Prayer of Praise for Thanksgiving

"Father, You are the one to be praised and thanked.  We extol You and lift You up in Your virtuous and magnificent glory.  You are God.  You are the LORD.  You are the great 'I AM.'  You have harnessed the forces of nature through time and space to give us the blessed Gospel - Your beloved and precious Son, the incarnate God-Man, the Lamb, this crucified-for-sin Savior, the resurrected living LORD, the King of all earthly and heavenly thrones - an Almighty Redeemer God who will return like a lion to defeat His enemies and lay claim over His own.  You have given us one Shepherd as the Head - who knows every sheep in His pasture - you Messiah.  O LORD make us the sheep of your green pastures and protect us from ravenous wolves - and from the lone wolf of that dark pack who would seek to devour us.  Help us to follow Your one voice Jesus, whether you tenderly call us or urge us with rodlike warning.  Our gratefulness is so weak for your sustenance and protection, but, someday, we will FULLY declare your triumphant praise with your mighty angels.  We are thankful that this earthly life and earthly tent is not home; but that our real home awaits your forever eternal presence.  So come quickly LORD Jesus.  But while we patiently wait and seek to walk in Your righteousness, Spirit of God please see that contentment and shielded faith will guard our hearts and our minds in You and Your beloved Gospel, Christ Jesus.  Amen."  (In addition, see Psalm 136 for more praises of thanksgiving "His Love Endures Forever").

--May Thanksgiving encompass you all, Thor

Putting My Phone Down

A year ago I got an iPhone.

I thought I would never be one of those moms that's at the playground, scrolling through her phone and absently replying 'Uh-huh' when her child says 'Mom watch this!'

But unfortunately, I find myself looking at my iPhone way too much. It's almost like an unconscious habit to just pick it up when there's a spare minute and glance at email, texts, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest. 

I don't like how often I look at it. Because my children see me. 

I know that they'll get their values from watching me. I don't want them to grow up thinking that this stupid little device is more important than what they have to say, more important than THEM. Ugh! Such a yucky thought. 

I recently saw something in a book that I've been reading that reminded me of my iPhone habit:

We give time to those things we love...The impact of not having one’s parents’ time creates the feeling of being worthless. The child is worth less than his parents’ time, attention, or direction. The young child’s egocentricity always interprets events egocentrically. If mom and dad are not present, it’s because of me. There must be something wrong with me or they would want to be with me.

The author, John Bradshaw, is obviously talking about a lifestyle of not giving attention to our children, but the severity of his words make me want to be intentional to value what is truly valuable: my children. 

So I'm trying to put my phone down more. To look into their eyes when I talk to them. To get on the floor and play with them a little bit each day. To make sure that what I'm giving my time to is really worthy of my love.

#Thankful

Thanksgiving is coming up next week. What?! Does anyone else think that it came fast this year? I do. So…what more appropriate way to show my gratitude than by writing an obligatory blog on thankfulness, right? Just kidding. No, but seriously, I’m not obligated, but I am learning to be thankful. Before you roll your eyes anticipating the common “I’m thankful for my family and pets” post (although there is nothing wrong with that), I am learning something a little different as I think about gratitude. I am learning to be thankful for myself. I’m not trying to be narcissistic, but there is something healing about being able to recognize God’s good work in me and where He has me and not just other people. 

It’s not easy. There is a phrase that I have seen floating around online that states, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It’s true. I think as I am in the process of appreciating how God made me, one of the biggest things that hinders me in my fight for perspective and gratefulness is comparison. It seems especially easy to sit and play the comparison game when one spends any time online. Facebook or Instagram is a great platform for the aspiring “iPhone photographer” to capture a perfect moment from their life and display it for all to see with #blessed. Sometimes as I scroll through and see the mom who claims to have been up all night with her puking child while still managing to look like a hipster model of the year, or a friend whose every post as of late seems to be made while overlooking some scenic vista, it can bring up insecurities in my heart. I can be tempted to think, “What is wrong with me?!” “I don’t look like that after being up all night.” “Pssh, when was the last time I traveled anywhere but to and from my husband’s work on the ever exciting Delsea Drive? #Adventure?”

