Adventures in Obedience

This month marks my 10 year anniversary of becoming a follower of Christ. You'd think that after you've been doing something for 10 years, you'd be really good at it, but it never ceases to amaze me how God continues to challenge me and take me deeper all the time. I've accepted the fact that I'll never really be 'good' at being a Christian but I'll always be pursuing God's best in my life, fully knowing that I can't reach that goal in my time on Earth.

Recently, our church did a series called "How to Be Rich". It was an amazing series and I encourage you to listen to the messages here. However, there was one week that really stood out for my husband and myself. It was the week when we talked about tithing. It's funny, because I rarely get to listen to our messages live because of my position at the church, but I actually caught this one.

I've always been a giver. I am in ministry so I feel like I give everything I have; my whole life really, and of course, I toss some $ in the baskets like everyone else. In the last 10 years I've heard many, many messages on money; some good and some bad, but this one was different. I'm no theologian, so I can retell it the way Pastor Tim said it, but basically he talked about Biblical obedience in tithing- meaning giving 10%, off the top and directly to the church. He outlined many great facts backing this up, but they allude me now :)

While listening I thought about all the giving I do. I give my time, energy, resources, I give money to missions, people in need, etc. but it was here that God stopped me and caused me to listen. I had to ask myself; how much do I actually tithe? The truth is I have no idea! I felt God challenge me with being intentionally obedient to His Word and always give 10% directly to the church and let everything else I give be out of the other 90%.

This is where the internal argument began. I said "Well, God, Chris and I give you everything, don't we? We give here, and here, and here, and......" And God said this "I know you trust me with 100% of your lives but do you trust me with 100% of your money- be obedient to my Word"

Well.... there's really no arguing with that statement. God's Word is it and God made it impossible for us to gloss over that part any longer. So my husband and I talked and we decided to say ok. So we immediately started being intentional with our giving and really making sure that we gave 10% to the church before anything else. This was hard for us because we are very poor right now. My husband has been out of work and I've been struggling with finding consistent business AND we didn't curb our giving from the missions and things we already gave to- we just started taking that out of the 90% God let us keep.

So how is it going? Are we broke yet? Well......

It's been two weeks since we started this experiment and God has worked some amazing miracles:

1. My husband who's been out of work since August was offered a great job
2. My income from my own business (I do photography and creative services) has increased 450%
3. We somehow have managed to catch up on nearly every bill we have
4. Our stress level has gone from 100 to -50 because we are no longer fighting about money
5. Our faith has increased and we want to give more than ever before!

I'm not going to say that things work this quickly for everyone, but this is our experience. God has always taken care of us, but when we are intentionally obedient to His Word, his blessings grow even more.

At the end of the message, Pastor Tim challenged everyone to a 3 month tithe challenge. Basically, tithe 10% intentionally for 3 months and see what God does. I encourage anyone that reads this to watch that message and take the challenge- you won't be sorry! God never fails.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 ESV

 

 

Take It All

Well these last few months have been crazy to say the least. Year after year I'm learning that the only thing I can depend on is God and as soon as I begin to depend on anything else, He has no problem turning my world on end to remind me of that.

Yes, life has been very hard over the last few months but this blog isn't to drone on about what's been going wrong- it's to celebrate what has come out of it all. Years ago I was listening to someone read a little devotional book. To this day I don't remember which one but I do remember what he said.

Adventures in Kid's Ministry!

If someone had told me a year ago that I'd be responsible for running a children's ministry I probably would've laughed and not given a second thought. Yet, here I am working at an awesome church doing just that. 

For those of you who know me personally, this probably came as an odd pairing. Of course, I love kids but I've never thought of myself as being one of those "Ms. Lippy" (ya know from Billy Madison) types who could handle masses of children with ease. So I stuck to the areas I knew; music, production, media, etc.

However, the opportunity came along to do this and against all reason, I felt that God definitely wanted me to do it so I did, and I'm so glad I did.

Here's what I've learned (so far):

A Road Less Traveled

I've been thinking a lot lately about my walk with God. You see I always thought that it would get easier as I grew in my relationship with God, but here I am more than 10 years in and I'm realizing that might never be the case.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my life with God, but it's not always easy. Sure coming to Jesus and getting 'saved' was pretty easy and it was designed to be, but the journey, while full of immeasurable treasures, is not so simple. The older I get the more convinced I become that the journey isn't supposed to be easy, especially if you're in ministry.

