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Sojourn

Joe Killian • Aug 12, 2020

"Joe, are you familiar with the word sojourn?" My spiritual director recently asked me this question. While I had a sense of the word's meaning, I had to look it up to be sure. The definition was not what I expected. Sojourn simply means a temporary stay. Having recently published a book called Our Journey WITH God I was obviously intrigued.

While it is not a word we commonly hear today, it is very relevant. We have all been forced to sojourn as the pandemic quarantine ordered us to "temporarily stay" at home. This sojourn has had a wide-ranging impact on us individually and collectively.

The Bible is full of examples of God's people being on a sojourn:

There was famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, since the famine in the land was severe.

Genesis 12:10

Joseph and Mary sojourned in Egypt with the infant Jesus.

“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.

Matthew 2:13-14

Threatened by the ruling class of the Hebrew people, Paul experienced multiple sojourns as God prepared him for his ministry.

Then he(God) said to me, ‘Go, I shall send you far away to the Gentiles.’

Acts 22:21

In each of these incidents we see that the sojourn was precipitated by a threat. We have always had the benefit of looking back on these and other stories to see God's hand at work in the midst of difficult times. We know that His people were most able to endure every threat when they kept their eyes and hearts turned toward Him, trusting that He would provide.

We are threatened by an unseen enemy to our health and well-being. This threat is not something you and I can control or defeat. We are left to wait for the all-clear that it is safe to "return" to normal. Turn your eyes and heart toward God. Regardless of where you are and what you are experiencing, Jesus makes this promise that will see you through your time of sojourning:

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

John 15:7

We are in the midst of unsettling and sometimes scary times. Where do you see God's hand at work? What are you asking from Him currently? Is that prayer one of trusting in Him to do as He wills? Our prayers may not be answered in the way we want or in our desired timeframe but if we remain in God, can you imagine a better place for our hearts to stay!

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Authentic Versus False Identity

By Joe Killian • 16 Oct, 2020

The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.

Kung Fu Panda

By Joe Killian • 08 Oct, 2020

Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.

Playin' in the Dirt

By Joe Killian • 02 Oct, 2020

Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.