{Thrive} “Church People” or “Christians?”

Are we "Church People" or "Christians?"

Matthew 25:31-46 has much to say about the difference between being a "church person" and a "Christian." By definition, a Christian is "a follower of Christ." Many "church people" do not know Christ, let alone follow His example.

There are many times I have fallen into the "church person" category, but my deepest desire is to be a true follower of Christ.

Feed the hungry. Give water to the thirsty. Visit the sick. Visit the prisoner. Clothe the naked. Defend the weak. Speak kindly to others. Bestow honor to all. Forgive. Serve.

Let's be intentional this week. Look around! The hungry, thirsty, sick, prisoner, naked, weak and lonely are never far away!

Jesus, help us to be more like You.

The Small Things

I was thanking a friend for taking care of another friend.

She said, "It was a small thing."

I said, "Small things are often the difference between a good day and a bad day.

Other times, small things are the difference between life and death."

Today, do something "small," it may be life changing for the one you bless!

{Thrive) No Fear

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4

Each year, I see a trend during the weeks proceeding Easter. Car accidents, suicides, sickness, relational brokenness. Spiritual warfare is heightened and we see with human eyes the manifestation of the battle between good and evil. Easter is the time of year when Christians (followers of Christ) set aside time to deliberately focus on the sacrifice that Jesus willingly made when He chose to lay down His life and die on the cross. He was blameless and never sinned, but He took on my sin and the sins of the world. This was His greatest act of love. Of course, the story does not end there. On the third day, He rose again and He is alive! No other religion on this earth can boast a risen savior, a reigning king. During this season, we corporately unite to celebrate our risen lord.

And, our enemy trembles in his boots. He shakes. He has panic attacks. He unleashes terror and works overtime to torment and taunt the world. He knows his days are numbered and he is scared and desperate. As we come together and lift up the name of Jesus, he has to flee. He is reminded that his fate is sealed, his eternal doom is determined.

So, why do we fear? Why do we shrink back, cower and tremble? We are children of God and He lives inside of us. Greater is He who lives in us than He who lives in the world.

A recent conversation with a friend prompted me to look at my own heart and examine the fears that grip me. She was asking for prayer for protection for herself and her co-workers as a new employee joined their staff. This person has been involved in the occult and the first response was fear. It was easy for me to throw out all the Christian answers and tell my friend not to fear, but it also led me to examine my own heart and the areas where fear has gripped my heart for far too long.

I was transported back in time to my eighteen year old self. I was walking through a sugar cane field, no doubt filled with furry tarantulas, on my way to my beloved village LaSalle. My roommate and I had been assigned this village during our year long stay in Haiti. We trekked there at least three times a week and the village became dear to our hearts. As we entered LaSalle, we were greeted by children who ran from every direction to hold our hands, walk with us and carry our Bibles. We liked to arrive early so we could visit with the families who would not attend the church services. As we visited with one mother and her little ones, we discovered that they had been fathered by a voodoo priest. Haiti is the “voodoo capital of the world” and we saw the evidence of evil around us every day. Many nights we fell asleep to the beat of voodoo drums.

We asked the mother if we could take her children to church with us. I did not think twice about it. I didn’t calculate the risks or fret about the consequences of defying such evil. I loved those precious little ones and I wanted to be certain that they had every chance to hear about Jesus. The mother responded with common excuses. The children had not been bathed. They had no clothes to wear to church (most of the time, we were holding babies who were completely naked). My dear friend and I countered every excuse. We promised to return the next week, arrive early, bathe the children and clothe them. We even offered to take them to church with us so that the mother could have time to herself.

I had no fear. No fear of the curses of a voodoo priest. No fear of the creatures that lived in the sugar cane fields. No fear of picking up a naked baby who may have been ill.

Fast forward to my forty year old self. Replay the reels of film of the past twenty years of my life. I have allowed the fear of man to grip me, to paralyze me. I have enabled hurts that have been done to strip me down to a trembling coward. I have listened to the voice of the enemy and believed that I am worthless and that no one wants me around. I have been crippled by fears, doubts and self loathing. Silly and trite things unnerve me. I want to stand toe to toe with the enemy again, as I scoop up the casualties of spiritual warfare and help transport them to safety.

As I texted my friend and told her not to fear, I was reminded of my eighteen year old self. How I long to live with the same courage that I once did. I typed these words: “Greater is He who lives in you! Maybe He will bring her here because she needs the Jesus in you….This is already bringing good.” She had said, “It is making me cry out more. Make sure of what I believe.” I wrote, “I love how He works. Get your armor on and buckle up. He is moving. I believe you are going to see His power reveled. Something about this feels “good” to me, especially (that she is coming) the week of Easter. Every year I see spiritual warfare heightened the weeks prior to Easter. I believe the enemy tries his hardest to bring down people during this season, Every time we celebrate our risen King, he is reminded of his eternal doom. Take heart! Jesus is alive and He lives in you. He’s placing this hurting soul in the midst of His people. Invite her to go to church with you on Easter!”

