Searching for Redemption in Thin Places

Speaking of thin places, two of my sites this summer have pretty high elevation. The highest I've been this summer I believe was somewhere around 10,000ft. while hiking to a waterfall at Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat Springs, CO. Such a marvelous adventure!

Have you ever struggled with something, spent time in a different environment where you seemed to grow and conquer your previous struggle, all to return for a visit or even move back and be completely discouraged by the battle of slipping back into old habits? (Yeah, me neither...)

Like breathing in higher elevation becomes significantly more difficult for the average person , it's also easy to be caught off-guard in situations that pull on who you "used" to be.

My summer of me, myself & I time of rental cars, dirt highways and fields for days is coming to a close, and I am a experiencing something I never thought I would. Growing up with an adventurous spirit and restless heart, I couldn't wait to get out and taste the world. For good. The highway to independence had my name written all over it, and there was no turning back. Thinking about it I've been a nomad for about 5 years now. Sleeping mats, air mattresses and cots have been the norm for me, and the question has always been "What's next?"

After a chorus of What's next?'s I find myself asking What now?

Graduating college left me chasing my dreams out in California, where there are no regrets. Guaranteed the most difficult year and season of my life so far, it was also the most rewarding and fruitful time I've ever experienced, which I am confident there is only more of that to come.

I had some incredibly appealing opportunities awaiting my return to Redding this Fall, but God has opened my heart to His heart for my family, and it's honestly something that I've ran from for years. Despite potential obstacles, I see this season as necessary for the breakthrough I've desired in my family, and for God to continue teaching me about His nature and plan for my life.

Chasing after my dreams in Cali has taught me about the importance of chasing my roots. Especially when there's still room for redemption, which is of course who He is!

I am saying NO! to the fears of falling back into old tendencies and habits. God has equipped me with everything I need to thrive in this season of learning and expressing myself in new ways. That's the truth!

I've been reading quite a bit about embracing and living out of our NEW natures in Christ:

"The finished work of Christ really has gone to the root of our problem and dealt with it. There are no half measures with God. He has made full provision for sin's rule to be utterly broken."

"Our reckoning must be based on (our) knowledge of divinely revealed fact, for otherwise faith has no foundation on which to rest. When we know, then we reckon spontaneously. We should never over-emphasize reckoning. People are always trying to reckon without knowing. They have not first had a Spirit-given revelation of the fact; yet they try to reckon, and soon they get into all sorts of difficulties. When temptation comes, they begin to reckon furiously: 'I am dead; I am dead; I am dead!' but in the very act of reckoning, they lose their temper. Then they say, 'It doesn't work. Romans 6:11 is no good.' And we have to admit that verse 11 is no good without verse 6. So it comes to this: that unless we know for a fact that we are dead with Christ, the more we reckon, the more intense will the struggle become, and the issue [result] will be sure defeat."

"'I have died.' Live like it. Know that your short-comings and mistakes are not who you are, and move forward. Dead unto sin through your death with Christ Jesus. Alive unto God IN Christ Jesus and through faith IN him. You look to the Lord, and know what He has done. 'Lord, I believe in thee. I reckon upon the fact in thee."

[Quotes from The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee]

Because Their Dad Was Thor?

There is fullness of joy in the Kingdom of God. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. And on that note... this is hilarious.

Oh my. Take a gander. You won't regret it. Disclaimer: for the light of heart only aka lighthearted.

Why did Jesus call James and John "Sons of Thunder"?!

Because they had gas? I don’t know exactly what the disciples ate. If I did, I’d write a book called “The Disciples’ Diet.” It would contain all the secrets that Jesus taught His followers about keeping fit and trim. Actually, I do know they ate bread and fish (that’s how Jesus fed the 5,000) and they drank wine (Jesus turned water into wine at a party, and during the Last Supper, Jesus shared a cup of wine with the disciples after He had broken bread with them). I’m thinking they must have eaten beans, too. Those can cause flatulence in some people. Maybe James and John were affected. Perhaps their gas came out in a loud burst, like thunder. Perhaps I’d better move on to another reason.

Hole Made Whole

Have you ever heard of Richard Twiss?

I'm currently reading his book, "One Church, Many Tribes" in preparation for my job this summer, and it's absolutely incredible. I would heartily recommend it (as it focuses on the Church as a whole, as well as the greater concepts of missional living, evangelism and cross-cultural ministry). Richard Twiss has previously been a keynote speaker at The Justice Conference, and has been an influential voice as a Native American Christian. Incredible!