Love Never Fails

"Love Never Fails"- I love that phrase. I love saying it. I love singing it. Most of all I love the implications of it. For those who don't know the phrase originates from 1 Corinthians 13- also known as the love chapter. The most well know portion is in verses 4-8:
⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails. 

You've probably heard parts of it read at weddings or etched on to photo frames. Most people associate it with the way love should look in a marriage. All of that is well and good but it goes way beyond that.

Bubble People

Do you or someone you know live inside the ‘Christian Bubble’. I borrowed that term from a book I read once called ‘They Like Jesus but Not the Church’ by Dan Kimball. It’s a term that describes the ‘inner circle’ type of mentality that many of us have. So many believers throughout history have fallen into this bubble mentality without even thinking twice. It pains me to think about how many people I can think of that I know and love who spend their days shielding themselves from the world instead of bringing light to it. These people love Jesus, and they know all about the Bible and they pray like crazy- many of these people are viewed as being really good Christians people, but they are missing the point! I love it when these people say “Well, we’re supposed to be in the world, not of it” I nearly bust out laughing every time one of the ‘bubble people’ say this to me. I mean, really? You think that justifies legalism? Being judgmental? You think God’s cool with the fact that you don’t have any friendships with non-Christians because of that? Do you think that being ‘in the world’ is only a reference to the fact that you live on the planet earth? Do you really think that living a super conservative lifestyle means you’re not ‘of the world’? I mean the list of questions goes on. This is why it’s so dangerous to base your lifestyle on just one verse in the bible.

We Are The Poor

"-and the good news is preached to the poor." Matthew 11:5 (NIV)

I've probably read that line several times and I don't think I've ever thought of it as significant before. Jesus said this when he was speaking to some of John the Baptist's disciples. For those of you who care, here it is in context:
"⁴Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. ⁶Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Matthew 11:4-6 (NIV)

"My Precious"

OK so I'll admit it, I'm a total geek. Today as I was reading the Bible (Matthew) I started thinking about the Lord of the Rings, and not just because it was a kick-ass movie. I was reading in Matthew 6:19-21:

¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

I know most of us have heard this verse in some interpretation many times. As I read it today I kept thinking of Gollum. More specifically how much I can be like him at times. Yeah, I am more attractive on my exterior, and I can speak in coherent sentences, but there are days when I become just as rank and nasty on the inside. Don't we all?

Jesus knew this. He knew that we would want to follow Him and do well, but at the same time the forces of evil are constantly pressuring us and luring us into a prison of our own selfishness. It doesn't matter whether you're a Christian or not, we are all subject to this torment at times.

We begin to think that our lives depend on superficial things. By doing this we misplace our faith. We stop placing our faith in God and instead we place it in something else like money, appearance, sex, status, jobs, etc. Then our mind, energy, and heart goes into securing and replicating whatever that is. Are you starting to see the danger here?

There is nothing wrong with having money, looking nice, or even sex (within God's standards), but none of them should rule our lives or dictate our day. Our thoughts should not be monopolized with getting 'more' like a crack addict looking for his next hit.

I live on the beach, so I am in sand all the time, and let me tell you it's not stable. If you scoop up some sand and try to squeeze it, you will quickly find it slipping between your fingers- the tighter you grip; the more you lose. That's what happens when we try to hold tight to our treasures. The things that may seem important are really just powdery sand- it's fun, smooth, and feels good between your toes, but it's not good for much more. God is a rock or better yet a mountain. You can hold him as tight as you need- He will never crumble, never move, and never fail.

What is your "Precious"?

Leftovers???

Being in ministry you often hear people talk about how difficult it is to balance time in ministry and time with family. Ministry is a tough field. We work 40-50 hours per week in a battlefield and I've yet to meet a pastor who is paid what he's worth (at least not an honest one!) We come home tired to families, ready to give what we can. Many people refer to this as the 'leftovers'. I've heard it several times and I heard it again today. Why do we feel this way? Why is it that when we work hard for the Kingdom, we allow ourselves to feel guilty? Why do our spouses make us feel guilty?

