A Story to Embody - The Last One

Almost a year ago, I started a series called - A Story to Embody (for the reasoning behind it, click the link).  The series was simply a sharing of the weekly Lectionary readings.  As I reflect back on this, I am once again amazed by the journey God has taken me on this year. 

Without going into too much personal detail our family has been sailing the "What is the purpose of church and why should we even go?" ship for the last 3 years.  This past year has been a year of settling for our family, a year of coming to grips with some of these questions, a year of desiring to re-invest in church locally.  One of the tools used in this process has been A Story to Embody.

So with the close of an old year and in anticipation for the new year I am bringing this series to an end.  If you've enjoyed the Lectionary readings - you can continue to read them via the Internet.  If you use Apps on any of your devices you can just go to your app store and type in "Lectionary."  A Lectionary App will give you the same thing you've been getting here on a weekly basis.

So thank you for being a support system for me this past year by participating in these weekly readings.  Whether you knew it or not, you were providing a piece of "church" for me that was lacking.

Happy New Year!

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Isaiah 61:10-62:3

The Lord makes me very happy;

all that I am rejoices in my God.

He has covered me with clothes of salvation

and wrapped me with a coat of goodness,

like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding,

like a bride dressed in jewels.

11 The earth causes plants to grow,

and a garden causes the seeds planted in it to grow.

In the same way the Lord God will make goodness and praise

come from all the nations.

62 Because I love Jerusalem, I will continue to speak for her;

for Jerusalem’s sake I will not stop speaking

until her goodness shines like a bright light,

until her salvation burns bright like a flame.

2 Jerusalem, the nations will see your goodness,

and all kings will see your glory.

Then you will have a new name,

which the Lord himself will give you.

3 You will be like a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand,

like a king’s crown in your God’s hand.

Psalm 147:13-21

He makes your city gates strong

and blesses your children inside.

14 He brings peace to your country

and fills you with the finest grain.

15 He gives a command to the earth,

and it quickly obeys him.

16 He spreads the snow like wool

and scatters the frost like ashes.

17 He throws down hail like rocks.

No one can stand the cold he sends.

18 Then he gives a command, and it melts.

He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.

19 He gave his word to Jacob,

his laws and demands to Israel.

20 He didn’t do this for any other nation.

They don’t know his laws.

Praise the Lord!

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

Before this faith came, we were all held prisoners by the law. We had no freedom until God showed us the way of faith that was coming. 24 In other words, the law was our guardian leading us to Christ so that we could be made right with God through faith. 25 Now the way of faith has come, and we no longer live under a guardian.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son who was born of a woman and lived under the law. 5 God did this so he could buy freedom for those who were under the law and so we could become his children.

6 Since you are God’s children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, and the Spirit cries out, “Father.” 7 So now you are not a slave; you are God’s child, and God will give you the blessing he promised, because you are his child.

John 1:1-18

In the beginning there was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 All things were made by him, and nothing was made without him. 4 In him there was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

6 There was a man named John who was sent by God. 7 He came to tell people the truth about the Light so that through him all people could hear about the Light and believe. 8 John was not the Light, but he came to tell people the truth about the Light. 9 The true Light that gives light to all was coming into the world!

10 The Word was in the world, and the world was made by him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to the world that was his own, but his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They did not become his children in any human way—by any human parents or human desire. They were born of God.

14 The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and he was full of grace and truth. 15 John tells the truth about him and cries out, saying, “This is the One I told you about: ‘The One who comes after me is greater than I am, because he was living before me.’”

16 Because he was full of grace and truth, from him we all received one gift after another. 17 The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. But God the only Son is very close to the Father, and he has shown us what God is like.

In Christ,  

Photo courtesy Melanie Guest Photography

Lessons from my children Part 5: Traveling the way of love

A couple years ago, I did a series on Lessons from my children.  The series covered things I was learning while working through issues with my children. My kids are entering a new stage and as a result we are trying to work through some new kinks.  So I thought I would add onto the series and share our latest lesson.

I've shared before that my children have opposite personalities - every day that passes accentuates it more and more.  As my son, James the oldest, is getting older he is starting to get very frustrated with his sister.  My son is a straight-forward, no-nonsense kind of guy.  He knows how to laugh but he can also be very serious.  His sister Mercea, on the other hand, is a huge practical joker.  She loves to be silly, all the time, and she is the more aggressive personality, therefore she enjoys pushing his buttons.  So what has been coming out of his mouth alot is an exasperated voice stating, "My sister is so annoying!" "Why does she ALWAYS have to be like that!"