Dear ones, I call you out from the shadows and corners where you are cowering. Come out, into the light. Plant your feet firmly on the foundation of the One who was, who is and who is to come. Surrender your fears to the One who is able to bring beauty from the ashes. Trust the One who has never failed you and who never will forsake you. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Worthy of your life, your trust, your devotion, your everything. He will hold you up, He will strengthen you, He will heal you. You can trust Him.

{Thrive} Pursuing Peace

{I wrote this piece for my personal/family blog, and wanted to share it here. The pursuit of peace goes hand in hand with learning to honor God, ourselves and others.}

For most of my life, I have longed for something. More days than not,  the desired “something” has eluded me. I dreamed of it. I envied others who had it. I prayed for it. I read scriptures about it. I sang songs about it. I did my best to conjure it up. Still, I yearned…

Peace.

Peace like a river. Peace that passes understanding. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control.

Many things that happened around me were completely out of my control. Other times, I brought my own chaos and confusion. Circumstances, situations, relationships. Add to the mix that I am a very emotional person and I feel things intensely. I feel my own pain as well as the pain of others around me. Every single day.

Several months ago, I began praying for a peaceful Christmas. That is not a small prayer, as most of my Christmas memories from childhood and beyond have been filled with strife. I didn’t want a gift wrapped under the tree. I didn’t wish for fancy decorations or five course holiday feasts. I simply wanted peace. Calm. Stillness. Time with my four guys, under our roof, within our four walls, with our puppy.

I am so grateful to be able to say that I was given the gift of peace for Christmas. And, for most of the days since. Even when sickness showed up at our house and stayed for nearly three weeks, there was peace. I cannot think of a season of our lives when we’ve had almost a month of peace. There have been many challenges during these weeks, especially the lingering sickness, but peace has remained. A welcome guest, a wanted friend. Peace.

I believe this peace is a gift from God, our Father. I trust that He knew that we needed to breathe a bit. And, I know that we are making some very deliberate choices which welcome and usher peace into our lives.

1,  BE PEACEFUL.

“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:18

This verse offers not one, but two, conditions. IF it is possible….AS MUCH AS IT DEPENDS UPON YOU. Paul knew that there would be times when peace would be elusive. It takes two willing parties to have a loving, honoring, and respectful relationship. We do what we can, by His grace, but there will be times that we need to just walk away. Our hearts may ache, guilt may drive us back, but there are relationships that will never be safe and it’s OK to put space between ourselves and the ones who hurt us. We must forgive, as He has forgiven us, but we do not need to subject ourselves to abusive and toxic people. We can use the wisdom of experience to say, “Enough it enough,” set healthy boundaries and make new and happy memories for ourselves and our children.

There are so many situations where I can bite my tongue, walk away and choose to be the “bigger person.” I do not need to retaliate or defend myself. I can trust my Father to cover me. He knows my heart and He is my defender.

2. BE STILL

“Be still, and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10

We must be still. We must rest. We must get away from the noise, the clamor, the hurried and harried pace that our culture, and even the church, has elevated above God Himself. Busyness is one of the enemy’s favorite tactics to keep us from having rightful relationships with God and others. We may as well say, “Here’s another notch in my belt,” or “I climbed another rung in my ladder” when we say “I’m so, so busy!” Many families rarely sit down to eat a meal together. Sports schedules have taken the place of family time, church services and youth group activities. Ballet, karate, travel ball and other extra curricular activities eat up precious financial resources and time. I am not suggesting that these things, in and of themselves, are wrong. But, there are times we need to take a long, hard look at the things that consume us and ask some questions.  “Does this commitment honor God and those in my family? What is the eternal reward of this? What is the benefit of this? What toil does this take on my family? Do we have the money for this? Do we have the time for this? Will this bring us closer together or tear us apart?”

We need to learn to do one or two things well, rather than have our hands in so many things that we constantly feel like we are letting someone down (Yes, I am writing this to myself right now!). I find myself reevaluating commitments often. I tend to see a need, see the lack of anyone filing the need, become filled with guilt over the need, and I get in over my head. I find myself drowning in a sea of to do lists and I end up lashing out on the very ones I was actually called to serve. My family. The ones under my roof. Years ago, I determined that I would rather under commit and over deliver than over commit and under deliver. Father, find me faithful.

I must be still. I must. I require 8-10 hours of sleep at night to be able to function throughout the day. That is a given for me. I must have more days at home each week than not. I delight in having two hours of quiet time in the middle of the day, so I send my boys to their rooms to read or rest and the entire house is silent. Still. Calm. Peaceful. When we come back together, we like each other again. We are refreshed and want to spend the evening together.

