A Breath of Inspiration Ministry

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The Christmas parade is the most memorable event of the year in the rural town of Manteca, California. Various people from the community kick off the holiday season with floats, banners, and streamers, representing their businesses, schools and organizations.  Each group sharing their holiday cheer as they march through the center of town.

Beginning at dusk, young musically-inclined children lead the parade by peeping out the jolly sounds of Jingle Bells on their clarinets. Tiny toe tappers follow close behind as they tap their way to holiday classics such as, Up on the House Top…click, click, click.

Next comes the onslaught of beautifully constructed floats with mounds of red ribbons, gigantic bows, fresh white flowers and lace to last a lifetime. Every possible item found in an arts and craft store make its way onto one of these holiday masterpieces.

The proud creators wave frantically to the crowd shouting Merry Christmas, as their floats pass through town. Each one seeming better than the last as the ongoing festivities cheerfully announce the holiday season.  I’ll never forget one particular parade that taught me more about the reason for the season than I had expected.

The air was exceptionally cold that night as a thin layer of fog descended on the parade.

I stood with my hands buried deep in my pockets, as I watched the last group of participants prepare themselves to roll down the parade aisle.  A group of disabled men and women revved their motorized wheel chairs, eagerly anticipating their signal to go.

Though each wheelchair was covered with brilliant, multi-colored Christmas lights, it was the smiles on each chair owner’s face that lit up the scene for the grand finale to the parade. Adding to the precious setting, was a person dressed up as an angel perched on the back of each wheelchair. The angel’s gowns were stunning, their wings shimmered and their halos glowed brightly above their heads.

Each chair owner gasped with enthusiasm as the signal was given. The disabled men and women, with their angel close behind them rolled out one at a time down the center of town.  The crowd cheered and roared as they saw the angels waving and the chair owners beaming with pride.

As the last chair owner was given the signal to pull out, a small red flicker caught my eye. It was coming from the angel but I couldn’t make it out.  I leaned into the crowd, hoping I could get a better look. What is that red glow? I wondered silently. Suddenly, the red ember flew from the angel’s hand and on to the ground. Moments later, the wheel of the chair rolled over it and the glow was gone.

It was then that I realized the angel had been smoking a cigarette and had flicked it to the ground when given the signal to go. I was shocked and appalled. This has to be a mistake. What kind of angel is this? I mumbled.

This was definitely not what I expected to see on this night of celebration. A smoking angel was not the reason for the season—was it?  For a few moments I stood in judgment of the smoking angel. I wondered who was in charge. Who was the one responsible for letting this cherub puff away?  I ranted inwardly until a story from the bible came to mind.

More than two thousand years ago, a few “non-smoking” angels appeared to some unlikely shepherds in a field, announcing the birth of Christ. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11) they declared with great joy.

Angels sharing good news from the heavens about a Savior was definitely not what the shepherds expected to see on that night. In fact, entrusting mere shepherds with the long awaited message of the Saviors birth was not expected at all. And the Savior himself, was quite different than expected.

Instead of a pampered prince, born in a palace, kept warm by royal robes, he was a helpless babe, born in a stable, kept warm by his mother’s arms. The whole scene was not what anyone had been expecting. It should have been done differently shouldn’t it? Yet, that first Christmas, the night Jesus was born, was the greatest gift to all mankind—A gift that would change the world forever.

I watched as the disabled man and the smoking angel rolled slowly down the street in the motorized wheelchair. Waving his hands to the crowd with exuberant joy, the man in the chair held a look of accomplishment on his face. All the while, toting his angel behind him. The angel rested an assuring hand on the man’s shoulder and joined him in waving to the onlookers.  Merry Christmas, they shouted as the angel’s glimmering wings disappeared from sight.  It was then that I reconsidered my judgment.

No, a smoking angel was not what I had expected to see as part of the parade that night. But the obvious blessing that the smoking angel was for the disabled man that carried him was not what I had expected to see either.

When I left the parade that night, a sense of wonder filled my heart. As with the shepherds in the field, Jesus born in the manger and the assuring touch of the smoking angel, I considered a possibility—What we call unexpected, God calls, foreseen.  What we call unacceptable, God calls, uniquely ordained.  And what we consider to be a mistake, God calls perfect and uses it for His own glory.

