New Year New You 2020

It’s a new year. You’ve had a chance to set some goals, change some goals, or have you’ve already let go of some goals? I decided to put off publishing this post until we all had a chance to realistically think about 2020 and the way we wanted the year to go.

There’s a bad rep on New Year Resolutions. We make them, and break them before we ever have a chance to implement them. So what if we stopped with the “resolution” word, but we paused and answered the simple question, “How do I want my year to go?”

I recently heard a small part of a talk show where the woman used this question with her strong willed daughter. So I immediately began using the question in my home. It’s amazing the difference this little question has made.

When my tenacious child is struggling with the emotions life around her stirs within her I can turn her face toward me and I can ask, “How do you want this to go?” She can make decisions that will get her in trouble, or she can choose to calm herself and move forward with a more positive and better plan. This simple little question has been a life changer in our home. So much so that it has caused me to ask myself the same question.

Many times we look back on the previous year and we declare it was a “horrible year”. We focus on all the negative things that happened and we vow the next year will be better. However, in reality we can no more control the bad things that will rise up than we can control an F5 tornado. If we are going to choose to have a good year, we are going to have to change our criteria for judging the goodness (or badness) of a year.

The year will be as good as you make it. So I ask you, “What kind of year do you want? How do you want it to go?” It would be ludicrous to answer that question by saying, “I want my father to come back to life. I want my family to become functional. I want my company to be more generous, my co-workers to be nicer, and my husband to value me…. ” When we know we can not control any of those things.

We can not control others, the weather, or the government… we can control ourselves. We can only make decisions that we ourselves can carry out. So when you are deciding on how you want your year to go, you can answer by saying things like, “I want to be more generous. I want to be kinder. I want to read my Bible more.” or simply, “I want to seek to glorify God in all I do.”

I’m teaching this concept to my four children. When one of them barges into another’s bedroom uninvited the occupant of that room has a choice. They can scream and name call, hit, throw things, shove… or politely ask the person to leave. They could even stand up for themselves and set a boundary for their room… However, there will be consequences to whatever they choose. We don’t allow hitting or shoving or throwing things or name calling in our home. So if that’s the choice they make, they will get a punishment. No matter what drove them to the action. I remind them that they must ask themselves how they want the situation to go. What is the ultimate plan. The goal is to have people knock before entering the room. And the underlying goal is also to not get grounded in the process. So if that’s the goal, they get to choose what actions they take to accomplish that goal. If they jump up and hit the intruder, yes the intruder may still get in trouble by mom… but so will the hitter. So by choosing the correct path, their day will go smoother.

Sure it’s a juvenile example, but it works for us, too. If a co-worker is causing trouble in the workplace you have a number of options. You can get snarky, back biting, gossipy, rude, or maybe even downright mean to the co-worker’s face. You could stand up for yourself in a respectful way, or seek out a peaceful agreement. Any choice you make has consequences it’s just a matter of how you want that situation to go. Sure, again, you can’t change your co-worker, but you can change your outlook, your mindset… or even your job if it came down to it. If you choose the negative reactions, you have no one to blame but yourself when things go south.

You are only truly responsible for yourself. So when making goals for your new year or when answering the question of how you want your year to go, might I suggest choosing to start with YOU?

Pray that your attitude will change. Begin to treat others with kindness. Perhaps your struggling with anxiety, maybe this is the year you set aside time to find a peaceful hour to focus on taking those thoughts captive and turning them into prayer. Maybe you can begin to pray about how to serve a hard-to-handle co-worker (the more you pray for them, the easier they are to love).

Stress and chaos mess with us. It causes us to react. You won’t be able to always change the stress or manage the chaos… but you can always change your attitude and reactions toward it. If you find that you’re screaming at your kids, that’s a YOU thing. If you notice that you are mad at your co-worker before you even step foot in work… that falls on you. A new year begins with a new outlook. A Good year begins with a good you. How do you want your year to go? Now what steps can you take to get you there?

1. Pray- Pray that God reveal to you ways that you can change internally in order to handle all the external situations that come up in life.
2. Read His word. The more you get to Know Jesus, the more you can be like Him. The more like Jesus you are, the more joy you can spread. I promise this is true!
3. DO IT! Once you know what God is asking of you, and once you know how God created you to be by reading His word, you have no reason not to implement the plan.

The plan may be unique to each one of us. One may want to work on responding to their kids in a more respectful way while another mother feels walked all over and may need to work on being firm but loving. But all in all, we desire to glorify God. THAT is how we want our year to go… so what does that look like for you?

If you do not know Jesus, why not start your year off with the biggest change you’ve ever experienced? I’d love to introduce you to the Savior of the world, the leader of my life, and the reason for my being. If you’d like to know more and want to chat about it. Please email me at thepastorswifeslife@gmail.com or visit https://followchrist.ag.org/ for more info (then email me and tell me what you’ve decided!)

The Silent Sufferer

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a “Tenacious Tuesday”. If you’re unaware of what that is, a while back I started a facebook page (click here to follow) as a way to support parents of strong willed children. (You can see my post about that here).

Things with a “tenacious” child aren’t always easy. Whether that child lives a life with autism, ODD, bipolar, RAD, or is simply stronger willed than their parents it can weigh heavy on a mama’s heart. Our unstructured summers seem to bring it out a tad more and the last few weeks have been very difficult in the Pastor’s wife’s home.

Sometimes my prayer turns into a prayer from a silent sufferer. I cry out that no one truly understands. It’s rare that people see this side of our lives so they assume I’m exaggerating. Or in all honesty, they truly don’t understand. Until you’ve had a “tenacious” child, it’s unfathomable… and that’s understandable. So my prayer turns into this intense time with God where I plea with him to remove not just my suffering, but hers. I ask God why she has to struggle more than any other kid. I seek answers as to why prayer isn’t working, why reason doesn’t set in for her, why teaching her coping mechanisms aren’t her first go-to when her emotions get too big. I ask God over and over why He has not delivered her yet.

I recently did a study of the book of Job and God really began to speak to me regarding that “Why” question I continually ask Him.

If you haven’t read Job, it’s a book that is hard to swallow for a christian who believes in a gracious God. Job is found blameless (not sinless, mind you) in God’s sight. And Satan approaches God and says, “Does Job fear you (love you, serve you) for nothing?” In other words, Does Job serve you for his own gratification? Does he do it so you’ll protect him and bless him? Would he still serve you if those things were removed?” So God gives permission (important part there… God’s still in control, but allows this) for Satan to reek havoc on Job’s life.

In a quick summation, Job is stripped of any indication that he is blessed by God. His possessions are taken, his family is taken, his health and wealth are gone. He’s left with a nagging wife! HA!

To add to his grief, Job has 3 friends… I guess I should say “friends” that come and try to help. well, I should say “help”. It’s hard for me to reach out when I’m struggling with my tenacious one. For the most part I just want prayer. But instead I get a lot of advice. And even though I know my friends mean well. And I truly see into their motive and their loving offerings, it boggs me down like no other. When advice is given that I’ve already done and have failed at… it just reminds me that I can’t do it. When advice is given that displays a total lack of understanding it makes me feel utterly alone. And in the midst of my “suffering” I feel beaten down and not lifted up.

Job’s “Friends” are not acting out of a concern for Job though. With each cycle of speeches they are actually speaking from their own need for a secure understanding of who God is and how he should act. Motivated by fear they try to reshape the facts they know into a theology of God that can be applied to the situation. And what’s interesting is that their words are not all that untrue… they just aren’t what Job is needing at the time for they do not apply to Job’s situation. So although they are there, they are giving the advice, it’s beating Job down more than lifting him up.

