Additional Series
Additional Series » Messy Expectations
"Too often our "iron sharpening iron" looks more like a brawl with lead pipes."
Frank Houtz of Dry Bones Restoration Company
This series was written over a number of years as our local assembly and assemblies with which we were familar experienced the various challenges. I have understood that this movement of a return to the ancient paths has led to many people coming out from the institutional traditional churches. Forming fellowships, whether small home ones or developing a larger "church" has had to develop from the ground up, with no overhead authority structure to ease the way.
People have come from many different backgrounds and carry many different expectations. The initial joy of coming together over the shared understanding that the Whole Word is crucial to correct understanding of how to walk after Messiah has too often disintegrated into chaos and confusion. It has left many people, both members and leaders, with sadness and woundedness that impairs their continuing walk after Messiah.
In the twelve years since these articles were written, it doesn't seem that much has changed in this aspect. Perhaps one newer observation might be that it has surprised me that people newly entering into walking in Torah seem to be more interested in starting new groups rather than learning through the experience of an existing group. We have recommended many times that those who want to start a group spend perhaps a year with us or an area group near them before launching out on their own, in an effort to help them avoid some of the bigger potholes along the way, but this has generally been resisted.
We believe that much of this has been due to our failure to attend to both aspects of our faith: Papa's Torah, the teaching of the Word, and Mama's Torah, the building of character and maturity. We have seen this in Solomon's writings, Proverbs 1: 8-9. This topic is examined in our PowerPoint, Be Ye Set Apart.
This series explores the way problems develop between people and suggests ways to respond to them in a productive, YHWH honoring way.
Articles:
Messy Expectations: Internal Resistance, Strife and Division in Sheep Part 5
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach & Janell I. Schroeder, BBA, Elder
December 2011
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that ... [Read More]
Messianic Fellowships: "Messy" Expectations--Finding the “Right” Group? Part 4
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
June 2011
Part 4
If you have been following along in this unexpected series on messy expectations you will know that I just outlined one possible group of problems and perceived solutions for ... [Read More]
Messianic Fellowships: "Messy" Expectations-- Dealing with Division Part 3
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
June 2011
NOTE: The following thoughts have been “brewing” for some time, and should be understood as an ongoing thought process rather than the “final word.” I suppose,... [Read More]
Messianic Fellowships –“Messy” Expectations & Disappointment- Part 2
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
November 2010
Messianic fellowships often struggle due to failure to resolve both spoken and unspoken expectations of one another. This is true personally as well as in the sense of group dynamics ... [Read More]
Messianic Fellowships- "Messy” expectations & Disappointment - Part 1
Barbara L. Klika, MSW, Undershepherd, Life Coach
November 2010
Part 1
As anyone who has been a Messianic Believer for very long knows, there is an amazing swell of people who are hearing from the Ruach and coming into Torah pursuance through ... [Read More]