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So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1

If you know a little bit about boxing or martial arts, then you may be familiar with one of the training exercises called shadowboxing.  Shadowboxing is used to develop a fighter’s rhythm and is done by sparring with an imaginary opponent, usually in front of a mirror.   Perfecting one’s rhythm by fighting an unseen enemy has helped develop many fine athletes such as Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee, who implemented shadowboxing into their regular workout routine on their way to becoming masters in their given sport.

Fortunately, you don’t have to be at a Muhammad or Bruce level of fitness to benefit physically from shadowboxing.  Even people like me who prefer power-walking over strenuous exercise can benefit from throwing hand and foot combinations toward an invisible foe in order to develop muscles.

It may be a new concept for you to try physical shadowboxing in order to develop your skills and strengthen your muscles, however, there is another type of shadowboxing that you may already be doing without even realizing it.  It’s what I call “Spiritual Shadowboxing” and it doesn’t have nearly the same positive strengthening effects as the other.

Spiritual shadowboxing is when you exert every last drop of mental, emotional and spiritual energy you have fighting against your worst enemy—You.  We’ve all been there, we’ve all done it and it’s extremely exhausting to say the least.  Here is an example of what one round of spiritual shadowboxing looks like for me personally. 

My first name is Monica and it happens to mean adviser.  Now I don’t know if my parents knew the meaning prior to naming me but as it turns out, I’ve always seemed to fulfill the meaning of my name as people often come to me for advice.  As a Christian, when people seek my advice, I utter a prayer to God for wisdom then try my best to give advice from a biblical standpoint.  I cannot begin to describe what joy and satisfaction I feel when something I may have said causes others to draw near to God and respond positively to the situation they were seeking advice for.   

But let’s get real!  I’m not spiritually in-tuned all the time. There have definitely been occasions when I’ve spoken too soon, forgot all about seeking God’s wisdom first and instead used my own.  In place of listening with a pure heart, I’ve listened with a biased attitude which has often caused me to blurt out my own opinion, forgetting all about the reason the person came to me to begin with.  Having this happen once in a very blue moon wouldn’t be too bad but for some reason when it does happen it seems to happen in a flurry and that’s when I know I’ve blown it big time. 

It’s extremely important to me to approach things in a way that I believe is aligned with God’s word, and even more so when it involves advising others.  Having some sort of positive spiritual impact on others is not only a huge responsibility to me but it’s what I live for.  So when I forget all about doing things God’s way and possibly reflected that error to others, even in advice giving, my spiritual shadowboxing bell rings and the inner-fight is on. 

I’m not talking a small stumble, that happens and I can deal with it but when I feel like I’ve really blown it, I punch, jab, strike, kick and move rapidly back and forth in a spiritual frenzy. I exert all energy beating myself up in my own thoughts because of what I feel I should or shouldn’t have done.  Unlike physical shadowboxing which is geared to strengthen, by the time I’ve gone a few rounds with myself in spiritual shadowboxing, I’m down right pooped out.   The ironic part is that usually others aren’t even aware that I messed up at all.  It’s only because I know my true heart feelings and deepest motivations better than anyone, that the struggle is within me.

Right about now, I picture someone reading this article shaking their head in agreement saying, “Yes, I can relate. The struggle is within me too.”

Spiritually shadowboxing ourselves, beating ourselves up over everything we feel doesn’t measure up to our own standards is never what God intended.  Yes we are called to align our lives to God’s will and yes we should make changes when we stumble or fall flat on our face but  Romans 8:1 makes it very clear about how to handle the inner struggle and spiritual shadowboxing many of us deal with. “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”   In essence, this scripture is telling us to quit sparring with ourselves over the areas we fall short on. 

You and I will blow it and we’ll do it more than once.  But the key is: Go to God, seek His forgiveness, and then ask for His help so that next time maybe you won’t blow it quite as bad.   It’s really a simple solution.  We mess up, we seek forgiveness, we ask for help, and then we move on.  Nowhere in that equation are we told to waste our energy fighting ourselves because there is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus.

So maybe it’s time to lay down our gloves and come to God with all our spiritual shadowboxing issues, He will not condemn us.  Instead He will forgive us, set our rhythm right and strengthen us for the next round.

Philippians 4:13 has bolstered my faith and given me the extra “Oomph!” I’ve needed to complete countless of challenging tasks over the years. I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me!  Doesn’t that just sound fantastically powerful?

