Where Is The Joy of Advent?

I am pleased to announce that John Piper is making his book "The Dawning of Indestructible Joy" available to all at no cost. The link provided below will re-direct you to the webpage where you can download your free copy. 

Consider Piper's thought which I believe is a good representation of how we are as humans:

"I am prone to be dull, spiritually drowsy, halfhearted, lukewarm. That is the way human beings are, including Christians, even about great things. Peter knows it and is writing to “awaken” or to “stir up” his readers so that they don’t just know but also feel the wonder of the truth." (page 7)

So why consider reading these daily devotionals? Because we all need to be awaken or stirred up deep inside to the reality of true joy in our lives. You could say that joy requires fighting for it-- not because we can generate it or obtain it on our own but because our souls lack the capacity to feel and entertain constantly the indestructible joy Jesus knows and wants for us!

http://www.desiringgod.org/books/the-dawning-of-indestructible-joy 

May our joy increase this Advent season,

Diego Cuartas

The Holidays: Not the Cover of Better Homes and Gardens

(By Lois Robinson)

WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FELL AND THINK ABOUT THE HOLIDAYS?

 AHHH, the holidays! For some it is an, “AHHH, I can’t wait until the Holidays are over!” And yet others say, “AHHH, Yeah! I can’t wait for the holidays to be here!” Whereas others say, “I’m numb, and it really doesn’t feel like the holidays because of very significant losses that have happened.”

I admit, I have experienced all of the above to some degree. But usually I find myself getting very self-focused and wanting to experience a form of utopia, sometimes literally expecting that picture on the front of a magazine where the whole family is gathered in the beautifully decorated BIG home with the fireplace aglow while everyone smiles and laughs with little appetizers in their hands. The table would be set with more silverware than I know what to do with, the huge delectable turkey in the middle of the table and everyone holding hands thanking God for His blessings. Dinner would be wonderful! No uncomfortable silences, everyone engaged with each other, not a cross word would be exchanged. We would all connect in meaningful ways. Then the coffee and MANY pies would be served. More laughing would occur as we moved into the huge living room with the fireplace (can’t leave that out!) as we began to play games as a family- fully knowing each other, connecting and engaging. Oh, can’t leave out the 6 inches of snow that spontaneously began to fall as well! AHHH, the Holidays!

 FUN WOULD BE HAD BY ALL!!!

 Well, I can honestly say, I have never really experienced that scenario with my family. What I have experienced is some of the above- the fireplace all aglow, some laughing, many awkward silences, forced conversation with some, ministering to some, holding my tongue with others and at times tactfully rebuking inappropriate behaviors demonstrated by the Christians in our family. I believe my family represents a microcosm of the world.

VERY MESSY AND UNCOMFORTABLE

Why is this?? Aren’t the holidays supposed to be celebratory? Hmmm. Yes, but we must remember what we are celebrating!

Is Thanksgiving a time when we engorge ourselves and say thank you out loud for everything we have but make sure we keep it short so the food doesn’t get cold? Laughing and getting a buzz?  Kicking back because, “Darn it, I deserve a break from all the stress!” Christmas has its own scene going on, and unfortunately it doesn’t involve the manger scene- that gets squeezed in where it can fit. It has become a HUGE event that the advertisers enjoy showing more and more commercials of what we need, what to buy so we can be cool (of course) and where to get it. Pipe in the Christmas scents through the store ventilation, play the music and put up the Santa so people will help us make more money for the stores revenue!!! YEAH!!!!!

Friends, is that what the Holidays are really about?  NO!

Thanksgiving is a time that we celebrate what we are thankful for. In the Christian faith, we are primarily thanking God for who He is, what He has done through Jesus and how He has provided for us. It’s not about us. Christmas is about us celebrating Jesus. Yes, Jesus. He came to save us from our brokenness- our broken families, our broken lives, even our broken hearts when our idealistic holiday picture didn’t happen the way we imagined. He came for the picture I described my family to be.

I wonder what your experiences are with the holidays. Where are you in your life? What are you looking forward to? What you are dreading?  Or you may just  want to wake up when it’s all over. I don’t know where you are, but I know where I want to be. I want to keep focused on the One the holidays exist for. I want to be a part of the holiday where I can be used by the Savior Himself to bring about change in a broken world, a broken family, my own broken life. I know that Jesus says in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself (ESV).”

I would encourage all of us to be focused on this verse during the holiday season. I do believe that when we live that verse out, we will actually get closer to the picture I dream about. 

Hmmm, new thought. Maybe that desire I have is actually from God. When we get to the Great Banquet in Heaven :) A promise for all those that have placed faith in the One we celebrate,  Jesus Christ.

                          Blessings, My Friends

Forgotten God

(By Thor Knutstad)

Did you know that the LORD refuses to be a forsaken and forgotten God? Look at Jeremiah chapters 1-6 -- indeed this is a sobering biblical passage from a prophet who mourns sin and addresses it boldly, but he is addressing remembering the LORD foremost. You see, our God wants to be remembered. Remembering is holy. Remembering is a mindset action of worship. This theme permeates Jeremiah's emboldened and grieved heart in his words. The LORD rejects being forsaken and forgotten. He refuses it. Are we acknowledging Him who is Creator-Father-Savior-Redeemer-King Christ-Lord Jesus? Remember the Lord, dear people, for His glory absolutely refuses to be the forgotten King. Remember.

