Cluttered House, Cluttered Heart

My summer vacation has consisted of cleaning and organizing my house. I found very quickly that this task was going to be time consuming and would be composed of many, many, MANY stages. I think there were 27 different piles of junk on my dining room table alone to be sorted and trashed or placed in the proper room.

Why is my house this much of a pit of clutter in the first place? Well, I have really long list of excuses.  They are sound reasons: crazy school year, bouts with some nasty viruses, the emotional toll of grieving my mom’s death. My house reflects the chaos that has been my life for a year.

The realization I have come to is that the clutter didn't happen overnight. It was a result of a process of little things that were neglected over a long time. My house reflects, in many ways, the states of my mind and heart during some very difficult days.

States of mind and heart are not one time only moods or feelings. They are built up of minutes, hours, weeks, months and all the emotions that make up those times: Brokenheartedness. Hope. Confusion. Happiness. Strength. Weakness. Sadness. Tiredness. Fulfillment. Love.

When these changing emotions become your cornerstones, your realities, your ways of living life, you’ll be lost in a sea of contradictory and constantly changing beliefs and truths. I do not think most of us who are believers deliberately walk away from God. Rather, I think we drift away gradually when we mistake our passing feelings and moods for the Truth of The Gospel.

A friend shared this quote with me as we discussed the day to day grind of daily life and the negative attitudes it creates:

“It’s the little things in life that bother us. You can sit on a mountain but not on a tack”

--From Emilie Robbins in Country magazine, February/March 2014

While the big traumas of life can shake our faith, often it’s the buildup of lesser battles—the daily “tacks” that poke us—that drive us gradually away from the Truth of God and our relationship to Him. As Pastor Nate preached on Sunday, spiritual warfare is daily. It’s not a “once in a while” problem. We are constantly being barraged with our fears, doubts, and insecurities.

The Enemy uses this mental and emotional clutter to wreak havoc in our faith. It’s a gradual wearing down of our defenses.

The great news is that we are not alone to fight this. We have the support of the Creator of the Universe, the Messiah and Redeemer. We have the most powerful resources in the world at our disposal to hold us fast while we remember that we are children of the King. We don’t have to be victims to the whims of our fleeting emotions and weaknesses. We don’t have to futilely try to save ourselves from self-destruction. The saving is already finished.

Pray at all times. Read the Word. Hold it close.

When darkness closes in during tough times, keep praying and keep reading. 
When you are tired and frustrated and helpless, keep praying and keep reading. 
When your mind and heart are cluttered with the negative, keep praying and keep reading.
Jesus has already won this war. 

Nancy Vasquez

We Are Not Alone!

(By Diego Cuartas)

So many times I find myself trying to figure out certain aspect of life, and as an introvert person this can become a wearisome task. Really, there are days when I feel like my mind can become a “mined zone”–you know the kind of zone where you step on something and something pops and triggers another thought that you don’t seem to be able to shake easily? Soon, I find that I am going into a vicious cycle trying to understand someone, something or myself.

Where do you turn for help when this happens? Where can I anchor my soul so that I can rest assured that there is a more fruitful path for me?

Recently, I have found lots of help in what someone wrote in the 73th chapter of the book of Psalms. I am so thankful when I find perspective such as this! It is like stumbling upon a little treasure that someone has purposefully placed in my path for my good, for my encouragement. I hope it is for yours as well.

So this man, we read in the chapter, tried to understand on his own the path and outcomes of those who do evil. In the process, he becomes embittered, pricked in heart and ignorant–to the point of event having a different attitude towards God. Furthermore, he regards his situation as “slippery” because he became envious of the ones he was critical of.

What changed for this man is that he had an encounter with God, as he entered the place where he would seek and find God. When this happened, he obtained the clarity to discern what he was not able to discern before. “I discerned their end”, he said. But there is more. He goes on to acknowledge four key things:

1. “…I am continually with you [God]“
2. “…you [God] hold my right hand”
3. “…you [God] guide me with your counsel”, and
4. “…afterward you [God] will receive me to glory”

These truths revealed to him  by God lead him to conclude, later in the chapter, that God can be trusted to give strength to his heart and to be his portion forever–that in God he will find everything he will ever need regardless of his circumstances. Even though he knows that his heart “may fail” him again and he may find himself in a new situation trying to figure out life, others or himself, or being envious or proud, he knows where he will find strength and the life resources he will need. In his mind there is no question that the best place to be is to be near God!