These ten little words nestled within God’s big book of guidance and promise, have driven me to completion over and over again.  As a matter of fact, I’ve often wondered if God put this scripture in the Bible just for me, knowing how often I’ve needed it.

I planned on pulling that trusty scripture out of the memory box recently and applying it to my quick and speedy recovery from my first and hopefully only surgery I would be having.  The surgery was to be done as an outpatient on a Friday, and from there I planned to spend the weekend recuperating, then completely expected to be back at full speed come Monday morning to handle work, family, ministry and anything else that came my way.  After all, my doctor said I should be up to par come Monday and besides, I could do all things in Christ who strengthens me! 

There was just one little detail I conveniently forgot as I was tossing Philippians 4:13 around that recovery weekend.  There is always a balance, a deeper understanding to every principle in God’s word.  Two sides which need to be considered and applied in order to bring proper balance to scripture and to life.

Let me give you an example:  In Luke 10: 38-42.  When Jesus lovingly corrected Martha for her “can-do” nature and encouraged her to take a more “be still” demeanor like her sister Mary, he wasn’t implying that being still all day, thinking warm fuzzy thoughts about Jesus was the only way to go.  The balance to the principle was that there is undeniably a time to “go and do” but equally, an unquestionable time to “be still and listen”.  Both sides are necessary to fulfilling the principle of this passage and ultimately for fulfilling God’s purpose in our life.

Another good example would be when Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to that old sneaky devil in the desert.  Knowing Jesus was hungry, satan tempted him to compromise his faith for some food but Jesus replied “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 

How true that statement is. God’s word is vital food for our soul.  However, if all we did was read God’s perfect word but never took time to fuel our bodies with eatable food, including of course a few triple chocolate chunk cookies, we would starve and eventually die.  So while we do indeed need to live on every word of God, we must also balance ourselves eating nutritional food in order to live a healthy life.

So what does this have to do with my power packed Philippians 4:13?  When Monday morning came and I was prepared to implement my plan of doing all things through Christ, my body, mind and emotions suddenly withdrew from the great plan.  No matter how much I was clinging to the idea that I could do all things through Christ, including getting back on the saddle of my everyday routine three days after surgery, everything in me was revealing otherwise. 

I began my whining ritual to God and I slowly quoted Philippians 4:13 out loud, as if to remind Him what His word said.  Then he showed me the balance I had forgotten with my fearless, motivating scripture.  Yes, I can do all things in Christ who strengthen me but not all things are beneficial at all times. 

Philippians 4:13 wasn’t meant to push us through a ton of activities.  The balance comes from understanding what all actually means in each situation.  When you understand the all, then you can trust God to strengthen you to complete it.  For me, that day and actually the next 5 days, the all was to rest my mind, body and soul.  That was the all I needed to be doing.   Not pushing through my regular duties with my super Christian power-packed scripture out of balance but resting and allowing myself to heal.  That was my challenge and that was what God was going to strengthen me to do. 

The contemporary English Version says it this way, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything”.  What I needed to face that week was accepting that I had a minor but significant surgery and wouldn’t allow me to be at full speed even if the doctor thought I could.  I had to listen to my body, and to the voice of the Holy Spirit in me saying, “Take it easy, accept the slower pace for awhile and know that it is my will and it is okay.” 

Learning to balance life through balancing scripture can be about as easy as passing up a free meal at Home Town Buffet but when we do, we really can do all things (that are necessary) through Christ who strengthens us.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23

Recently I was watching one of my favorite events on television, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).  I was anxiously awaiting the main event, a rematch between the former featherweight champion from Sacramento, Uriah Faber, against the present champion Mike Brown.

I love watching this sport because when real mixed martial art techniques are implemented, not just brawling (which can be fun too) it simply amazes me.  The fighter’s flexibility, high endurance, ability to adapt to change with each move and the intense training they endure for months prior to stepping into the octagon cage is unbelievable. 

The fighters that have made it to this level are not your average street fighters.  These are guys who have given all of themselves to this particular sport.  Men (and a few women) who have done whatever it takes to be at the top of their game. Who put themselves through a daily rigorous training that the average person would never do simply because they’re fighters.

Along with enjoying the impressive style, technique and quality of many of the fighters, believe it or not, I often grasp spiritual lessons as I watch caged opponents battle it out.