I see my own friends, women who love God, serve God and take their time out to really care about my situation and I know that Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (Job’s friends) probably mean well. They want Job to snap out of it, repent, and admit that he’s clueless. But their well thoughts are just not what Job is needing at the time.

And honestly, when our children are at their worst, struggling way harder than the average struggle sometimes advice comes across as a reprimand (at least in our suffering minds). **Please note, I’m not actually blaming my dear friends!** Our theology doesn’t seem to line up with our situation, when all the “right” things don’t seem to be working. We then have a decision to make.

Do you stand firm on your theology or do you lean head first into GOD!?

Job does something his friends failed to do. He goes straight to God. He recognizes his weakness. He understands that although things are not going the way he always thought they would, it isn’t God’s fault. Job’s friends never turned to God for the answer. They rattled off advice and suggestions and theology but never fell to their knees before God for Job.

When Job can’t figure out the “Why” he realizes (and here’s the point for us during our suffering) that wisdom in God cannot be reduced to a series of advice, ethical laws, theological debates, or especially our own understanding because at the end of the day, it’s all in God that we have our being!

Many believe that it’s God’s desire to prosper us, to answer YES to every prayer we pray. And although scripture does support that God wants what is best for us, too many take God out of the equation. “If we have enough faith and use it correctly, life will go well for us. If I face trials I must lack faith or be doing something wrong.” But in reality that just makes God a slave to us and our personal desires.

When God speaks to Job he actually never even addresses Job’s questions. He talks about how mighty He is (God) and how majestic His creation is. I think it’s not that God forgets to answer Job’s questions, it that those answers aren’t really what Job needs.

When I sit in my bed crying out to God to set my daughter free from her short temper and big emotions I’m deep down begging God to just take it away and change her… like right now! I’m not crying out that God would sustain us in the midst of whatever He is doing in and through her.

George O. Wood points out in his book “A Psalm in your Heart” that Job receives not an answer to his questions, but an encounter with God– and it’s enough!

Prayer is what set Job apart from his friends. They knew ABOUT God, Job went straight TO God. Our ideas and advice and suggestions may not be what we need. Our theology can be flawed. Our feelings can lead us astray. But when we come before God and surrender our preconceived ideas, theologies, and beliefs and simply seek an encounter with Him, we no longer suffer alone.

There comes a point where we choose to trust over our desire for answers. We continue to take our children (or whatever you’re seeking God for) to God in prayer; we let go of what we think should happen; we get rid of our ideas for how things should happen and we simply encounter God.

I should end with how blessed I am that God has not removed every blessing in my life. I don’t dare truly compare my life to the life of Job… and I honestly pray God never chooses me for that lesson plan. But I can read this story, the story God chose to be in His instruction book, and I can rest assured that God is still on the throne. He is higher than my ways. His thoughts are deeper than my thoughts… and His love for my daughter is far purer and grandeur than mine.

And so my advice to you? Do what I plan to do… fall on your knees before God, ignore the advice (well, except this one piece???), the articles, the well intentioned friends and encounter God in prayer. Don’t suffer in silence, pour it out in a meeting with your savior. He’s the only One who understands and who has the answers, even if He chooses not to give them to you.

I know it sounds silly for me to give advice on not taking advice. Please know that there is great and godly wisdom out there, wisdom that at times SHOULD be listened to. There is no shame in asking for advice, nor in giving it. Just know that sometimes when we feel nothing works its because we’ve failed to encounter God himself. Spend some time in prayer, seek His face not just His answers. And trust Him to do the same for your child.

God Bless you! If you’re struggling with a child who has bigger emotions than ability to deal with them, please join our facebook page for support.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/436955046698374/

Is it Time to Clean-up?

Our town recently had a city wide clean up day. Our sanitation company actually came around and picked up all the “junk” that people put out on the curbs. It’s amazing how much stuff everyone had. And it’s amazing how many negative comments about said stuff were on my Facebook feed.

Each person in town had a chance to clean up. Each person who had broken furniture, unwanted appliances, broken items, or even overflow trash got to finally get rid of it. It took vulnerability to put their junk out for all the town to see. I mean, all your past decorating decisions are now scattered across your curb… for days. I have to admit I wondered where half of these people could even store all that stuff.

But guess what? They got rid of it. It is no longer cluttering up their homes, garages, basements, or backyards. They are free-er now, cleaner, and one less burden sits on their to-do list. Good for you city of St. James!

So what would happen if you chose to do this same thing with your soul. What if you chose to declutter the guilt, the shame, the fears, past hurts, or even the sin that is taking up space in your life. What if you chose to have a body-wide clean up?

Yes, it would mean you’d be left vulnerable. Yes, it would mean some people may see the ugly mess come out. But it would also mean freedom, clarity, and less burdens.

James 5 13-16 gives us a picture of what cleaning up can do.
“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has power and produces wonderful results.”

All these things require you to put yourself out there. All these things, suffering hardship, sickness, and sin can keep you from being your best self. And in order to get rid of them, you may have to share them with others. Tell people how you are suffering and ask for prayer. Admit your sick, and request someone to pray over you. Confess your sins to someone else.

Sickness sometimes comes across as weakness. No one wants to be weak, and so many suffer alone. Suffering can become overwhelming causing many to shut themselves off and suffer in the corners of their homes… alone. Sins. No one wants to even admit they’ve sinned, let alone tell others about what they’ve done wrong. And unfortunately sometimes even being happy is a vulnerable emotion that causes some to hold back. But freedom comes when we clean that up. When we put it out there to see, and we seek GOD. Throw out those insecurities let others see your struggle and let God come by with his big truck and load it up!

Confession is for accountability. If we knew that our every sin would need to be told to others, we’re less likely to do it. So when we set out to confess to others, we are keeping ourselves accountable and asking someone to help us. And asking for help is not easy. But it’s so very needed.

Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable is therapeutic for the soul. Getting rid of the junk is freeing. The days before the actual clean up days our town was given permission to put things out on the curb. This allowed people to drive around and see broken dressers that could possibly be fixed. Or scrap metal that could be hauled in for cash, or chairs that could be reupholstered and be the perfect gem in their home decor. It was true “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” The same is true when we open ourselves up and share our struggles. When we show others how human we are they begin to feel human, too. When we confess our sins to another and allow them to walk with us, we give them the treasure of having a real friendship. And seeing God heal those wounds is the greatest treasure to share. Our hurts, struggles, and sin can be used to minister to others… but we can’t keep them heaped up in the recesses of our souls. We have to get them out.

Our town looked pretty messy for a few days. The work was so great the workers couldn’t get it done in one day. But now, just a day later, it’s beautiful. All the junk is gone. Cleaning up our lives won’t be a simple day’s work. But it will be beautiful in the end.

A few disclaimers here…

1. Be careful who’s curb your put your junk. Not everyone wants to help you clean up. There are mean and vicious people out there. When you confess your sins to them, they will not help you reconcile to God. Instead they will throw your failures in your face and try to do more harm than good. As important it is to put yourself out there, it is just as important WHO you give the information to. Find a trusted friend.
2. Don’t go right back to filling up the empty spaces with more junk! Once it’s out, turn to God to replace what is missing. Let him heal the wounds, correct the lies, and rebuild your faith. Let Him lead you back to greatness and away from sin… and if you really did just throw out a ton of trash, don’t start collecting it again in your garage!
3. Sometimes people can’t see the good that is coming from the clean up. Just like people griped about the stuff cluttering the curbs, they will complain about you speaking about the negatives trying to clean yourself. Focus on the good of getting things out and in the safe open. And don’t focus on the naysayers.
4. If you aren’t already connected with a church, this is a great place to start. Church can open up a great source for great people. But always keep #1 in mind as unfortunately hurt people can oftentimes hurt people.