We can see from this man’s story that help really comes from God and from him doing two things: being present in our lives and offering his knowledge and resources to us. The most encouraging news I see in this story is that before I even seek God He is already there with me. He is not far, but rather near. What He is doing in my life and yours on any given moment is more than what we can realize or even grasp.

I therefore can confidently say that all the perspective I have found in this Psalm is not something I stumbled upon, I can see now that I was guided to it by the God who is with me, walks with me and guides me.

He is with you too!

7 iPhone Apps for Your Spiritual Formation

Our phones are changing us. That much is clear. Much has been written about how and why this is happening, what cause lies at the root of this cultural pandemic. This is not a post about that.

This is a post about the other side. Our phones are not evil any more than a car is evil; they has no intrinsic goodness or badness to it, which means we can make them work to our benefit. We may even be able to grow spiritually thanks in part to our phones.

Below I've listed 7 iPhone apps (sorry, Android users) that I think, if wielded properly, could be a great source of encouragement for you in your walk with God. Check it.

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The Bible App

Chances are you already have this one anyway, and for good reason. It has all the standard highlighting/bookmark features, as well as a full-screen reading mode. Lately it's been updated to include a social feature that allows you to see what your friends are reading and being impacted by. One particularly underrated feature is the Reading Plan option that keeps you reading through Scripture passages and topics on a regular basis rather than playing Russian Roulette with your trusty NIV. It's the Bible app Jesus would use, so shouldn't you follow suit? ($Free)

ESV Study +

The Bible App is great, but it's a bit light in terms of textual exegesis (understanding what the text means). The ESV Study Bible app is like having a bible scholar in your pocket. This one's a paid app, but if that's the only reason you don't buy this app, I think you're making a big mistake. Sometimes I keep this app open when Nate's preaching to help me understand confusing passages. Very clean design features to boot. There's a slimmed-down free version of this too, but even though it's pricey for an app, it's far more accessible and easier to use than the print version. Bite the bullet and press download. ($14.99)

Lift 

Lift is one of my favorite apps to use. Lift is a habit tracking app that helps to keep track of how often you're practicing the habits you want to develop. Habit formation is one of the hardest movements in the spiritual life, so being able to remember when the last time you took time to pray or practice being silent becomes a great tool as we work to become more Christ-like. I've written about Lift in the past, and I still use it every day. You'll thank me later for this one. ($Free)

Prayer Notebook

"Oh, I'll pray for you about that." How many times do we say that and then completely forget to pray for someone? Prayer Notebook gives you a place to put all those requests. Turn your phone to landscape mode and all your requests essentially become notecards you can shuffle through, distraction free. There's even a small timer in the corner so you know how much time you've spent in prayer. I've been using this more lately and can confidently say it does everything it needs to do. A great addition to your quiet time. ($1.99)

recoveryBox

Nate once said there are two types of people: people who know they're messed up, and those who don't. RecoveryBox helps those trying to work through their destructive patterns of behavior in a healthy way. Pick which issue you're wrestling with, then check in every day with how your doing. List your triggers and keep your accountability partners updated on how you're doing. This app is based off of the Celebrate Recovery model of addiction recovery, and it's a great companion app as you're walking the path to freedom. ($1.99)

BibleMinded

Scripture memory and mastery is a lost art. Perhaps being increasingly connected to Google or digital copies of scripture has made us lazy. It's time to take back that lost art. BibleMinded allows you to set a daily reminder for you to work on memorizing scripture passages of your choice. They even give you fill in the blank tests to make you reproduce the verse in its entirety. This one is a keeper. ($Free)

Spiritual Wallpapers

Recent studies show that we check our phones between 100-150 times a day, on average. Let that sink in for a moment. If we're going to be using these things so frequently, why not pin up a background filled with excerpts from Scripture? The developer creates really cool backgrounds and fonts, so they'll be right at home on your phone. Worth the buck. ($0.99)

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So there you have it. By no means is this an exhaustive list, though. Got anything to add? Be sure to leave a note in the comments below.

