A friend of mine and fellow blogger, Pink Daisy Jane , has written about looking for JOY in our everydays. To seek out those things that bring us joy - and what better time than now in this season of great JOY! So, Het, I'll take your challenge. I don't know that I'll reach 100 joys but the important thing is to look for it and to know it when we feel it.
I am generally and genuinely a joyful person. I don't think there's much that I can't find joy in - so for me this is more of a challenge to recognize that what I'm seeing or hearing or feeling is joy, a true joy that comes from God. I believe that one of the greatest gifts He has given to us is joy. I think it gives us a tiny glimpse of who He is in the only way we can grasp the immensity of what He intends for us.
So, what brings me joy?
1. Hearing other people voice the same exact thing that I've been thinking and knowing in that moment that it's a whisper from God.
2. Any song that lifts my spirit, when the lyrics and the music are knitted seamlessly together.
3. Watching my children in their own element and seeing that they are people that I want to know.
4. The amazement that you see in the eyes of a saint that has their prayer answered.
5. When I see 3 deer in my backyard and they aren't afraid of me out on my deck.
6. Watching my husband with our girls -
7. Hearing about the good deeds that my husband has done but never talks about.
8. Knowing that my husband loves me, no matter what.
9. Reading a good story so that you feel like you're living it.
10. Corny, cheesy movies.
11. When I can look around the room and see someone who just gets what I'm thinking.
12. Seeing men being godly examples
13. Sitting at my cottage with my family around, knowing that my kids are doing what I used to do, I'm doing what my parents used to and my parents are doing what my grandparents used to. The familiarity of generational experience -it's cool.
14. Worshipping God with my family
15. Recognizing my step-daughter's heart.
16. Listening to Katie sing.
17. Serving a meal to good friends
18. Having deep conversations
19. Cuddling with my husband on cold nights.
20. Watching my son become a man
21. Seeing how my adult daughter treats others
22. Wrestling with a verse in the Bible and finally getting a revelation.
23. Hearing great harmony
24. Smelling the air after a spring rain.
25. Christmas
OK, that's just off the top of my head- Now, I need to pay attention to when I feel that building up in my spirit- you know that heart-bursting, got to raise your hand up, tear springing, got to dance feeling? You know you get it- what gets you feeling that way? And when you find out -share it. Make sure others know that they have been a part of your joy. Most important? Make sure you get it. And thank the Giver and Creator of JOY for giving us a way to glimpse eternity in some small way.
May you have joy this season.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Why I go to church
*Disclaimer - When I refer to a church, I always mean a gospel-centered, bible-obeying, truth-living, great commission-believing church.
**Disclaimer #2 - The views expressed in this blog are my views, from my perspective. They are not in any way, shape, or form meant to judge how others feel. They are my reasons alone and are not meant as a "should" for other people at all. Really. Believe it. I mean it.
I have done a lot of thinking in the past couple years about why I am in the church I'm in and why I believe I'm meant to stay there. We pick our churches for a variety of reasons when we first become believers. I started off this new life 10 years ago in the church where I remain today.A lot of people have come and gone and yet, I stay. It has led me to really delve into the reasons why I feel so strongly about staying.
Is it the preaching?
While the preaching is excellent, I have to be honest and say that I could listen anytime to gifted preachers. I could hear it anywhere. In this culture of technology, I could spend all day, every day, and never hear the same preacher twice on-line. So, it's not the preaching that makes me stay.
It's gotta be the music, the worship band, then.
I love music- I love to sing out loud, I love how music draws me closer to God.
My church was singing from hymn books when I started going there then they graduated to a full band playing praise songs. I've heard it all, I've enjoyed it all. I imagine I'll enjoy whatever comes next as well. My preference is contemporary praise and worship with lots of guitar - But, it doesn't matter, ultimately. I can leave a church service and turn on K-Love or pop in a CD or put my earphones in to listen to my MP3 player. So, it's not the music that keeps me there.