The other day, these words came out again so I thought it was time to deal with it.  When I feel like there is an issue I need to work through with my kids I send them to the bottom of the stairs.  They have to sit there quietly and wait until I'm ready:)!

On this particular day, the Holy Spirit reminded me that just two days before we had read Ephesians 4 together as a family and here was an opportunity for me to pull that out and show them how God's Word interacts with their everyday life:

Ephesains 4:1-7, 15, 24-29

In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.

4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.

7 But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.

We stopped here and talked about how we are each different - God has given James one personality and Mercea another personality.  But through our family, God is teaching us how to learn to love, cooperate and get along with others.  I stated how God is preparing both of them for marriage someday. They would someday marry someone who most likely will have a different personality. In fact, James might marry someone who had some of the same traits as his sister. God is giving them the time to learn how to love, how to compromise, how to be kind even when they didn't want to be kind. Do they want Mom and Dad to act like them whenever differences come up? We can have very different personalites but the way of love is learning to appreciate those differences, listen to those differences and learn how to walk together.

We talked about how these verses acknowledge that people do have differences but we need to work these differences out quickly.  What they do share in common is love for God and the fact that He is Our Father and we are His children.  So yes, we do look different and that is okay!  How then, does God want us to live?

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

I love the practicality of Scripture.  I love that God doesn't leave us with, "Just don't do this, because it is wrong!" and therefore we get left with a weight that we can't carry.  But rather, He shows us a better way and invites us into it.  We see Christ, we know Christ and we learn that, yes, we have differences but there is a way to journey, with those differences intact, that leads to life.

As I walked away, I was overwhelmed with graditude to God for giving us a way to walk in as we manauver through this season of differences.  Also, for challenging me in my adult life to take these words to heart and let it effect how I deal with the people in my life that are different from me!  What a beautiful challenge to leave with - let each word be a gift! 

And this is where I like to rewind - this whole section started out with the words, "In light of all this..."

In light of what?

Ephesians 3:19-21

The extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

The extravagant dimensions of Christ' love is what makes this possible.  God can do anything... even teach us how to love our brother and sister and walk with them in grace and love.  How? By following his Spirit.

In Christ,

A Story to Embody: Sunday, October 7

This week's verses invade into a territory that many in America don't like to talk about - how faith shapes the actions and choices of our lives.  Instead, many would like to have a religion without it effecting their everyday lives.  But as you read through these verses, remember that we are walking out the story of God.  As you read through the "story" of Genesis, David in the Psalms, Jesus talking to His disciples and Paul talking to the church in Ephesus remember that these too were real people learning how to walk out a God designed life.

I love that this week's verses starts out with Genesis, reminding us that God created us with purpose, blessing, and with gifts for us to enjoy.  Let these truths shape your perspective and understanding as you read the other verses:

Genesis 2:18-24

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Psalm 26

Vindicate me, Lord,

for I have led a blameless life;

I have trusted in the Lord

and have not faltered.

2 Test me, Lord, and try me,

examine my heart and my mind;

3 for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love

and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

4 I do not sit with the deceitful,

nor do I associate with hypocrites.

5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands in innocence,

and go about your altar, Lord,

7 proclaiming aloud your praise

and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

8 Lord, I love the house where you live,

the place where your glory dwells.

9 Do not take away my soul along with sinners,

my life with those who are bloodthirsty,

10 in whose hands are wicked schemes,

whose right hands are full of bribes.

11 I lead a blameless life;

deliver me and be merciful to me.

12 My feet stand on level ground;

in the great congregation I will praise the Lord.

Remember how in Genesis we saw that God created us with purpose?  In the verses below, we will see that this purpose continues and grows for the Church.  Our purpose is that we are lights and because of that our lives should be walked out in the Righteousness of Christ.

Mt. 5:13-20

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Euguene Peterson's book Practice Ressurection is about the entire book of Ephesians.  I have just gotten to the part where he is looking at these verses.  He points out how the book of Ephesians is written to Gentiles - Gentiles whose cultures were full of gods, such as Zeus.  The worship of these God's did not affect morality, in fact it celebrated immorality and that was a way to show your devotion to your god.  But the difference between Christianity and these other religions is that Christianity did affect morality.  Eugene pointed out how that because of their cultural upbringing these Gentiles had no context to shape their faith.  No context for allowing God into every area of their lives.  Whereas the Jewish Christians of that time, already had a strong foundation laid from their childhood: that God's Way does provide a distinction in our lifestyle.  So as you read these verses, keep the historical context in mind and also recognize that our culture is not so much different than what the Ephesians were dealing with: how to be a light,  how to live as children of light in a world of darkness.

