People Are Not Your Source

It's often easy to become discouraged when people with whom you have held extensive conversations and planning choose to shift their support to different efforts and leave your cause in a state of “hold.” It is particularly discouraging when those people have been equipped and in a position to influence a commonly agreed cause, yet they decide to focus in other areas, leaving your efforts and passion left as if it is nonexistent or not important. I once experienced a situation at work where a great cause was identified, and many conversations and planning took place to find ways to work for said cause and make a true difference. The conversations were radiant, with an array of ideas that promised a great outcome for developments that had once been in place, but had long been forgotten. Each discussion fueled the passion, and it seemed like we were all moving together in the same direction. But then folks started showing lack of passion, and the organized follow-up was less and less each day. Many ideas were started and left halfway finished. Other ideas that were born during the hype of the planning simply remained tucked in an emotional closet and never came to fruition. On a couple occasions, under the heat of disappointment, I even felt like giving up and voiced feelings of disappointment. Is this it? I often sat thinking about all the passion that once was there and how it all had diminished so drastically. No more meetings. No more text messages. No more passion. Those who at one point were key proponents of our combined goals remained around. The difference is that now it seemed as an uncoordinated team of horses all pulling in different directions. There was no support for the ideas and developments we once dreamed of together. If God was the driving force, does this nonsupport from others really matter?

When Jesus was about to be crucified, He went to a place named Gethsemane with some of the disciples. Bear in mind that these were people who had been with Him throughout His ministry. Not only had they held intimate, passionate conversations with Him but they shared many goals and wanted to work together for many causes. These guys were His support group. On that night, Jesus went to pray and asked them to wait while He went to pray. After a distressed time in prayer to the Father, Jesus came back and found them asleep. He questioned their actions and sternly instructed them to watch and pray as He went back to pray again Himself. He came back a second time and the same thing had happened. The disciples were once again asleep. I assume Jesus offered a similar rebuke. It is recorded that He went back to pray, again. Upon returning a third time, Jesus found them still sleeping. At this point, the scripture reads that He simply said to them, “Sleep on” (Mark 13:41, KJV). At this point He knew that He was not going to get their support, and He simply just let them continue in inaction as He went forth to accomplish what needed to be done. He didn’t stop loving them. He didn’t stop supporting them. He actually went to die for them. But realizing He was not getting their support, He simply said, “Sleep on.”

In many ways, Christians need to adopt this attitude. Not everyone will be supportive of our efforts and some may only be able to offer what we think is a diluted version of support for our deep passions and ideas. Like Jesus, we are called to go on and continue on our calling. People are not our source. God is. Fulfill what needs to be done and never stop loving our brothers and sisters, regardless of how much we believe they supported us or not. In this manner, we obey our heavenly Father and promote His kingdom as He has already instructed us.
God bless.

—R Bermudez

Las personas no son tu fuente

A menudo es fácil desanimarse cuando las personas con las que has mantenido intensas conversaciones y planificación deciden desviar su apoyo a diferentes esfuerzos y dejar tu causa en un estado de "suspensión". Es especialmente desalentador cuando esas personas han sido equipadas y están en condiciones de influir en una causa comúnmente acordada, pero deciden centrarse en otras áreas, dejando tus esfuerzos y pasión como si fueran inexistentes o no importantes. Una vez experimenté una situación en el trabajo en la que se identificó una gran causa y se llevaron a cabo muchas conversaciones y planificación para encontrar formas de trabajar por dicha causa y marcar una verdadera diferencia. Las conversaciones fueron radiantes, con una variedad de ideas que prometían un gran resultado para avances que alguna vez existieron, pero que habían sido olvidados durante mucho tiempo. Cada discusión alimentó la pasión y parecía que todos avanzábamos juntos en la misma dirección. Pero luego la gente empezó a mostrar falta de pasión y el seguimiento organizado fue cada día menor. Muchas ideas se iniciaron y quedaron a medio terminar. Otras ideas que nacieron durante el revuelo de la planificación simplemente permanecieron escondidas en un armario emocional y nunca llegaron a materializarse. En un par de ocasiones, bajo el calor de la decepción, incluso sentí ganas de rendirme y expresé sentimientos de decepción. ¿Es esto? A menudo me sentaba a pensar en toda la pasión que alguna vez estuvo allí y en cómo había disminuido tan drásticamente. No más reuniones. No más mensajes de texto. No más pasión. Aquellos que en algún momento fueron defensores clave de nuestros objetivos combinados permanecieron presentes. La diferencia es que ahora parecía un equipo descoordinado de caballos tirando en diferentes direcciones. No hubo apoyo para las ideas y desarrollos que alguna vez soñamos juntos. Si Dios fue la fuerza impulsora, ¿realmente importa esta falta de apoyo de los demás?