Why do we forget? Why does God-forsakenness seem to abound even in believing Christ-followers? Here is a list of statements (some quoted, some derived) from Jeremiah chapters 1-6 that explains how and why we forget and forsake the LORD God:

1. Idolatry (false worship) 1:16, 11

2. Lack of devotion (as a bride) 2:1-2
3. Leaders don't know the Lord or His Law 2:8
4. No awe of Him 2:19
5. Unfaithfulness/faithlessness abounds 2:20
6. People forget God ("would a bride forget her wedding jewelry on her wedding day?”) 2:32
7. No reverence or fear of the LORD God 3:8, 5:22

8. Perversions are prevalent 3:22

9. People skilled at evil, not doing good 4:22

10. Dishonesty prevails and truth is absent 5:1-2

11. Repentance of turning from evil refused 5:3
12. Assumed God would do nothing 5:12
13. False prophets refuse to rebuke evil and would not point people toward the LORD 5:13
14. Stubborn rebellious hearts are hardened 5:23
15. Wealth and deceit chokes the heart 5:27
16. Prophets lie and rule by their own authority 5:31
17. Real warnings land on closed ears 6:10
18. God's Word is unheard and offensive to them and they find no pleasure in His Truth 6:10
19. Leaders are greedy for gain and deceitful 6:13
20. Leaders treat serious stuff as not serious 6:14
21. Leaders proclaim peace where there is none 6:14
22. No shame or blush over sin found 6:15,26
23. Law of God rejected boldly and outrightly 6:19

Though the prophet Jeremiah addresses the sinful and stubborn hearts of the people in general, we must note that he speaks about the effect of the leaders on the people. It's like he's saying that the leadership takes people south when they should lead them north. Let's not forget the LORD God, and let's abandon the bad theology of false prophets who rule by their authority and are not called by God. Know your Bible and remember the unforgotten God, people. If you do not, deception and confusion will encompass you in the current history and turning tide of anti-Christ.

People had followed the stubborn inclinations of their hearts (God’s exact words).  Jeremiah, the spokesman of God, extends himself by calling them “deceived,” unrepentant, evil, stiff-necked, disobedient, idolatry lovers, thieves, murderers, perjurers, adulterers and oppressors.  He pulls no punches about how sinful they have become in forgetting God. But he does more than declare that they have refused to ‘walk in the Ancient Path’ of remembering the LORD their God (16:6).  Jeremiah steps into dangerous territory by slamming the leadership (prophets/priests/scribes/elders/shepherds) with these direct and bold accusations:

You cling to deceit and trust deceptive words (7:4,8; 8:5). Note:  the word ‘cling’ means to grab or hold tightly to (like fabric) or like a child does to its mother when fearful.

You refuse to return and there’s no repentance (8:5). Note: though they have been repeatedly called to go in the opposite direction, they continue in an opposed path.

You pursue your own course (8:6). Note:  the word ‘own’ differentiates a path not of God.

You act like you are wise and know the Law (8:8). Note: Jeremiah calls the scribes ‘lying pens’ who are not writing or inscribing to circulate the Law of the LORD.

You are greedy for gain and you practice deceit (8:8-9).

You dress wounds of people as though they are not serious (8:10-15) Note: too lightly.

You say peace when there is none. Note: Danger was imminent.

You don’t shame or blush at sinful conduct. Note: brazen, bold sin by hard hearts.

You are a crowd of unfaithful adulterers who do not acknowledge God.

All of you are deceived and none of you speaks the truth because you live in the midst of deception. Note:  All are in the fog of lies/deception/untruth.

You worship dead idols that are as lifeless as a scarecrow (his term). Note: the LORD God is real and alive, while your idols are dead/worthless/lifeless.

You are senseless (10:21). Note: You lack common sense in your thoughts/life/decisions.

You do not inquire of the LORD (10:21). Note: You don’t pray!  Ever!

You refuse many prophetic warnings (10:22).

You always speak of God, but your hearts are far from Him (12:2-3). Note:  The LORD is always on their lips, but their hearts are far from Him.  Not near.  Far.  Way far.  Super far!

You uncalled and not ordained leaders are prophesying lies in the name of the LORD (14:14) and giving people idols, false visions, divinations and delusion of their own minds and by dishonoring God by not keeping the Sabbath Day holy and restful (17:21-22).

Isn’t this a sad depiction of the leadership of Israel during this time?  Jeremiah sadly weeps as he speaks this great unfolding tragedy of lament and confrontational judgment.  The leaders are lost.  Simply stated, they are deceived.  In chapter 9, Jeremiah speaks of weeping a “foundation of tears” as he walks over the sins of the nation and the leaders.  They have, to put it simply, forgotten the LORD their God.  They have not remembered His Word, His world, nor His works throughout history.  And behind this forsakenness are deceived and disobedient leaders. Dear friends who share the burden to lead stubborn sheep to the great shepherd Jesus the Messiah called Christ, the word of Jeremiah to Israel ought to cause us to stop and think and to weep.  Why?  Because there is a deep grief and sadness in seeing that many refuse to remember the forgotten God.  Cry on, brothers and sisters.  But as you shed many tears, with joy, point them toward the Savior their LORD.  Everyday, live and say and speak and share the Gospel.  In being forgotten, the LORD longs to be remembered.  And in your service and work, He will bring many sons and daughters to glory. 