 

Eph. 5:3-14

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

As I exit these verses I am once again excited about the practicalities of God's Word.  We are the light of the world, we are children of the light!  We've been invited to live out a story, God's Story.  Does it require choices that are different from the world's?  Yes, but the beauty is that we understand that we serve a Living, Loving God, who designed us with purpose and intent and He desires for us to bring life, light, freedom and truth to this world.

In Christ,

 

For more on why I include these weekly verses read my post: A Story to Embody

Photo courtesy Melanie Guest Photography

A Story to Embody: September 2, 2012

The story continues to unfold.  God has invited us to cooperate with His Son in bringing the message of God's love to all.  The design that His kingdom moves through is the body of Christ.  Each one has an integral and important role.  It is so much more than showing up on a Sunday morning, it is designed to be a part of every movement of your life.  As you read through these verses, I pray that you will be excited as you recognize who you already are in Christ and where you have been placed to bring His message of freedom.  Finally, I pray that you would recognize that the way this is done is by moving to the rhythms of Christ.  His love is what gives the sustenance, strength and ability to take your place in the Body of Christ.

Matthew 28:16-20 (The Message)

16-17Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

 18-20Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

Romans 12:1-2, 4-8

1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

4-6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.

 6-8 If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

Ephesians 4:7-16

7-13But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is, 

   He climbed the high mountain, 

   He captured the enemy and seized the booty, 

   He handed it all out in gifts to the people.

Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ's followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ's body, the church, until we're all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God's Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.

 14-16No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

 My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. 

   I pour it out in a poem to the king, 

      shaping the river into words:

   

 2-4 "You're the handsomest of men; 

      every word from your lips is sheer grace, 

      and God has blessed you, blessed you so much. 

   Strap your sword to your side, warrior! 

      Accept praise! Accept due honor! 

      Ride majestically! Ride triumphantly! 

   Ride on the side of truth! 

      Ride for the righteous meek!

 6-7 "Your throne is God's throne, 

      ever and always; 

   The scepter of your royal rule 

      measures right living. 

   You love the right 

      and hate the wrong. 

   And that is why God, your very own God, 

      poured fragrant oil on your head, 

   Marking you out as king 

      from among your dear companions. 

 8-9 "Your ozone-drenched garments 

      are fragrant with mountain breeze. 

   Chamber music—from the throne room— 

      makes you want to dance. 

   Kings' daughters are maids in your court, 

      the Bride glittering with golden jewelry.

In Christ,

Scriptures correlate with sermons from Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Photo courtesy Melanie Guest Photography

Intertwined: Justice and Mercy

I recently listened to a sermon by Ian DiOrio entitled Justice (10/13/10).  This sermon gave me a greater understanding of justice and how mercy and justice are intertwined together.  You see, I am a person of mercy; I have great compassion for people in the moment of their need.  My husband, however, is a man of great justice.  There have often been conversations in our marriage where he has driven me completely nuts;  I will be discussing a person's need and he will begin talking about bigger issues - looking at what caused the problem.  I get frustrated because I start to think he doesn't care about the person and why should we worry about the bigger problem because it won't help that person right now.  It has seemed like we have been opposed to one another but after listening to this sermon I've realized that if we work together, both in our strengths, we can accomplish more.

You see my former thoughts were that mercy and justice were on opposite ends of a teeter-totter.   Both were needed but there had to be a sort of balance between them.  However, the following visual Ian shared struck a cord within me and gave me a different perspective on how justice and mercy work together:
Pretend you are on a river camping and see you a baby come floating down the river.  You would wade into the river and get the baby out and take care of its needs.  That is an act of compassion, it is an act of mercy.  But lets say, that a few minutes later another baby comes floating down the river, and then another baby and another baby.  Mercy is the act that keeps getting the babies out of the river but justice is the act that stops and asks the question, "Who's upstream throwing babies down the river?  How can we go upstream and stop the person who is throwing babies in the river?"