Cuando Jesús estaba a punto de ser crucificado, fue con algunos de sus discípulos a un lugar llamado Getsemaní. Tenga en cuenta que se trataba de personas que habían estado con él durante todo su ministerio. No sólo habían mantenido conversaciones íntimas y apasionadas con él, sino que compartían muchos objetivos y querían trabajar juntos por muchas causas. Estos chicos eran su grupo de apoyo. Esa noche, Jesús fue a orar y les pidió que esperaran mientras él iba a orar. Después de un tiempo de angustia en oración al Padre, Jesús regresó y los encontró dormidos. Cuestionó sus acciones y les ordenó severamente que observaran y oraran mientras él mismo volvía a orar. Regresó por segunda vez y sucedió lo mismo. Los discípulos estaban nuevamente dormidos. Supongo que Jesús ofreció una reprimenda similar. Está registrado que volvió a orar, nuevamente. Al regresar por tercera vez, Jesús los encontró todavía durmiendo. En este punto, la Escritura dice que él simplemente les dijo: “sigan durmiendo”. (Marcos 13:41) En ese momento sabía que no iba a obtener su apoyo, y simplemente los dejó continuar en inacción mientras avanzaba para lograr lo que había que hacer. No dejó de amarlos. No dejó de apoyarlos. De hecho, fue a morir por ellos. Pero al darse cuenta de que no contaba con su apoyo, simplemente dijo: “sigan durmiendo”.

En muchos sentidos, los cristianos deben adoptar esta actitud. No todos apoyarán nuestros esfuerzos y es posible que algunos solo puedan ofrecer lo que creemos que es una versión diluida de apoyo a nuestras profundas pasiones e ideas. Como Jesús, estamos llamados a seguir adelante y continuar con nuestro llamado. Las personas no son nuestra fuente. Dios es. Cumplir con lo que hay que hacer y nunca dejar de amar a nuestros hermanos y hermanas, sin importar cuánto creamos que nos apoyaron o no. De esta manera obedecemos a nuestro Padre celestial y promovemos su reino como él ya nos ha instruido.

Dios bendiga.

R Bermudez

Christmas in August

Sometimes, God quite unexpectedly and purposefully changes my mind and turns me gently around. Does He do that to you too? That happened this past week as I was writing this month’s blog. Suddenly, I was pulled in a completely different direction than I had been heading. This blog kind of wrote itself…

It’s because three things happened.

First, I was opening mail for my “boss,” the dear, legally blind lady I care for. Recently discharged from rehab due to a fall, she has been unable to attend her little church outside of Bridgeton. When she misses, the elderly and efficient church secretary sends her a Sunday bulletin to keep her up to date on the congregation and all the happenings.

“How many now?” she asked eagerly as soon as I retrieved the bulletin from the envelope. I smiled, knowing just what she meant.

“1,769,” I responded incredulously.

This faithful, generous flock of way less than 100 mostly senior saints has already donated 1,769 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the Christmas gift initiative from Samaritan’s Ministries that sends tens of thousands of colorful boxes chock full of gifts for marginalized children across the globe. After this past Sunday, the number of these boxes from that congregation has probably increased once more.

And this is August!

Now I can’t speak to the quality of the contents of all those boxes. I do know, however, what my sweet boss puts together each year in the ten shoe boxes she donates. I am the one who orders, shops, and helps her package them up. She stuffs them with a variety of nice gifts. And we love doing it. It gives us both great satisfaction and joy thinking we are going to put a smile on the face of a child thousands of miles away, a child loved by our Savior, a child He wants to bless. 

After talking about what items she still needs to purchase in order to finish up her boxes for this year, it occurred to me to pop up the Operation Christmas Child’s website and read her some stories of children who had received boxes in various needy countries in the past. I wish she had been able to see the short testimonial video clips of some of the smiling, grateful folks who had been gifted a shoe box as children. They explained what it had meant to them. We had to be satisfied, because of her eyesight, for me to just read their words.

This was the second impactful event of the week.

We both wiped away tears as we heard about Jaki from an under resourced orphanage in Guatemala who shared a toothbrush with ten other little girls. She received a shoe box and in it was her very own toothbrush. She was overwhelmed, amazed that someone so far away would think of her. Care.

A little girl named Nadia was overjoyed to find Barbie in her box. Unselfishly, she shared it with all the other little girls in her village, passing it around night after night so everyone had a turn to love and play with a real doll. She barely got to enjoy her gift herself, but she was glad to make others happy. Precious!

