Living Faith Alliance Church

Donuts, Gas Stations and Provision

I grew up in a house where we didn’t hold on too tightly to money. My parents’ faith taught me so much as I saw how they trusted God for provision. And provision wasn’t – or wasn’t only – money or a paycheck. Provision was also groceries left on our front steps or a car starting every day when it should have broken down or even a box of donuts brought to us when we all missed getting Dunkin’ Donuts on Saturday mornings.  Things weren’t always that way but I love looking back to when we saw God tangibly provide exactly what we needed – down to boxes of donuts. 

My practical education in trusting God to provide equipped with me something wonderful- freedom. I definitely don’t walk in complete faith or freedom but I also know I don’t have to worry or be bogged down by fear of money. I can trust instead that God’s perfect provision will come through with exactly what I need. It started with boxes of donuts but I’ve seen His hand in school, cars, houses, jobs and relationships. 

So isn’t it a little strange that in the midst of all of that big, life-changing freedom, I still get caught up in the tiny every day lies?

As a server, I know I drive people crazy by talking a lot about tipping generously and graciously. I think it’s worth talking about because I truly believe Jesus wants to use us and the way we tip to tangibly bless people and show them His love. I also believe that for ourselves, God calls us to tip generously because He wants to redeem us from fear and stinginess and trying to provide for ourselves and all the other reasons we can be terrible tippers. 

Most recently, I experienced the curse of stinginess at gas stations. Until my brother worked at a gas station I had no idea tipping was even a thing or that the guy who pumped my gas would have even an inkling of a hope of a tip. I mean, did you guys know that?! Not a clue.
Once I knew though… and realized how hard my brother worked and how often and consistently he was treated poorly by customers, it changed everything. When I went to the gas station I wanted that attendant to know that I appreciated their work, that I noticed them and they had value. But then, at the same time, a funny thing would happen. Fear would creep up the back of my neck and my thoughts would start racing – we only budget so much a week for gas so is this wise?!? Can we afford this?!? What if something happens and we need that money?!
Honestly, none of those are even rational thoughts in the context of a $3 tip but there they were anyway. Apparently, I can grasp that God will provide me with an entire car, but I still struggle to believe he has power over even a few dollars. 

Until I remembered – I am blessed to be a blessing and my provision comes from God. Sure, that also includes living within my means and being a good steward but not the way Christians so often seem to use it as an excuse for greediness. I’m still left with miles of room to bless someone.

My brother doesn’t pump gas anymore but I still tip my attendant. I look forward to it because it’s exciting to have an opportunity to bless someone so tangibly.  More than that – for my own sake I’ve realized it’s important to exercise generosity so that I don’t get rusty and forget where my provision really comes from. 

Jessica Noblett

Jessica Noblett

Feeling Followership

(By Thor Knutstad)

The enemy’s deception has slowly and methodically traded real freedom (in us) for the worship of what I will call ‘Feeling Followership.’  But we know that our feelings don’t really free us – they often mislead us, they often distort the truth and they often bring us into deeper bondage when we live following the misguided sense of direction that comes from Feeling Followership.  

Show me a man or woman enslaved by passions, feelings and desires, and I will show you a heart that is laced and bound with heavy chains of enslavement.  False teachers deceive people into thinking that freedom is found and experienced in the idolatry of Feeling Followership, but they would never call it that.  Oh, they never call it the adultery (unfaithfulness) or the idolatry (false worship) that it really is either.  They never label it as license or liberty of the world; and they surely wouldn’t call it the legalism that it often represents in its many rules and manmade traditions.   This is because the devil, though he appears to often work quickly, picks at our fleshly sin nature sometimes very slowly and patiently.  This strategy, coupled with the wrong desires that cause confusion within us, serve to thwart God’s deeper work within our hearts.  Feeling Followership promises freedom from the constraints God outlines in His Word, but ultimately real freedom is lost.  During the downward process of Feeling Followership, freedom evaporates and bondage takes hold and roots deeply.  While our hearts are held hostage in the deception of Feeling Followership, this soul-killing process that bathes in Satan’s great lies causes us to lose ourselves and become mastered by the very things that enslave us.  Feeling Followership is a legion of demons invading the desires of the flesh.  It is not real freedom.  Feeling Followership is a deadly and dark path – a highway with few or any exits.  Beware.  Beware of the false teachers and false prophets who tickle your ears with Feeling Followership appeals.  Beware of the lies – and behold the truth.  

This truth is a person – His Name is Jesus, the Christ.  And though He always comforts your pains and sufferings with an everlasting love, He will never call you to Feeling Followership.  Instead, He will take you to places that you never wanted to go; He asks you to deny yourself and carry your cross like He did – so He can get you home - to eternity’s Heaven, unto holiness.  Therefore, we must often forsake Feeling Followership, trading it for righteous actions and doings of holy moments that exemplify the Gospel and live out our real freedom.  Let’s see Feeling Followership for the lie that it really is – Praise Him.  