This visual not only rocked my heart but I could totally envision my husband and I in the scenario.  Initially, we would both be in the river.  But eventually my husband would talk about getting out of the river and walking upstream to see what was causing the problem.  I would be so consumed in the immediate problem that I would probably end up getting irritated thinking he didn't care about the babies, when in fact, he cared so much that he wanted to eliminate the source of the problem.  As this direct quote will show, both of our gifts would be needed to solve the problem:
"Some of you are mercy people, compassion people, you are people who will always put bandages on broken souls and you will do that without any sense of duty or obligation, it's who God created you to be and you will always do that.  And some of you are justice people.  Some of us ask the question, 'Is there a way to stop the perpetuation of broken people?  Is there a way to stop children from being thrown into the river?  Is there a way to stop communities that are broken and desperate from continuing violence and tragedy?  As Micah shows us we are to do both:"

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

While I know this understanding will be beneficial to future conversations in my marriage, I think that this message is applicable to conversations that occur within the church, especially in America.  When you are engaging in coversation with fellow believers I think it is important for you to stop and think about where they are coming from in their conversation - a place of mercy or a place of justice?  Often times conversations get stunted because we think we are oppossed to one another.  But mercy and justice are not opposed; they are intertwined together and Scripture tells us that we are to do both. However, sometimes the way to accomplish "both" is by working together with people who see things differently than us. My prayer for the church is that we can have a greater understanding of the relationship between mercy and justice and begin to walk together to accomplish our goals.  Greater success depends on our ability to operate in the strength of both.

In Christ,

 

Photo courtesy of Melanie Guest Photography

A Story to Embody

Photo: Sunrise by MarilynJane

I wanted to start this post out today, with a reminder (mostly to myself) about why I write this blog.  Sometimes as a blogger, I ask myself, "Why do I write and why in the world should anyone care?"  I can answer only one of those questions, why I write.  I write because I hope that somewhere along the line a piece of my story, intersects with a piece of your story.  My prayer is that when those two pieces intersect, you may find something you were looking for: where there was hopelessness, hope, where there was discouragement, encouragement, where there were questions, answers but most of all that you would see that the heart of the Father is LOVE and that He loves you today, right where you are at, in your story.

I've been a Christian for 25 years and I've always had a heart for His people.  I grew up at a Christian school and a majority of my fellow classmates, ended up "walking away" from the faith.  Then as an adult, I've seen the other side of Christianity, the side that many people hide away from Sunday morning.  There is discouragement, pain, brokenness, hopelessness and a sense that perhaps this thing doesn't work.  Because of these experiences, there has been an angst in me to bridge that disconnect between our everyday lives and the reality of God.  As I've walked through my life, I have seen the faithfulness of God time and time again in my own story.  He has given me freedom in my thought life, my marriage, my parenting and my relationship with others while confirming daily in my heart His deep love for others and myself.  So I write because I know that I am not alone in my questions, struggles and discouragements but also because I've seen the Lord be faithful to me over and over again and I know that He will do the same thing for you.

I often share the names of people of faith that have influenced or are currently influencing me.  It's not that I think "they have the answer" but it is because their walk of faith has provided a place where I can relate, I have found answers that I was looking for, and I have found a place to rest.  By sharing their names and resources, I hope that perhaps you too have had similar questions and perhaps their journey of faith can and will also speak into your life.

That is why I write.

_____________________________________________________

Since October my husband and I have been listening to Todd Hunter, from Holy Trinity Anglician Church in Costa Mesa, California.  By listening, I mean, going back to the very first messages available and listening to every single one.  One of the things that has attracted us and kept us going back for more, is the Lectionary.  As I've said, we've been Christians for many years, but the spheres of influence that we've been around have not included Lectionary readings.

The Lectionary (in my terms and as I understand it) is a group of readings shared by certain denominations of the body of Christ.  Each Sunday, all these gatherings are reading the exact same Scriptures.  In the course of a year, the "story" of the Bible is read, and in the course of three years, almost the whole Bible has been read aloud in church.  Each week's readings contain an OT Scripture, a Psalm, a Gospel reading and a reading from the Epistles.  Then, at least at Todd's church, the sermons are derived from the Lectionary readings for that week. (If you would like a better explanation of what I am talking about you can listen to Todd's sermon Not too much for You 7/19/10.)

There are several things that have captured our heart with the Lectionary.  First and foremost, is that the Lectionary readings capture the idea that God has written a story and is still writing a story today.  The Lectionary readings are pieced together in such a way that it shows the connective thread of Scripture.  As Todd says, "When you hear the Story, It invites your participation."

Ephesians 4:14 describes what my Christianity has often felt like:

Then we will no longer be infants,

tossed back and forth by the waves,

and blown here and there by every wind of teaching

and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

I know this is a description of what our faith shouldn't look like, but I often felt like it was a description of what my faith felt like: I was on a boat being tossed to and fro.  I often felt like God couldn't make up His mind, one day He loved me, one day He didn't.  One day I was in His will, the next day I wasn't.  The Lectionary readings have eliminated those waves for me.  It has elevated God back on His throne; He knows what He is doing, He has been doing it since the very beginning and He is continuing to do it yet again today.  Words cannot express the awe, I have had for God these last several months.  There is a reverence, a respect, a love and a safety that I have found in this expression of worship.  I will fully admit that there has been a woundedness and a tiredness that I have carried in my heart for the last several years but the gentle wooing that I have heard from God through the Lectionary readings and Todd's sermons have truly been streams of living water to my soul.