Our favorite story was about a young boy named Yves of Rwanda who found a wool scarf in the shoe box he was given, the very first gift he had ever received in his life. Disappointed, he tried to trade it for a soccer ball his friend had happily discovered in his shoe box. Yves lived in the tropics. Nobody needed or wanted a scarf. He packed the impractical gift away.

Then, three years later, Yves and his whole family were evacuated from his war-torn country to Buffalo, New York, one of America’s chilliest cities!  

Receiving the scarf was no coincidence, Yves says with a big smile. “Jesus is always a step ahead, waiting at the end of the line to keep me warm like a loving father does. The scarf not only kept me warm; it warmed my heart.”  

So many touching stories of how these gifts of love have changed lives and paved the way for Gospel conversations.

What beautiful children! What a powerful, tangible way to demonstrate the love of Jesus, to represent His care and concern for these little ones who may never even have heard His Name. How we loved that each box we would donate would contain His story and an invitation to personally know Him, the God Who rescues, the God Who is near. The God Who is good, great, gracious, and glorious. He is also generous.

My friend wanted to fill up ten more!

Later that week, I took a break from writing my blog and ran a couple of errands for my mother-in-law.  As I strolled through Walmart, I suddenly took notice of the cardboard bins filled with school supplies crowding the aisles. All on sale. Not really having a child heading back to school or even a little grandchild in need of these supplies, I hadn’t given a moment’s thought to these items. But my Father had. He somehow stopped me in my tracks and I immediately pictured a pile of empty green shoe boxes just waiting for such treasures in my fanciful head.

Incident number three.

I grabbed erasers, pencils, pencil sharpener, markers, tablets, pens, and more. How excited will a child somewhere be to get a bunch of these school supplies that many of our kids simply take for granted? That WE just take for granted?

Now I wanted to fill up ten myself!

So they are the three reasons I was compelled to write this blog this week.

Back to School stuff is on sale everywhere. Charming Shoe-y hasn’t even made his annual appearance at LFA yet to make his appeal. And I am not suggesting we need to compete with any other church. But I am proposing for you to get ahead of the game and begin now to collect necessary gifts for your boxes. Somehow money gets tighter and the days get busier in December--even though your compassionate hearts long to meet the needs of children beside your own.

Can I humbly suggest you spend a little now? And then each pay week, spend a little bit more? It will be wise and even fun to start now to plan a budget, to look for sales, to include your children in the process of shopping for a child somewhere who will benefit greatly from their own thoughtful sacrifice. Haven’t you always intended to do that? Watch the poignant testimonies online with your kids. Maybe let them contribute some money from their piggy banks. Pray together as a family for the child who is to receive their special gift.  Prayer is the best thing you can put in that box! What a beautiful family project! What an important lesson on generosity you all will learn! What a valuable insight into the heart of the Heavenly Father Who loves all the children of the world and wants them to come to know Him.

I don’t want this blog to be a page filler, an easily overlooked cheap advertisement or an emotional appeal to guilt you into a contribution. Rich and Barb don’t even know what I am writing about. Neither does Franklin Graham! I just want you to experience amazing joy and satisfaction. I long to encourage you, even prompt you, to self-check your heart and make sure yours is in tune with your Father’s. He is all about children. He wants them to come to Him. And I think this is but one pretty effective way for that to happen.

Won’t you consider filling a shoe box?

Or ten?

That will make Shoe-y smile for sure.

And a child (or ten!) on the other side of the world will too.

After all, it is August…

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.(1 John 316-18 ESV)

—Eileen Hill

In or out of Touch?

We must beware of becoming out of touch in our attempt to be holy. If becoming holy is becoming more like Christ, a godly person should be defined by being in touch with those around them. Let’s look to Jesus and be reminded that being “not of this world” is precisely the way of remaining IN-timately present to those within it.

As days get darker, we must beware of the yeast of the Pharisees. There is a false righteousness that exalts men and separates people not unto God, but from each other.  As men are lifted up, boundaries are drawn between the “us” and “them” groups. The pride of the Pharisees “shut the door of the kingdom in people’s faces” (Matthew 23:13.) Alternatively, as Christ is exalted, all men are humbled and are drawn unto Him. This is because in the face of Christ we see Emmanuel, God WITH US.

Brothers and Sisters, people listened to what Jesus had to say because He dwelled among them. He was WITH them. Are we with the Samaritan woman, the one with five husbands, enough to drink from the same watering hole? Are we close enough with the tax collector to be invited over to his home to break bread? If the Spirit of God dwells in us, we will desire intimacy with those around us. His Spirit makes us “not of the world” and in turn, makes our love toward those walking in darkness “not of this world”. His love draws Him near, even to the sinner. Jesus did not pray for His followers to be removed from the world, He sends us INTO it!

