All tagged righteousness

4 Ways to Stay United

4 Ways to Stay United

Anna Burgess
In Right Relationship

Now that you can see the prize and all the beautiful fruits that unity can bring, let’s talk about the price.  

My husband and I began living in community 5 years ago after moving from a neighborhood where nobody would talk to us! As well as getting to know our neighbours, we have gathered people around us who have become leaders of their own communities and students from our school of ministry.  There are lots of people and many leaders around us, who we work with and live life together with.  There are LOTS of opportunities for disagreements and misunderstandings and LOTS of conflicts and potential conflicts...

What John 15 doesn't say

What John 15 doesn't say

Anna Burgess
In Right Relationship

I have applied the vine and branches passage in John 15:4-5, every time I have read it, to my own personal walk with God. 100% of the time I have viewed the passage like this: If I, Anna, abide in Christ, and I, Anna, seek God and have communion with Him at all times, then I, Anna, will bear much fruit...

Is the Holy Spirit a bully?

Is the Holy Spirit a bully?

Anna Burgess
In Right Relationship

I am a missionary and I hate going up and talking to strangers.  Does anyone see an irony there?

One of the callings that I know is on my life is to share with others about Jesus.  To let people know that there is a Beautiful One who invites them to have relationship with Him and saves them out of all the nastiness of life without Him. 

If others initiate conversation, if there is even just a glimmer of relationship, I am able to chat freely and openly with them.  But if some one is going about their business, I do not want to interrupt.  Anyone else here an introvert with similar feelings?! 

There has been a voice in my head recently that has been saying this:...

Good morning, Jesus, what are your plans for today?!

Good morning, Jesus, what are your plans for today?!

Anna Burgess
In Right Relationship

Good morning, Jesus, what are your plans for today?! 

My spirit was alive and ready to engage with Emmanuel and yet my body was still shaking off the night’s sleep.  I closed my eyes as my mind focused on Him and a vision appeared of a woman praying for me. Beginning to ask Jesus what it meant, the thought came that He wanted me to ask this woman at the conference I was attending to pray for me and pray a mother’s blessing over me.  

The day before at the conference, Isabel Allum had talked about waking up every morning and greeting Jesus and asking Him about His plans, and now I had, and now He had shown me, and now I was scared stiff...  

When doing the right thing is not the right thing

When doing the right thing is not the right thing

Anna Burgess
In Right Relationship

I am really excited about this new series because I am really excited about being in relationship with Emmanuel! It is what breathes life into my life! Without Him, everything I do is pointless, worthless, depressing, overwhelming, stressful and just hard and yucky.   Sometimes, when I forget I am in relationship with the Creator of the Universe it is still those things.   When I find myself in those moments, I find myself wondering how I can cultivate a walk with God throughout my whole day, throughout my whole thought-life and throughout all my actions.

What relationship-breathed habits and rhythms can I put into my day so I don’t forget the most important relationship I have, for even a moment? Yep, just a small task! Actually, so often my life has become about tasks which I complete, trying to do them in joy and so often not knowing if I am in God’s will.  Sometimes I wonder whether God’s will actually exists in what I am doing (does God have a preference here or is He totally content to inhabit what I am doing just as a father joins in a child's play?).  Other times I find myself living in a spirit of striving: striving so hard to be and do right, but failing to actually acknowledge Him and ask His opinion on things.