Friday, February 29, 2008

Holy Discontent #5

Chapter 6, Wherever It Takes You, Whenever It Takes You There, by Bill Hybels

"...I believe my primary job is to teach what the Bible says about the great issues of the day. Not just some of the issues, but all of them. The number of times Scripture mentions God's passionate concern for the poor, the oppressed, the widows, the orphans, those who are incarcerated, and those who have no voice is astounding!"

Tomorrow we'll talk about magnetic living, the normal state, and the fundamental state. Good stuff!

Today I'll start reading my book on spiritual warfare. I talked with a friend a few times this week and as she reaches out to meet the needs of people with dire needs, she's been feeling something odd. She's had moments of fear, urgency to make decisions, confusion, etc. The enemy is never happy when we step outside of ourselves and stretch our faith to make a difference in the world. Even though this is normal and totally expected, it sure makes you feel 'weird'. I find it encouraging, sometimes tiring, but also exciting.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Holy Discontent #4

Chapter 4 by Bill Hybels:
Feeding the Frustration
The tendency for most of us when we encounter stuff that creates dis-ease and frustration in our souls is to push it away. And fast! We feel the discomfort of holy discontentedness coming on, and reflexively we want to medicate it.

But the truth is this: the best thing you can do is to move toward your area of holy discontent until you have clear direction from God as to what action you should take to resolve it.

Get close to your holy discontent because when you feed rather than flee it, God will birth new visions in you to become part of the solution. Stay near it so you can pick up fresh sights and fresh sounds that will stoke the firestorm of frustration in your soul.

If you want to be a force for good, then, like David, you've got to choose to take action in the area of passion God has placed inside your heart.

I've found this to be so true. I remember early on in my walk with God, having my ministry interview with Pastor Allen. One of the questions was "If you had all the resources, time, and no restrictions, and you knew you wouldn't fail, what would you attempt to do for God?" For my at that time, my holy discontent was feeding, clothing, and training poverty-stricken and homeless families so they could get back on their feet. I still have that passion today, to help those who need help. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to give food bags to those in need. That's a very small action, and I crave to do more.

What's you're area of holy discontent? What drives you crazy in the world?

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Holy Discontent #3

Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels:
Continuing on from yesterday. "They have a constant awareness that what is wrecking them is wrecking the heart of God. Refusing to stay fed up, though, they instead get fueled by their restless longing for the better-day realities God says are coming soon. They listen to the soulish instinct inside them that says life just doesn't have to be the way that most people experience it. Most importantly, they suit up and jump into the game when God says, "If you'll hook up with me, I'll involve you in effecting some much-needed change around here!""

Bill then talks about his own holy discontent and describes when it first hit him. "The church I was attending in those days was so unbelievably self-absorbed that it didn't give a flying rip about people who lived close to us but far from God. In my estimation, the church leaders and members preached compassionate love; they just didn't see the need to practice it."

Bill recounts the time his father was going to ask a man to church with his family, and Bill begged his dad, "Oh, no, dad, not our church! We'll lose him for sure!" That's how much he disliked his church growing up. That's so sad. What do your youth think of your church? They are the future. Can they tell you your church's vision? Do they come up with ways to reach the lost and heal the broken? Do they have a holy discontent, not for their church, but for those outside their four walls? Are they sold out to God?

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Holy Discontent #2 and School

Last night Greg and I attended our first session of Old Testament Survey at Global Bible Institute in Modesto. It was great! My brain got exercised very well. It was fast paced, which I love. I took so many notes my hand was sore. Fascinating. I'm actually looking forward to the homework, though I'm just auditing the class, I might just do all the work anyway and switch to taking the class for credit. Who knows?

Onward to Holy Discontent. Bill Hybels says that the powerful, spiritual congruence that connected Moses' priorities to the priorities of God as his "holy discontent."

"If you expose yourself to all that's broken in our world but neglect to view the brokenness from heaven's perspective (which promises that everything is in the process of being restored), then you'll get sucked into an impossible, downward spiral of aggravation and anger. Things will seem so bleak that you'll wind up taking up residence inside your firestorm of frustration instead of allowing it to propel you toward positive action.