Jesus speaks,

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. – Matthew 5:43-47

As we seek to be set apart unto our Lord, do we understand that true holiness leads to a love that will compel us to dwell in dark places? His sheep will follow their shepherd, even unto Samaria and the ends of the earth, as they are filled with the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, forgiveness, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. May those walking in darkness see a great light in us as we share the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. May His Spirit lead us to be so present in our relationships that we can touch and be touched by those who did not expect it. We must get this close to people for them to see Christ in us. Let’s stay in touch.

In Christ,

—Roger Garrison

Things Have Been Hard Lately

Our guest blogger this week is Kary Garretson. Kary and her husband, Chris, pastor Redefined Community Church in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. RCC is a little over a year old and is drawing people to our beloved. They recently baptized 35 new followers of Jesus. Thank you, Kary, for allowing us to share your blog. 

If you would like to read more from Kary, she blogs at: https://www.karyanngarretson.com/blog

—George Davis

Things have been hard lately.

Not like, oh I am so busy, things are hard.

But like gut-wrenching, when is this ever going to stop, one thing after another, not enough time, money, energy, care to deal with all of the things that need dealt with to make my life even appear together. 

Loss, not enough, things keep getting taken away, I’m-feeling-a-little-like-Job-over-here, has been my daily story for months now. 

And the moment I get through one thing, another one pops up. 

Man, I am exhausted. 

What my family and I have gone through in the past year is enough to make any sane person just give up and walk away.

 If I look at the things going on around me, it just all looks.. impossible.

But you see, here’s the thing. God gave my family a word, His word. 

God gave us a vision. God gave us a promise. God gave us a direction. 

And a funny thing about God that I am learning is that He doesn’t speak like the world speaks. 

The world speaks loud.

The world is constantly screaming at us that we need to do this - not that, wear this - not that, say this - not that. One thing is cool one day and the next day it’s not. One day we feel & even look like we have it all together, but the next day we have totally failed. One day we are at the top of our game, but then, just like the tide changes, the world changes the definition of success and we are behind, again.  

God - on the other hand – speaks quietly and when He does, He never changes it. He never takes it back.

He speaks and it lasts. 

He speaks and it is what you need, when you need it and when you wake up in the morning, it is still there.

The wisdom. The direction. The next step. It is all wrapped up in the typically very short, very succinct thing that God last said. 

And even when it looks like what God said isn’t going to work, even when it looks like God was wrong (if you are brave enough to think that way), even when something happens & nothing is going according to plan, and you don’t know what to do - God’s word still stands. It’s still there.

Strong. Lasting. Forever.

When everything is crashing down around me & it looks like I should just give up on the promise, God’s word speaks louder than the voice telling me to just quit. God’s word makes me keep going. God’s word makes me keep hanging on. God’s word makes me look for a way out that I wouldn’t have seen unless I looked because He promises it would always be there. 

 And guess what? When I look for it, I find it. 

When it looks like I am up against a wall and stuck in a total failure and all of the hope for something to be different is lost… if I stop, and remember that God’s ways are not mine, and that means He always has a different way that I haven’t thought of, and I ask Him to show me His way, He does. 

I was having a conversation with my son, my 16 year old who was going through a hard time. He was being treated unfairly. And it wasn’t just a feeling, it was straight up unfair. My momma bear instincts came out and all I wanted to do was drive over to the person who was treating him unfairly and give them a piece of my mind. My heart was breaking for my kid. Because I knew that this was one of those moments that he was going to remember. 

This was one of those pivotal life moments that he was going to look back on and remember the way that he was treated and this moment had the potential to derail him. It was one of those times in life that he was being presented with the opportunity to get bitter. To be a victim of harsh, unfair treatment and stay stuck there. And all I could see in that moment was my kid, looking back on this time years from now and realizing that this was the moment where it all started to go wrong. 

I was devastated for him. I was starting to panic. It was all too much. All of the things going on in my life, and then my kid going through this hard time. I could feel the weight of it all starting to pile up on me and I felt like the air was sucked out of my lungs. 

This was it. This was the thing that was going to push me over the edge of what I can handle. This was the definition of too much. If it wasn’t too much before, it definitely was now. 

But then, I stopped. And I just said to God, “I need You.” 

It really was the most un-fanciest prayer ever. I just said, “Please don’t let this be his story.” Don’t let this be the way he looks back on this time in his life. Don’t let this be the moment that derails him, that he has to heal from. 