Maybe it's the children's/youth ministries?
We've gone through plenty of programs with plenty of kids to not many kids so not many programs in my church. The opportunities for my children to be with other children learning about God are wonderful! The lack of them is sad. But, my children will never learn at church what they don't see at home. What my kids see and hear at home about God is worth far more to me than any children's programs. I have loved my childrens' teachers, leaders and mentors at our church, they have added plenty to their lives - but other churches have done it better, are doing it better and many churches do it not so well, so I could find that easily enough. But that's not what keeps me there.
It must be the Bible studies and teaching that keep me there, then.
I have grown up in Christ through studying the bible with other believers. I love hearing their revelations, their experiences, their knowledge. I love the Bible- every word of it. My church has some incredibly gifted teachers and study leaders. However, I can go online and listen to bible studies; I could read a book and get the same knowledge; I can go to half a dozen other churches and find bible studies just as good. So, that's not the reason.
So, it's not the preaching, the music, the programs or the bible studies. What else is left?
Perhaps it's the vision.
My church strives to serve God, reach out to the community, to love our neighbors, to love each other, but above all, to love God. What could be a better reason to stay than that? Well, I could do all those things and never step foot in a church. I could walk into any church in the area and find the same desire. Isn't that the point of our Christian life and our churches? To love God, love each other and to love our neighbors? My church is not alone in this vision, so it's not why I stay.
I stay because I made a committment when I became a member there. Not a committment on a piece of paper, not a legally-binding committment, not even a morally-binding committment. I believe that I could walk out the door of my church and still be okay with God, as long as I am serving Him with the gifts He has given me. There's not much in the Bible about leaving a church. Frankly, it just wasn't relevant when the Bible was written. So, I don't have to stay. But, and this is a big but, I entered into a covenant when I became a part of this church. I covenanted with God and with His people to share my life with this body of believers. I made a committment to pray for them, to be prayed for, to pray with them, to pray in their place when they can't find the words. I made a committment to share my joys and to share my sorrows. I made a covenant to bear with them, endure with them, love them. When I became a member, I chose to invest in their lives as well as allow others to invest in mine. I chose to "know" them well so that if I saw someone acting differently, I could see it and know what to say. I chose to really look at them- notice the joy in their faces when they finally "got" it; notice when they were struggling with a sin in their lives, notice when they were overjoyed with a victory over sin. I look around and my heart thrills when I see a mature Christian who has prayed for years for her family to know Christ, finally sees an answer to that prayer in a big way. I'm overtaken with sorrow when I see others going through painful circumstances. I cannot separate my life from this body of Christ any more than I can separate from my own family. When a body of believers get together, they form a bigger picture of who God is. They are cemented together by the Holy Spirit, they are a living, breathing picture of God. So, that's why I choose to stay. That's why I have to stay - I am a part of this body and we are the church. I don't claim to understand how that all works but this is what God put in my heart 10 years ago and it still remains there today. So, even during times of great stress or times of extreme dry spells, I can still be steadfast because of the committment I made.
And He's still there, He hasn't gone anywhere. And there's still work to do for His kingdom. No matter how tired I may get, if I work in His power, I'll be just fine. Ultimately, I work for Him, I serve Him, I am loved by Him. And that's all that matters.
**Disclaimer #2 - The views expressed in this blog are my views, from my perspective. They are not in any way, shape, or form meant to judge how others feel. They are my reasons alone and are not meant as a "should" for other people at all. Really. Believe it. I mean it.
I have done a lot of thinking in the past couple years about why I am in the church I'm in and why I believe I'm meant to stay there. We pick our churches for a variety of reasons when we first become believers. I started off this new life 10 years ago in the church where I remain today.A lot of people have come and gone and yet, I stay. It has led me to really delve into the reasons why I feel so strongly about staying.
Is it the preaching?