Anne Jackson wrote recently on her blog that "When you say yes to something, that means you're saying no to something else." This is very true. When I say yes to spending time at church, I am essentially saying no spending that time with my family. My question is why is that always seen as a bad thing? If I say no to time at church, I am saying no to something much larger. I'm saying no to preparing to do my part in the body. I'm saying no to raising up the next generation. I'm saying no to my calling. I'm saying know to my church family.

Now, don't get me wrong; a healthy family is vital to a healthy pastor, but it shouldn't an either/or thing. Ministry requires a significant amount of time above and beyond what you're paid for (if your lucky enough to be in paid ministry) and that's just what it is. This is a reality that should be discussed with our families before we go into ministry or get married if you're already in ministry.

My husband is not in ministry, but he is very aware of what it demands. He knows that I will always work more than I'm paid for (if I'm being paid at all). He knows that Christmas Eve, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day are the highest visitors week in churches, and therefore I may be absent from home on those days. He knows that if there is an opportunity to expand God's Kingdom that my needs and his needs have to take a back seat. He also knows that I love him, I appreciate him, and I support him in what he does just as much as he supports me.

So I refuse to call what I have to give at the end of the day, "leftovers", because it's not. My working hard for God during the day doesn't mean I only have junk left to give my husband. Do I get tired, beaten, and grumpy- absolutely, but it's job to know how to work hard for God and be a good wife. When I struggle with it, I know God can show me how.

Being a good spouse is less about quantity and more about quality. If you feel like your giving your spouse 'leftovers', don't immediately think you shouldn't do so much at church. Try to look at the quality of the relationship. Here are a list of questions to help you determine why your involvement might be causing a problem(some of them seem silly, but they're true!):

1. Do you have at least one quality evening together a week?
2. Do you send each other romantic or even sexy little texts/emails/notes?
3. Do you tell your spouse how much you appreciate them at least once per week?
4. Do you kiss each other for at least 5 minutes everyday?
5. Do you have a healthy sex life?
6. Do you CLEARLY communicate where you are and when you'll be home
7. If you have kids: Do you try to give your spouse at least two hours a week without them?
8. Do you know that you have your spouse's support when you're away from home?
9. Do you demonstrate support for each other emotionally and practically?
10. Do you tell your spouse how attractive they are to you everyday?

If you answered 'no' to at least 3 of these, then I would say that it's not the amount of time you're involved, it's the strength of your relationship. Try doing each of these things, and try having a heartfelt discussion with your spouse. Usually the non-involved spouse is really just feeling shafted by your busyness or sometimes just insecure. Strengthening the relationship from the inside is what needs to happen. Cutting back the time you spend in ministry WILL NOT fix the problem, it will only put a band-aid on it. As someone who's been divorced- I know this first hand. If the problem is in the relationship, then address it with your spouse and address it with God.
-JUST MY OPINION

DISCLAIMER: This article does not apply to workaholics. If you work more than 50 hours per week on a regular basis, then please buy Anne Jackson's Book 'Mad Church Disease' and take a vacation!

Psalm 25

^"12 My question: What are God-worshipers like?

Your answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye."
Psalm 25:12 (the Message)

I was reading Psalm 25 this morning. I was actually reading it in the New King James Version (my fav translation) and I felt God really speaking to me through it. Then I felt like He wanted me to go read it in the Message Bible (my fav paraphrase). So I did, and verse 12 practically jumped off the page at me. I just love how it describes what Christians should be like. , "Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye" It challenged me to look at the trajectory of my day/week/year and ask myself, "What is my aim?". Are the tasks/goals that I have laid out for myself aimed at God and His Will? The truthful answer is 'no'. This verse is really challenging me to change that.

So, think about the day and what you plan to do. Ask yourself, why am I doing these things? Are my tasks aimed at God or am I just self-seeking or am I just "going through the motions"? Think about how you can take your everyday and aim it at glorifying God and furthering His Kingdom.