But it is time for a body-wide clean up! You’ll be thankful you did!

Responding in Love: Family Gatherings according to the Book of James.

Thanksgiving night I sat with our very small gathering, Grandpa snoozing to the left of me, Grandma listening to the chatter of my 8 year old’s endless story to the right of me, and in front of me my boys having the perfect wrestling match during the Thanksgiving football game. I was basking in the blessing of my family gathering when I got a message from someone who had just asked a guest in her home to leave for HITTING her. So it’s obvious that my scene isn’t the only family gathering scene out there.

Families can be messy. And maybe they don’t all end in physical altercations, but family gatherings at the holidays can be stressful, anxiety ridden, and the dread of the year. So how can we maneuver through them and come out on the other side with joy?

Although the Bible is full of verses that lead us to godly relationships, I’d like to look at just one small book, the book of James, to give us a guide to a successful holiday season. If you’ll join me this week, I’d like to do a series “Family Gatherings according to the Book of James”.  So check back in each day for a few more tips as to how you can enjoy your family this holiday season.

James jumps right into saying “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow..” (1:2,3) So before we really dig in here, let’s just stop and know that trials bring endurance. And when family gets messy, instead of dreading it, look forward to what it builds within you to endure.  “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (1:12) God wants you to endure it; He wants you to triumph over it. And He has a purpose for letting you go through it. So, now we need to figure out HOW to endure it, HOW to get to the great joy, and HOW to let it grow. And James does not leave us hanging.

The first thing I feel we all need to do, and do it immediately, is pray. James 1:5 says that if we need wisdom, we should pray for it. And going into a messy Family gathering requires wisdom. We KNOW what we should do. We know HOW we should act; but when we pray for the wisdom that God gives, we learn what to DO with all the “right things” we know. We must walk into the holiday gatherings with wisdom. Don’t wait until the night before, begin today praying for peaceful gatherings, and wisdom for when they are not.

When you pray, don’t start off with, “Lord, You know how annoying Jimmy is!….” Instead ask God to help you see Jimmy as HE sees Jimmy. “Lord, give me compassion for Jimmy. Help me to be patient, and to love him past the things that annoy me.”

If you notice, verse 5 does NOT say, “If you need your brother to stop getting on your nerves you should ask God to give him social graces.” No, the verse is geared inward. What can I do to endure patiently? Most all conflicts can be subdued by ONE person choosing not to react.

So many “flaws” we see in others are just a matter of preference between people. So if we can begin to condition our minds to look past the differences and value the person because Jesus does, we can smile through even the most annoying character trait.

Pray ahead of time that YOUR heart towards your family is lined up with God’s will.

This is where responding and reacting come in, or I should say where their differences come in. When personalities clash, RESPOND in love don’t REACT in annoyance and make issues into problems.

Now, there’s that issue of the abusive family member. If you know there’s the possibility of their toxicity working hard to ruining a family gathering, by all means add to your prayers for yourself prayers for them.  Pray that Addict Addy stays clean and clear. Pray that Judgemental Judy doesn’t ruin the holiday. By all means, lift up Negative Nancy, and Trouble Maker Tommy that God would intervene in their lives and bring joy where they are lacking. But be sure that when the addict gets defensive, the judgemental begins to judge, the negativity rises, and the trouble begins to brew, that you RESPOND in a godly way, and refrain from REACTING in ways that can escalate the situation. Boundaries are important. No one should allow abuse in their home, or to their loved ones. And like the situation I mentioned at the beginning, there are times you have to ask loved ones to leave, or you have to decide not to share the holidays with certain family members, but it’s all done with the goal of glorifying God among your family gatherings.

Respond with Jesus in mind, it’s His birthday we’re celebrating anyway. And in order to endure to the end, refrain from reacting and pray. Begin that now.

Lord, we pray that you will be in the midst of our holiday celebrations with family and friends, even the friends and family that are not so easy to be in a room with. Help us to love them as you love them. Help us to set boundaries where boundaries need setting, and to do so with glorifying you in mind. Open our eyes to see the Holy Spirit among our gatherings and help us to respond in godly ways to conflict. Let your light shine through us to those we celebrate with.

Would You Save them if you Could?

My husband and I love ministry.  We are coming up on 18 years of doing ministry together, and about 20 + years of being in ministry of some capacity. It’s important to us, and although there have been rough times, it has been such a great adventure. We are currently heading towards our 7 year mark as lead pastors at our current church and God has laid on our hearts some very big steps to take with the ministry here. We’ve been praying and seeking God and getting excited, and sharing our vision with our church.

Recently God laid a sermon on my heart and I shared it with my husband. We sat at the table for hours discussing what could happen if we could get our church of 50 or so people to grab hold of the vision of 1 Peter 2:9. “You are a chosen people. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” 

If we could convince them that they are the priests, under Jesus, the High Priest, our church could grow exponentially. In the Old Testament, priests had to take charge of their tabernacles. They had to work hard to move it as the Israelites traveled, they’d set it up, tear it down, pack it properly. Then they’d slay and butcher the sacrifices, and clean up the blood afterwards. They would minister to the people in the tabernacle, and like Samuel, they’d minister in their community. But then Jesus came, sacrificed once and for all and with that the levitical priesthood was no longer needed. Their sacrifices held no power, and Jesus transferred that honor to us. WE became the royal priesthood. And as modern day priests, we should be setting up the church each week… bringing in friends and family, neighbors and co-workers, filling the seats that sit empty. We should be preparing the place, praying over each service. It is our responsibility to pack it up properly, to take the sermon each week and carry it to the community, traveling the sermons of grace and healing, salvation, and freedom to the places you travel next. The ancient priests did not sit in a service and wait to be fed. They ministered. They came into the holy place with the idea that they were there to minister. 

Americans every week leave churches never to return with the mindset of “I’m just not being fed there.” When Christians come and sit and are completely content being consumers and not contributors, we are failing our churches. It won’t matter what church you go to, big or small a church full of consumers is an unhealthy church. It’s nearly universal in churches all over that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the church… and what remains usually falls on the Pastor. 

Like I said, we enjoy doing ministry. It is a strong passion of ours, and we count it an honor and a privilege to serve. But we create an unhealthy church when we fail to promote the need for members to come alongside us and participate in the ministering. Pastors ARE priests, they are not exempt from this, but because they are willing to do so much of the work within the church does not exempt the believers from doing their part.

A few days before the sermon I got to preach at the church, I had a dream, one I felt was 100% God’s vision. In the dream I had preached but I had no recollection of doing so. I kept asking Pastor what it was like, and apparently I had been very upfront and rather stern in my sermon. I began to worry that the people would be upset and I was fearful they would misunderstand and think I was angry or overly critical but Pastor remind me that God had taken over and preached through me, and that was why I had no recollection of standing before them. Then pastor asked, “What did you think you were doing if you weren’t preaching?” And in my mind I was outside the church in the middle of a raging river where waves were crashing over people who could not swim, and could not find their way out. I was pulling as many as I could out of the river and onto the shore. I had a strategy, I was going at it with zeal, but SO MANY were slipping through my fingers. I just could not get to them. I could not convince them on my own to swim to shore and so they were drowning, dying right before my eyes. And I kept turning towards the church screaming for the church to come help me. I was left wondering why they sat in the church knowing so many were drowning outside their walls and if only I could convince them to come out and help, oh what a difference that would make. I just couldn’t do it on my own.