Copyright, 2014.  Thor Knutstad – All Rights Reserved.

Why I’m Afraid of Ebola…Opinions

I spend way too much time reading political posts and the accompanying comments on Facebook. The posts themselves are interesting enough, but I am really fascinated by people’s comments and how they reflect cultural mindsets.

The Ebola virus outbreak has dominated the social media world lately, and the posts and comments follow a common theme:

“Stop all flights from Ebola-stricken nations!”

“Keep all health care workers coming from West Africa in quarantine for 21-42 days!”

“A person in New York City has the virus! Who did he infect???”

The common theme is fear. Panic. A desire to protect oneself from the potential health crisis. 

Is it bad to be informed and want to protect oneself? Of course not. What scares me are the motives that accompany this panic. Most of the comments I have seen are based entirely on protecting Americans from this deadly virus. There is a real sense of protecting here and not worrying about the crisis “over there.”

Where is “over there”? How bad is it “over there” in West Africa? According to Monday’s edition of The New York Times:

“More than 10,000 people in Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola since March, according to the World Health Organization, making this the biggest outbreak on record. More than 4,900 people have died.”

In contrast, only eighteen people have been sickened with the virus in the United States and Europe. (This is also according to The New York Times from Monday, October 27, 2014.)

These West African countries most affected by Ebola are among the poorest and most politically unstable in the world. Life is not easy at any time, much less during a deadly disease outbreak. Health care resources and basic sanitation are limited or non-existent in much of the area.

The Gospel is not limited to our little world of South Jersey. I’m afraid when we start focusing on our safety and comfort, we lose any vision we have for other parts of the world. How many of us have prayed for West Africa in the wake of this tragedy? Some of the Americans infected with the Ebola virus were missionaries and other aid workers caring for some of the “more than 10,000 people” affected in Africa. Are we praying for these brave people willing to put their lives in danger to save others’ lives?

Or are we more worried that we could be affected in our safe, insulated little worlds?

It is our obligation as followers of Jesus to bear compassion and hope for the darkest regions of the world. When we get caught up in the hype in our culture that is all about me and mine, it is really easy to lose focus on other people. 

Make it a priority to live the Gospel even in the “little things.” Pray for West Africa.

Nancy Vasquez

Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All

Advent Conspiracy is for churches to engage in authentic Worship and Giving at Christmas more fully- a simple idea for you to take and run with. Be creative and bless those in need by giving relationally as God gave His Son to us at Christmas. 

Find out more here about what it's all about. If you are looking for creative ideas for gift giving this Christmas season check out this Pintrest page: http://www.pinterest.com/advntconspiracy/

Moses Prays, We Could Gain A Heart of Wisdom

(By Diego Cuartas)

How do we gain wisdom? I suspect there are several answers to this question. A few weeks back I came across Psalm 90:12, and there was something sobering about the message found in this verse. In this Psalm, Moses prayed: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

In reading the rest of the chapter, I found more insights as to why Moses would request such a thing from God. I invite you to explore what are the ways we can gain a heart of wisdom. As we will see, perhaps there is more to it than "numbering our days".

A look at the Psalm.

• God is recognized as the "dwelling place in all generations" (ver 1)

• He is also recognized as the everlasting God who existed before everything was even created (v 2)

• God holds the power and right to terminate the physical existence of man by calling him back to "dust" (v 3)

• For God, time is different than the way we experience it. One thousand years for Him are like a day or a watch in the night (v 4)

• The language that describes our fragile existence on earth is depicted by phrases like "swept away", "like a dream", "flourishing and withering like the grass" and ultimately "brought to an end like a sigh" (v 5-7, 9)

• Our iniquities and sins are present before God; they are not a secret to Him (v 8)

• In this Psalm, life-span was considered to be between 70-80 years, the latter being by reason of strength. These years of existence are characterized by "toil and trouble" (ver 10)

• We can see that the question raised in verse 11 is very revealing: "Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?" The question reveals the innate inability of man to consider God's power and judgments over our lives. 

• This is another reason why we are exhorted to learn to number our days: for the purpose of gaining a heart of wisdom (verse 12)

In other words, to live our lives unaware of both our fragile existence and God's supremacy over man it is to live out of a foolish heart, not a wise one.

When we recognize our fragile condition and God's everlasting nature, we then will be more inclined to:

1. Call for His mercy (or pity)

2. Ask Him to satisfy us with His steadfast love 

3. Request the restoration of our gladness

4. Pray that God will reveal His "works" to us and His "glorious power" to our children

5. Ask that His favor be "upon us"

6. Petition that He "establishes the work of our hands upon us"

What an insightful Psalm this is. We are given perspective for life here! The wisdom our hearts can gain as a result of "numbering our days" deals with the most significant needs we have as humans. We need mercy, steadfast love, gladness, the revelation of God for us and the next generation, His favor and a purposeful life. I can't imagine possessing these things and lacking hope and enthusiasm for each new day!