^"15 If I keep my eyes on God,
I won't trip over my own feet"
Psalm 25:15

A Thought on Spiritual Formation

I was walking at the beach this morning while listening to some music. The song 'How He Loves' (Kim Walker version) started playing, and as I watched the tide coming in and out; I began to think about God and spiritual formation. Our relationships with God are so much like the relationship the ocean has with the sand.

Here we are- the sand. We don't move on our own or have the ability to shape ourselves. We are filled with natural treasures, and we also contain a lot of crap that various people have dropped on us.

Then there's God- the ocean. It's powerful. It can be peaceful and calm or it can be violent and wipe out entire cities. It's both beautiful and dangerous.

The ocean hits the sand and it changes. The shore is shaped by the tide every second of the day. Some days the waves are huge and the shoreline changes quickly, and other days, the waves are more like ripples making subtle changes. One thing to notice, is that everyday it is moving. Everyday it is changing and the most amazing transformation happens just below the surface. If you ever stick your feet in the sand where the water is several inches deep, you know what I mean.

Our lives with God should reflect this constant ebb and flow. We are built to be like that sand; ever-changing, ever evolving as we are moved by God. Everyday God's Grace should sweep over us and shape us. Everyday we need to seek Him in His Word and in Prayer, so our hearts can be shaped by His love and our minds can be fed by His wisdom.

^"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." Romans 12:1 & 2 (MSG)

"And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him." 2 Corinthians 3:17 & 18 (MSG)

Change.... Friend or Foe?

Throughout the story of humanity, we have had a love/hate relationship with change. Sometimes we love change, and then sometimes we avoid it like the black plague. I was having a conversation with a pastor this morning who is one the cusp of some big and wonderful changes in his ministry, but with these changes there always comes issues. It seems this way every time I see a church in transition. This conversation made me wonder, why? What is it about change that sends some of us over the edge? Look at what happens when Jesus is talking to a young, rich ruler:

¹⁸One day one of the local officials asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to deserve eternal life?" ^19-20Jesus said, "Why are you calling me good? No one is good—only God. You know the commandments, don't you? No illicit sex, no killing, no stealing, no lying, honor your father and mother." ²¹He said, "I've kept them all for as long as I can remember." ²²When Jesus heard that, he said, "Then there's only one thing left to do: Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me." ²³This was the last thing the official expected to hear. He was very rich and became terribly sad. He was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go. 

Luke 18:18-23 (The Message)

I know that when we hear this story, we often think about materialism. While that lesson is evident here, I think there's more. Jesus was asking the young man to change. He wanted to bring him to the next level, and the guy declines. Why? I mean you have God saying come with me and you'll live forever, and he says "thanks but no thanks." I think that more than materialism this guy was afraid of change. I don't think he didn't want to let his things go. Instead I think he feared the changes that would come if he did. I don't think any of us are really that different. I think that if we think about why the young ruler resisted change so much, we can really find some lessons that would ring true for us.

Well, I don't consider myself to be particularly wise or anything, but here's what I perceive as the main reasons this young man and most people avoid change:

1. FEAR
           We fear change. I'm sure most people would say that's the primary reason we resist change. What is that we're afraid of? Personally I don't think we fear the changes themselves, but we fear what we will have to change. This is especially true in churches. We get comfortable. When churches evolve, it's not really for a bigger building or more programs. I believe God brings change not only to help us be more effective in our communities, but to challenge believers. God doesn't want us comfortable, he wants us to be constantly growing into the best followers that we can be. The young ruler was probably afraid to leave all of his things behind. Like many of us he wanted to follow God. He wanted to go deeper, but Jesus challenged him on a deep level to trust God with everything. This call to change likely caused a great deal of anxiety. He probably thought "Well, I want to take it to the next level, but it looks very risky. What if this Jesus thing doesn't work out and I'm left broke?" How often do those same fears sweep through our minds when God is urging us to take things up a notch?