So as the dream continued, my husband had been staring out the church windows as I told him about the raging river and all the lost souls within it. He said, “Because of what happened in this church service today, look at what is happening out there.” and he pointed me toward the window. And outside I saw that same raging river and so many in my town and county were being beaten by these waves, but among them were my church family. They were pulling them to safety one by one, two by two. So many were being saved. My husband then turned to me and said, “So now, we gather the towels, the blankets, the bedding, the supplies and we get prepared for the people to bring them inside to be ministered to.”

You see, the Pastor IS a priest. He still goes out and ministers outside his church walls, but he was never meant to do it alone. His main job is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4:12). To help the church members realize their true potential, to teach them, encourage them, and to equip them to minister… but you have to be willing to minister. You have to be willing to be the royal priesthood. For you are a chosen people, You are His possession and YOU have been called out of darkness and into the light, you know the way!

I know we can save no one, the saving power is in Jesus alone. But, They won’t see Him if we won’t reach out.  They won’t feel it if we don’t give Him it out. They won’t come, if they aren’t invited.

It is a biblical mandate to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19,20) None of us are exempt from this great commission. And yet so many leave it up to missionaries and pastors. This was never the way God intended the church to be.

But you’re not alone. This end of verse 20 says, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  This was not an empty promise. The last thing Jesus said before He ascended into heaven was that he’s send a comforter. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8,9) 

We have the holy spirit to empower us to be bold when we don’t feel we can approach the subject to our friends. We have the Holy spirit to embolden us to reach out to a dying and hurting community with the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have the resources within the Holy Spirit that can heal the broken hearted,overcome the damage done by abusive backgrounds,  encourage the depressed to courageously move forward, stimulate the lonely to reach out, revitalize discouraged teens and children with a new and holy energy and introduce hope into the lives of countless people who feel rejected and alone. And the tragedy is, we don’t utilize it. The silence in the church is deafening. We have the Spirit, and we are hoarding it. (as if we ever could!). 

So, would you save them if you could? If you saw people drowning in their sorrow would you save them if you could? If you saw people sinking into despair would you save them if you could? If you saw the culture around us begin to devour young people by the handfuls and YOU had the answer to save them, would you give what you had? You CAN save them. You aren’t the savior (obviously) but you know Him. You don’t have the power on you own, but he gave it to you. It starts with just one person who decides to be a spirit inspired, supernaturally empowered, priest who will engage in the Great commission to reach people with the life changing message of the Lord of all Lords, Jesus Christ!  They won’t see it if we won’t go. Again, they won’t feel it if we don’t give it out. They won’t come, if they aren’t invited. Will you be a priest in this royal priesthood? Will you save them by giving them the message of the cross?

If you’re willing, begin praying for Jesus to revitalize your heart. Find time in the day to set aside all other prayer requests and specifically pray for the spirit to give you boldness in this area. Leave me a comment if you’re willing to make a change and live as a royal priesthood (maybe you’re living in, Praise God! I’m believing for your life to overflow onto those around you!)

If you feel like you’re the one drowning, can I introduce you to the only one who can save, Jesus. Will you email me at thepastorswifeslife@gmail.com I’d love to talk to you about a proven way to improve your life.

And if you’d like to hear the sermon our church heard this past week, you can hear it here. It’s titled “Priesthood of the Saints”

 

Rest, Even When it’s Not Bedtime

If you have no time to rest, it’s exactly the right time.”
-Albert Einstein

I won’t lie, I do have a lot to do in a week’s time. Between Homeschooling, the church, my part-time (VERY part-time) job, and a house to run, the hours go by quickly and to tell the truth sometimes not everything even gets done. Of course we all have the same 24 hours in a day, it just depends on how much you plan on packing into those hours.

And that’s what I’d like to talk to you about today. Are you packing so much into the day that rest is not on the to-do list? I’m sure I just heard readers (even as little as I may have) sigh, and simultaneously roll their eyes. Don’t worry, I have pre-teen/teenagers… I’m immune to eye-rolls!
“When am I supposed to rest? There are dishes to be done, a pile of laundry waiting, 40+ hour work weeks, church commitments,  PTO, a baby to nurse, a toddler to read to, after school homework, Girl Scouts, Awanas, cupcakes for my child’s class, a gym membership that is NOT being used enough and my weekend is full of soccer games, basketball, hockey, and I’ve just started the youngest in ballet! I barely get 5 hours a sleep at night and you want me to find time to REST!?

Oh I heard you loud and clear. And no where did I say it would be easy. Nor did I say it was my idea. God established rest for our own good. There was a reason He established a day of rest. Our brains were not created by the greatest of creators to go non-stop without proper times of rejuvenation. Science can agree with God here. Studies have shown (google it) that the average person needs 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Even if we exclude mothers of babies who still wake at night, most people do not get near this amount. I hear boasts all the time, “I only need 4 hours!” or “HA! I do fine on 3 hours and a short nap”. As if that is some badge of honor. But that simply was not how you were intended to function. And even as some feel they function perfectly fine, life is going at such a quick speed they are losing out on so much of its beauty.

Rest is not easy and requires discipline and sacrifice. Rest also requires that we forget what the world is telling us, and do what is best for US and our families. Society tells us to keep kids off drugs and off the street we need to fill their time with sports and activity so they don’t have the opportunity to get in trouble. But when they can’t keep up with the busyness and high demands (because they were never intended to) they withdraw, and may even become depressed.

It’s simple, we were never intended to live such a busy life, but instead to find time to rest. Not only should we get plenty of sleep at night, but we need to discipline ourselves to find time within the day. Satan wants you so busy that you forget about God. And when the void shows up, the one you can never fill with activities, only with God, the enemy tries to tell you you just haven’t found what fulfills you yet, and so you try just another activity.

Well, it wasn’t knitting, let me try learning a new language. Oh, I still feel unfulfilled, maybe I can serve at church 5x a week. 

And yet, none of it ever fills you up because what you’re really needing is rest.

Pete Scazzero in his book “Emotionally Healthy Discipleship” reminds us that God did his work in 6 days and took a full day to rest. If it was good enough for God, it’s good enough for us. We were created in His image, so if he needed it, and saw it important for Himself, we need it and need to see it important for ourselves. Although resting does not save our souls (you won’t lose or gain your salvation if you take my advice here) it does save our LIVES. It gives us peace, some calm, and time for reflection.

When I met my husband, and even a few years into our marriage I hardly ever sat down. It started when I was in highschool. I went to school, got out early and went to an afterschool job. When I was done with that job, I went on to another job until 9pm. I’d come home to dinner in the microwave and homework at the kitchen table. On the weekends when the afternoon job was closed, and I’d met my 20 hours at my night-time job, I’d head into full day shifts at a weekend job. When I was done with that job I’d immediately have plans with my friends and was never home a minute before my curfew. When I got married I wanted to slow down and focus on building a marriage. I went from 2 full-time jobs and school to one full time job next to our home, and took a semester off of school. Our goal was to focus on ministry and each other. But I couldn’t sit still. I cleaned our apartment 3x a day. If a speck of dust was seen, I had to dispose of it. If my husband was done with is drinking glass, the glass needed to be washed. I needed to stay busy. My husband would take my hand and lead me to the couch and say, “Will you please sit down, you’re making me nervous.”