Because of the beauty and rest I've found in the Lectionary readings, I have decided to start sharing the Lectionary readings each Sunday with you.  It is straight Scripture so enjoy:

Last Sunday before lent

2 Kings 2:1-12
When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”
4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho.”
And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?”
“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.
7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”
“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

Psalm 50:1-6

1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,

speaks and summons the earth

from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.

3 Our God comes

and will not be silent;

a fire devours before him,

and around him a tempest rages.

4 He summons the heavens above,

and the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,

who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,

for he is a God of justice.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

 ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers,

so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,

who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves,

but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a]

 made his light shine in our hearts to give us the

light of the knowledge of God’s glory

displayed in the face of Christ.

Mark 9:2-9

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.


In Christ,

Should people come to us or should we go to them?

We started school up again this week!  Another year, with Sonlight as our core and already one of their books has me thinking:).  We are reading Walk the World's Rim by Betty Baker.  In this story, there is a 14 year old Indian boy whose life intersects with Spanish conquistadors.  These Spanish people seem to have the gift of healing and this inspires the boy to find out more about their God.  Their response, "Our God lives in a stone church in Mexico.  You have to come there and learn from the priests to know how to worship Him."  As I read this, it really bothered me.  Here they are telling this boy that he has to come with them in order to meet with God instead of sharing the truth with him right then and there!  But as I have thought about it further, I'm not sure if we are much different than the Spanish conquistadors.

How often do we say to ourselves, how can we get this person to come to church with us?  If they would just come and hear our pastor give the sermon of his life, then they will "raise their hand and be saved."  Whether we say it with words or not, the way we live our lives shows that we still believe God exists in a building and that our goal as Christians is to get as many non-Christians to cross the threshold as possible.

I'm excitedly reading through Surprised by Oxford (which if you are a fan of my Facebook Page: For His Glory Alone you've already heard about).  It is a beautiful memoir of how God's love pulled an intellectual agnostic into His kingdom.  I'm only half-way through the story at this point in time, but she has yet to hear one sermon in a church.  Do you know how she is learning about God's love?  It is through conversations over dinner, in pubs, on an airplane...  And it is not, "if you die tonight..." kind of talk.  It is asking her questions, sharing how they understand and see God's love in their own lives, encouraging her to read the Bible for herself and leaving her with questions.

What did Jesus say in Matthew 26, "Go out into all the world..."  John 1 also tells us that "His light came into the darkness, but the darkness did not understand it..."  The point, I hope I am getting across, is that Jesus came to man to set them free.  We as His followers, are called to go OUT to them where they are at and bring His light into their darkness.  We do not need to "bring them to the light" to save them; the light is already right there next to them. 

Whether we want to admit it or not, we have created a hierarchy in the American church today.  We think we need the pastors to do the hard work of speaking the truth and leading people to salvation.  Don't get me wrong, I love pastors (my Dad is one) and I know that they have an incredibly difficult and important job, but I believe part of the difficulty is a result of placing ALL the burden on them, instead of joining with them in the task God has called ALL of us to do.  If you are a Christian, you carry the Holy Spirit inside of you.  You can share the love of God with people right where they are at. 

I recently listened to a talk by Erwin McManus where he shared how their community of faith encourages and releases their people.  He said that when they first started, they would celebrate when people would leave as missionaries to other countries.  They soon realized the message they were sending was that the people left behind weren't called by God.  They soon switched their methods.  Whenever, anyone chooses to join their community, they bring them up to the front, pray over them, anoint them with oil and send them forth as missionaries to their city.  They give those individuals a Bible, and ask them to write a name of a non-believer they know in it and give it to that person that week as a step of faith.  As I heard him share this, my heart went YES!!!!!!!!!!  This is how it should be.  The gatherings of the body of Christ on Sunday's should be ACKNOWLEDGING and ENCOURAGING it's people to go forth and be a light in their places of influence.  You carry the life-changing gospel with you in your hearts and this Gospel has the power to change people's lives right where they are at!