2. PRIDE
           Pride is such a difficult thing to struggle with. So often when God brings changes to us, he has to put our pride in check. When we become too comfortable in our positions in the church, it brings a level of pride. "This is my job". We like what we are doing and that's all there is to it. Then when a church grows and changes, so do our roles. There's a sacrifice that has to take place. We are giving up a title or a responsibility or maybe even some income. To get in line with what God is doing requires us to lay down our pride, so we can let God call the shots. The most dramatic changes usually include a full dependency on God for survival. This is the position our young ruler was put in. Imagine how this guy was perceived in the community. He was young, successful, rich, and probably well respected. I'm sure he took a lot of pride in his accomplishments. Then Jesus wants him to give it all up, his title, his wealth, and his status. It would have taken a huge measure of humility to intentionally go from a rich, successful, leader to a penniless, homeless, follower of Jesus (who to many was just a crazy guy). I've heard people talk about this parable as if they are looking down on the young man, but I wonder how many of us would be able to make that choice?


Fear and pride come from Satan, it's just that simple. When we feel ourselves resisting change, we need to stop and ask, why? What is the problem here? Am I really opposed to the ideas being put forth or is there something else going on? 

And for those of you who are like me, and embrace change more easily; ask yourself, "How can I bear the burdens of those struggling with change around me?". Those of us who gravitate toward change, often don't pay attention to the thoughts and feeling of other around us who are having a harder time. Look around you and find those people and try to understand their point of view. Talk with them, pray with them, let God bring everyone into one accord. If you take the time to let God bring everyone together, things will flow much more smoothly.


What do you think? How do you handle change?

Onward and Upward.....

Do ever feel like no matter how hard you push or how fast you run you will simply never get there? i struggle with this feeling of insufficiency often. Then i was reading God's Word today and I stumbled across Philippians 3. I particularly zoned in on verses 12-16 Here Paul writes this:

"2 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind."


I also like The Message paraphrase version too:

"2-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it."


When we look at ourselves it is so easy to zone in on everything that we lack, but here Paul tells us to not worry about. Keep our eyes on the goal. I love how Paul admits to his own imperfections here. I often find myself looking with envy at the people around. I think man, why can't i be where they are in their faith? Today i am sitting here asking God to help me change my perspective and realize that I am right where I need to be. I know that if I continue to look backwards eventually I will trip but when I look forward the road looks painfully long. I know everybody has been there so you know how hard it is not to be discouraged. God has placed such a path before christians that we either have to be "totally committed" or not at all. It's hard to just be 100% committed to God's will. Very hard but that's how it has to be if we really want to impact the world for Christ. The more I seek God, the more I put Him first, the more I can see His vision and will for my life and that brings me hope. Then the road doesn't seem so long or so hard. I think the message here is to keep on keepin on and just commit yourself to the vision that God gives you no matter how difficult or far off.

What is Worth?

In our society today we are surrounded by images and people that tell us what "worth" is; what makes us "worth" something to this world. I've been reading through Ephesians, which is my favorite New Testament book, and it has really made me consider my view of what "worth" really means. In the first few chapters Paul talks about what Christ did for us and then he begins to talk about the church and how we approach ministry. If you have never read it before you should Ephesians is an excellent read. The part that made me think today was 5:2-6 "2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know,[a] that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Covetousness, coarse jesting, empty words; isn't that so what our society is. This is what made me ponder my measure of worth and then repent for my own heart. It is so easy to let ourselves believe that we need to be smart, rich, beautiful, or talented to be worth something. For many of us we have even doubted our worth to God and His Kingdom because of lacking these things. But God doesn't want us to measure ourselves in this way. I believe that Satan wants to deceive everyone, even the church, with these empty words and promises. You know "If you can get this promotion, you'll be happy", "If you just wear this, you'll be happy" "If you build a bigger, high tech sanctuary, you'll be happy" and so on. I know for me as a woman, Satan tries to tell me that I am not vital to God's work because I'm a woman. There are a million lies he tells and so many of us believe them. So what is worth something? ?According to the Bible our worth is found in our calling in the Kingdom of God and serving God wholeheartedly. All of us have a calling in God's Kingdom. Paul writes in 1:18 "18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," "HOPE" I love that word :) It's in that calling that we find hope for the future. No longer should we allow ourselves to be deceived by what society says we "need" to be or have but allow ourselves to let God dictate our futures and let God dictate the Church's future. It is to easy to allow ourselves to be held back by what we think life should look like or worrying about what others think our life should look like. I know from experience this only leads to misery and pain. We must submit ourselves to God as a "sacrifice to God" and let Him direct our steps. It is only when we live in that place that we can truly know our worth to God and to the world.