The lies that I tend to believe in those moments are, “There must be something wrong with you” or “Unless your life experiences are as exciting or more than so and so’s then you aren’t significant. You are boring.” Wow. The great thing though is that however vulnerable it has been to realize those lies, God is not afraid to meet me in messy places. There is freedom in bringing them into the light. HE IS GRACIOUS- so I don’t have to prove myself. I am significant because I AM HIS. So, I don’t have to apologize for being myself as if the story of my life was a really boring movie. I didn’t write it. GOD IS GREAT- so I don’t have to be in control I (even of what others may think of me).

I am a stay-at-home mother of two. I change so many diapers it’s comical sometimes. I don’t always look that great after being up all night feeding the baby, and that is ok. I haven’t been out of the country recently (although I went to Deptford yesterday, which was an adventure in itself with screaming children in the back). Sometimes, my most exciting evening consists of dinner on the sofa with my husband while the girls sleep.

My life right now is composed of many small moments, most of which may not make a pretty Instagram photo, but God is in them and God is with me. He doesn’t wait to show up after things “get more exciting.” Rather, on this ordinary adventure, He gives me grace to be fully present in everyday circumstances, fully myself without diminishing my experiences, and fully alive as I allow my heart to be formed by it all. He is revealing a beauty all my own as I get to see myself through His eyes, and for that I am truly thankful.

What is Spiritual Worship?

I am reading Romans 12 this morning because the other day my wife and I read this passage and experienced the richness of God's Word in such practical matters of life. The thought began with the realization that the Apostle Paul is dedicating a whole chapter to give us glimpses of what a transformed or renewed life can look like in our daily moments.

This morning, as I began reading the first two verses of this chapter, the first thing that grabbed my attention is the phrase "this is your spiritual worship". What is Paul referring to? He is affirming that spiritual worship includes our physical dimension--namely, our bodies. When we present our bodies--our physical dimension--holy and acceptable to God in any situation, not just on Sunday morning, we are engaging in spiritual worship.

I was chatting with someone the other day about how the term "worship"--when referring to specific segments of a corporate gathering--has served us well in some sense but has also reduced the scope of our personal worship. The term often conditions us to compartmentalize when we worship God. Biblically speaking, we do find instances where worship was a dedicated segment or event that was purposefully oriented toward God. But worship, as introduced by Paul here, is not limited to an event or a segment in a corporate gathering. Spiritual worship begins when I regard both my physical and non-physical life as a living sacrifice I can offer to God while I am engaging in any or every activity of life.

Let's stay in verses 1 and 2 to emphasize a couple of things. The first is that the qualifiers for a physical life that becomes spiritual worship are: sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This means there is an intentionality to bring to God our physical life. That we are leaning on Grace to live in a way that is aligned with his nature and plans. So eating our hearts out, driven by the motivation of wanting more and more, may not be a spiritual worship act. But perhaps eating in a way that considers in love the needs of others is. The second qualifier is found in verse 2. Paul points out that our mind needs to be engaged ina certain way in order to pursue this spiritual worship. Specifically, it needs to be renewed so that the outcome is that we test and discern what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. This is where a worshipful life begins to show certain kind of fruit. Spiritual worship entails more than signing hymns, songs or employing other meaningful liturgy.

So spiritual worship involves our physical and non-physical life, and the opportunity to do this is not limited to a segment or event; the opportunity to do this begins when we consciously open our eyes each new day. Spiritual worship is evidenced in the way we handle our physical life and ultimately in the way we test and approve the good, acceptable and perfect will of God. If we seek to actively worship God in some way or another but show no signs of transformation in the way we think and live, I would question if we are really worshiping God spiritually.

Let us consider how to grow in spiritual worship, both through our regular events (personal and corporate rhythms and practices) and also through the way we engage our physical and non-physical life before God. If we don't, we run the risk of being like the people described by the prophet Isaiah: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (29:13)

Diego Cuartas

How Can We Become People Who Empathize and Encourage Others?

