This month we’re exploring our relationships to the Persons of the Trinity. While not an easy idea to put into words, we know there is solid biblical evidence for our one God existing in three Persons. Tracy, Jennifer, and Megan shared earlier this month, and you might like to check out what they posted by clicking on their names. The FACETS are excited to introduce our guest this month, Lauren Hansen. We think you’ll enjoy her post.

What did you do this week? I (Lauren) spent the majority of my week participating in Zoomtopia 2020. What’s Zoomtopia, you ask? No, it’s not a giant music festival (although the name kind of sounds like Lollapalooza, doesn’t it?)  It’s not dozens of famous musicians on stages with flashing lights and sounds. It’s not a gathering of thousands of screaming fans with their arms up swaying to the music, singing the lyrics to their favorite songs. Zoomtopia 2020 was just me, staring at my computer, watching conference sessions about a product we’ve all come to know and love (love-hate?) over the past seven months — Zoom. Yep, that’s right. Did you know the technology platform, Zoom, hosts an annual virtual conference? I didn’t either until a colleague forwarded me an invite. I decided to hop on because I thought maybe some of these thought leaders could tell me something about what is going on with the world, the workforce, and the future.

And you know what? I left the conference inspired and full of wonder. As CEOs and executives shared different ideas, ways of thinking and new technology, there was a stir in my spirit. “What’s coming, Lord?” I asked, like a kid on Christmas morning. “What are you birthing?”

I believe we’re in an “Industrial Revolution” style time period where things are shifting and innovation is about to blossom like it never has before. Products are being developed as we speak that will change the way we live and work and leaders are at the same time understanding the value of human connection and relationships. I can’t wait to see what is created and cherished in this next decade.

Yet as I think about the future, I can’t help but think about the past.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3 NIV)

God and the Holy Spirit were there in the beginning, and you know who else was there? Jesus. The writer of John says,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men (John 1:1-4 NIV).

So God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are there in creation, and together they create. They create light and water and land and sky and animals and us. As the Holy Spirit hovers, God speaks the Word, and something is birthed out of nothing. I never realized this before, but all three were present, and they all had a part in creation. And that’s still how it works today.

Yes, that’s right. Things are still being created today and they happen just like they did in Genesis. If you could see me right now, I am jumping out of my seat with excitement. I wish my words could adequately express what this means for us. I’ll try my best. Ready to go on an adventure?!

So you and I are created in God’s image, and when we decide to follow Jesus, the Bible says that he dwells in us. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul asks the Corinthian believers a question, “Or do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?” Colossians says that “Christ in you is the hope of glory” (1:27 NIV). When we decide to follow Jesus, we are also given the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like winning the lottery on steroids because he connects us to Jesus, connects us to the Father, AND gives us all these special gifts just because the Father loves us.

As we grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, he transforms us from the inside out. He helps us realize how loved we are, and he helps us understand our identity and how the Father specifically wired us and he reveals our purpose. An aspect of our purpose is to partner with the Holy Spirit to create and to bring God’s Kingdom to the earth. One of the ways he does this is by partnering with our imagination, our hopes, and our dreams.

The chair you’re sitting on or the phone you’re reading from or the pretzels that you’re snacking on were all a part of someone’s imagination at one point. Someone thought, “You know, it would be helpful to create something out of wood that could hold my body so I could rest.” Someone else thought, “It would be nice to be able to communicate 24/7.” Even in this season, neighborhoods came together and thought, “How can we be sure that kids who are not physically in school still get lunch?” and created bus-stop feeding programs and food pantries.

There is a beautiful invitation in this season to dream again. What gives you hope? What angers you? What do you wish were different? How would you like education to look? How would you like family to look? What would you change? What sets your heart ablaze? I bet there are some things on God’s heart in this season, too. What does it look like for his Kingdom to come on earth? What does he care about most? What solutions does he have for the challenges we’re facing?

I’ve been fascinated in this season with God’s ways — why he does things the way he does them and how he set things up to work. In Genesis 1 and all throughout the Gospels, he shows us the way to create. The Holy Spirit hovers, God speaks the Word, and something is created out of nothing. Today, as we grow in our relationship with God and invite the Holy Spirit in our hearts; he hovers over us. As he hovers, Jesus (the Word) is inside of us, and when we speak things are created out of nothing. That is how broken arms are healed and blind eyes see. That is how the dreams in our imagination are birthed. That is how Zoomtopia is created (haha).

In all seriousness, our words combined with the Holy Spirit’s presence as we speak the heart of God have the capacity to create the impossible. In the tenderness of God’s nature, instead of creating everything himself, he invites us into the process. He always wants to do life with us.

This is going to be a marvelous season in your life. Right now, I ask the Holy Spirit to flood your heart and soul with hope for the future. I ask him to fill your mind with pictures and dreams — even dreams that were once lost. I ask him to give you a tangible sense of his presence with you and ask him to remind you that you will go forward together. You will create together. And it will be fun. Ephesians 3:20 says,

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!” [Emphasis added.]

Welcome to the season of more than all you can ask or imagine. It’s here. It’s for you, and it’s going to be beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

Visit Lauren’s blog HERE.