While the preaching is excellent, I have to be honest and say that I could listen anytime to gifted preachers. I could hear it anywhere. In this culture of technology, I could spend all day, every day, and never hear the same preacher twice on-line. So, it's not the preaching that makes me stay.
It's gotta be the music, the worship band, then.
I love music- I love to sing out loud, I love how music draws me closer to God.
My church was singing from hymn books when I started going there then they graduated to a full band playing praise songs. I've heard it all, I've enjoyed it all. I imagine I'll enjoy whatever comes next as well. My preference is contemporary praise and worship with lots of guitar - But, it doesn't matter, ultimately. I can leave a church service and turn on K-Love or pop in a CD or put my earphones in to listen to my MP3 player. So, it's not the music that keeps me there.
Maybe it's the children's/youth ministries?
We've gone through plenty of programs with plenty of kids to not many kids so not many programs in my church. The opportunities for my children to be with other children learning about God are wonderful! The lack of them is sad. But, my children will never learn at church what they don't see at home. What my kids see and hear at home about God is worth far more to me than any children's programs. I have loved my childrens' teachers, leaders and mentors at our church, they have added plenty to their lives - but other churches have done it better, are doing it better and many churches do it not so well, so I could find that easily enough. But that's not what keeps me there.
It must be the Bible studies and teaching that keep me there, then.
I have grown up in Christ through studying the bible with other believers. I love hearing their revelations, their experiences, their knowledge. I love the Bible- every word of it. My church has some incredibly gifted teachers and study leaders. However, I can go online and listen to bible studies; I could read a book and get the same knowledge; I can go to half a dozen other churches and find bible studies just as good. So, that's not the reason.
So, it's not the preaching, the music, the programs or the bible studies. What else is left?
Perhaps it's the vision.
My church strives to serve God, reach out to the community, to love our neighbors, to love each other, but above all, to love God. What could be a better reason to stay than that? Well, I could do all those things and never step foot in a church. I could walk into any church in the area and find the same desire. Isn't that the point of our Christian life and our churches? To love God, love each other and to love our neighbors? My church is not alone in this vision, so it's not why I stay.
I stay because I made a committment when I became a member there. Not a committment on a piece of paper, not a legally-binding committment, not even a morally-binding committment. I believe that I could walk out the door of my church and still be okay with God, as long as I am serving Him with the gifts He has given me. There's not much in the Bible about leaving a church. Frankly, it just wasn't relevant when the Bible was written. So, I don't have to stay. But, and this is a big but, I entered into a covenant when I became a part of this church. I covenanted with God and with His people to share my life with this body of believers. I made a committment to pray for them, to be prayed for, to pray with them, to pray in their place when they can't find the words. I made a committment to share my joys and to share my sorrows. I made a covenant to bear with them, endure with them, love them. When I became a member, I chose to invest in their lives as well as allow others to invest in mine. I chose to "know" them well so that if I saw someone acting differently, I could see it and know what to say. I chose to really look at them- notice the joy in their faces when they finally "got" it; notice when they were struggling with a sin in their lives, notice when they were overjoyed with a victory over sin. I look around and my heart thrills when I see a mature Christian who has prayed for years for her family to know Christ, finally sees an answer to that prayer in a big way. I'm overtaken with sorrow when I see others going through painful circumstances. I cannot separate my life from this body of Christ any more than I can separate from my own family. When a body of believers get together, they form a bigger picture of who God is. They are cemented together by the Holy Spirit, they are a living, breathing picture of God. So, that's why I choose to stay. That's why I have to stay - I am a part of this body and we are the church. I don't claim to understand how that all works but this is what God put in my heart 10 years ago and it still remains there today. So, even during times of great stress or times of extreme dry spells, I can still be steadfast because of the committment I made.