Once that frustration and anger is understood as being your holy discontent, though - your spiritual connection to the God who's working to fix everything - it's as if an enormous wave of positive energy gets released inside you. Much like Popeye in his spinach-infused state, you become an unstoppable force for good in the world. This energy causes you to act on the dissatisfaction that's been brewing deep within your soul and compels you to say yes to joining forces with God so that the darkness and depravity around you gets pushed back. This supernatural supply of energy allows you to move forward past all the natural human-nature responses and enter instead into a life viewed from God's point of view. In other words, your perspective shifts from that which your eyes can see to that which God tells you is true."

Monday, February 25, 2008

Nightmares #2

I was a little too affected yesterday to blog about these two dreams I had Saturday night so I'll share them now. If you know what they mean, feel free to let me know.

The first one was on a staircase. There were several flights. It was narrow and everything was made out of wood. My mom was there, and since she seems braver than me sometimes I let her go down the stairs first. At every landing as we descended, a different scarry animal would come out from behind the wall. I only remember two. The first was an anteater/armadillo looking thing, but it was actually a snake coiled up in the shape of that animal. There were two bright blue spots on it, at the tail and head. It didn't hurt me, it just gave me the willies. The second one was a spider dangling on a web string held by my daughter. She didn't seem scared. It had little black ball feet and body. It looked more like a daddy longleg. I told her to get rid of it because it could be poisonous.

The second dream was at home. The kids were 5 and 8. Greg and I were married but he wasn't home. I came out into the livingroom in the morning and the glass in the top half of the front door was broken. The bottom half was wood. As I looked out, an Impala with three Hispanic males between 18 and 20 drove up and parked in front of the house. They were laughing. When they started to get out of the car, I picked up the phone to call the police. The car turned into a semi and the passenger got something out from between the trailer and box and they came up to the door. The police were asking way to many questions and weren't here yet. One of the men reached into the door and unlocked it and they came in. They sat on the sofa. Mark said he thought he saw one get a handgun and the young man pulled it out of his jacket and said, "This one?" I immediately told him to put it away or get rid of it. He took it apart to show me it couldn't be used and put it back in his jacket. I asked them if I could make them cereal for breakfast and when I tried, the milk was dark. Inside there was some thick, black and green thing at the bottom like mold, so I couldn't make them breakfast. I then called Greg. A repair man knocked on the garage door to tell me what was wrong under my hot water heater and said it would be $250 to fix it. I told him I didn't call him or authorize him to fix it. He said a lesser fix was $150. I told him to talk to Greg and handed him the phone.

That was it. The second dream didn't freak me out nearly as much as the first and I understand why certain things were in it. I know why I get snake dreams but don't know the significance of the individual elements of the dream.

Tomorrow we'll get back to Indentity in Christ and/or Holy Discontent.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Prayer Drive and Holy Discontent

Yesterday Greg and I went for a prayer drive partly because we've been trying to go for a prayer walk for a month, but due to us being sick and also because we didn't have much time and the weather was threatening and starting to rain, we drove. We went to a school on the west side and parked and prayed. I have to say I didn't hear anything from God like I did on the prayer walks, but it was good.

I've also been reading Holy Discontent by Bill Hybels and absolutely resonate with this book. I think I've said that before. Here's what I've loved recently about this book.

Bill talks about Moses and the frustration he felt at the mistreatment of his people.
"Because God couldn't stand the Israelistes' mistreatment either, he used what I call a "firestorm of frustration" that was brewing in Moses' soul to launch this unlikely leader into a prominent role that resulted in the nation of Israel eventually inhabiting the Promised Land.

I believe the motivating reason why millions of people choose to do good in the world around them is because there is something wrong in that world. In fact, there is something so wrong that they just can't stand it. Like Popeye, they too experience a firestorm-of-frustration mement when when they grow so completely incensed by the present state of affairs that they throw their hands up in the air and shout, "That's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!"