A great example is the pre-fight to the Faber and Brown event between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and James Krause.  Now if I was a sports writer I might tell you that Cowboy Cerrone is the complete package.  He’s a well-rounded fighter known for his strong striking ability.  I might even tell you that Cerrone hammered Krause both on the mat and on his feet before knocking him down and submitting him with a rear-naked choke all before the first round ended.  However, since I’m not a sports writer but a faith writer, I’ll tell you about the moment I caught a spiritual lesson from the Cowboy.  

Cerrone had Krause on all fours early on and had the perfect opportunity (and right according to MMA rules) to batter his opponent with a powerful knee from this position.  Doing so, Cerrone surely could have ended the fight even sooner than he did.  However, there is a catch to this position.  If the aggressor throws a knee, he risks the chance of striking his opponent in the back of the head which is against the rules.   Should a fighter strike the back of his opponents head, he could lose a point which could later cost him the match.

I’ve seen a number of fights where the aggressor, in the heat of the moment, feeling an adrenalin dump, appears unable to stop his momentum and ends up using his knees in a frenzied attack against his opponent, consequently catching him in the back of the head. Naturally the referee stops the fight long enough to take a point away from the aggressor.  In Cerrone’s case when he had his opponent down, he did something that I found to be a valuable reminder for Christians.  Cerrone exercised self-control. 

Even with his adrenalin pumping and the fire to win burning in him, Cerrone used self control to make the wiser choice.   He stepped back from his opponent and allowed him to stand to his feet, avoiding any possible penalties.   It was really amazing to watch because I know if it had been me, I would have forgotten all about self-control and kneed my opponent when he was down and possibly the ref too.

There is only one way that I believe Cerrone was able to exercise such self-control in that heated situation and that has to be because he’s made exercising self-control part of his regular training. 

Practicing self-control on a regular basis is what Christians need to do as well.  If we want to speak more kindly, cuss less, avoid those harsh and angry words that cut deep then we must exercise self-control over our mouth.  If we desire to lose that extra ten pounds, save that hundred dollars, keep our minds clear from negative things then we must exercise self control over our body, finances and thoughts.

For many, exercising self-control seems like an impossible feat but in Galatians 5:22-23 we learn that the spirit of self-control is something God has planted inside the heart of believers.  If we water that seed on a daily basis in little ways it will grow.  If “The Cowboy” could exercise self control to be the better fighter, then we can do the same in order to be better Christians.

And after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.

– Ephesians 6:13-15

In Round 1, I shared a spiritual lesson learned on self-control while watching a cage fighting match between Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and James Kraus.  By exercising self control, The Cowboy who won the match with ease, gave an outstanding reminder of how Christians can win daily battles also by exercising self-control.  When the match ended I assumed my spiritual lessons were over for the night but then the “California Kid” Uriah Faber stepped into the octagon for a rematch against champion Mike Brown and I was reminded of an even greater spiritual lesson—The lesson of standing firm.

According to The Associated Press the fight went like this. “Brown defended his WEC featherweight title Sunday night with a unanimous decision over Uriah Faber, narrowly hanging on to the belt he took from Faber seven months ago.”

If you didn’t watch the fight and only read the reviews, it sounds pretty cut and dry right?But Brown winning the match was only one part of the story.  Faber’s performance is where the real story and spiritual lesson begins.

 The California kid is well-known for his extensive training and for the high demands he places on himself as a fighter.  He has said that his training is “reality based.”   However, in his reality grappling, Jui Jitsu, Judo, boxing, kick boxing, running hills and sprints, smashing giant sledgehammers onto huge tires to develop muscular explosiveness are all part of the daily routine.  Faber’s reality consists of doing whatever it takes not only to prepare for his next fight, but to win.

While Faber did not win this match, the spiritual lesson was obvious to me from the start when he broke his right hand and injured his left against the solid body of Mike Brown early on.  His hand injuries left him without the use of one of his vital fighting weapons, yet it didn’t stop him.  Only able to slap lightly with his left hand, and unable to use his right altogether, Faber gave everything he had by instinctively using what he could to continue the battle.   Leaning shoulders, spiking elbows, high knees and strong feet, though wincing in pain, kept him in the fight.  Though the judges didn’t grant him the victory his unconquerable spirit and undeniable champion-like heart earned him great respect from his opponent and the viewers and left him standing firm.  Though his body may have been beat indeed his spirit was strong.