And He's still there, He hasn't gone anywhere. And there's still work to do for His kingdom. No matter how tired I may get, if I work in His power, I'll be just fine. Ultimately, I work for Him, I serve Him, I am loved by Him. And that's all that matters.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Knowing
God has laid on my heart that I have been guilty of the very thing I dislike in others..... isn't that almost always the case with us? A few weeks ago, I went through the 4 gospel accounts looking for instances in which Jesus rebuked others for how they were acting. I think I was trying to find justification for how I was thinking. That should have been my first clue that God would end up teaching or rebuking me, but I'm a little dense sometimes. What I found in almost every instance were these words preceding Jesus' rebukes: "He knew what was in their hearts". Now, it took awhile for these words to permeate my own small mind as to what the Lord was trying to get me to understand. But I think I have it now. I "think", not I "know", because if I haven't learned it all, I have learned that God constantly makes me re-think what I "know" to be true.
I tend to think I "know" what a person's motives are when it comes to the way they act or talk even if I haven't actually talked to them about it. There, I admitted it, out loud and in print.
Let me say also that I hate it when other people think that I am someone that I wouldn't even recognize when they don't even know me. A lot of my thought life tends to be analyzing other people's beliefs and actions, as well as my own actions. In a lot of these analyses, I don't particularly "know" the people involved. Oh, they may be a part of my life, but I haven't actually taken the time to simply ask them why they do the things they do, why they say the things they say. I assign them motives instead of obeying the command to "love one another". I have believed for a long time that in order to love someone, you need to know that person. Pretty basic stuff, right? Well, if it's basic, why then do I forget to do that and instead think badly of people?
I am asking you for accountability now and asking you also to re-think what you think you "know" about the people in your lives. Take the time to do the hard things. Risk being wrong, risk rejection, risk vulnerability, to get to really know the people in your life. Let's stop assuming that we know what they're thinking and why they're thinking that way. Instead, let's follow Christ as closely as we can by knowing their hearts. People matter. Relationships matter. The way we think matters. We are given a command to love our neighbor as ourselves: let's now submit ourselves to each other and treat people the way we'd like to be treated, in all instances. I may end up being completely wrong about someone and I may end up learning more about who God is through that. I may have to completely humble myself and confess my wrong way of thinking. I may end up thinking the same way. But I will have obeyed my Lord and I will have come a little bit closer to the truth that I don't know everything. In fact, I know so darn little, it humbles me already.
I tend to think I "know" what a person's motives are when it comes to the way they act or talk even if I haven't actually talked to them about it. There, I admitted it, out loud and in print.
Let me say also that I hate it when other people think that I am someone that I wouldn't even recognize when they don't even know me. A lot of my thought life tends to be analyzing other people's beliefs and actions, as well as my own actions. In a lot of these analyses, I don't particularly "know" the people involved. Oh, they may be a part of my life, but I haven't actually taken the time to simply ask them why they do the things they do, why they say the things they say. I assign them motives instead of obeying the command to "love one another". I have believed for a long time that in order to love someone, you need to know that person. Pretty basic stuff, right? Well, if it's basic, why then do I forget to do that and instead think badly of people?
I am asking you for accountability now and asking you also to re-think what you think you "know" about the people in your lives. Take the time to do the hard things. Risk being wrong, risk rejection, risk vulnerability, to get to really know the people in your life. Let's stop assuming that we know what they're thinking and why they're thinking that way. Instead, let's follow Christ as closely as we can by knowing their hearts. People matter. Relationships matter. The way we think matters. We are given a command to love our neighbor as ourselves: let's now submit ourselves to each other and treat people the way we'd like to be treated, in all instances. I may end up being completely wrong about someone and I may end up learning more about who God is through that. I may have to completely humble myself and confess my wrong way of thinking. I may end up thinking the same way. But I will have obeyed my Lord and I will have come a little bit closer to the truth that I don't know everything. In fact, I know so darn little, it humbles me already.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Holy(?) Discontent
Have you ever been stuck in a place that you couldn't quite put a name to, a place of discontent? of discouragement? of unsettled restlessness?