I have never come across a resource that so clearly lays out sound actionables for developing empathy toward other people. If you are like me, you may find that we can empathize with others for a short time but after that a quiet voice tells us, “Come on, is it not time that they get over this or that?” Or, “What about me and my needs?". If you attend our church—Living Faith Alliance Church—this resource is a good supplement to the message Erik Howard, our church planter, shared this past Sunday. Seven Steps To Empathy will be worth your time. Unlike reading other blogs, this one may require you to spend a bit more time. A cup of coffee or tea may go along well with your reading. In this blog you will also find excellent video clips that illustrate the key points that Ken Sande is presenting. Ken is the director for the relational wisdom 360 ministry and is the former director for Peace Makers. Can I strongly encourage you to click here and invest in growing as a person who empathizes with others and thus generates encouragement?

Sincerely,

Diego Cuartas

What's Your Story?

If you are reading this blog right now, you probably have taken the time to click on the lfachurch.org website, you’ve navigated down to the counseling blog, did a click and here we are! Well, I personally want to thank you in all sincerity for taking the time out of your life to read my thoughts about things to hopefully help us all out, in one way or another. When preparing for these counseling blogs, sometimes I think I know what to write about, and other times I feel absolutely blank. This particular time, I have started three different ones and finally landed somewhere. Sometimes I think the blog has to be this really great, phenomenal manuscript that comes forth, only to end up in a frustrating half-written document. Then I stop and say, “God, what little nugget of truth can I bring to hopefully make somebody’s day, week, maybe life make a little more sense? Maybe to offer a fraction of help in dealing with the circumstances of their current situations in relationships, boundaries, worship, life, messiness, brokenness, hopelessness, you name it.” I almost titled this one, “As The World Turns,” taken from the well-known daytime soap opera. I can recall the daytime soaps of “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives,”  “Ryan’s Hope” and of course “General Hospital” with Luke and Laura! Then we have the nightly soaps of “Dynasty,” “Dallas,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Many people tune in to keep up with the story line. What’s happening? Who’s with whom?

Why? I’m glad you asked. I believe many of us can identify with the characters. Some even overly identify and begin living out the fantasy of the story line in their own lives. When a character dies, people grieve. When there’s a wedding, viewers tune in and celebrate the fictional character’s milestones. Why? You ask really good questions! Maybe it’s because we sometimes have very similar circumstances playing out in our lives and we think, wow, I’m not alone. Or, watching other people’s stories, even if they are fictional, can be an escape from our own world as it turns and turns. Sometimes giving us motion sickness!

Here is what I believe I am supposed to write about this time. The life stressors that seem pretty common to everyone- single, married, male, female, child or adult, all races (real life and TV land): Pain, Anxiety, Confusion, Stress, Sex, Time, Money, Communication, Self Hatred.

It’s across the board:

• Kids at six years old in the crisis ward that have tried to commit suicide
• Kids addicted to pornography at six years old calling sex lines
• Females seven and up starving themselves to death and cutting their bodies
• Men getting their self worth from deviant sexual behavior and 90 hour work weeks
• Suicides
• Addictions, Addictions, Addictions

And the list goes on and on. These are just a few of the bondages people get caught in.

This is a little glimpse into the world of real people and the real pain they walk in everyday and the extreme measures people take to medicate or numb the pain, even for a few hours, if at all possible. Unfortunately, many of the ways people are choosing escape actually costs them their lives or dramatically changes their lives forever.  

This is big stuff. Some of you may be shocked by the things that I have written above, some of you may have those very things and more going on currently in your circle of friends and/or family.

It can be crippling and lead to utter hopelessness.

Friends, I want to let you know that we can support you in your journey. There are real people at Living Faith Alliance Church that desire to walk side-by-side with you, in very real and tangible ways.  In addition, we have professional counseling services, trained support people, classes for adults and children, and a free program called Celebrate Recovery for anyone with Hurts, Habits and Hangups. That’s all of us friends! Don’t continue to try to do this life by yourself in isolation.

Now, back to “What’s Your Story?” There’s great news. I would like to introduce you to the best storyline ever, the one where your story belongs. It’s called “God’s Story.” He actually thought of YOU and created YOU. There has never ever been anyone exactly like YOU in all of history. Nor will there ever been anyone like YOU in the future. He put UNIQUE GIFTS INSIDE of YOU for HIS STORY! It’s an awesome story too!! Check out our website and contact us. We would be honored to walk by your side as you learn about how you fit into God’s Story. It certainly is a great adventure. Ready to get started?   

Be Blessed Friends!

Lois Robinso