 

 

The Teacher Had No Answers

My Bible-in-a-year reading just finished Ecclesiastes. This is not my favorite OT book for sure. It tends to leave me annoyed and frustrated. Solomon (we assume he was the author) wrote many wise and true things here, but somehow it feels like he just doesn’t get it. There’s this disquieting feeling that he’s missing the mark. 

But what mark was he missing? God gave Solomon astounding wisdom, along with great wealth and power. It’s such fun to read his book of Proverbs, just one fantastic truth after another! He was surely gifted in every way. And he knew God.

 But this time I realized what was bothering me so much. It was this: that he seems to have had many periods of satisfaction and happiness, but in spite of it all, he was missing something which we have in such wonderful abundance!  He had no joy!  

He had no joy because he didn’t have Jesus! He didn’t have the confidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit, guiding him, teaching him, correcting him. He didn’t have hope for the future.

For us it is a bit of ironic humor when we say, “You can’t take it with you!” But for Solomon it wasn’t funny! He only saw that good and evil people both died, and had to leave everything behind – so why work so hard? He knew that there would be a judgment, but the idea that God would provide a way for us to escape payment for our sin never entered his mind. That God would send the Messiah to earth to DIE was totally beyond him.

Do we ever seem to take this for granted? This is the very bedrock of our joy! This is the only reason for our confident hope! This is why we know, we KNOW that death has been conquered, that we will spend eternity with God and His Son, our sins having been washed far away by the very shed blood of His Son Jesus!

But just consider all those lost people out there whom we desperately need to reach with the wonderful Good News of the Gospel. They too, like Solomon, are living without joy, without hope, always looking for some elusive thing to fill that void which only Jesus can fill. You want to know their thoughts? You want to know how they, rich and poor, live? Read Ecclesiastes.

Read Ecclesiastes again, and think how it must be to have no answers, no future sure thing but death and taxes, no confidence of heaven, trying to believe that you will be good enough. You should ache for them, and want to find them, and to reach as many of them as you possibly can!

As we learn more clearly how to tell our gospel story, keep thinking of them. Don’t worry about yourself; God will give you the right words and the opportunities to say them. Just be willing. Just be yourself. And let God’s grace flow through you.

Norma Stockton

Norma Stockton

Grace and Shoes

Before I finally moved out of my parents’ house to my own place, my mom told me that I would never leave shoes all over the place in my new home like I did in theirs.

Mom was right about a lot of things, but this was not one of them. Shoes are in the bathroom, in the living room, in front of my dishwasher in the kitchen, on my front porch, strewn about my bedroom. My habit of leaving shoes wherever I take them off is a hard one to kill, apparently.

 I only think about how annoying a bad habit it is when it’s 6am and I need shoes to go to work. Yesterday I had to wear black shoes with brown pants because I couldn’t find one of my brown shoes. It’s somewhere, I’m sure. But in which room?

The road to permanent change is long and difficult. I resolve throughout the year every year to be a neater, more organized me. It happens, but it’s always a partial change. I slip into old mindsets and behaviors before I have even realized it. Periods of success and a sense of triumph are inevitably followed by the knowledge that yes, I still need to improve more. 

It’s here where I get frustrated with sanctification. Why can’t life just be an upward trajectory of growth and maturity? 

I want something that looks like this…

But I get something that looks like this…

Up, down, sideways. It’s not a smooth or easy ride in any way. 

As we go through this sermon series on what we as congregants should be doing to maintain a healthy church, I am reminded that growth is ongoing. That it will be a process throughout life. My habits in quiet times, tithing, Gospel sharing, and community are all sorely lacking in maturity and consistency. 

This self-knowledge is discouraging as long as it remains just that…SELF-knowledge. Add GRACE Knowledge to self-knowledge, and it is a whole different picture. Because there is grace for all of my imperfections and habits.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 1:6, which says:

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

We are promised that God will continue His work in us, no matter how frustrating or clumsy we are as we try to grow into healthy Christians. It helps immensely to remember this on days when you can’t seem to get it together or find your shoes.

Nancy Vasquez

Nancy Vasquez

Bagels, Burdens and Bruises.

(By Diego Cuartas)

It is interesting the kind of subjects we end up entertaining around breakfast times. As my wife and I were enjoying our bagels the other morning, we were faced with the fact that we are all vulnerable in many ways. Not only do we experience our own brokenness but there is also a reality we face when we move towards others who bring their own vulnerabilities. In a way a principle that is always at work in relationships is that we are impacted by what others bring with them. We are not inmune to other people’s brokenness. And some times in our effort to help we also run the risk of being bruised.

Thankfully, God knows this and is so willing to provide us with grace so that we can help bear the burdens of others as well as address our own. I am encouraged by the promise God offers us in Isaiah 58:9-10:

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

Did you hear the strong tone of this promise? If I spend myself in behalf of other people’s vulnerabilities my light will increase. More and more and more light will increase in my life! So grace is given to us when we get close to others in their place of need. By God’s grace darkness will have to flee!