Dominick Baruffi

Vacations, Family Meetings and God-Moments

(By Thor Knutstad)

Our family recently had the opportunity to spend a week together at Spofford Lake (Camp Spofford) in beautiful southern New Hampshire.  During our monthly "family meeting" in June prior to the trip (yes, we actually do this after a good meal together, usually on a Thursday evening for about an hour once per month), I lovingly warned our sons (Jordan- 20, Bryn- 13, Jadon- 12 and Elijah- 7) that the gift and the investment of vacation would be discussed and evaluated at the next family meeting.  I explained the costs, what was expected as we journeyed north toward NH and told them that we would talk about it in late July after our week away together.  Needless to say, besides a few battles among one another (siblings) over who would shower first after canoeing or swimming in the lake, space in the bunk beds, and electronics with limited usage, it was a memorable and enjoyable trip.  There were loud moments, ornery moments of teen boys and lots of laughter filled with pictures, memories and good meals together.  But even after a week of travel distance and the dynamics of our energetic boys, my wife Lisa and I truly needed a vacation from our vacation.  The stress of managing the excursion took its toll on us, and we needed some real rest.  This rest is actually happening as I write - and we are both working this week :)   

 In our follow-up family meeting with all six of us together, I addressed the following aspects from the previous month: 

1. Scripture memory and Bible reading- though the culture distracts our kids from God's Word in a thousand ways, we want to teach this and model it as a priority - we as the parents even have our own verse to study and memorize
2. Chores- to help manage household tasks and take the pressure off of one another, as parents we are teaching our kids to assist and work together for the benefit of the household with time sensitive expectations 
3. Relational Dynamics- this is self-explanatory, but it relates to how everyone is getting along and 
4. Vacation Behaviors and Observations from the trip- this took some gutsy honesty on my part, laced with encouragement of the positive that I observed.  

Near the end of the family meeting, I asked our children two pointed questions of risk as I affirmed our love for them and for one another: 

1. Are your needs being met? 
2. Can Mom (Lisa) and I do anything better as your parents? 

 Before you try to precisely replicate what you are doing or want to do as a family, ask the Lord to help you think of creative ways to bring unity, wise communication and disciplined reminders to your children and one another.  It's not that these meetings are perfect for us - they have rough edges all the way around.  And so do our kids.  The goal is to sandpaper smooth some of the rough edges of our children's hearts, carving away the desires of their own hearts’ idolatries. Overall, this is God's artwork in their lives.  He is ultimately creating each as a workmanship (literally "masterpiece").  Our hearts want to MODEL and TEACH selfless Christ-likeness, merciful grace of the Gospel in less than perfect moments (there are many of these) and to overarch every moment somehow with the undying and sacrificial love of our Father God.  I would challenge you to have these "tune-ups" of whittling to that God's carving work happens through you the parents in your family - your children may just respond to you and the God Moments may just surprise you.

Chasing Bigfoot

A few days ago, my wife and I were talking with our boys, ages 8 and 9, about what kinds of books they like to read.  Among the mentions of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Harry Potter, my son Ethan made a statement that always gets me.  He said, "I like reading non-fiction books about things like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster."  It wasn't the first time I had heard him say it, and this time I kept my mouth shut and just smiled and nodded.  I know he's only 9, and I know what he means by "non-fiction" - indeed, there are loads of books written as factual books by "experts" in things that don't exist.

Reality exists, even if you stop believing in it.  To me, reality matters.  As humans and as Christians, what is true - reality - should matter more than anything.  In other words, all truth is God's truth.  If we believe something, even though it's not true, it's not from God.  I don't know that too many Christians would disagree with that statement.

So why is there so much division in the global church?  It has taken me a long time to realize it, but there is a huge difference between God's reality and our perception of reality.  For some people, Bigfoot is as real the air we breathe.  Undeterred by the fact that there is no evidence to support such a stance, some people will spend their lives dedicated to the study of Bigfoot.  And, believe it or not, there are disagreements within the church over what is true and what isn't.

