A Blank Canvas
This post is a blank canvas…what would you say if you were writing here…
COME ON…live a little. I’m interested in hearing what you got to say.
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Ring Ring, God’s Calling
Over the last few years my walk with Christ has been interesting say the least. Through that relationship I have learned more about the world we live in than I could have ever learned anyway else. My eyes have been opened to the culture that surrounds us. I have also learned a lot about myself and the way I fit into this world.
As many of you may relate with, I made a lot of bad decisions in my life that thankfully God has forgiven me for. So as I started getting more involved with the church. I did nothing more than attend because I didn’t believe I was “worthy” of being anything more than just a face in the crowd. Eventually I figured I could be a volunteer, but not a leader. “I thought to be a leader of a church you would have to be “super spiritual.”
Now I am a Director of Home teams, leading about 10 other leaders. I even do announcements sometimes during the services on Sundays.
My point is, don’t wait to become more spiritual before God can use you to do his work. Let God use you to do his work, so that you can become more spiritual.
I once heard or read somewere “God doesn’t call the equiped, he equips the called.”
I believe he is “calling” all of us. Will you answer?
No More Sickness!!
I hate it when my kids are sick. My youngest, Emma, woke up at 5:30 this morning with a cough and a fever of 102.6, not cool. I used to think the reason I didn’t like my kids being sick was because it was an inconvenience to me-having to adjust my schedule, take care of them, run to the store to get the right kind of medicine, etc.-and there may be some truth to that but this morning it hit me that there may be a deeper reason.
Sunday we started a new series at Lifegate. For almost the last 2 years we have been slowly going through the book of Matthew, last week we arrived at chapter 11 and we are calling our 4 weeks in chapter 11 of “Join the Revolution” & when we come back to Matthew 12-13-we’ll probably tie that into the “Join the Revolution” theme because in those 3 chapters Jesus spends a lot of time talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. So Sunday I introduced that theme with the idea that part of our role as followers of Christ is to, as they say at Granger, “Bring up there down here.” In other words, when Christ was on earth part of what He did was bring the values of His future kingdom into the world, wherever He went and now our calling as Christ followers is to do the same thing-bring a bit of His future kingdom into the present by living out kingdom values wherever we are, wherever we go.
To introduce that idea we spent some time during the message looking at some passages that tell us about what the Kingdom is going to be like. The passages we looked at were: Isaiah 9:6-7, 32:14-18, 61:1-2; Ezekiel 36:26-30; and Revelation 21:3-4. I know there are a number of other passages I could have used, but hey, I only had about 35 minutes (and as it was I ran out of time and am finishing up the message this coming week). By looking at these passages we were able to see that when the Bible talks about the Kingdom it is talking about a time when justice will prevail, disease will be gone, hunger will be eliminated, there will be no more oppression, no more sadness, no pain, no death, there will be peace forever because God will rule and all will be as it should be. That is the Kingdom of heaven. That is the world as it should be. That is the way that things will be one day. And that is the way that we were created to live because that is a picture of a world without the effects of the fall-sin and death.
So back to my initial thought-I hate it when my kids are sick. Why is that? I think at least in part it is because we were never created to be people that have to deal with sickness and disease.
One of my prayers for the last few years has been-God help me see the world through your eyes, help me love like you love and hate what you hate. I think that my reaction to seeing those I know suffer is part of God’s answer to that prayer. Right now we have a few people in our church who are dealing with a number of different physical problems, cancer, the effects of strokes, blindness just to name a few. Every time I hear about another person I know suffering in some way physically there is a part of me that gets angry and now I think I understand why, because the world should not be this way and praise God one day sickness will be no more.
I can ride a bike
click the link to watch a video.
Not my best post, but an inspiring one.
I have been able to ride a bike for at least 25 years. I consider myself a bike rider. When I watch this guy I feel like looking in my garage for some training wheels. I am glad they started the video with his falls. He didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go ride his bike on a fence. He practiced and practiced and then practiced some more. 1 Timothy 4:15 came to mind as I watched this video.
Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
Am I practicing these things? Am I immersed in God and the Gospel? Is there progress in my life?
A rough draft of a paper I wrote for school
According to ChurchCentral.com there were about 3707 churches started each year from the year 2000-2005. In the same years about 4009 churches each year closed. It breaks my heart to hear, but some these pastors did not endure well. In the last 6 months, I have heard and read the blogs of 2 church planters who have committed adultery on their wives and are done with vocational ministry for now. They did not endure well. I am not trying to stand in judgment over these pastors, but I am just giving examples. Ministry is not easy. We all know that as soon as we become a Christian and more when we go into ministry, we have a huge bulls-eye on our heads by the enemy. 1st Peter 5:8 tells us “The devil roars around like a lion waiting to devour us”. A couple of weeks before this assignment, I really began to notice things were really not going my way. I was getting more tired at the end of the day, my kids were fighting more, and I just started feeling a little down. Since I started writing this paper little things have turned to big things. The attacks have been severely worse. I have just been exhausted by the end of the day. My car has been having problems, and it seems like my kids have been fighting non-stop. I haven’t really wanted to do anything. So, needless to say I have really had to live out these scriptures, and had to follow them closely. I have learned that I wasn’t only teaching on endurance, but I am learning how to live it. I am hoping things will go back to normal when I am done.