How then can we number our days? From this passage, we can see that two things are essential. One, we need to regard our humanness as fragile and short. This should affect the way I think about today and the future. My experience of today and my plans for tomorrow need to be considered and embraced with humility and dependence on God. Two, we need to consider the fact that God is present in an everlasting way and has the power and freedom to accomplish His own will, in His ways, in His time. He also has knowledge of our situations, sufferings and sins. And He holds the prerogative to judge and deal with each person according to who He is and what He values. 

Is numbering our days enough? I don't think so. What we are being exhorted to do, through this prayer, is to number our days in light of God and who He is. To just number our days will miss our origin, our source of strength, our faithful, merciful and loving Father and our real purpose in life.

Hopefully as we do this we will gain a "heart of wisdom" accompanied with the gladness of being part of something bigger than ourselves: a glorious God!

This is your day; what is God doing? How are you living in light of Him?

What is Jesus Doing Today?

(By Diego Cuartas)

I am getting emotional thinking about what Jesus said in John 17:26, in speaking about his desire concerning his disciples, as He interacts with God, his Father:

“I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and in them.”

Jesus promised that He will continue to make known to you and I the Name of his Father. He also indicates the reason He will continue to do that is so that we will experience the love his Father has had for him. Furthermore, Jesus wants us to get caught up with him in this love he and his Father have going on!

One thing for sure Jesus is doing today is that He insists in making the name of his Father known to us, to you, to me.

Do you find interesting that Jesus wants to reveal the name of his Father to us? Why not go to the point and say he wants to reveal his Father to us? The way Jesus is expressing his intentions is consistent with the way God would be understood in the Old Testament times. The name was a way to refer to the person, the whole person. The name embodied the character of that person. Thus, God would reveal himself through different names.

Whatever your circumstances may be today, you can be sure that one of Jesus' intensions is to continue revealing what his Father is like to you so that you can be rooted in his love.

I encourage you to reflect today about ways in which Jesus is revealing his Father to you in the midst of your situations. Then see if you can connect that to the reality of God's love for you.

For instance, this morning as I was getting ready for the day, I noticed my mind was quickly going to places where I was being critical of several individuals--almost like obsessed with the thoughts that were going through my mind. As I sat for a few minutes and open my heart to God in prayer something happened. I sensed that the Holy Spirit was saying to me "Diego, you are on a dark path right now....let's turn that to praying for those individuals instead." So I did. The Holy Spirit, whom the Father and Jesus have sent to dwell in those who believe, was revealing the compassionate nature of the Father which is contrary to my judgmental heart. In this experience, I was sensing God's love for me and for others. it was beautiful and I am thankful for this God-moment.

May you know God today and be rooted in his love in deeper ways.

When I’m feelin’ Some Kinda Way...

(By Lois Robinson)

I strongly dislike generalized statements like, “All women love to shop” or “All guys love sports”, “everyone” wants this or “everyone”  wants that. A  recent one  I’ve heard is “All teenage boys cuss when they are together with other teenage boys. That’s what teenagers do!” Or these little gems, “That’s a man thing because they’re stupid” or “That’s a woman thing because they’re so hormonal”. Just love when people boil down the complexities of individuals to such a small definition in order to understand how “everyone” functions. Wrong conclusions being made every time is usually the case!

Therefore, I will intentionally avoid a generalized statement here and simply say, “If you are anything like me, I have frequent times of “feeling’ some kinda way!” Sometimes its feeling frustrated out of the blue, sometimes it’s feeling hungry for the Chinese Buffet, sometimes it’s feeling angry over violations or other times its just feeling  UGH! At times my feelings are all over the place, hard to really understand what is going on.  Sometimes the anger is an appropriate response to external circumstances that are wrong and my internal response towards the violation or sin is anger. While other times my anger is strictly my own sinful heart not getting its own way. As my Pastor Nate has taught, anger is a barometer of our heart that says something needs to be dealt with. That’s a blog for a whole different day!! Remember, feelings are a gift from God but we must learn how to recognize them, process them appropriately and not avoid them. God has given them to us for a reason.  Feelings, oh they can be so powerful. I am very thankful God gave the human heart, mind and body, the ability to feel. How dangerous would it be if we couldn’t feel.  When we feel extreme heat, the normal bodily response is danger and we step away. When we feel sub zero temperatures, we normally  respond by putting on more clothing to prevent frost bite. Hopefully I have made the point regarding the importance of our body feeling sensations and responding appropriately.  Otherwise it could be very detrimental to us. For some who have lost the ability to feel, due to some diseases or traumatic accidents, they have to be very cautious and take proper measures to ensure they won’t be subject to danger. God created the human body with an awesome alert system to protect us from danger.