If we were going to build a relationship that would stand the test of time and finances and children, we needed to take the time to sit with one another, listen to one another, take time out for one another. Our marriage would not have made it to this point, 18 years of ministry, 13 years of parenthood, 4 kids deep without taking the time to spend with each other.

The same is true with God. You can fill your days with good things (community service, church ministry, outreach to neighbors, after school programs, sports, running a home) and still fall short with God all because you fill your time with things that are not as productive as REST.

Fast forward 18 years and we’ve built our lives around an inward focus. We do not allow multiple sports for our kids. Part of our reasoning behind homeschooling is so we can take time to learn, and fit in family time even if my Pastor Husband is called away. We value days off, and I spend each night on the couch with my husband still cultivating a healthy marriage.

I, now, wake before my children so I can have some alone time with God. I maybe couldn’t do that when my babies were waking every couple of hours a night… but now it’s a priority. **When I don’t do this, and I wake with the kids, who inevitably wake with the amount of energy and noise comparable to sprinting cheetahs as they chase down VERY loud hyenas. And instantly I’m thrust into my day before my eyes can even focus. In contrast, when I decide to get up and spend time in prayer and in my Bible, I’m focused in a new way when my kids begin to trample down the stairs.

I can not express enough how beneficial this is to my day. It means I have to go to bed earlier, cut out some night-time activities so I don’t neglect my marriage, and utilize my remaining hours wisely. I’m aware that not everyone homeschooled, and many of you have full-time jobs. That just means saying no to even more. Make your time at home in the evenings a calmer, less scheduled time. Carve out time on the weekends to sit and reflect on your week’s end, and the week coming up.

Do not plan things on Sundays, make the commitment to make that day  set aside for God, family and self. Keep in mind that this does NOT have to happen on a Sunday. Pick any day of the week, or any 24 hour period that you can set aside for God, family, and self. For some, because of work, school, church, or maybe even shared custody of the kids,  Sunday isn’t a great day for this (although please find a Weekend church to attend). Maybe Friday 6pm to Saturday 6pm works for you. Whatever time you pick, make it sacred. Guard it. Make it a top priority.

Another thing we do is require our children to stay in their rooms until 7:30am and go to bed between 8 and 8:30pm. We started this when they were still in their cribs. Even if we sat in the rocking chair until time to get out, we taught them that we don’t get up and wake everyone before that 7:30 time frame. It took training at first, but now they can play quietly, read, or draw, or whatever as long as they are in their rooms. And by 8:30pm all our children are in bed (unless we have church or we extend it on the weekends). Of course we want to teach them that proper sleep is important. But we also want to schedule “off” time for us. As a family we pick up and tidy the house before that 8 o’clock hour. So when the kids are in bed, Mama is off duty, Dad is done with his day and the two of us can cuddle and binge watch The Closer! We can talk freely, discuss the ups and downs of the day, come up with a parenting plan, discuss the ministry, our dreams, hopes, wishes… and be downright silly. It’s a date every night. It may not be ultra romantic, but it’s us… just us. And that’s a priority!

Whatever your schedule is, carve out time for rest. Carve out time to slow things down. Carve out time where running from one activity to another is not required. Your productivity will increase. You may not get as much done in one 24 hour period… but you’ll be a better person, and you’ll be better at the things you’ve made important. And ultimately, you’ll grow in your relationship with God.

 

Like Podcasts? Take a listen to some of these on the topic of Rest:
A Real Rest from Chris Hodges’ Church
The Emotionally Healthy Discipleship’s 10 Reasons Sabbath is Core to Leadership

 

 

Hello, My Name is…

WAY back in the day when Pastor and I were youth pastoring we had an intern. On the intern’s first day we all sat around and chatted, and it came out that he and I had attended the same Bible Camp in early high school. As we chatted more the intern started acting a little distant. His conversation was quick, his eyes no longer focusing. And me, the chatty one just kept talking about this Bible camp. Soon, the conversation got awkward.
“Oh man, my best friend always had guys following her around everywhere she went, even at Bible Camp.”

Intern: Yep, I think I know her and the boy who had the crush.

“Oh, and one year the kid had a friend, they just hung around WAY too much!”

Intern: Yep, I was that friend!

“Oh, no! It wasn’t you. This kid was scrawny, super annoying, he even asked me out… I of COURSE said NO!”

Intern: Yep! That was me.

“I’m serious, it wasn’t you. That guy’s name was Bob something… ” (no real names are used) Plus, this guy was pitiful. He was dirty, smelly. I think he may have even been slow.

Intern: Was it Bob SMITH??

“Oh yeah!!! It WAS Bob Smith! Man, that kid was really scuzzy, I felt bad for him. ” (Please remember, this was WAY back when… and I was not very nice, and I’d NEVER say ANYTHING like this now!!! I promise!)

Intern: I am Bob Smith!!

“I thought you were Larry!?” **I didn’t actually know his last name, so at this point I’m nervous that I was speaking of the poor boy’s close relative. However, it got worse!

Intern: I am Bob Larry Smith. I changed my name a few years ago. I go by Larry now!

Remove shoe, expose foot, insert foot into mouth… the entire foot.

No amount of backpedaling could reverse the things I’d said bad about this poor intern RIGHT-TO-HIS-FACE! I was mortified… not just of the fact that I’d said it to his face, but I was just SO mean in my words.

The intern with much grace and ease turned to my husband and said, “Sorry, Dude, I think I hit on your wife when we were kids!” HA!

This story came to my mind as I read the first chapter in our current Bible Study book for church. “The Daniel Dilemma” by Chris Hodges. The chapter speaks of how often we allow Satan to dictate our identity, our “name”. He calls us scrawny, annoying, pitiful, dirty, smelly, scuzzy. He tells us that we aren’t worthy to be around certain people. And unfortunately he does it through other people. (sometimes even Christians… oops!)

We live in a society that is searching for their identity. And it’s heartbreaking to see how many are so far from who God has called them to be.  Hodges points out that the enemy wants to distract us from focusing on our relationship with God and instead focus on what others say about us. (pg10)

Jeremiah 1:5 says Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…

Many times God changed a person’s name in the Bible. Once men like Abram, Jacob, Simeon, and Saul had an encounter with God, they were changed, they were new, they had a new purpose. The author points out that “these identities were not really new;  they were the ones Israel, Abraham, Peter and Paul we always supposed to have. They just hadn’t fully stepped into who God had made them to be until God marked them and called them by new names.”

Larry did not want to be Bob anymore. He was living up to the bullying he’d received from others. Bob was living what he was believing. He believed that he was too poor to rise above. He believed that all the insults, and circumstances, and ungodly words that came from people claiming to be godly were true. And Bob stopped finding his purpose in God. It wasn’t until Bob decided he no longer wanted to listen to the evil in the world dictate who he was anymore, but instead began to listen to his creator, his author, his identity maker!

Bob said good-bye to what people placed on him, and said hello to the only One who mattered. And out emerged Larry. A man who found his calling in Christ.  I praise God for the calling He put on Larry’s life, although I do not know where the intern is now, but I do know that when he changed his life, his name, and his identity, he stepped right into where God wanted him.

Who are you? What is your name? Are you Depressed? Anxious? Poor? Confused? Unworthy? (The answer is NO!) You may feel this way, but your identity is SO much more. God’s got a new name for you, and with it comes a great purpose and blessing.

If you are in the St. James, MN area and you feel yourself standing at a crossroads in your life, and you’re ready for a new start, please contact me by either emailing me ( thepastorswifeslife@gmail.com ) or dropping by the Crossroads Church at 721 Weston Ave. You can find out more about the church by following the Crossroads Church’s Facebook page. We have services every Sunday at 10am.