I am not egocentric enough to think that everything I believe is reality.  Indeed, my understanding of truth has grown and changed.  What I am pretty confident about is this:  In light of new and compelling evidence, our perception of truth and reality must change.  Think about it.  We go to church every week to hear someone speak truth into our lives.  Most of the time it affirms what we believe, or challenges us to live what we say we believe.  But every once in a while, a new truth, based on evidence, will be presented, and we have a choice.  Do I accept this truth, and alter what I believed to be true an hour ago, or do I reject it because I'm kind of attached to my old "truth"?

Like I said, in light of new and compelling evidence, our perception of truth and reality must change.  But what if it starts a domino effect and the entire scaffold of reality that I have built is threatened?  This is the fear that keeps many people from accepting new truth, and fighting hard to hold onto their old ways of thinking.  For me, holding onto the fact that all truth is God's truth means that if my "truths" are being shaken by undeniable fact, then perhaps my understanding needs to be altered.  I am not living in a right relationship with reality.  It doesn't mean I abandon everything I believe, but sometimes, a healthy dose of critical reflection can go a long way.

So I guess I'm OK with my 9 year old's fascination with Bigfoot and the Lock Ness Monster.  I've tried to show him that there is no evidence to prove that they exist, but he's not having it.  The reality of being a 9 year old is that his reality is still being formed.  I have no doubt that as he grows up, fantasy will give way to reality, as we teach him to look critically at the borage of information and “facts” being thrown at him.  Through conversations like these, I pray he will learn that the pursuit of God’s truth, even if it leads to places unexpected, is what life is about.  Maybe the pie charts and bar graphs outlining my position will be more compelling when he's 10.  Then again, even for some adults, those blurry Bigfoot pictures are a tough act to follow. 

Jeff Hyson

The Gospel in the Busy Moments of Mothering

Sarah Howard

I've been loving these sermon series on the Everyday Gospel. As a stay-at-home mom, I've been wanting to know more of how to embrace the Gospel in the middle of diaper changes and floor mopping, piles of dirty laundry and sibling disputes. I came across this blog post that helped me have some glimpses of what it can look like to cherish and live out the Gospel in the busy moments of mothering. I hope you enjoy it, too!

God: The Miner and Refiner

(By Diego Cuartas)

This week I am leaning on a source shared by Paul Tripp. In this article, Paul describes how God not only rescues us but He desires to work in us so that our "strength and beauty" may develop a grow to the potential He intents for our lives. As you read this article, I suspect that you will be encouraged, especially if you are facing any kind of hardship or difficult times a the present time. I can say that I read Paul Tripp's perspective and encouraged me today! May it be so for you as well.

To read the article click on the link below.

 Mining and Refining 

God bless you.

Not Even a Sparrow

The other day I was trying to not worry about money, budgeting, car repairs and all of those kinds of fun, "grown up" responsibilities, which really led to more worry and worrying about worry. Then I was reminded of a verse about fear and worry... Except all I could remember was something about "not even a sparrow."

I was reminded as some random bird sang very loudly outside my window. It was the kind of chirping bird you hear early in the morning and not the kind you want to hear when you're trying to concentrate on worrying. 

"Stop it, God." I thought.

The bird sang louder.

"I see what's going on here. It's not going to work." I thought louder, to drown out the bird. 

The bird broke into a complicated Beethovenesque melody. 

Unbelievable. 

I finally gave in and looked up the verse I was so faultily remembering. It actually says this, 

“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. (Matthew 10:29-31 MSG)

I'm not saying conquering worry is as easy as reading a verse but it was a powerful visual for me. God knows exactly what's going on even down to the fate of a canary. 

I like the way the English Standard Version pinpoints specifically who's in charge. It says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "

It's easy to get tunnel vision and believe that our lives are so full of complicated cracks and crevices that no one else can understand or navigate. It's a necessary reminder that if not even a bird can miss a step without God deciding, whatever I'm dealing with can't be out of His reach. 

Jessica Noblett

And Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” John 5:6 (NKJV)

(By Lois Robinson)

 Years ago, I had a friend make a wall hanging for my office that had the above words on it. They are powerful words that Jesus spoke to one man, only one, at a Pool called Bethesda in the story found in John 5:6. They are words that I never understood very well before I became a counselor.