"1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;"
Ephesians 4:1-5

Slavery

I was continuing in my studying of Romans today and I got to Romans 6:15-23. I have always found these passages challenging to digest. I mean who want to be a "slave", right? I started thinking about slavery and how awful it is. I remembered images from history class and such. Then God told me to go look it up. I discovered that the images in my head and the definition are very different. A "slave" is a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another" or another definition says "a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person". If you do some reading you can find several instances from American slavery and world slavery where the slaves said they actually enjoyed being slaves! Enjoy it, what? I started rolling all this about in my head and it occurred to me that the differences between the slaves who enjoyed their position and the slaves that didn't was their masters. If you really think about it we are all enslaved to something. Even the people we know that are seemingly happy are slaves to something. For some it is Christ, for others it's greed or alcohol or just themselves. In the world today we have an "egocentric gospel". We think we can know God and understand salvation without serving Him. But God wants to hold us to a higher standard, He wants more for our lives. WE fear the concept of slavery because we all have those images of abuse, we have a notion of what slavery is but when it come to God it is a much different concept. When God calls us to be His slaves it isn't because He needs our help it is because He know what we need to become and He knows what we need to get there. It's only when we become "wholly subject" to Him that he can get us there. What would happen in your life if you thought about God in everything you do? For me my first thought on many things is "how is this going to affect me?", "Is this something I want to bother with?" What if instead I said "How can I glorify God here?" "Is this what God wants" How much would that please the heart of God. The truth is that we are all human and when we serve our own lives and wants it is all bound to come crashing down around us, because we are imperfect in every way. But when we chose to serve God in all His might and wisdom our live are build on rock and will stand forever. When we surrender not just our hearts but our wills to God he can come in and show us what our lives are for. So often in our society people are searching for purpose. Only when we enslave ourselves to the will of God can we find out true purpose. What an awesome God we serve!

"15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:15-23 NKJV

Newness of the Spirit

Romans 7 was my spiritual food today. Is it me or is that chapter a particularly hard read. I had to read it in like three different translations before I could start getting it. I think this chapter is confusing for many because it is so loaded. If you really drink it in it could very well undermine your entire way of thinking about your spiritual life and church in general. I mean...yikes...who wants that? As I started to read it, I actually thought to myself, "Maybe I should go read Psalms instead, there's an easier book" Then I realized wow there must be something good in here if Satan is trying so hard to keep me from reading it. In this chapter Paul is talking about the Law, not the constitution, but the Law/Rules/ Traditions of the religious "right" of that time. I don't know much about Biblical history but I do know that these Laws and Tradition were essential to the way of life back then. People based their lives and careers around religious laws and traditions. In chapter 7, Paul basically says that the Law has no bearing on salvation and furthermore can become an open window for Satan. I began to think about this passage and how it pertains to the current western church. My father, for example, is a very traditional man in his belief system. he believes strongly in the doctrine of the Catholic Church because he was raised in it. He believes that is he follows all the rules and is "basically good" that he will go to heaven. This "living a good life" theory of salvation is shared by many people from all faiths. But my friends it is terribly flawed. Number one, that is nowhere in the Bible. Number two, that thoery is based on the concept that human nature is inherintly good. In Romans 7:24 Calls himself a "wretched man" To truly grasp the concept of salvation and being in a spiritual and real relationship with God we have to recognize and accept our own sinful nature. We have to admit to ourselves that without Christ there is no "Good" in us. I started asking people around me why they believe the things that they believe about God and I was able to break 90% percent of those people into two categories: One group who attends church said, "Because it just is, it what my parents told me. I don't want to go to hell, so I try to be good" and another group who tries to seek God outside the church. They ussually said "I don't believe that there is just one way to God and I don't like all the rules in church or I just can't relate to church". Wow..... how the "church" can undermine itself. This is what I got from the passage I read today. God's not about rules. God's law that he sets forth in the Bible is solid and meant for good, but those things are not the main idea behind God. He gives us commanments and wisdom through the Word to guide us in leading a good life. It when we start to interject or put our own spin on it that we give Satan that open door to come in and perverse the Laws that God created to help us. For example, I think that everybody can agree that we should pray daily as individuals, that's very Biblical. Here's where the perversion happens:
In our human need for structure we will start to ask ourselves "well, how much should I pray? If I forget to pray today do I have to make it up the next day?" So we start looking for the answers and instead of seeking God about it, we hear a pastor or a book or whatever tell us that we should pray for 30 minutes everyday. So we start making ourselves pray for 30 minutes a day. And it goes well for a while. Then we forget one day and we begin to feel guilty and like we've failed somehow, so we try to make it up. Then we continue to force ourselves out of this desire to do what is "right" until it become another chore in our day. One day we get fed up with the chore and we begin to ask our selves why we are even praying or who we are even praying to.
You see friends, we can set these rules without even knowing and most of the time it is out of a desire to do what is right. Paul says in Romans 7:11 "For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death." He saying that even when we try to do good Satan will try to decieve us. Satan knows that if he can convince us that all of our manmade rules are God's rules he can divide us. In closing Let me challege you to think about your life and ask God to show you what rules you follow are from Him and what are from you or the people around you. Begin to think about why you do or believe the things that you do. In romans Paul uses the term "newness of the Spirit" This really jumped at me. God's is steady and unchanging but He continuously uses the Holy Spirit to refresh and transform our minds and ideas about God. God is never old or outdated, only we can become irrelevant by refusing to allow God to set the rules.