I've been in that place - I am in that place. I'm not happy in this place so I dwell on it, trying to put my finger on the why's, the how''s, and the when's of it - as in, when am I going to get out of this? There is nothing worse, for me, than to be in a discontented state of mind with no real sense of how I got here. It drives me insane - it usually happens after a time of great joy and anticipation and then BAM! I'm in a state of unrest. I could blame it on Satan - he does seem to like to pick on joy-filled people - but that seems wrong to me. At some point in my joy-filled, hopeful period, I left some room for the opposite of that. Does that mean my joy was incomplete? My hope, a false hope? Or is there something else going on in my mind, in my makeup? As a Christian, you hear about the mountain tops and the valleys in our walk, there are scriptures that recount the same thing, so it's common. but I can't let it stop at that. Just because it's common doesn't mean I get to wallow in it or that I get to just "ride it out".I have to figure out why it happens so that perhaps the next time, I can forego this place of discontent.
In analyzing my thought-life, I've come to an unsettling conclusion. In my joy-filled, hopeful state, I maintain expectations - expectations that people will rise up to where they should be, and a second expectation that doesn't sit well with me: that God will act in the ways that I think He will. For those of you that know me, the first expectation doesn't surprise you - nor does how I get discouraged when that expectation goes unmet. It's a given- people will sometimes rise up and exceed all expectations and sometimes they fail and they fail Big. I can live with that, I do live with that. I've failed my own expectations for myself enough times that I have a pretty good understanding of it. I may not like it - but I have empathy for it.
The second expectation is what unsettles me. I know, in my head, that God works in His own ways, in His own time and, most of the time, it is vastly different than how you, or I, could even imagine. I get that, I've experienced that. I've been surprised and awed every time He does what He does. So why? Why do I still feel this way? To have unresolved expectations when it comes to God is kind of silly, isn't it? When I know that He will do what He will do, in His time and in ways that make me worship Him and praise His name. Why do I still feel let down when my hope for how He'll do things gets dashed?
I don't have the answer....surprised?
I may not have the answers, but I do have a desire. A desire that I not miss what God is doing while I wallow in my unmet expectations of how He'll do it. My desire is that I open my eyes and my heart to see what God is doing now, today - and not get so caught up in why He's not doing what I thought He would.
My prayer is that I live in a constant state of eager anticipation of the unknowable ways of GOD and be content and full of the joy that only He can bring. The only way I can see to do that is to remember: Remember what He's done before. Remember the awe I felt in seeing His work. Remember, simply, that He is.
I've been in that place - I am in that place. I'm not happy in this place so I dwell on it, trying to put my finger on the why's, the how''s, and the when's of it - as in, when am I going to get out of this? There is nothing worse, for me, than to be in a discontented state of mind with no real sense of how I got here. It drives me insane - it usually happens after a time of great joy and anticipation and then BAM! I'm in a state of unrest. I could blame it on Satan - he does seem to like to pick on joy-filled people - but that seems wrong to me. At some point in my joy-filled, hopeful period, I left some room for the opposite of that. Does that mean my joy was incomplete? My hope, a false hope? Or is there something else going on in my mind, in my makeup? As a Christian, you hear about the mountain tops and the valleys in our walk, there are scriptures that recount the same thing, so it's common. but I can't let it stop at that. Just because it's common doesn't mean I get to wallow in it or that I get to just "ride it out".I have to figure out why it happens so that perhaps the next time, I can forego this place of discontent.
In analyzing my thought-life, I've come to an unsettling conclusion. In my joy-filled, hopeful state, I maintain expectations - expectations that people will rise up to where they should be, and a second expectation that doesn't sit well with me: that God will act in the ways that I think He will. For those of you that know me, the first expectation doesn't surprise you - nor does how I get discouraged when that expectation goes unmet. It's a given- people will sometimes rise up and exceed all expectations and sometimes they fail and they fail Big. I can live with that, I do live with that. I've failed my own expectations for myself enough times that I have a pretty good understanding of it. I may not like it - but I have empathy for it.