This brings to the next point. The beautiful gift of emotions that God has given us. They are designed to work in our favor, to be a part of our celebrations, our healing process, our warning signals from danger, our own brokeness and need for a Savior. We are so broken in this area friends and unfortunately many of us base our reality on “how we feel” and then label it as God’s leading or lack thereof because they can’t feel Go. I have sat with young girls who “feel” like they love the new boyfriend as of 3 weeks and has sex to show him. Only to end up feeling shame and guilt. Others have felt like fitting in with the peer group and made some bad decisions that get them arrested. Others compromise their values very quickly and perform sexual acts to get needs met. In the church, people operate in their feelings to the extreme of disengaging in worship because they don’t feel like it, don’t like the worship song or don’t actively engage in the celebration time because they aren’t feeling anything.

               NEWS FLASH

WORSHIP ISN’T ABOUT YOU!!!

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE GOD WHO DESERVES YOUR PRAISE

AND CAN SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SELF-FOCUSED ORIENTATION.

This is a little diddy I had as a piano lesson back in the day as a child. I thought I was all that being able to play it......OVER AND OVER!! Check out the crazy lyrics!

Feelings

Feelings ,Nothing more than feelings, Trying to forget my feelings of love 

Teardrops, Rolling down on, my face, Trying to forget my, feelings of love 

Feelings, For all my life I'll feel it, I’ll wish I've never met you, girl, You'll never come again

Feelings, Wo-o-o feelings, Wo-o-o feelings, Again in my heart,

Feelings, Feelings like I've lost you, and feelings like I've never have you, Again in my heart.

Feelings, For all my life I'll feel it, I wish I've never met you, girl, You'll never come again

Feelings, Feelings like I've lost you , And feelings like I've never have you

copyright (http://elyrics.net)

He is the God who created the entire universe in 6 days and rested on the 7th.

He is the God who parted the Red Sea and killed the Egyptians who were chasing His children the Israelites.

He is the God who parted the Jordan River in order for His children to walk into the Promised Land.

He is the God who sacrificed His only Son and raised Him from the dead in 3 days in order to Save us.

He is the God who HEALS. He is the God who PROVIDES. He is the God who REDEEMS. He is the God who COMFORTS. He is the God who is JUST. He is the God who CARES. He is the God who FORGIVES. He is  God, He is my God, He is my Savior, He is my Abba.

In spite of your feelings, .....I ask you friend....a question that Jesus asked His disciples...

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loose din heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-19)

Feelings are a gift but must come under the authority of Jesus Christ. Through His Spirit, we can understand what we are feeling, why we are feeling that way and how to process appropriately so the feelings we experience lead us into a closer relationship to Him and Christ-likeness.

Blessings Friends-

She’s essential. I’m essential. We’re both essential.

I’ve recently been realizing that I have quite a few bad habits that I’ve never noticed before. I’ve didn’t know that I do them. It’s kind of been like playing a sport since you were young, and then realizing all of the sudden as an adult that you haven’t been implementing a fundamental skill correctly.

For instance, I had no idea that I was a perfectionist until this past summer. I also didn’t know that I tended to live without boundaries, and that my well-being is frequently enmeshed with other people’s opinion of me. I didn’t know that I tend to kiss people’s rear ends, and (this is the one that I want to talk about), I didn’t know that if I see someone else doing something well, I feel immediately threatened by it. Then I start to feel a push to either compete or to despair of my own worth.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen this same habit starting to develop in someone that I so wish could avoid it all: my daughter. She’s four and her younger sister is two. When I compliment her sister on doing something well, her typical response is to try to do the same thing and draw everyone’s attention to herself by saying, “Look at me. See how great I do it?” And if we don’t give her the same praise, she’ll express something along the lines of: “When you tell Bethie she is doing a good job, it makes me feel like I don’t do a good job at all. I’m not special.”

Bleh!! When I see it in a four-year-old, I realize what a ridiculous and yucky mentality it is to consider my value forfeit simply because someone else does something well. But I’ve realized that I do it all the time. If I have a friend who is gifted in some area that I’m not, I start to feel threatened. This yucky little feeling inside will start ‘whispering’ to me, “Oh no. Oh no. Your friend does this particular thing so well. She’s so gifted in that area. Why don’t you think to do that more often? Why don’t you enjoy serving in the same way that she does? People are going to like her more. She’s going to be safe and secure in life. She’s going to have a status of belonging in life. She’s going to be saved from rejection and pain in her life. And you won’t. You don’t do the same things she does; and because of your poor performance, you’re just not good enough.”

I didn’t even know that I had that habit: seeing what other people do well and feeling that I’m disqualified for not being able to do it just as good...or better. But I realized that I do it all the time, and I worry that my performance won’t be good enough to secure me the future that I think I need.

You know what is so beautiful, though? There’s hope for me (and people like me)! I’ve got this habit of comparing and disqualifying myself, but God says there’s another option! There’s another way to live. 1 Corinthians 12 describes His way. I just love, love, LOVE this word picture:

“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: wise counsel, clear understanding, simple trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.

He decides who gets what, and when.

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.”

Isn’t that like one thousand times better than being threatened by my friend’s gift and deciding that it means I’ll forever be rejected? I love the idea that we’re each uniquely gifted, and that if I don’t recognize and use my particular gift, The Body will miss out. The Body doesn’t need me to be someone else. The Body NEEDS me, and The Body needs me to be ME. As I am being changed into a new person with God teaching me His way to live life, I can appreciate the beauty of my friend’s gift, but the uniqueness of her gift doesn’t change or define anything about me.