Rob Bell has been heavily criticized by the more conservative sects of Christianity for his challenging thoughts of what it means to be spiritual. He challenges both believers and non to examine their belief and not take them without careful examination. Here is what he had to say in response to some of these attacks.
"When people say that the authority of Scripture or the centrality of Jesus is in question, actually it's their social, economic and political system that has been built in the name of Jesus that's being threatened, Generally lurking below some of the more venomous, vitriolic criticism is somebody who's created a facade that's not working"
- Rob Bell to the Chicago Sun Times

Romans 5:3-5

"And not only that we also glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character,hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

This verse has been resonating with me for a about a year now. Every time it read it God grabs my heart and says "LISTEN!" this is for you. Life isn't easy for anyone, my life has been no exception to that rule. My life has been one hardship after another. About three years ago I was ground to nothing. I felt that hope was lost and I gave up. My heart was in such pain that I felt certain it would kill me. Then God gave me this verse. My life didn't get any better at that point but my perception of my life changed instantly. The word "tribulation" means grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering. It comes from the word trībulātiō or trībulāt which means to press and squeeze and that is pretty much what it feels like when our lives become unbearable and our hearts become weak. It feels as though the very air we breath is being squeezed from us slowly and painfully. And we're supposed to be happy about it? Glory in it? When God gave me that word my first thought was, "you've got to be kidding me?", "Do you even understand what this feels like?", "I'm suffocating here and you want me to be happy about it?" But the truth is that God does know what it feels like. The pain that he feels when we reject Him, the pain that He endured when He sent his Son to die for us, The agony that Christ felt as he hung up on the cross. God knows pain. He knows more pain than we can bear. As I realized this my heart began to change. What if instead of falling on our faces before God and saying "help me, help me!" We fell on out faces and said "I trust you, I trust you" or "Thank you, Thank you!" When we face hardship that is too big for us God must do big things to save us. God will not let us fall. We just have to sit tight and hold to his promises. In that place of tortured patience we develop a faith and peace that can only come from God. God uses these times as a catalyst to bring us to the next level of out faith in God. It is in that new faith, trust, and knowledge that God can shape out character into His image. It is in this broken place that God reshapes us into the masterpiece he wants us to be. God has to press us and squeeze us just like a sculptor must do to his clay to make his artwork fit together. After all this is over, and it always ends eventually, we have hope. When I look at my life, where I've been and where I am, I have deep abounding Hope and Joy in Christ. We can't understand the mysteries of why God puts us through things but we can know that we will survive and not just survive but actually thrive! Next time your life seems dark, next time you feel stuck or hopeless read this verse and praise God. Every trial, every sorrow is another chance for you to see God at work. It is a time for God to birth something new in your life. We serve an incredible God and he can, does and will continue to do mighty impossible things!