Webster’s says endurance is 1: to undergo (as a hardship) especially without giving in: suffer
2: to remain firm under suffering or misfortune without yielding
Roman 1:1 says in translations Paul was an apostle, slave, bond servant, special messenger, separated, was chosen, appointed
Called to be set apart, preach the Gospel, from and for God. Once we are Christians, we are not in charge of our own lives, but to live for God’s will.
God’s will as Christians is summed up in the Parable of the Talents. I never thought of this, but Talents were a form of money, but today, it is what we are good at. The lazy man was cast into outer darkness, and the ones that occupied land, and took risks for God are the ones that were given more. Ask people what their jobs are. God has given all of us a job to do, and has given us the talents and gifts to do this job.
To start with the basics, you must have your armor on. You must stay in Fellowship with God on a regular basis, otherwise (from experience) you will suffer from a lack of energy, and your life will start to deviate from God’s plans. A regular time of prayer and Bible reading is very important. If you are not following God’s plans, you are following yours. Our religious acts will burn to ashes.
Joshua 1 has some great instructions from God to his people. God tells Joshua to meditate on the scriptures day and night, and do not turn from it’s instructions to the right or the left. God tells Joshua he will be with him, just as he was with Moses. God tells him he will never leave him or forsake him. That is always wise to remember. God also tells him three times to be strong and courageous. Things will not always be easy. There are mountaintops and valleys. When we get to the valleys, it is really the times when we need to endure. God tells Joshua over and over to be strong and courageous. That is what we must do.
I don’t have a verse for this, but I think half of endurance is just showing up. If you are married and don’t go home after work, you have not endured, but have given up. You must show up and do what your job. My job is to clean the building so good that people can not use a dirty restroom or kid’s room to not hear the Gospel.
I think in every Bible study/paper we do, we need to point back to Jesus. Jesus tells us to take up his yoke upon us and learn from him, because his burden is light. Jesus also tells us in 2nd Corinthians that his grace is sufficient, and his power is made in our weakness. Just because we are down, doesn’t mean we are out until we give up. Jesus says he is powerful when we depend solely on him.
Revelation 22:20-21 states “He who testifies to these things says, Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with you all. Amen”
A Gift The World Cannot Give
It seems like everywhere we turn, there is troubling news: financial crisis, disaster, crime, or a new strain of harmful virus that has been unleashed. It can be pretty depressing and discouraging if we focused on all negative things that are going on around the world.
Not that I am in denial of what’s happening around us; and as a matter of fact as a wife and mother, I have to guard my heart from worrying at times about a lot of things. Worry comes to all of us, but it’s how we deal with it that will determine our outcome.
Instead of putting my energy on worrying, I’ve decided to put my energy towards staying in the peace of God. Yes, staying in peace takes energy because often times, there are circumstances and forces around us that tries to steal our peace. Jesus even said that we would have many trials and sorrows on this earth, but He also told us that in Him, we would have peace.
I want to be where the “peace” is and it’s not coming from this world. This world cannot offer us peace and stability. Our reliance cannot come from corporate America and no job is really secure.
When Jesus went to be with the Father, he left us some very special gifts to help us navigate through life; and one those gifts is peace. He knew that there would always be difficulties that we would have to face. I know, some people think that the Hippy generation originated “peace” but I’m giving credit where credit is due.
We have to trust in God more than ever and when we trust in His provision and not the world’s, then will experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. Even when there is trouble around us, it doesn’t have to in us when we have the peace of God living on the inside.
Jesus says in John 14:27, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” There is a hope and peace that comes through believing and trusting in God!
thanks to everyone so far…am loving what you are throwing down here….great job
Service and the Barter System
Why don’t men serve in the church? I think it is because the oldest form of economy in the world is ingrained in the male soul. The barter system is based on two people trading a product or service for another product or service for what is perceived as equitable. The problem with service in the church is the average guy says why trade an hour or two of service for nothing in return. That is a literal observation because the actual return is far greater than the investment. When do you serve that you don’t get way more out of it than you put in to it? We think it is a sacrifice but really the servant gets more than they give so it is hard to understand. I think if men understood that service in the church is not based on the barter system they would serve. If I said give me one dollar and I will give you three in return you would come back everyday. Well that is the way service in the church works. You can’t give more than you get. It is impossible in God’s economy to out give Him. I dare you to try.
I have this struggle in my mind about getting personal satisfaction about doing a good job or coming through for someone when they need me. I feel like God has equipped me with certain abilities, strengths, and gifts in order to lead others to Him and do well at whatever is put in front of me. However, I sometimes feel guilty for being confident and wonder if I’m confusing my confidence with pride.