If you have been struggling with your Christian identity in a culture of compromise,  I highly recommend Chris Hodges book, The Daniel Dilemma.   You can order the book on Amazon.

I’m praying for you right now!

Anxiety and Trust Can’t Coexist

When I was eight years old I remember laying in my bed at night and crying over all the possible things that could go wrong. I cried for every person I knew that smoked because what if they died of emphysema? I’d stay up worrying about if my baby brother would grow up to like me, and I’d fret about mosquitos giving me AIDS (no joke, I was terrified!). I was never a risk taker in my teen years, too many things could go wrong. My biggest risky behavior was to drive a tad over the speed limit… and I got busted for it WAY too many times!

Fast forward to becoming a mother, and this anxiety hits in the deepest depths of my mind. I’ll never forget that moment that I first had the overwhelmingly panicky, fearful moment. My oldest child (only child at the time) was only about 7mo old and we were driving along Mammoth Mountain in California. The snow had piled so high along the sides of the road that the road was narrow and the cliff was right there! It was beautiful… to some… to me it was our death trap! The higher we drove on the mountain, the more I glanced back at my baby, and the more scared I became until finally I blurted out, “TAKE ME HOME!!! I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!” I shocked my husband and myself.

I do not have anxiety at a clinical level. But I have moments of complete fear, to the point of tears, and I begin to lose sleep over all of the what ifs. Last night was one of those nights. In about 3 weeks we’re returning to one of my kids’ favorite places, and one of my biggest fears. Wisconsin Dells. You see, for people like me, large crowds and 4 kids spark anxiety. Swimming pools spark anxiety. Add those things together and you’ve got it, I’m up at night with anxiety filled dreams, and a list of what ifs a mile long.

But, this isn’t our first time to Wisconsin Dells’ crowd filled, death traps upon death traps of water slides and pools (sorry… ), and it most likely won’t be my last. I made a decision a long time ago, as I’ve been dealing with this for 13 years now, not to allow this issue of mine to rob me of the wonderful fun my family has. It isn’t easy. My dreams are vivid, life-like, and scare me to the point of tears almost every single night leading up to this trip… but they won’t overcome me.

Anxiety and trust cannot coexist. If I want to honor God by trusting him with the things most valuable to me, my kids, I have to take captive every single anxious thought. Trusting God is not as easy as typing that out. It takes practice, discipline, and constant attention to the destructive thoughts that come in order to push anxiety like mine aside and choose to trust God.

Many people do not like this idea. They don’t believe they have control over the thoughts that come in their minds. They take the motto of “It’s too hard” instead of “Be anxious for nothing”. And to be honest, it offends them to read something like what I am typing. When we struggle to overcome something, the last thing we want to hear is that our trust in God is wavering. But there is the truth, and that’s what we have to look at. Anxiety and Trust cannot coexist. And in the midst of a late night battle with anxiety I have to make the choice to either dwell there, give into the thoughts, and feed the anxiety or to trust God to care for and protect my mind, and ultimately me and my children.

“But it’s so hard! The thoughts are so strong, and constant. HOW can I possibly drive them out!?”

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. -2 Corinthians 10:5

So, First, read the Word of God and BELIEVE it when it says “Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” (Philippians 4:6-8 MSG)

You have to replace the anxious thoughts with God trusting thoughts. Believe me there may be days where this is ALL you do in your mind. It’s gruelling, but SO worth it. In the NLT it says, ” Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Part of this process is to remember ways God has protected you, cared for you, and met your needs.

When my 2nd daughter was born I had a hard time laying her in her bed and leaving the room for the night. I was going through a really rough time, we had moved from CA to WI and had no jobs to support us. I was having some trust issues with God and one night when I simply could not pull myself away from her bedside I sat on the floor and cried. I said, “God! How can I trust you when we have no car, we have no jobs, and now two kids, what are you doing here!?” and right there on the floor of my infants room I hashed it out with God. He won of course reminding me of every time he’s met my needs. He reminded me that when I don’t trust, I pull away. And when I pull away, I put an unsafe distance between me and God. God never moved, but I took steps away. And once I began to thank Him for all He’s done, that peace surrounded me and I could trust my daughter in His hands.

I prayed that if something truly warranted my attention that I’d know the difference between anxiety and a call to action. That has proven itself many times over now and I know the difference in the feelings.

After two miscarriages and finally a very difficult pregnancy and an even more difficult birth of our 3rd child,  I found out I was pregnant with my 4th. Fear began to creep in. And I chose to not live in fear. So I took this verse in Philippians and put it to practice. Every fear that came up, every what if that tried to steal my joy, I turned into prayer. For example: When I did not feel sick one morning after having severe morning sickness the day before, instead of freaking out because my experience told me that meant miscarriage, I prayed, “I’m so thankful that I feel so good today, Lord. Thank you for the reprieve, but I’m scared. I’m scared that this is a sign of miscarriage, please take care of my baby. I give this baby to you for you hold his future in your hands. I TRUST you and will choose to trust instead of fret.” I did this many times a day. My delivery was so horrible with baby #3 and I’d fret the delivery of # 4 almost every day of the pregnancy, but I turned them into prayer EVERY.SINGLE.TIME until that peace came over me… and that delivery was the easiest of all 4. It was so good!

So I think of those times and I remind myself that God has taken care of our family from the very beginning and he will not stop now. When I wake up at 4am riddled with dream after dream of my children drowning or getting lost, or kidnapped while at the Dells, I get myself up and pray myself through immediately, even if that means missed sleep tonight… tomorrow will be better.

I also pray the scriptures. I believe the Word of God is true. And so I pull out a few scriptures and I pray out loud the TRUTH over my fear. I put my kids’ names in the spots where it makes sense…

Lord, I look up to the mountains—

For my help comes from there. 

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth!

 

He will not let My children stumble;

the one who watches over them will not slumber.

Indeed, he who watches over my children

never slumbers or sleeps.

 

The Lord himself watches over them!

The Lord stands beside them as their protective shade.

 sun will not harm my children by day,

nor the moon at night.

 

The Lord keeps them from all harm

and watches over their lives.

The Lord keeps watch over them as they come and go,

both now and forever. (Psalm 121, bold print = changes)

I fill my mind with prayers of trust until there is no room left for thoughts of anxiety. And to be honest, this took me 90 or so minutes last night. It’s NOT easy… but the more you do it, the easier it gets.

God is a sympathetic God. None of us are perfect, and we’re all given our own set of struggles to overcome. God does not leave us to do this alone! He’ll walk each step with is.

For some anxiety isn’t an issue, for others, it can be a cancer. And just like cancer treatments can be aggressive, so must our course of action to overcome fear and anxiety. For some it’s not the safety of their children, but their checkbook, they fear and fret every time it’s time to pay the bills. They lose sleep over how they will put food on the table. For others it may be the drive to be perfect in all they do. They fear making mistakes and they live in this constant pull between the impossibility to be perfect, and their anxiety over beating that impossibility. Although the symptoms are different, the cancer is the same… and the treatment will always be to CHOOSE to be anxious about nothing and pray about it all.

I suspect this won’t be my only night where I have nightmares. I have 3 weeks before we have the time of our lives at the Waterpark Capital of the World. And I’ll need to up my prayer time each day we are there, but I’m committed to choose peace and trust. It’s what the Word says to do.