And so the cherry on top of the Sunday: I've been working on this post for a week now, and as always letting it sit and simmer.  This afternoon, my father-in-law shared a beautiful testimony of how he was able to share the love of Christ with someone at this work this week.  My father-in-law had been praying for the opportunity to share God's love with someone and "out of the blue" this conversation started and that is exactly what happened.

What if we all were ready, available and expectant to have God allow us to share His love right where we are at?

In Christ,

How do you view people?

I am still marinating my way through An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus and have been stuck thinking about two short paragraphs on page 181:

We preach against sin, but have we ever developed the anger of God when it relates to lost human potential?  Have we ever looked at human lives and felt our hearts break, not because of the sins committed but because of the potential left unattended?

An apostolic environment sees character development as a commitment to maximizing the life of every individual and seeing each and every human as a treasure of God.  We've been negligent in our examination of what it means to be re-created in the image of Christ.

The same week I read that I also read Isaiah 1:13-18



13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;

the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath

and your special days for fasting—

they are all sinful and false.

I want no more of your pious meetings.

14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.

They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

16 Wash yourselves and be clean!

Get your sins out of my sight.

Give up your evil ways.

17 Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans.

Fight for the rights of widows.

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,”

says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

I will make them as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

I will make them as white as wool.

In this Scripture, God presents a problem, His heart's cry and then a solution to the problem.  The Israelites had gotten to a point where their ceremony had everything to do with them and nothing to do with God.  They cared more about the ceremony for the forgiveness of their sin, then changing their lives to do the things on God's heart.  God's heart is revealed in those verses showing that He desires for His people to be ministering to the poor, downcast, and brokenhearted.  He wanted the Israelites to do those things, instead of spending all their time trying to be right with God.  The solution God presents for this dilemma: I will erase the sin issue between us, I will make your sin as white as snow!  What was His purpose for doing this?  The purpose was to free up the Israelites so they could go and pursue the things on the heart of God.

Because of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now live in the new covenant and this Truth of our sins being as white as snow belongs to us. We have been freed up from ceremonies so that we can be released to do the desires of God's heart, and not have to spend our time "getting right with Him."  Yet, if you go to many American churches today, what is the main focus of the sermons: your sin, how you blew it this week and then creating an environment where you can once again "get right with God."  I am personally struggling with this and have started to wonder if God could still speak the message in Isaiah 1 to the American church today.

We are spending so much of our time and money building our nice church buildings and making sure we are "right with God" every Sunday, that we have begun to lose focus of the gospel and the freedom Christ purchased for us!

Recently, my mind has been captured by the heart-wrenching pictures of starving children in the horn of Africa:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/8663176/Horn-of-Africa-drought-starving-children-suffer-during-famine-in-Somalia.html?image=1

And as I drive by field after field of sky high corn, I can't help but think that there is something more that we can and should be doing as the body of Christ then is currently being done.  I can't help but think we need speak the message of the truth of the Gospel: that we have been set free so that we can go out into the world and restore and redeem humanity to the way God created them to be.  Who better to do it then those who have direct access and freedom to go into God's presence?  Beloved, Sunday after Sunday we have 1,000's of Christians sitting in pews having their wings clipped.  They are being reminded of how they blew it, how they still are not measuring up and taking time to "repent."  However, according to Ephesians 4:12, the purpose of the group meetings of the body of Christ is to equip the saints so that through unity we can go out and be His body.  We were redeemed so that we could FLY.  Let us embrace the truth that our sin no longer separates us from God (if this thought trips you up, check out my post Journey to Understand Grace), that we are His beloved Children and that He has good works prepared in advance for us to do.  Let us look into the eyes of the lost and share with them the depth of God's love for them, the plan and purpose He has for their lives; to see them as the TREASURE of God.

-------------------------------

I wrote this post earlier this week, and have been sitting on it.  Last night, my husband read me an advertisment out of a Christian magazine about a new magazine called: Reject Apathy.  From their website, here is a glimpse of what their magazine is about:

Such overwhelming need awakens our

compassion and tugs at our heartstrings—

but it can also do something else ... it can, well, overwhelm us.

 Apathy is not only a product of indifference,

apathy is often a direct effect of inundation...

Reject Apathy is focused on five key areas:

Loss of Innocence, Creation Care, Preventable Disease, Poverty and Violence

Each represents a part of our “whole-life ethic”—

an ethic that believes every life is created by God,

has a purpose and should be given an opportunity to live fully.

Each of the five key areas address barriers

that stand in the way of this opportunity. 

You'll find opportunities to engage in world change,

as well as encouragement to invest time and energy locally.

Our prayer for the stories and ideas here

 is that they'll help you see it is possible to change the world.