We are home at least 20 hours in a day. We choose to be home five days out of most weeks. We live together, learn together, work together, cook together, and clean together. We invite friends and family to our home several times a week. When given the option to go out and “do something,” most of the time we say, “No, I’d rather just stay home.” Some may think that is weird, but I think it means that home is becoming a safe place and we want to be here. When we built our addition, I had a vision for a garden room. My husband worked for over a year and a half to add on to our home and the result is a space that soothes us, welcomes others and evokes tranquility. I thank God and Darrel for this gift every day.

I’ve “done my time” running from meeting to meeting, signing up for one “ministry” after another. Most of the things I invested my time in did not bring forth fruit. They made me tired and edgy. My reasons for doing many of those things was to be “in the in crowd” or “in the know.” I wanted to please people and I wanted to climb some invisible, churchy ladder. I missed out on countless nightly routines and tucking my babies into bed. Those years are gone. I cannot get them back.

The verse says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Would it stand to reason that when we are not still, when we are rushed and harried and frantic, that we really loose our grasp of reality? We forget who He is. And, we miss the ones who are right in front of us, the very ones He entrusted to our care.

3. BE CONTENT

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11-13

I believe that peace and contentment are close companions. You can’t have one without the other. When we are pursuing eternal treasures and not chasing after temporal ones, there will be a pairing of peace and contentment. Life will be full of unplanned and unwelcomed situations, but we can choose to be rooted in Him and not let those things shake us or break us.

Contentment can be associated with material possessions, but it can also be wrapped up in relational status, cooperate success, ministry titles, family size and so much more. What is that next thing that I am chasing after and that leads me to believe, “I will be happy when….” or “I will finally be satisfied if…?” For me, it has been relational pain. “I will be at peace when things are OK between me and…” I am slowly learning that I can still experience peace and contentment, even if those relationships are not perfect.

PURSUE PEACE

What is robbing us of peace today? Are we frenzied and stressed, chasing after things that do not bring fulfillment? Are we trying to please others, at the expense of our own families? Are we drooling over the latest and greatest electronics, designer clothes or a fancy house that our friend lives in? I long for peace…for you. For me. For all.

I believe peace is knocking on the doors of our weary hearts, beckoning. “I want to come in. I want to fill you. I want to meet you. I want to soothe you.” Will we open that door? Will we embrace peace? Will we shove out some other very ugly and unwanted things so that peace can have a place to dwell?

{Thrive} Silencing the Enemy

In life, we often have two choices...

Let the enemy silence us...

OR...

Silence the enemy.

The choice is ours to make!

Shall we overcome?

By the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! (Revelation 12:11)

Simple Holiday Hospitality: Connection

In holiday hospitality, three little words bring such freedom.

Keep it simple.

These weeks are full of hustle and bustle and people are flying around from one activity to another.We are tired, we are stressed and many of us end up getting sick because we are not taking care of ourselves. We do not need one more event to attend or to plan.

If we are going to have people in our homes, why not offer them what they really want?

People want connection and long for face to face dialogue. People are hungry for real relationships, not another calorie filled holiday spread.

People do not want another plate of cookies or another five course meal. They do not need to see a home that is lit up with thousands of lights or hundreds of dollars of decorations. Most do not dream of another white elephant gift exchange or tacky Christmas sweater contest.

It is not about impressing, it’s about embracing.

It not about doing, it’s about being.

So, keep it simple. Offer a cup of coffee or hot cocoa and a comfy couch or a bar stool. Focus on the person who is sitting in front of you, turn off cell phones, computers, game systems and TV’s. Ask leading questions, “What are you most looking forward to this holiday season?” “What are you dreading as you face the holiday season?” “What was your favorite Christmas tradition as a child?” “What is the best gift you’ve ever received and why do you still remember it?”

Over the years, our Christmas “To Do” list has diminished. Twelve totes of Christmas decorations has been cut to six. We do not put up lights on the outside of the house and inside we keep things simple. We choose to stay home as much as possible and invite others to join us for an evening of dialogue, laughter, games, popcorn and hot cocoa.

Two simple questions are becoming guiding principles for our lives, especially during the busyness of the holidays.

What will bless? Do it.

What will stress? Don’t do it.

Perhaps the best gift we can give to anyone is an open heart and open door.

Day 25—Consider…Give!

Day 25—Consider,,,Give!

Today, consider a prayer of gratitude to Jesus, the One who gave His life for us!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Thank You for leaving the comfort, majesty and splendor of heaven to come to this earth.

Thank You for living a sinless, blameless life and enduring accusations and rejection for me.

Thank You for choosing to lay down Your life on the Cross and for becoming the sacrifice for my sin.

Thank You for defeating death that I might have life!

Thank You for beings faithful friend, my loving father and my constant companion!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

I am nothing without You!