It always confused me why Jesus only interacted with one man at this pool, a pool that the Bible says many people laid around who were lame, paralyzed, blind or suffering from some sort of brokenness. They were all waiting for the key to their healing that took place at this pool. You see, the Bible says that during a certain season an angel would come down and stir the waters. The first person that entered the pool would be made well of their diseases. On this particular day, Jesus goes over to this certain man and asks him the above question, “Do you want to be made well?”. The man goes into an explanation of why he can’t get into the water, but Jesus doesn’t get caught up in the “why he can’t” reasons. He goes to the heart of the matter. Jesus asks the guy if he wants to be made well, tells him get up and the man does! He just does what he is told to do! Let me say that again: The man does what Jesus tells him to do! He was healed. Later, as the story unfolds, we find something interesting in verse 14. The man encounters Jesus in the temple. The identity of Jesus is made known to the man, and this is what happens:

"A little later Jesus found him in the Temple and said, “You look wonderful! You’re well! Don’t return to a sinning life or something worse might happen.” (The Message)

Whoa! That’s pretty heavy! Interesting, huh? Here are some of my thoughts and questions this passage has evoked over the years, as well as other questions I get from quite a few people. Maybe they echo some of yours:  

1. Why did Jesus only talk to the one man?

2. The story also says later on that the man didn’t even know it was Jesus!

3. Practically speaking, this man had been an invalid for 38 years. 38 years would cause his legs to be atrophied, bones fragile, etc, and he didn’t question this guy who says, “Get up!”?

4. Does verse 14 mean that our sin issues can contribute to our diseases?

5. Does God make us sick as punishment for our sins?

6. The invalid must have believed the man who told him to get up off his mat.

I always say I get 3 kinds of people in the counseling room: 

1. The Yes People- When asked the same question Jesus asked the man, they answer a wholehearted YES! I want healing and believe Jesus can do it.

2. The I Don’t Know People- They are usually silent for a minute or so, having to weigh their answer according to what the cost will be, what the responsibility will be, how hard it is going to be and the exhaustive list goes on and on.

3. The I Don’t Deserve It People- They step into the role of God and judge themselves, using their veto power to reject the work that Jesus already did on the cross for them. The Bible says we are healed by His stripes. Amen. This group of people doesn’t understand that verse yet.

In working with folks, including myself, I think I have part of the answer for my number one question: Why did Jesus go to the one man? I think it’s because he desperately wanted to be healed, had no excuses and was willing to GET UP! He believed he could be healed, and he wanted to be healed. Plus, he was willing to do the hard work of walking out that healing without excuse. What is Jesus telling you to do regarding your brokenness??

As far as the other questions go, a big resounding Yes to the question #4. Our sin issues can perpetuate our diseases. We can be lazy about doing exercise, eating right and establishing good sleep patterns in order to help in our healing process. On the other hand, a big resounding NO to question #5. God does not punish us with sickness. All of the punishment we deserved for our sins was put onto Jesus Christ when He died on the cross and came back from the dead on the third day, so we too can have eternal life with Him when we say YES to Jesus! That is the good news, folks!

The big point I want to end with is this. It is absolutely, absolutely imperative that you believe Jesus can and desires to heal you. Jesus heals in many ways, three of which I have listed:

1. Instantaneously

2. In a process

3. When we see Him face to face.

I pray for the grace to accept His answer to my healing. I am always wanting an instantaneous healing and will do my part in the process of healing, but will still praise Him if it won’t be until Glory. In Scripture, I find Jesus asking people all the time, “Do you believe?” They respond ‘Yes, I believe,” and then He says, “Your faith has made you well.” Folks, there is something very important about believing Jesus can do it! He can BREAK EVERY CHAIN! Check out this video: Tasha Cobbs ; Break Every Chain. Worship with it; watch the expressions of worship in the video. Ask yourself, “Do I believe that Jesus can really break every chain off my life?”. I would encourage you to check out John 5 for yourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what He wants you to understand in the passage.

Be blessed friends.