The second expectation is what unsettles me. I know, in my head, that God works in His own ways, in His own time and, most of the time, it is vastly different than how you, or I, could even imagine. I get that, I've experienced that. I've been surprised and awed every time He does what He does. So why? Why do I still feel this way? To have unresolved expectations when it comes to God is kind of silly, isn't it? When I know that He will do what He will do, in His time and in ways that make me worship Him and praise His name. Why do I still feel let down when my hope for how He'll do things gets dashed?
I don't have the answer....surprised?
I may not have the answers, but I do have a desire. A desire that I not miss what God is doing while I wallow in my unmet expectations of how He'll do it. My desire is that I open my eyes and my heart to see what God is doing now, today - and not get so caught up in why He's not doing what I thought He would.
My prayer is that I live in a constant state of eager anticipation of the unknowable ways of GOD and be content and full of the joy that only He can bring. The only way I can see to do that is to remember: Remember what He's done before. Remember the awe I felt in seeing His work. Remember, simply, that He is.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Get Right and Get it Right
Romans12: 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
When there is trouble in a church body, people are sometimes quick to take a side- whether we admit to it or not, we do. I have been in constant prayer and conversation with God over this lately- to be quite honest, I’ve prayed that God would change hearts- but I’ve prayed that with only certain people in mind. Please forgive me. In His word, God tells us to love each other and He says it a lot. Why? Because it does not come naturally to us to love all our brothers and sisters. He has to tell us repeatedly to do it because He knows us. It’s quite easy to just want some people to leave a body of Christ because they just can’t seem to ever be satisfied. It’s quite easy to want a leader or pastor to leave because we just can’t get over something that’s happened. But, that is not what God has called us to. He has called us into the body of Christ. We may not want to love someone because they’re just so darn unloveable. We may not want to love someone because they’ve hurt us or hurt someone they do love. We may not choose to love because we think we might get hurt. There are many reasons why we choose to be unloving. There is one reason why we should choose to love all of our body - -because we are His body. He placed us into this family of believers. He knew the different personalities, He knew it would be hard.
Being in a church is a lot like being in a marriage. We are committed to each other in love. When He is the head, we are bound together, knit together. We may not feel like being loving because our spouse “did it again,” we may not even like our spouses some days, but we are in a committed relationship so we continue to find a way to love. When some people choose to leave a church, it rips that part of the body off. There is no clean break, just as when there is a divorce in marriage. It may seem like it makes things easier because then we don’t have to deal with it. But the people that leave will be missing a part of themselves and the church is left with open wounds and missing parts. We, as a church, should never rejoice when someone leaves, nor should we ever wish that people would leave(and that includes a pastor). It hurts the body of Christ.
Do we want God to keep allowing these things to happen because we can’t get it right?
We, the church, need to get this right. We need to find a way to full reconciliation. We have to so humble ourselves before God and before those that are hurting. People that are hurt need to look to God and to the body of Christ. We have to find a way to forgive, truly forgive, even if we think that we are the only ones doing it. We have to give up our right to be right. We have to be vulnerable enough to risk everything- our pride, our hearts, our standings. He is our defender and our shield. He has saved us. He has forgiven us. He knows it’s hard. But, with Jesus, the yoke is light, especially when we all carry it together.
Matt 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
When there is trouble in a church body, people are sometimes quick to take a side- whether we admit to it or not, we do. I have been in constant prayer and conversation with God over this lately- to be quite honest, I’ve prayed that God would change hearts- but I’ve prayed that with only certain people in mind. Please forgive me. In His word, God tells us to love each other and He says it a lot. Why? Because it does not come naturally to us to love all our brothers and sisters. He has to tell us repeatedly to do it because He knows us. It’s quite easy to just want some people to leave a body of Christ because they just can’t seem to ever be satisfied. It’s quite easy to want a leader or pastor to leave because we just can’t get over something that’s happened. But, that is not what God has called us to. He has called us into the body of Christ. We may not want to love someone because they’re just so darn unloveable. We may not want to love someone because they’ve hurt us or hurt someone they do love. We may not choose to love because we think we might get hurt. There are many reasons why we choose to be unloving. There is one reason why we should choose to love all of our body - -because we are His body. He placed us into this family of believers. He knew the different personalities, He knew it would be hard.