And God, in His infinite wisdom, allowed me to see a small sliver of light. There is another way. 

This could either be the moment that derails him or the moment that catapults him into his destiny. My kid had a choice. Use it to push you forward or allow it to be glue and keep you stuck. 

So I presented my kid with the choice. And I saw God in action, producing the way out that He promised in His word. 

And I remembered the word He spoke over my family, over my son. And I could breathe again. God stays true to His word. When He speaks, it doesn’t change from day to day, moment to moment, according to our circumstances or the tide or people’s ever-changing opinions or our ever-changing culture. 

It lasts. It produces fruit. It accomplishes. 

And so this season. 

While I sit and wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled, for His words to come alive in my life, I can breathe. 

Even when it gets harder. Even when little, silly things or big, hard things add up and pile on top of me and I feel like there’s no way out. 

Even when the world screams so loud and everyone has their opinions and their voices seem to drown out God’s promises… they can’t. 

Because His voice is the only one that matters. Because He not only has the way, He IS the way. And when I am at the end of me, it is just the beginning of Him…

“He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater

He sendeth more strength as our labors increase

To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy

To multiplied trials, He multiplies peace

When we have exhausted our store of endurance

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources

The Father's full giving has only begun

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision

Our God ever yearns His resources to share

Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing

The Father both thee and thy load will unbear

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure

His power no boundary known unto men

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.”

-Benjamin William Hastings

And so you, my friend. 

If you find yourself in one of those moments, or like me, a whole set of these seasons, just remember that when we “reach the end of our hoarded resources, the Father’s full giving has only begun.”

He hasn’t left you. 

He hasn’t forgotten you.

Turn your heart and eyes to Him and He will “giveth and giveth, and giveth again. You can count on it.

“For as the rain and snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, Making it bear and sprout, And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me void (useless, without result), Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

Isaiah 55:10-11 AMP

“I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”

Philippians 1:6 AMP

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you [setting you on a firm foundation] and will protect and guard you from the evil one.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 AMP

“God is faithful [He is reliable, trustworthy and ever true to His promise—He can be depended on], and through Him you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1 Corinthians 1:9 AMP

“And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 AMP

Companionship:...With God?

I am blessed with brilliant, fierce, life-giving friends who are fun, lovers of God and others, and full of grace and wisdom – just my favorite kind of human. We trust each other, care for each other and each other’s families. We have opened our hearts and homes to share and hold space, to bear witness and celebrate; support, comfort and encourage; to warn and push. We hold each other’s secrets. We honor each other’s sanctuaries and are welcomed inside, free to ask questions, declare truth or disrupt – all in and by way of LOVE. They are my people. I am allowed to be messy, awkward, desperate, and undone; and so are they. I can be funny, irreverent, expressive, and brave; so can they. We have not only witnessed so much of each other’s life but entered in and experienced together – college and grad school graduations, new jobs and first homes, loss of grandparents, marriages, babies – mundane daily routines sprinkled throughout high highs and deep dark lows. Their companionship is safe and fulfilling. God has and is currently using our friendship to help me walk in the freedom He has won for me. My relationship with them satisfies a basic human need. I was intrigued to read David’s similar description of God’s companionship. 

The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning. – Psalm 25:14 ( AMP)

We can have companionship with God! Amazing! (And daunting at the same time). What does it take? How is it maintained? How do we contribute? I just kept reading Psalm 25 over and over again and the chapters around it looking for clues. Thankfully I think David gives clues and helps answer these questions. I know there has to be more. This is just what has been uncovered before me so far. David starts by saying in verse 1, “Unto you, O Lord, do I bring my life. O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and I’m confident in You”. We can keep showing up, bringing our whole selves, responding to God’s permanently extended invitation to His presence and being honest about everything, every time. 

I know we do not have the capacity to hold space for God’s infinite vastness like we may hold space for one another. Praise God that God invites us into His presence. There we have the opportunity to renounce our limiting thoughts and expectations for the purpose of “allowing” God to occupy that space…His space…ALL space and be, however HE chooses, even if it makes us uncomfortable, scared, confused, offended. We can be curious about Him, His ways, and His manner of being rather than insist that God resume occupying our tiny God boxes. I think David may have been learning to do this. Psalm 24:3-6 says, “Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand with him in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart does not lift it up himself to falsehood…he shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek him who seek your face, Oh God of Jacob. Selah,” and Psalm 26:8, “Lord I love the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells.” Oh to be with our Glorious God, in friendship!

—Anyah E. R. White