Here's a quote from the book - "Contrary to common belief, the European colonial practice of importing slaves to North America under the guise of serving the advancement of God and country did not begin with the importation of African tribal people, but in fact began with the enslavement of the host people of this land" (43). He goes on to share about an encounter with God one of his Anglo friends, David Tavernier, had: "Finally after many weeks of seeking the Lord, I simply asked, 'Holy Spirit, what is the root sin in the heart of America?' Several days passed by and to my surprise the words 'Native American Indians' began to resound in my heart. As I began to meditate on these words, something tremendous started to happen. Deep down on the inside of me I began to be burdened with grief. At first I had no idea why. I had no reason to grieve. I was deeply moved during periods of intercession to groaning, travailing (at times as in birth), weeping and actually mourning in the Spirit. For the next several weeks I was overwhelmed by an almost unbearable sense of loss, as though I had just lost a loved one. My heart was broken when I began to sense what must be the enormous depth of God's grief over the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers and the devastation done to the Indians. It seemed as though I felt only a tiny portion of His sorrow, but even that was all I could bear. During this encounter the Lord opened my eyes and my heart and I began to understand with a deep bitterness of soul that generations past did not deal kindly with Indian people according to God's law of love and justice. It seemed the Lord showed me that the unchecked, unrepented sins of our forefathers have created a spiritual blockage hindering the move of God in our nation" (50).

May we desire to see reconciliation and wholeness in our hearts and in our world.

And I Was Mistaken.

Hello my name is Casey Hasselkus and Christ is in me - the HOPE of glory.

As you could see from my previous post on here, I've been rather consumed lately with the concept of HOPE. I would risk the thought that HOPE is in fact life changing. Once there's been a taste, there's no turning around or walking away.

HOPE in general, just as a concept is pretty powerful as is, but I'd also argue that there is a limit - somewhere it caps off. It leaves you hanging... pondering the question, What or Who is my hope in? And Why?

I've also been thinking about Where hope is fueled, or the lack of it. Where is it that I most often recognize hope? Where is it that hopelessness seems so overwhelming?

My mind; thought-life. It's a pretty active place most of the time.

Hopelessness has made its home there many a time. The lack of confident expectation of good. Best friends with society and kept alive within the Church - accompanied by expectation. I once thought it even used to speak my language, but I was mistaken. I've discovered a better way. Full of life.

Paul instructs us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 that "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and [that] we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." Un-biblical thought patterns (also known as negative self-talk) create strongholds, fueling this hope void spoken of. Think of it this way: I can't always stop a bird from pooping on my head, but I can keep it from building its nest there. It's not about what thought has popped up in us today, but what we have dwelt upon that carries significance. We don't have to fall prey to Deceiver or listen to the King of Lies any longer. As one of my pastor's recently shared, "Let's make a decision here and today to not encourage the devil. I don't wanna feed him. I don't wanna have him over for dinner. I don't wanna motivate or entertain him either." The list goes on.

Hope means confident expectation of good. God's nature is Good. That's who He is. HE is HOPE. We carry that. We carry Him and release His goodness that He may be glorified. If Christ is IN me... the HOPE of GLORY (Col. 1:27) and I make my every thought obedient TO Christ, I am making my every thought obedient to the hope of glory! Christ in me is the confident expectation of God being glorified. And what does God being glorified look like? Think of that one for a while, and it's pretty mind-blowing that we're a part of that picture.

Hope is very intentional. On purpose. Check out 1 Peter 3:15. As Christ is sanctified or made holy as Lord in our hearts, there is instruction to be prepared with a response or answer "to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope that is in [us]." The why behind the what. Jesus never wanted us to be blind.

Hope makes peace possible. Extraordinary peace. The Truth is that we don't have to live in intense conflict every day of your life (B. Johnson). The Christian life is an incredible mystery.

Hope makes it possible for our external world to bow to our internal world, and not the other way around.

Hope makes the renewal of the mind attainable. 2 Cor. 10:5 as mentioned above. Discouraging thoughts are just a waste of time. They are illegal and actually are place of habitation for the demonic. Wrong thinking fuels it and increases its habitation. So stop it. It's interesting to note that the pulling down of strongholds actually requires an act of violence, and the truth is that we actually can because Jesus gave us full authority to conquer and reign. He has set us up for success! He is with us and remember, IN us!

Hope heals too. And it's not limited to looking one certain way. Placing our HOPE in CHRIST heals our hearts, which takes us by the hand and leads our whole person (spirit, soul, body) through transformation.

Hope gives us reason to smile. And laugh. This is good. Perhaps a large part of His nature. I bet He smiles a lot. And laughing is one of His favorite hobbies. After all, I don't know about you, but I can be pretty entertaining. And I know He loves it.

Peace as it should be. Justice as it should be. Right standing with God. Not just Christ; it's the righteousness of Christ = as it should be. At some point we must cease to strive. Make a choice. Life or death. Blessing or curse. It beckons us all day long. We get to choose. Must. Trying does not exist. Either we do or we don't. We either step out or we stand still. God does not see my sin. It's in the sea of forgetfulness - as far as the East is from the West. I have Christ in me and I choose to move.

Amen? Amen. Let's live our lives. Seasoned with grace, full of HOPE.

PS this is Lovely. Enjoy! yhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFU4sMYqdA&list=UUzDpQU8kdsr_jwRbHHmUmMQ 

What is hope?

Hope: confident expectation of good.

Let that one sink in.

Mind blown.