It is possible to make a difference.

It is possible to reject apathy.

So with that I leave you.  

In Christ,

P.S.  Don't forget to check out my fan page of Facebook: For His Glory Alone.  My posts automatically will load to your facebook page, and any other random thoughts I decide to share:).

P.P.S. The information about Reject Apathy is all on my own.  As I stumbled across it and it related to my post:)

Ready to dream again

Have you ever seen pieces of your heart written on the pages of a book? Your secret thoughts put into words? It is an amazing experience when it happens and for me it is one of those "wow" moments when you realize this life we are living in is bigger than were are as individuals. I am currently reading An Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus. This book discusses thoughts on how the church was designed to operate. I told my friend that as I read through this book, I am savoring it.  It has been written in a life-giving style that I want to have permeate my own life. This week, I've had a wide variety of thoughts spinning in my own head and as I read the book there were my dreams written out in black and white.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: I don't really know why I write this blog.  I know that I don't write it to be a theological discourse.  My prayer behind this blog is that people will see that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are real, living and active in our lives today.  Hopefully, by reading my story, it will encourage you to look for and see the fingerprints of God in your own life and to receive His love in greater measure.

__________________________________________________________

I had the privilege of growing up in Christianity.  I can remember going to VBS when I was around 7 and learning John 3:16.  I can remember singing, "If your happy and you know it, clap your hands."  It was a fun, beautiful time and I remember the joy and laughter of community.  I then had the blessing of going to a Christian School from 4th grade up.  We had Bible everyday and Chapel once a week.  I remember worshipping God and falling more and more in love with Him.  I remember graduating and realizing that over half of the people in my small class no longer wanted anything to do with God.  I remember going to a secular college and sitting through class after class where I felt my faith was attacked.  I remember being grateful to be living at home and having a landing place to get re-centered.  I can than remember getting the opportunity to teach at a Christian school and again getting to talk about God everyday and worship with other Christians.  At that time, I started attending a beautiful church that shared the message of grace in a way that I had never heard before and I fell more and more in love with this beautiful Saviour that I remember hearing about way back when.  After having my first child, I started my first Women's Group and began having the opportunity of sharing God's love with others.  

A couple of years ago, the peace, calmness and ease of my faith began to shake.  The loss of my beautiful niece, Nevaeh, was a heartbreaking loss.  Part of recovering from that loss, involved delving into theology.  As I entered into this realm, it was like I entered into a different side of Christianity and started realizing that there were large amounts of varying opinions out there on what is salvation, is there healing today, what version of the Bible is the accurate version, what does Hell mean, is Creation literal or figurative....  As I begin to focus exclusively on these things I began to see the discord and disagreement between believers.  At times, it has been shocking and heartbreaking to me.  There have been so many days when I have longed to drop into a hole and return to the innocence of my childhood, when loving God was as simple and joyful as John 3:16 and I worshipped with other Christians in a common purpose of celebrating His love and sharing it with others.  The last several mornings, I have woken up and felt like I have been treading water ~ organizing thoughts ~ trying to figure out what exactly this means and that means...  And then I read the next chapter in An Unstoppable Force and there was peace.  I didn't have to keep kicking to keep my head above water, I could just float.  In that chapter, I heard what my heart's been longing to hear, but haven't been able to connect with my head for a while now.  I was reminded of what I believe and why.  I believe in the Bible and I believe in the God of the Bible who gets involved in people's personal stories and that He desires all men to be saved.  I believe we are instruments in a bigger story and we have the privilege of partnering with God in bringing the depth of His love to others ~ whether through the encouragement of other believers or loving the lost right where they are at and believing that the power of God's love will awaken their hearts to Him.  I want to see God glorified in and through others.  As I look back at the history of my Christian journey I see that community and love has carried me through.  It has drawn me closer to the heart of my Father and it has given me the ability to love people in ways I didn't know were possible.  

So with all that being said, I am ready to dream again.  I am ready to sail through the journey of faith with the Holy Spirit as my wind and the Bible as my rudder and anchor.  I know that at times it will take me into unknown territory and perhaps even failure, but I have seen the hand of God, the power of His redemption, I have felt His love and I want to walk with Him and with those He has put in my life in a way that strengthens and encourages us to run the race set before us.

In Christ,

Placing things in the right column

I went to balance my checkbook today and found that I was ahead $430.  As much as I was hoping that money had appeared out of nowhere, I knew it couldn't be true, so I set myself to finding the error.  I soon realized the mistake occurred because I had added money to my checking account when I had meant to subtract money from my checking account.  My $215 error had doubled into a problem of $430 because of an accounting error.  I realized that it is extremely important to place items in the correct column.