Here is another one. In Psalm 73:23-24 the writer evidences a confidence in God’s guidance and counsel in spite the negative predicament he finds himself in.

“Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.”

So we have the presence of God with us, His guidance and counsel plus a promise for His light to increase in our lives as we spend ourselves in the vulnerabilities of others.

But there is one more thing God offers to us in grace. He offers us a warning. Yes, warnings from God are a form of grace. Interesting, in the book of Galatians, the apostle Paul warns those seeking to help others by stating that they too may face personal temptations in the process of helping (6:1).

So the antidote to any fears or dangers we experience as we get close to other people’s vulnerabilities is to trust God’s grace. He has a record that shows His ability and commitment to help those in need. Consider Psalm 147:

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

May He continue giving us courage to get close to those we would rather avoid as we trust Him to provide us with what we need to help others and honor Him.

 

Watch Your Mouth!

(By Lois Robinson)

How many of you remember hearing someone say to you at some time in your life, “WATCH YOUR MOUTH!”. In my case, it was usually because I was saying something out of anger, trying to be funny or just saying something stupid because I felt like I was supposed to say something. Boy oh boy, the stupid things I have said to other people not intending any harm, but I question if I did.

This brings me to the blog for the week. I have wanted to write this one but delayed it, waiting for the right time. I actually had a completely different one started yesterday, but God laid it on my heart to keep that one for a later date and proceed with this one.

My first thought was to entitle this one, “The Stupid Things Christians Say!” but thought maybe that would be a bit too heavy handed. The intention of this blog is not to offend but to be very thought provoking and encourage you to take a deeper look at yourself and the things that come out of your mouth.

Proverbs 18:21 says this:

"Words kill, words give life;

   they’re either poison or fruit—you choose." (The Message)

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

   and those who love it will eat its fruits." (Revised Standard Version)

"The tongue has the power of life and death,

   and those who love it will eat its fruit." (New International Version)

Sometimes I get tired of writing about this journey God is allowing me to be on. It involves a great amount of suffering, to be very honest with you - physical suffering on an hourly basis that is controlled by daily medications.  The physical pain and the journey itself cause emotional suffering. I must take every thought captive and remember who my God is. He’s got me! He loves me! He is faithful and good! His plans are good for me! This journey is all apart of Him producing beautiful things in my life. Let’s face it, my life is not, and never was supposed to be, all about my comfort and happiness. It is ALL for His glory. My broken body is ALL for His glory! I have learned and grown a lot through this process, and it is far from over. There is a strong possibility that it will not be over until I see Him face-to-face, unless He chooses to do a miracle. He has before in my life, but it is completely up to Him. He knows best! :)

With all that said, here’s another thing I have learned: many people (not all) do not know what to say to me. In that, words have been very hurtful, sometimes taking me days to battle out of what someone has said in response to the disorder I have. I got to a place that I did not want to come to church because I was afraid of what well-meaning folks were going to say.  At this point, you are probably asking a few questions in your head. One may be, “What did people say to her?” The point of this blog is not to focus on what was said but for you to ask yourself about the things you may haphazardly say at times, meaning no harm. I will give you some examples from my personal journey, and other common things I hear people jokingly say, that have hurtful repercussions you may never know about.

My personal experience

  • Name calling- Handicaps can go first in line! HaHa, Gimpy, Tiny Tim

  • Why don’t you cut that leg off? You don’t need it! ( I never thought that I would ever be in a position where amputation was a very real option that deeply grieves me. Jokes of amputation are not funny)

  • People have actually sought me out to let me know people have it a lot worse than me. In response, I kindly say, “Yes, I am aware of that.”

 

Jokes about Suicide

  • Just shoot me now.

  • I want to hang myself.

  • Will somebody kill me now.

  • I want to find the nearest bridge.

 

And the list goes on. These are not funny. Many people have loved ones that actually did do the above and are forever changed because of that. Let’s not joke about the tragic.

 

Mental Disorder, Mental Disabilities, Addictions, Sexual struggles

  • You are retarded.

  • You act like a crack head.

  • You need a cheeseburger.

  • What are you, bipolar?

  • You’re gay, homo.

Jesus followers: this is a call to clean up our mouths and be sensitive to the very real issues that have torn others’ lives apart. My life has been forever impacted by every single issue that I mentioned above. When I hear others casually joke or use the tragic to be humorous, it offends me. I bet I’m not the only one. Please think about what you are going to say before saying it. Let’s get those filters working and remember:

"Words kill, words give life;

   they’re either poison or fruit—you choose." (The Message)

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

   and those who love it will eat its fruits." (Revised Standard Version)

"The tongue has the power of life and death,

   and those who love it will eat its fruit." (New International Version)

Proverbs 18:21

 

Amen and Amen!

 

 
 

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