Being in a church is a lot like being in a marriage. We are committed to each other in love. When He is the head, we are bound together, knit together. We may not feel like being loving because our spouse “did it again,” we may not even like our spouses some days, but we are in a committed relationship so we continue to find a way to love. When some people choose to leave a church, it rips that part of the body off. There is no clean break, just as when there is a divorce in marriage. It may seem like it makes things easier because then we don’t have to deal with it. But the people that leave will be missing a part of themselves and the church is left with open wounds and missing parts. We, as a church, should never rejoice when someone leaves, nor should we ever wish that people would leave(and that includes a pastor). It hurts the body of Christ.
Do we want God to keep allowing these things to happen because we can’t get it right?
We, the church, need to get this right. We need to find a way to full reconciliation. We have to so humble ourselves before God and before those that are hurting. People that are hurt need to look to God and to the body of Christ. We have to find a way to forgive, truly forgive, even if we think that we are the only ones doing it. We have to give up our right to be right. We have to be vulnerable enough to risk everything- our pride, our hearts, our standings. He is our defender and our shield. He has saved us. He has forgiven us. He knows it’s hard. But, with Jesus, the yoke is light, especially when we all carry it together.
Matt 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Saturday, October 24, 2009
My Way or the High Way?
I may not be confident in a whole lot of things, but in this one thing I have placed my faith:
I did not and do not deserve love, forgiveness, mercy and grace from God.... but He gives it to me anyway.
And He tells us in His word to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives, to give mercy and extend grace as He does. What this says to me is that I don't get to choose who deserves it- I don't get to choose who I love and who I forgive- I am to do as He does and give it to all.
I can thank God that He didn't put me in charge of who gets grace and who doesn't. I don't get to choose, I don't get to sit in judgement where He has already forgiven. No matter what it takes, I am to extend grace , love and forgiveness to all. If that means I have to give up my rights, then so be it. If it means that I have to swallow my desire to be right, then I will.
I am to do the will of my Father, I am to obey His word and I am to trust that He will do His work. If I choose not to forgive and not to love, I am in direct disobedience to Him and it will not go well with me.
I don't know about you or where you stand- but I know this:
I choose God's way.
I did not and do not deserve love, forgiveness, mercy and grace from God.... but He gives it to me anyway.
And He tells us in His word to love as He loves, to forgive as He forgives, to give mercy and extend grace as He does. What this says to me is that I don't get to choose who deserves it- I don't get to choose who I love and who I forgive- I am to do as He does and give it to all.
I can thank God that He didn't put me in charge of who gets grace and who doesn't. I don't get to choose, I don't get to sit in judgement where He has already forgiven. No matter what it takes, I am to extend grace , love and forgiveness to all. If that means I have to give up my rights, then so be it. If it means that I have to swallow my desire to be right, then I will.
I am to do the will of my Father, I am to obey His word and I am to trust that He will do His work. If I choose not to forgive and not to love, I am in direct disobedience to Him and it will not go well with me.
I don't know about you or where you stand- but I know this:
I choose God's way.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Brushstrokes
Before my sister's death, she was hospitalized for more than a week and we all knew there were things to be done, things to be said and practical help needed. Her family, including friends and friends of friends bonded together in this mission of love. Some family members called and gave love, some gave the children rides, some watched the kids, some cooked, some visited Luann, some comforted her husband, still others prayed or lit candles. These people formed a bond of protection around Luann and her family. It didn't matter to anyone if their job seemed too small or that it loomed large - we all just came together, physically and mentally in support and in love.