Below are a FEW scriptures you can turn to prayer as you choose to overcome your anxiety. I got this set from a bible.com (youversion App) reading plan called, “Praying through the Scriptures: Anxiety” I keep this plan on my phone at all times so if I’m struggling I know where I can find some good solid scriptural prayers. I know there’s more out there, feel free to share them in a comment!

I’m praying for YOU, too. Anxiety can be debilitating. Don’t dwell in it (it’ll grow!) instead, choose trust. And remember Trust and Anxiety cannot coexist.

• Matthew 6:25-34
• 1 Peter 5:7-11
• Philippians 4:4-7
• Proverbs 3:5-8
• Psalm 46
• 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

 

And if you think about me during the week of June 17th-20th, lift me up in prayer. I would never want to ruin this week of fun for my family because of my lack of trust. I have always enjoyed myself in years past, and I plan to do it again this time.

For the Sake of the Neighbor’s Salvation

 

How many of you know that the world and it’s moral compass is proof that Jesus is coming soon! We’re seeing a lot of scripture truly come to life and we need to heed the warning. Let’s take a look at  1 Timothy chapter 4…

This chapter starts off with the warning from the Holy Spirit that some will turn away from the faith of Jesus Christ. Falling away comes in many different forms. One can give up completely, turn their backs on God, and profess atheism. One can begin to believe lies that the world tells them, and begin making up their own Jesus. So they no longer worship the TRUE Jesus, but a made up version, a false version… which is idolatry at it’s sneakiest. Or, one can continue coming to church, continue preaching to the world the true Jesus… but live in complete contrast to Him. They hold the truths in their hands and not their hearts. They say all the right words, but act not a one of them. Their conscience is dead, what once convicted them, no longer applies… to THEM, others, sure, but not THEM.

This is Satan coming to kill, steal, and destroy! His goal is to Kill our salvation, steal our purpose, and destroy our witness. And in the end times, we can’t afford for this to happen!

Timothy was a pastor, but this chapter wasn’t included in the Bible strictly for pastors. God wants our eyes to be open to be doing the work as well. Has anyone ever seen a baby bjorn. Has anyone seen THIS 

This is how many Christians expect to live. Your pastor is NOT going to get in a man bjorn and follow you around. You can’t strike up a conversation with your grocery clerk and then turn your back and say, “Now my Pastor will invite you to church!” You can’t pack your Pastor up for every family gathering and let him do the witnessing for you. He can’t live YOUR life and influence YOUR circle. As much as most Pastors LOVE bbq, they can’t be at each one of your houses talking to your neighbors while you grill! YOU must step up, you MUST start inviting people to church, or the Church (capital C) will die. You MUST tell others about the AMAZING, AWESOME, LIFE CHANGING SAVIOR OF THE WORLD! I can not emphasize this enough! This is not optional.

But here’s the good news. God never reveals a problem that is too big for Him to solve. And right here in this chapter (and really all throughout the Bible), he gives us the HOW. How do we tells others, enhance our witness, and become effective Christians?

One… You must be anchored in God’s word. Paul says To be Nourished by the message.  The Bible is truth. It is 100% solid. It will give you ALL you need. Arguing over whose faith is right, or fighting against false teachings in a unloving way is never needed. Don’t waste your time. Instead, as verse 7 says, “train yourself to be godly.” Turning your focus on yourself, and your own relationship will win others to Christ WAY faster than pointing out all their wrongs. The healthier you are, the healthier example you set for the neighbors/community around you.

Secondly,  you must train for godliness.  Yes. Exercising is important. Building muscles keeps us going in life. The stronger your muscles, the better your endurance, metabolism, and even mental health are.  There’s no argument that it’s very important. However, the Bible doesn’t speak to a vigorous physical exercise regimen… but it is VERY clear that training for godliness is a must.

This word “godliness” in verse 8 means to have the character and attitude of God– We aren’t made in the image of Arnold Schwarzenegger. We were made in the image of God! So, is that true in your life? Do your neighbors, your co-workers, your family see the image of God in you?

I definitely don’t have the image of a beauty queen– but I pray that in every encounter the image of God shines more beautifully to others than any tiara I could ever wear upon my head! I pray that the way I treat my husband, the way I handle telemarketers, the way I negotiate internet rates… I even pray the way I discipline my children is proof that I was made in the image of God. It won’t’ mean I won’t mess up… but it is my duty to pursue, and train myself to live in such a manner. Bodily exercise is good… for awhile, but it won’t affect eternity. It won’t go into all the world and preach the good news… but our godliness will.

It is NOT easy, and Paul does not hide that it will hard. But he, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit reminds us that we work hard and continue to struggle through this training because  Our hope is in the LIVING GOD. David challenged Goliath in the name of the LIVING GOD… and guys… he slayed the giant! When we choose the godly life, we, too can slay our giants.  We can tell the rage that lives deep down, “You come at me with frustrations and stress but I come against you in the name of the LIVING GOD!” You can tell your insecurities… “You come at me with shyness and self loathing… I come against you in the name of the LIVING GOD!” You can stand there in front of your giant, whatever weapons he may bear and you can remind him that you have THE.LIVING.GOD and HE is the only weapon you’ll EVER need!

We have power! And it’s a SIN to keep it to ourselves!

We must teach these things and insist that others learn it.  I am NOT saying you beat someone over the head with your Bible, follow around after them chanting “GET SAVED OR BURN” rhetoric. You know, kids don’t learn sometimes on the first time… and sometimes not the 2nd time… and sometimes not the 3rd… or 4th… or 5th time… but we never just walk away and let them ignore the thing they HAVE to learn. Instead you continue to guide, and teach, and speak, and work it into daily life. And if we’re doing it right… we’re not doing this through beating them. Haha. So, we don’t beat people over the head, but we don’t neglect teaching them either. Teaching is more than just preaching, too, by the way.  We show them with our lives, we point them towards Jesus in how we talk to them. We pray for our neighbors and not gossip about them. We seek God’s direction, and we invite grocery clerks to Church. Or we pray with a grieving co-worker. We stand up for the weak, and live out our convictions, even when no one else agrees. You don’t HAVE to preach… but you do HAVE to witness!

There are NO excuses. Timothy was young– but was still called to be an example. So what is your excuse?
If you spoke them out, how ridiculous would they sound?
I did this. I stood at an alter where I felt God was wanting to use me, but I’d held back. And I said out loud my excuses… Are you like me as I stood there and said,
“I’m too fat to approach people and tell them about God.”
Ummm, yeah, where is THAT in scripture?
“I’m just too shy, I’ll stumble over myself if I try to witness.”
“God, I sin.” (Well, DUH!)
“I’m just too busy.”
When you HEAR yourself saying something so outlandish it should resonate with you that you’re just stalling. And you’re giving the enemy a footstool.

 We are called to point others to the saving Grace of Jesus fearlessly and let God do the rest! Paul told Timothy to “preach” through example– preach by the words you say but also HOW you say them–
Preach not just in how you live, but by how you enhance the lives of others.
Preach not by declaring that you go to Church, but instead SHOW them why you can’t stay away!

Preach in the way you live, in the way you love, in how deeply you live out your faith and how pure you are (vs 12). And do all of this by focusing on the scripture, encouraging and teaching others what the Word says.  

We mess up when it comes to the last few verses here… and it’s funny that verse 15 starts  Give your complete attention to these matters…

Timothy was given a gift– This refers to the varying spiritual gifts given to Timothy but it’s also the same word God used to speak of the gifts He gives US! We, as I’ve said before, are made in the image of God– We were given gifts and attributes to use to reflect Him… And yet we neglect them. We live in fear instead of peace. We live defeated instead of victory, we live insecure instead of the child of the God we were created to be! Where do we see the image of God fearful? Defeated? Insecure?