She’s essential. I’m essential. We’re both essential.

Sarah Howard

Artificial Intimacy

(By Thor Knutstad)

Life on TV is far from reality.  I think we all agree with this simple statement way too easily without understanding its various implications.  Let me state it again – life on TV is far from reality.  Even when the show or series appears to be healthy, moral, family centered or even biblically rooted, a camera of lens and microphone was never intended to capture in motion the unique story, history and context of people’s lives.  Even while we applaud those who are loving, family oriented, God-centered and who defy the norm of society, their higher road living sometimes only serves to create more comparison, more depression and more striving of works and performance; it actually leads to less joy in most people.  Life is not The Ingalls Family (yes, this dates me – I’m referring to Little House on the Prairie from the 1970’s and 1980’s).  Life is not Duck Dynasty, though I love Willie Robinson’s bold and candid expressions of the Gospel and New Testament truth.  Life is not the latest Christian movie to come on the scene and touch the hearts of audiences (but I will say that God’s Not Dead did present the Gospel as clearly as any portrayal that I have ever witnessed in larger venue film).  Life is not movies or videos that depict the life of Christ like The Jesus Film, Jesus of Nazareth, or The Passion of the Christ.  These grip our hearts and stimulate us to see the life of our Lord, but John says that all the books of the world could not list all of Jesus works and miracles and life.  Hmm.  Are my statements pessimistic?  Am I labeling all these things as bad?  I’m not.  You may enjoy these things, but they are NOT the setting for your life, your world, your situation and your unique context.  They should NOT define your worldview or your values.  Even when “quality viewing” seems to touch the strings of your heart, it’s still like finding two diamonds deep in a large pile of manure.  You may find a few valuable pieces, but you get very dirty wading through everything else to find the treasure.  And you aren’t unaffected by it.  In fact, you’re worse off than without it.  Some of you may think this sounds legalistic.  It is not.  This is a call to prudence and sober thinking about what we view, how we perceive and interpret it and why some of our “better” viewing may just be a lesser evil and just another plot of the enemy to have us fall into the trap of Artificial Intimacy.  A sober evaluation of this requires spiritual maturity and a more “meaty” understanding of the Scriptures.  My heart is to make us think this: Am I filling my heart and soul with Artificial Intimacies?  If you are, then this article is for you.

TV, movies, FB and most social media (even including sports) and the internet promote Artificial Intimacy.  Artificial Intimacy can be defined as “the result of anything that promotes feelings of connectedness and closeness.”  Artificial Intimacy blurs the lines of reality and fantasy to create a passive distraction.  In it, we consume data and feelings are created.  We are emotionally manipulated, and we don’t even know it sometimes, if not often.  Artificial Intimacy is known by, but not limited to, the following defining factors:

1. It disconnects us from real life (makes us want another life)

2. It discontents us with real life (hmm, where is the secret of contentment?)

3. It devalues real life and devalues the ordinary by craving the extraordinary

4. It deceives our hearts and minds with world views that are less than biblical

5. It disappoints us and is often quite idolatrous (promotes a false worship of something/someone) without ever really saying the word “idolatry” or “idol of the heart”

6. It dramatizes everything that happens and looks to solve every problem

7. It deepens our sinful desires for a good, comfortable life (not a cross-bearing, self-denying one)

8. It doesn’t deliver the end of isolation and loneliness; it actually isolates us even more

9. It lures us with tastes and hungry cravings for more entertainment and self-preoccupation

10. It doesn’t tell you that the backdrop and setting for consumerism leaves us with a plethora of multiple choices, selfish humanism, false optimism, a gospel of social justice that trumps the Gospel of death and resurrection, a desire for more efficient and the faster version, a bow to rationalistic reason and a freedom of doings that go beyond biblical boundaries.

11. It doesn’t tell you that as you are emotionally manipulated, you will feel more passive and actually more depressed.   Consumer and cultural absorption will fill the sponge of you if you haven’t soaked up the deeper truths of God in His Word and soaked up His presence.   Artificial Intimacy would never tell you that you’re given dirty and sick water from manmade cisterns (wells) as a trade off to our Lord’s living water for the heart (tough statements, but read them again).

12. It will make you think that you are ruled by your rights and not by your responsibilities.  You are not ruled by your rights.  You are ruled by your responsibilities to the Savior and the King.  Artificial Intimacy calls you a victim, but the Bible calls you a culpable participant.

13. It won’t tell you that it wants your theology to come from culture and the world; instead, your theology should stand against and infect the world’s sick heart with cures and antibodies.

