers:

Capt. Ronald Speirs: "You know why you hid in that ditch, Blithe?"

Pvt. Albert Blithe: "I was scared."

Capt. Ronald Speirs: "We're all scared. You hid in that ditch because you think there's still hope. But Blithe, the only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead, and the sooner you get that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier's supposed to work. Without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends on it."

For us who believe, we are already dead to the passions and fears of the world. Our lives are hidden in Christ, and it is no longer you or I that live, but Christ living in and through us. This makes us unstoppable and immovable. You are powerful and dangerous for good if you are in Christ and he's in you!

And so, we have His grace running in and through us to grant incredible mercy and great compassion to our enemies without remorse or hatred. Even if they terrorize or torment us, we in Christ have greater power - For we have the power of resurrection and eternal life. For us to die is life eternal, but to live is Christ and the power of the cross to save even the vilest sinner.

Despite what you hear in the news, be that unstoppable and immovable force of faith and trust in God through Jesus Christ. For this is who you are in Christ, and this is what our nation and the world need to see. Christ Jesus is the only hope of the world, and He lives in you!

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

Trust in the Lord. He's in this fight, and he will win the battle. It's all about the power of the Gospel, and your life and attitude must be the Gospel to all who need Christ Jesus, including BLM, Antifa, and Islamic-jihadist.

Make God holy in your life; after all, He's the only one you need to honor and respect with reverence and awe.

There is no other God but The LORD, and He is the only God whose name is The Lord All-Mighty (God of The Angel-Armies). And, He will therefore fight for His children.

The Devil's awakening is nothing compared to the glory of God amid His people.

Rise up Oh, Children of God! Trust fully in The Lord. It is His battle to win.

The Superman Pastor - By Thomas Koester

Are you exhausted, running on empty, and your stress odometer has cycled over too many times?

If so, you may be a Superman Pastor.

Your identity and significance must be in your sonship and not in your pastorship. Never use your intimacy with God as a vicarious impetus for others to synthesize. In doing this, you and your congregation will both become lost and distant from God. People will hunger for your intimacy at the sacrifice of their own connection with God. Instead, reveal the heart and passion of God for them until their Father-hunger for God surpasses their father-hunger for you.

Won’t this lighten your load?

Won’t this save your marriage?

Won’t this free you up to be your children’s daddy?

If not, maybe your cape is showing.

Some of you may have opted for early retirement or have dropped out of pastorship, only to find yourselves lost. It might be due to being trapped in a nonstop service and performance role with God and others. This was never God’s doing; it comes from the writ of men, financial expectations of Church boards, and the results-oriented corporate governance in most Churches.

Did you know that the word “religion” actually means to “re-bond” with God? The Latin word comprises two parts, “re,” meaning again, and “ligare,” pointing to bind or to bond.

We Protestants are constantly harping against other religions that faith in God is not a religion but a relationship. But, in tossing out the word religion, we’ve tossed out the significance of the word. Rather than genuinely encouraging and leading people into intimacy and sonship with God, they’ve learned by our actions as pastors and enter into performance roles, as presented by the World’s false religions.

So many pastors have lost their intimate bond with God because of the performance and service trap. So they end up helplessly modeling burnout, depression, and, believe it or not, loneliness. A pastor can become lonely even among his congregation, large or small.

Many pastors feel they must keep up the role of pastor at all costs. He must appear spiritually diligent and vivacious when in the public view. And, if he’s incredibly talented, he will maintain this exhausting role even in front of his family.

What happens to a man when he calls his darkness light?

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your vision is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness! – Matthew 6:22-23

When a pastor calls his darkness light, he cuts himself off from God and others, and the duplicity becomes more and more costly.

If a pastor, and for that matter, any of us, satisfies our father-hunger with God and not with the ministry, we will grow as true sons and daughters of God. It will therefore be the fruit of our lives, which will benefit others, and encourage them to bear their fruit by connecting to the True Vine, Jesus Christ.

An overactive pastor cannot maintain a pastor’s schedule or demands with humility and transperity. Not if he's a mortal. Many fear transperity and humility due to the cost of acclaim and notoriety; therefore, he's afraid to allow his humanness and frailty to be seen by others.

Better to take on the humility of Christ and the burden of Christ. Did you know that bearing your cross is a very public affair? Jesus bore the weight of his cross in public, and, at the moment where he had lost his strength, a simple man aided him and carried his cross for a distance.

Being a good pastor is not a sprint, and it’s not meant to be a solo act. It’s teamwork; it should involve the aid of good men of faith. After all, the ministry of the Church is meant for the whole Church and not simply by one man. By each of us, you and me, joining in the ministry, we will grow in our faith and collectively reach maturity in Christ as a healthy body. Ephesians 4: 11-16

In so doing, we can spare the good men of God, who pastor the flock because of the call God has on their lives.

There is so much more to talk about on this subject. But, until then, pray for your pastors. Become more involved. Give them grace. Take better care of one another. Visit one another. Pray for one another. Support your pastor, and not just with your finances, but with your time too.

After all, aren’t we all children of God?

Only in DC Comics will you find a Superman.

A True Leader - By Thomas Koester

Being a leader is becoming a servant and refusing all temptation to be otherwise.

A true leader is the first to repent, the first to seek forgiveness, and the first to rise after a fall. He is the first to extend grace to others because he's the first to extend grace to himself. He sets a standard that others can achieve without the need for a diploma or a pinstriped suit.

A true leader has learned the art of diminishment. He understands that if others are to increase that he must decrease, so he looks for others to promote rather than himself. He restrains himself from being the source of revelation but instead helps others find the Source.

He is more interested in raising leaders and not followers.

He does not set his own life as a standard to follow. He knows his life is plagued with imperfection and that leaders don't always do what is right; that's impossible. Instead, his humility points to the sufficiency found only in Christ and not in himself. He is clothed in Christ's humility rather than theological pedigrees.

A true leader refuses to sit on pedestals. He denies the acclaim and the applause of men. He understands fleshly accent will lead not only to his demise but to all those who foolishly elevate him.

So, he leads with humility, quiet strength, and fear reserved for the Lord. The voice and message that matters most to him are; "well done, my good and faithful servant," and not the flattery of men.

Being a leader is becoming a servant and refusing all temptation to be otherwise.

Men and women of these qualities appear rare because humanity always looks in the wrong places for such leaders. They did two thousand years ago, and they still do today.

Be careful following the "impeccable," They may be a fake and a phony. A real man of God doesn't hide his imperfections; he leads through them and because of them. Don't become captivated by their charisma, but rather by their character.

The authenticity of a real man of God and a true leader is who they are after the crowds leave and what their wife and children see of them when no one's looking.

A good man's greatest compliments come from his wife and children.