Then there’s the humility vs arrogance struggle. I often fear that my confidence comes off as arrogance. When I’m perceived as arrogant, I immediately lose influence. It think its obvious that people will follow confident leaders, not arrogant ones.
Do any of you struggle with prideful arrogance vs confident humility? If so, what personal disciplines do you practice to keep these things in check?
Religion is Easy
It’s Sunday morning. You wake up, begrudgingly, and drive to church. You greet people with the basics; “How are you? How’s work? Did you do anything fun this weekend”. You don’t get much for real answers, but you’re fine with that because honestly you don’t want the real answers. You sing worship songs for 20 minutes. Sit down, then throw a check in the offering basket and zone out while your pastor gives the announcements. You listen to a message in which you hear the “5 Steps to…Being a Better Person, Praying More, Serving Your Community, Getting Into Heaven”. You get the idea. Sing one last song, and stand for a blessing. You head out the door, pleased with yourself for going to church and getting in your weekly “God time”. Ticket into heaven = punched. You feel that your duty is done, and now you can go on with your life for another seven days with no interruptions.
Does that sound like a typical Sunday experience for you?
Guess what?
It does for me too. Well, not necessarily typical, but it certainly happens.
What I’ve described above is religion. There are literally hundreds of definitions of that word.
Religion.
What does it evoke when you think of it?
What does it look like when you picture it?
What does it feel like when you experience it?
For me it looks like rules. Like big fancy church buildings. Like Priests wearing all white and reading a Bible in Latin.
From the dictionary of Jeremy Anderberg, religion (in an admittedly strictly Christian sense of the word) is a verb. It is an external act without internal change. It means living a life where God only exists in our daily habits, but not in our heart. It is an easy way into Heaven. A way in which we give nothing up, except maybe an hour a day for a devotion. Maybe it’s even just that hour per week that you make it to church.
That, my friends, is a lie. Here is the truth:
“The most important one [command],” answered Jesus, “is this…‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
-Jesus, Mark 12:29-31
I am sure most of you have heard this at some point in your life. The gist is quite easy to figure out actually: love God first, love people second. That is it. Do you see anything about going to church? Here’s a hint: I don’t.
Sadly, our culture has turned loving God into a one-hour per week coffee date. We’ve turned it into something we simply put on our to-do lists and weekly calendars. Think about what would happen if that was what your relationship with your spouse looked like. Or with your best friend. Would it get the job done? I won’t even give you a hint for that one because the answer is too easy.
If you are someone whose spiritual life revolves around a checklist of going to church, reading your Bible, praying, evangelizing or even serving the homeless, you are living a religion.
“I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.”
-Jesus, Revelation 2:2-4
Read that last line carefully. “You have forsaken your first love”.
Forsaken: -verb- 1) to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert. 2) to give up, or renounce
Jesus uses very strong language to describe the people He’s speaking to. He’s saying that they do all the right things. They don’t tolerate wickedness. They persevere. They endure hardships. They don’t grow weary. It seems like they have accomplished everything on their checklist.
Yet, there is something missing.
They are lacking love. In fact, according to the word Jesus uses, they are not just lacking, but they have entirely deserted it. They have, in my own interpretation, exchanged Jesus for a set of rules. They have traded Him in for a religion. They are living the externals, and neglecting the internal.
Why would they do this?
Because religion is easy.
Following a set of rules is easy.
Checking off a list of things to do is easy.
What true Christianity looks like is loving people the way Jesus did. It means living the way Jesus did, in the midst of this messy world.
That, my friends, is hard. That is being a disciple of Christ and not just a doer of religion.
I have gotten back into going back to Bay Area fellowship at the end of last year. I have made some bad choices in my life but God keeps me grounded. When I originally started to go back to Bay area fellowship, I just attended the sunday morning service thinking that that fulfilled the need of God in my life. I am now involved in hometeam meetings and as a volunteer for bay area fellowship and just yesterday I was apart with Bay area fellowship and handed out 153 blizzards from Dairy Queen. That was awesome to be apart of that and just spreading the word. I feel now that God is using me in many ways and I cant wait to find out what God uses me for next.
Awesome Mark
Proverbs 31 Man
We have heard the phrase “Proverbs 31 Woman” or “The Wife of Nobel Character”, and many of our wives have probably attended a bible study on the subject.
Ever notice the husband in Proverbs 31:10-31? He is mentioned 3 times.
* Verse 11, He has full confidence in his wife and sees great value in her.
* Verse 23, He is someone who can be respected. He brings honor to her, and makes her holy (see also Ephesians 5:25-33).
* Verse 28, He showers his wife with praises!
Will you be the Proverbs 31 Man for your wife?
A blank canvas? I would say my life after Jesus washed my sins clean (over and over again). I talked about this often at rwministries.com.