Today, I've been contemplating how we as Christians can take the same text of Scripture and end up with two totally different answers.  My little math error today, gave me a perspective on one reason why this happens; I had the same numbers on my computer and in my checkbook but the columns the numbers were in were different and it made all the difference in the world.

I think that this sometimes happens with our conclusions about our Christianity.  So if you will indulge me I will continue to reflect:  Half of our Bible was written BEFORE Jesus died on the cross and brought full life and light to what is the intentions of God's heart.  When we read the Old Testament we have to FILTER everything we read through Jesus and the cross; if we don't do this we will begin putting things in the wrong column and ending up subtracting things that belong to us because of Jesus.  Our relationship with God and how we are invited and given the right to interact with God is based solely upon Jesus and the cross.

A second area, where I think we've placed things in the wrong column comes to our wealth and success in America.  Many Christians feel ashamed and guilty that we have been given so much and we therefore, think that we have to give it all away yet we don't know how to do and end up with a guilt factor hanging between us and God.  But I think the guilt comes from placing the words of Jesus in the wrong column.  Our relationship with Jesus is based solely on our belief in Him not from the things we do.  Therefore, our relationship with God is not dependant upon what we do, however, the things we end up doing WILL come out of our relationship with Him (2 Quotes to Remember). 

Most of the church knows about the first half of Mark 10:29

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home

or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel...

and the church spends half the time feeling guilty that we haven't left enough for Christ.  But we don't often preach the end of His sentence,

Mark 10:29b

"will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age:

homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—

along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life."

By following Christ and giving up all, we will end up with even more than we started with.  So if our definition of being a "good" Christian is to give up everything but Scripture says we will now end up with even more, we will find ourselves in a constant state of turmoil because we can never give it all away. 

So I would like to invite you to step away with me and view things from a different column.  Instead of viewing the statements of Jesus as a "debt we owe Him to prove we belong to Him" let us view these statements and more "as a path to our ability to walk in confidence and freedom in this world."  We as Christians are told that we are to live in the world not of the world (John 17:15), that we have citizenship in heavens (Philippians 3:20), so we are strangers here on earth (Hebrews 11:13).  I think that we as Christians, have put these statements in the wrong column, and have used them as an excuse not to participate and engage in our present circumstances and as a result, I think we are missing out on being who Christ intended us to be in the earth - salt and light!  Jesus says, that the harvest is plentiful and that it just needs workers to do the work and that forceful men will take the kingdom.  So according to Scripture, the world is ready to be turned upside down and the church should be turning the world upside down but I think so often we find ourselves  sitting in our churches discussing "theology" and figuring out how we are not measuring up to the "standards" of a Christian life instead of going out and being who we are in Christ (this sentence was inspired byAn Unstoppable Force by Erwin McManus).

Christianity has turned the world upside down several times - obviously in the New Testament Church but also through the lives of people like Michelangelo, Isaac Newton, Bach and C.S. Lewis.  These individuals, I believe, walked confident in their giftings and excelled in their life here on earth and left us an inheritance of things that have lasted and shaped how the world moved forward.  But today in America, we almost teach that being a successful Christian is a bad thing.  Beloved, we worship the Creator of the Universe - the very One who gave us our brains and intelligence.  I truly believe that we, as Christians, are meant to be successful in this world and in the giftings God has given us.  Us moving forward confidently through Christ in our giftings will turn the world upside down.  The Church needs to stop running away from the world.  We do not need to be afraid because LIGHT always overcomes darkness.  Scripture states that we are strangers in this world, that our inheritance is not of this world.  These things are true.  They do not need to be arbitrarily proven.  Instead, we need to recognize that we are ABOVE the fray of this world and because of this we are able to move freely, confidently and successfully in this present world.  What I am saying is that we need to take the statements of Jesus and put them in the right column.  Jesus didn't ask us to store up our treasures in heaven to ensure us our spot in Heaven, rather He wanted us to know that because our citizenship is in heaven - we do not need to be slaves to the world and its systems and He wanted to free us to boldly bring His kingdom because our generous God would take care of the rest (Luke 12:22-32)



Luke 12:32

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has

 been pleased to give you the kingdom. 

Sell your possessions and give to the poor.

Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out,

a treasure in heaven that will never fail,

where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We are on a whole different playing field, a better playing field, and therefore, we CAN engage in this life here on earth in a way that brings LIFE and TRANSFORMATION because we know and serve the One and Only True God.

In Christ,