Timothy isn’t the only one that has been given supernatural gifts from God– the word was written TO US! FOR US! We should trust that God will do great things through us– and we must begin to flow with the moving and leading of the Holy Spirit. We must throw ourselves into this task so that everyone will see the progress as verse 15 says.  We need to  Give it our all. We can’t afford to live a passive Christian life. Other’s salvation is at stake.

People are staying away from church because they don’t see the point. The church going people they see are the same as the bar going people. They see anger outside… AND inside the church. They see a world full of hate, division, and pain… and unfortunately… so VERY unfortunately, they see it inside the church.
But maybe one of the most detrimental to the church is that lack of power they see when they look at the church. We’re so passive that they don’t see a reason to change.

Paul is speaking from experience here. No one could accuse Paul of living a passive Christian life.

 1 Corinthians 15:10 says But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them–yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.  Paul knew spiritual growth didn’t just happen, we MUST actively pursue it.

We can have a saved soul– I mean, we’ll make it to heaven– but we can waste it in the process.

I mentioned at the beginning Satan’s goals for us. Kill, steal, and destroy… but what is God’s goal?
TO HAVE AN ABUNDANT LIFE! A powerful, effective life!  All of this culminates in this last verse in 1 Timothy
Why does all of this matter? Your salvation is at risk… but also

For the Sake of the Neighbor’s Salvation, you MUST take your faith outside the church walls and into your own sphere of influence.

If you are saved, and you’ve made that choice, the angels in heaven rejoice because of it, but… for the sake of the neighbor’s salvation you can NOT stop there. Your world needs salvation, too. Your living, your teaching, your witness saves people.
Satan knows that many solid Christians are pretty solid in their faith. He has probably figured out by now that he won’t get some of you to denounce Christ. So he shifts his purpose and works diligently to make you ineffective. If he can get you to look just like the world, he’ll ruin your witness… and he’ll win.
If he can get you to doubt yourself, and keep you living in fear, never stepping out to speak to your family about Jesus… he wins.

We, too easily, disqualify ourselves. We fail to believe the promises written right there in HIs word– and we play right into Satan’s plan for our ineffective lives. And for the sake of our neighbor’s salvation we CAN NOT let that happen! We aren’t going to be perfect… but we ARE going to make a difference.

Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is the birthday of the Christian Church. It’s the day the believers of Jesus went to an upper room and they waited for the promised holy spirit to arrive. In order to take the church out of the building, and into the community, we need the outpouring of the holy spirit. I’ve spoken a lot of MUSTS… and as much as I don’t want to sound so bossy and demanding, I’ve felt SO strongly that it is TIME. The Church needs to be a light into the community, and it can’t be just your pastor’s responsibility. They can’t be strapped to each one of you… You don’t need them (although they ARE important parts of God’s plan here).  You NEED Jesus! You NEED His power, His influence, His witness. But you can no longer keep it to yourself. If you are unwilling to take Jesus outside of  your own personal walls, you’re neighbors are going to die, and they WILL go to hell. I don’t know another nicer way to put it. The truth is, it’s time to leave your pews and trust God for the power to take the message out.

May I challenge you? Make a commitment to 1 Timothy 4. To live a godly life as an open witness… for the sake of your salvation… and the salvation of those who hear you!

This Monday devotion was brought to you by yesterday’s Sermon at Crossroads Church. If you’d like to hear more, learn more, or clarify more, please visit our Facebook page, give us a call (507-375-5920. Leave a message if you need to) or come to our Sunday Services every Sunday at 10am. 721 Weston Ave in St. James, MN. I’ll save you a seat!

This Mother’s Day… Remember

In the past few days I’ve packed up all clothing and toys that my kids have outgrown and laid them out for a garage sale. The process went something like this…

Step 1: Start in the basement and begin pouring over all the bags and boxes that have begun to accumulate. Pull out every piece of clothing, check the tag for size so you can organize… but hug each piece in memory of the time your child ____________. Cry here and there; laugh over something that reminds you of their cute little 3-year-old voice; cry some more, and then place in the box marked with the appropriate size.

Step 2: Repeat step one, but with every single toy in the house. Get your kids involved. Be proud of them for downsizing, but question them when they want to sell their most prized toy. Then cry when they say, “I’m done with that.” Try talking them into just a few My Little Ponies, or just one tiny collection of the “Super Heroes”. But ultimately box them up, tears and all. (Maybe sneak a few out of the box for future grandkids).

Step 3: Take your boxes to the garage where the sale will be held. Get a friend to join in your misery. As you take each piece of clothing out, tell your friend about the memory that each and every piece of clothing and toy brings to your mind. Cry. Listen to her memories. Cry some more. Tears with friends is acceptable!

Step 4: Begin to sell all your sweetest momentos one by one, 50 cents at a time. Tell the buyers all the cute stories each item brings to mind. Hold back tears. Tears with customers seems less than acceptable.

Step 5: Relive the experience, regret selling some things, and steal back a few items that did not sell… but most importantly close your eyes, have yourself an ugly cry (this is MOST acceptable!) and remember just how amazing this journey of Motherhood is.

Every memory, every feeling, every emotion those clothes and toys bring will STILL be there even when the items belong to someone else… because you never sell the memories.

Being a mother is such a crazy thing. We can love so strongly, get frustrated so easily, forgive instantaneously, and somehow manage to retain a lifetime of memories (x4 in my case).  These memories we have of our children may blend once in a while, “One of them use to say ‘Frog’ in the cutest way!” but others are so vivid in our minds, like how my son had his very own “Baby Spot” where he’d lay next to me in the middle of the night. He’d crawl into our bed, curl up in the curve of my body, and tell me that’s where he used to live, it was his “baby spot”.

We can relive panic moments like they happened yesterday, like when my son crashed into the wall at age 3 and exposed skull, and TONS of blood. I panicked. But then something kicked in and I immediately went calm and said, “I got this, I’m a mom!” And 13 stitches later, I felt that God had equipped me for motherhood.

We may not always remember each kid’s exact birth minute (sorry, I just can’t remember after baby 3… poor 4th born!), but we’ll remember the crazy giggles to the silliest things, like how funny my daughter thought she was at age 2 when she stole my cell phone and took pictures of the floor. Each click sound she heard brought a wave of mischievous laughter (which was contagious!)

We may choose to forget the mounds of laundry, although they may be a nightmare that haunts us for the rest of our lives… but we’ll never forget the sweet night-time smiles our babies give us in those wee hours of the night. My sweet daughter gave me many many smiles in the 18 times a night that she’d wake.

These memories, whether heart-warming, lesson-learning, self-encouraging, or life-giving will hold us in times of panic, frustration, exhaustion, and discouragement. They are God’s way of reminding us that these babies of ours, no matter how old they get, were given to us as a blessing for us. We become better humans because of them. We grow in patience, wisdom, endurance, and calmness. God helps us remember how He brought us through the sleepless nights of babyhood, so we can endure the sleepless nights of the teen years. God helps us recall the tantrum throwing 2-year-old emerging into a sweet and adorable 3-year-old so we can have hope as we battle with our 13 year olds. God brings to our minds the struggles and fruits of our sacrifices to remind us that He can get us through the remaining years of these precious gems in our care.

But ultimately God give mamas a special place to carry memories so we can be reminded of how completely amazing, and wonderful, and precious, and glorious, and abundant this life of a mother truly is. It is the sweetest blessing!

Happy Mother’s Day!