Whether it’s TV, social media or even our cell phones, we have to ask this question: are we becoming over connected to Artificial Intimacy?  We fear a slowdown from Artificial Intimacy because silence and conversations often reveal what lives below the surface of our hearts.  Distractions and busyness are welcomed (in Artificial Intimacy) because they keep us away from sober, somber and prudent considerations.  Loud surroundings, the motion of commotion and the visually fast will always occupy and attempt to dominate our minds.  But it’s artificial.  Let’s get real, people.  Is your Intimacy Artificial?  Are you over connected?  What masters and enslaves you?  What is the noise that preoccupies your soul with distractions and stimulations?  We wrongly allow the enemy a foothold over the cacophony of our hearts ponderings and pains and the even the voice of God – Satan and the world love the silence of Artificial Intimacy.  And Artificial Intimacy is a god (a false one) who serves that very desire.  But it is deafening to our souls.  And the cost of Artificial Intimacy is vast.  It robs you of the gold of True Intimacy – being connected in a still and quieted soul to your Lord Jesus and the Spirit of God –

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

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

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

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.

Hola from Paraguay!

Carlos, Lily, Carly, Elia, & Lucas Saavadra

Read the latest updates from one of our partner families serving globally in Asuncion, Paraguay. You can follow there adventures, learn how to pray well, and support them by reading more at http://saavedramissions.blogspot.com/

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!

What I Learned from Video Stores

As a child, one of my fondest memories is going to West Coast Video as a family and walking slowly through the store, specifically along the wall where the “New Releases” were, looking for a movie to rent.  We would each pick up a few of the boxes, read the back, then debate amongst ourselves to decide on what we would watch that evening.

Last night, my sons wanted to have family movie night.  We turned on the Apple TV, flipped through some choices, read some descriptions, selected, and rented a movie from our sofa.  We were watching the movie is less time than it used to take all of us to cross the parking lot into the video store.

I know that my kids memories of “family movie night” will be different than mine, but they will be great memories none-the-less.  My father and grandfather probably had different “movie night” experiences than I did, and before there were movies, they had “something-else night”. 

I don’t particularly mourn the loss of Blockbuster or any of the other video stores that have gone the way of the buffalo, but I do often find myself wanting to hold on to the past.  We are comfortable with our memories, and generally remember things with more joy and happiness than they actually had.  We tend to elevate our memories, build a scaffold around them, and hold them in such high regard that it feels like nothing new can come close to them.

We are comfortable in our current church family.  We have friends that we like.  We feel useful and involved.  So the prospect of changing all of that and helping to plant a new church seems… uncomfortable.  In our minds, there is no way that a new church in a new location with a new group of people can come close to the experience we have had in our current situation.

One aspect of living in reality is realizing that things change.  Often for the better, sometimes for the worse, but inevitably, things change.  There is nothing wrong with holding on to fond memories, but when those memories become an unreasonable, unattainable litmus test, they can actually hold us back from experiencing the newness that God has for us.  If things aren’t changing, they aren’t growing, and there’s a name for things that aren’t growing. Dead.  

If God leads, we need to be willing to follow.  Into uncomfortable places, places we may have never wanted to go.  But the reality is that change is not something to fear.  West Coast Video and Blockbuster went out of business because people found a better way to find movies to watch.  And while letting go of the experience that I used to enjoy is a little sad, honestly, I hadn’t been inside a video store for years, even before they closed.  The new movie rental experience is really quite nice.

God is blessing us in our church, but that’s not a reason to stay stagnant.  If anything, it’s a reason to pursue God’s leading into new experiences, whether that means planting new churches, stepping out into ministry, or joining a Pastorate.  New memories will be made, and while it might seem now like they can’t compare with memories of the past, give it some time.  But don’t get too comfortable, there will always be a new way to rent movies.

Jeff Hyson

“Relating Without Guile”

(By Thor Knutstad)

Most of our patterns of relating are naturally very self-protective and actually quite manipulative. While distance or demand provides us a setting to be safe from the transparencies of vulnerability, contact and relating in conversation often only touches others to the degree that we get our own needs met. This is sad. Neither strategy is loving, but actually very self-serving.

Life’s disappointments and our deepest pains will almost always seem to occur in the context of some of our closest relationships. Our sinful strategies that try to control our relational world are very self-interested and very self-deceptive. 

Maybe we need to repent of these manipulative styles of relating and move toward others with risky involvement and words that connect to their hearts? Do you fear this style of intimate relating? Do you crave closeness but avoid it to the measure that it serves you?

Though Jesus was careful not to entrust Himself to the Pharisees, He does pour Himself into the hearts of the apostles and sometimes even other disciples. There were emboldened moments of relating – yet there were many tender ones as well. My friend Karen is now 71 years old and is in ministry in the Rochester, NY region. About 10 years ago, this 60+ year old woman came to me (a young pastor of about 33) and asked to be my Philadelphia Biblical University (PCB, now Cairn University) masters level counseling intern. What business did this mature, godly woman have being my intern, but I am grateful for her ministry – to others, and even to me. She was a good learner, but a good teacher as well. She knew how to love people and how to encourage. She gently and confidently once said to me in response to how I had handled some situation at church, “Thor, you are like Jesus – you are without guile.” She then proceeded to tell me what she meant by that. Guile is a military term from the Old King James Version of Scripture that denotes one who strategizes and plans in a sly and cunning manner – like a military leader who in crafty preparation knows how to flank his enemy and set up the victory. 