At Luann's death, her family wove an ever-tightening bond around her husband and children. We wanted to protect them, to be with them, to remember Luann and to share our own perspectives of who she was. What I found was that no two people shared the same perception. None of us knew the whole of Luann, but we each knew in part. We could form a general picture of who she was: a kind-hearted, gracious, gentle woman who loved her husband and children passionately and cared about the important things. And, as a whole, that's a pretty good picture to hold onto. But we also each have our own picture, formed by our time with her, our memories, our own experiences. Each of us had a brushstroke or two in this picture of her. And when we came together, those brushstrokes painted a more vivid picture, a brighter picture, a community picture of who she was. And I love her more looking at that picture.
And so it is with church, the body of Christ. We come together as a family with a mission, a mission to love God and to serve Him. Some of us teach, some learn, some preach, some serve, some cook, some call, some listen, some pray. Some of us make friends easily, some don't. Some are not as confident in their beliefs, some are. We form this bond of people striving to worship God.
It doesn't matter if our "job" seems small or looms large. We all just come together because we have this bond of faith.
As individuals, we each have our own view of who God is, who Jesus is to us. I've found that no two people share the same view of who He is. None of us know the whole of Jesus, but we can each know in part. We can paint an abstract of Him as a loving, merciful, all-knowing, all-seeing God and that picture is awesome. But as with Luann, we each have our picture of Him, too - created by our own time with Him, our own experiences,the gifts He has given to us. Each of us has a brushstroke or two in this picture of who God is. And when we come together... Oh, when we come together, that picture of Jesus is so much brighter, so much clearer, so much bigger than I ever could have imagined with just my own relationship with Him. And we love Him more because of it.
Do you want to know someone more? See someone more clearly? Do you want to see Jesus as He really is? Then come together as a family and remember His faithfulness, share your story, love deeply as brothers and sisters, serve one another. Those brushstrokes will paint a work of art, a masterpiece.
Ephesians 4:11-16
At Luann's death, her family wove an ever-tightening bond around her husband and children. We wanted to protect them, to be with them, to remember Luann and to share our own perspectives of who she was. What I found was that no two people shared the same perception. None of us knew the whole of Luann, but we each knew in part. We could form a general picture of who she was: a kind-hearted, gracious, gentle woman who loved her husband and children passionately and cared about the important things. And, as a whole, that's a pretty good picture to hold onto. But we also each have our own picture, formed by our time with her, our memories, our own experiences. Each of us had a brushstroke or two in this picture of her. And when we came together, those brushstrokes painted a more vivid picture, a brighter picture, a community picture of who she was. And I love her more looking at that picture.
And so it is with church, the body of Christ. We come together as a family with a mission, a mission to love God and to serve Him. Some of us teach, some learn, some preach, some serve, some cook, some call, some listen, some pray. Some of us make friends easily, some don't. Some are not as confident in their beliefs, some are. We form this bond of people striving to worship God.
It doesn't matter if our "job" seems small or looms large. We all just come together because we have this bond of faith.
As individuals, we each have our own view of who God is, who Jesus is to us. I've found that no two people share the same view of who He is. None of us know the whole of Jesus, but we can each know in part. We can paint an abstract of Him as a loving, merciful, all-knowing, all-seeing God and that picture is awesome. But as with Luann, we each have our picture of Him, too - created by our own time with Him, our own experiences,the gifts He has given to us. Each of us has a brushstroke or two in this picture of who God is. And when we come together... Oh, when we come together, that picture of Jesus is so much brighter, so much clearer, so much bigger than I ever could have imagined with just my own relationship with Him. And we love Him more because of it.
Do you want to know someone more? See someone more clearly? Do you want to see Jesus as He really is? Then come together as a family and remember His faithfulness, share your story, love deeply as brothers and sisters, serve one another. Those brushstrokes will paint a work of art, a masterpiece.
Ephesians 4:11-16
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