As Christians we are in our own cage fight so to speak against the devil.  He knows he can’t have our spirits once we turn our lives over to God but that doesn’t stop him from coming after us in hopes of discouraging us from developing a closer walk with God.  The devil doesn’t throw hands and elbows, but instead throws destruction, disappointment, evil, sadness, depression, anxiety and fear in order to defeat us.

Similar to Faber, a believer’s training needs to be reality based.  The Christian’s reality consists of warring in the spirit through intercession and prayer, learning about God through daily devotions, Bible reading, and sermons.  Worshipping God on both good and bad days and hardest of all, the practice of laying issues and concerns down at the trustworthy feet of Jesus, without picking them up when inner panic starts to rise.  Implementing this kind of reality based, spiritual training makes smashing a sledgehammer into a gigantic big rig tire look like child’s play.  But it’s this kind of training that believer’s need on a daily basis in order to stand firm as God has called us to do.

Ephesians 6:13-15 teaches that when Christians use everything they have to fight against the devil and can do no more, all that is left to do is to stand.  Stand for what you know is right in God.  Stand firm in your faith and trust that your spiritual training will cause you to prevail.  Though you may stumble and fall, though for a moment it may seem like you’re losing the fight, just as Faber showed viewers from the ring, your unconquerable spirit and champion-like heart will cause you to stand firm and be the winner God says you are.

The Tale of Despereaux written by Kate DiCamillo in 2003 then adapted into an animated film in 2008 by Universal Pictures tells the story of a courageous big-eared mouse, Despereaux, who breaks all the official mouse rules to save a lonely princess, restore a broken-hearted king, bring hope to the towns-people and live out who he was really meant to be. Instead of quivering in fear, hiding in corners and scurrying off at the first sign of trouble like “normal mice” Despereaux breaks from the norm. He’s extraordinarily brave, adventurous, confident, and filled with compassion for others. He willingly faces any challenge that comes his way and makes a significant difference to those around him. My favorite line in the movie is when the narrator introduces the valiant mouse into the story. In one simple sentence he explains the very purpose of Despereaux being Despereaux. “A hero doesn’t show up until the world really needs one.” Indeed, a hero was needed in Despereaux’s world and so he showed up.

While Despereaux is a fictional character in a great fiction story, there is a very real character in a very real story that showed up over two thousand years ago when the world needed a hero most. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? His name is Jesus. In likeness to our friend Despereaux, Jesus went against the norm and loved the unlovely, forgave the unforgiveable, healed the sick, and provided for needs when no other provisions could be found. Indeed, Jesus met all of life’s challenges head on including the greatest challenge of all, conquering death. The people in Jesus’ time needed a hero, someone to love them, help them, save them and change them. And so by God’s design Jesus showed up and met the need. (Isaiah 9:6)

So here we are thousands of years later and when we look around we see that there is still a lot of need. The unlovely, the unforgivable, the dead spirited, the broken hearted and the sick still wander the earth. But what does this mean? Was Jesus only a great hero in His day and age but not now? Are we now in need of a new hero to meet our needs? Absolutely not! As we learn from Hebrews 13: 8 Jesus was the hero we needed then, the hero we need now and the only hero we’ll need for all eternity.

Our hero Jesus showed up for the hurting, the lost and the weak way back then and He still shows up today, only now He likes to “show up” and make a difference through us, through our kind words, simple actions and humble hearts.

Singer/song writer Mandisa explains how God uses simple things to reveal His love for us, as only true heroes do in her song God Speaking.

“Have you ever heard a love song that set your spirit free
Have you ever watched a sunrise and felt you couldn’t breathe
What’s if it’s Him
What if it’s God speaking.
Who knows how He’ll get a hold of us
Get our attention to prove He is enough
He’ll do and He’ll use
Whatever He wants to
To tell us, I love you.”

God has chosen believers like you and me to be the Despereaux of our time. We are how others see Him.  He’s called us to be heroes in our faith to “show up” by displaying Christ-like love through our words and actions, not only to people who we think deserve it, but to those that we know don’t. That’s what Jesus did and that’s what a real hero is all about. Take a moment today to thank God for His son Jesus, our hero. Then ask Him how you can be a better Christ-like hero too.

God Speaking By Mandisa