She was calling me to continue to deal with people and in their relationships (and mine) with a form of innocence – a reminder to never trade it for a shrewd plan or strategy that relies on a craft or skill that manipulates situations. This style of relating is vulnerable, but it cuts to the quick of the heart and often reaches the hearts of others. It touches people where they are, but it doesn’t pretend to have all of the answers. It listens and loves but doesn’t do so with a cunning agenda. It’s how Karen was – it’s who God has made her to be. This encouragement has stayed with me, and I have even passed it on a few times myself. If I have said it to you at some point, you are smiling right now. She blessed me and laid a foundation for my life, my relationships and my ministry.

While the Pharisees were self-righteous, self-absorbed and quite manipulative in tactic (hence, FULL OF GUILE), our sweet, loving Lord Jesus was the COMPLETE ANTITHESIS OF GUILE. His innocent, loving, merciful, gentle, unassuming ways reached into the hearts of His Most Beloved Relationships. Without guile, He healed and did miracles. Without guile, He spoke the Word of God – boldly and unapologetically. Without guile, He fulfilled His calling of His ministry and lived “on mission” with all whom He came into contact with daily. Without guile, He didn’t try to control or manipulate the outcome of those moments – He simply loved others well. Without guile, may WE repent of our maneuverings and the craft of relational control – instead, may WE turn toward our Jesus and replicate His love for others as an instrument of His heart.

Praise Him.

Pursuing God's Glory When I Run

I have two daughters. They’re both mine biologically. So that means I physically carried them both in my body...and my body carries the tell-tale signs of those two pregnancies. I don’t feel (or look) 16 anymore. 

After my second daughter was born, for a long time, I wasn’t happy with how much weight I had gained in the pregnancy and how much of it still remained on me after she was born...and crawling...and walking...and talking. And I’m going to confess something: I felt shame about that extra weight. 

I’ve been reading a couple of books recently by a woman named Brene Brown, who’s a researcher who became somewhat famous after doing a TED Talk  (a 20 minute talk on ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’) that went viral in 2010 about shame and vulnerability. She defines shame as “the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging.” Yep. That’s exactly what I felt about being a different size postpartum: unworthy of acceptance and belonging. I felt embarrassed in social situations, like everyone knew that I was failing at an ‘essential’ part of who I am. I felt not good enough.  

So guess what I did? I decided to do something about it. I jumped into an exercise routine. I started attempting to incorporate a lot more fruits and veggies into my diet. “Great!” you might say. In the past few months, though, I’ve realized that it’s not so great. 

I’m realizing something about the way I exercise that I want to share with you. I honestly don’t tend to exercise to be healthy and care for my body. I exercise to chisel myself into being good enough. I felt shame (remember? ‘not good enough for acceptance’) when I was at my ‘unacceptable’ limit of what I weighed. I thought my extra fat on my hips made me unworthy of love. So I started exercising as a means to prove my worth. As a way to save myself from the pain of not being accepted and loved. 

As a side note, do you know how I can tell what my motivations are about exercising? It’s how I feel, and what thoughts are going through my mind when I’m doing it, and how I view my body afterwards. When I’m running to mold my body back into shape so that I can prove my worth, I feel driven. I feel like I have to run harder, go further. Or I might feel prideful if I did a good run. I’ll think thoughts like, “This will really help how my body looks.” Or, as I’m running, “I’m literally running the fat on my rear end off right now.” I don’t feel gentle or kind or caring to myself. I feel more like, “Make it happen. Fix it. Prove it.” 

Wow. Talk about an internal striving for something much more than just taking care of my body. The exercise turns into a means of obtaining the ‘False Savior’ of being skinny and having a toned body. It promises me that I’ll have safety and status if I’m skinny. I won’t have to feel the pain of rejection or or the vulnerability of not belonging because it will save me. I’m using exercise to achieve something for me that it can’t. It can’t rescue me. 

Now that I’ve realized what’s been going on in my heart, I’ve been wondering what repentance would like. How would I practically turn away from ‘skinny’ being my hope for salvation?

My honest answer is that I’m not quite sure yet. I have some ideas. But I’ve grown up in this culture that’s told me my whole life these terrible lies that I have to be skinny to have worth, and that people who lose baby weight in the blink of an eye are better than those who don’t. I know the answer isn’t to eat whatever I want and to boycott lunges and squats for the rest of my life. It’s got to have something to do with my heart. Where deep inside, I reject our culture’s push and let God train me in a new way of thinking. And it’s got to have something to do with taking care of my body in a way that’s mentally and emotionally kind and gentle to myself. I focus on other benefits of exercise and eating right: the ‘therapy’ that running is for my thoughts and emotions, the enjoyment of moving my body and pushing it to work hard, the way my body feels better when I’ve eaten in a balanced way. 

I’ve heard people talk before about ‘eating for the glory of God,’ and I guess that would be the difference: to do even exercising and eating as an outflow of being already loved and accepted and belonging to God, instead of doing them as a means to secure my salvation among my peers. It’s like doing the exact same actions, but with a very different mentality. I definitely don’t have all the answers for what it can look like, but I’m hoping that God will continue to teach me...as I run. 

Sarah Howard