The point is, the irresistible attraction to a specific cause that compelled these people to invest joyfully of their time, their money, and their energies always linked back to a single spark of frustration that fueled what is now a raging fire in their souls."

Have you ever felt frustrated by the things you see around you? By the attitudes of people or the way things are done sometimes? Is there a group of people you see are not being served by the local church? Do you see a need that if you had all the resources, you would gladly meet? How about trusting God to meet that need with the resources He'll provide? They question then becomes, are you frustrated enough to be willing to do something about it? To research the situation, to plan, to jump in and go for it? What is brewing in your soul, your purpose, that you can pray to God, the all-capable, to help you do? Think about that. What bugs you?

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Identitiy In Christ #4

Yesterday I blogged a little about chapter 4 and went off on a little tangent about love. Today I want to explain the 3 types of love I eluded to yesterday and continue with chapter 4.

Philos is brotherly love. It's where we get the word Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Eros is sexual love. It's the love between a husband and wife and is where we get the word erotic. Agape is unconditional love. It is a love based on commitment, not on feelings or shared interests like the first two. There is actually another type of love, but I can't remember it. If you know it, please share!

Here are some other things I highlighted in this chapter. "... God does not pour out His Spirit on what God does not love. God does not reside in a vessel He does not love."

If you've ever doubted God's love for you as a child of His, these two statements should really correct that. Since every believer receives the Holy Spirit upon asking Christ to be Lord and Savior of his or her life, his love for you is cemented. It also speaks of his love for you forever. The Spirit is there for the duration of your life. No matter what you do, say, or think, God continues to love you in spite of yourself. He wants His best for you because he loves you so deeply. God is love.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Identity in Christ #3

Yesterday's reading was about Love. It was titled Beloved Child. It talked of the Characteristics of God's love and says that God chooses to love. He initiates love. He does not "react" to love; He loves first.

A question was asked, "Have you had an experience of loving another person unconditionally, even though that person may not have seemed "worthy" of love in the eyes of some people?"

This question made me pause. I thought about people in my life. I thought about someone who has tried to discredit me with some people and so far has succeeded. Do I love them? I wish them no harm. I'm nice to them when I see them, serving them with my best. Acting as if I don't even know what they've done. Is that love? I've forgiven them. I'm physically loving them with my actions and attitude, but does my heart love them, deep down inside? Hmmm. I think the hurt and betrayal are keeping my heart from feeling love for them. There are different kinds of love you know. Three in fact. But that's another blog.

Then I thought of another person. Similar situation, but this person stole from me and didn't even tell me until we were sitting in a group situation. They didn't even correct the situation and return the item, the person they gave it to did. For this, I felt victimized and not trusting of them. I do forgive them for this. I'm still nice to them, wish no ill will, but I don't seek opportunities to be around them. Do I love them? Physically yes, in my heart, not really.

Does God call us to love people with our actions, or with our heart, or both? Is it a sin to not feel love for some people who are unsafe for us? What if someone was raped? Are they called to love their rapist? We are called to love everyone. I know we don't have to like everyone. Where are you on this one?

Thursday, February 21, 2008

A Little Fun

I've been sent a few links recently and I thought I would share them. Enjoy!



Wednesday, February 20, 2008

For the Love of the Lost

Remember the story of the Good Samaritan?

Luke 10:30-35
In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

We had a similar situation Monday night near our church. As people (me included) drove kids to youth group, we saw a woman walking along the road crying, with a car and a man nearby trying to get her into the car. I was with my daughter and planned to stop on the way back and see if I could help her, but by the time I came back, the police were there. I'm happy to say my Pastor and his wife stopped and he got out and asked her if she needed help. Just then the police came and assisted her. My Pastor was ready to risk physical harm to help this woman on the side of the road. Now, it helps when you're 6'5" and in great shape from running and cycling.

Let me ask you. If you came across the same situation, would you stop? If not, then the question is, how big is your God? Do you trust him to protect you in risky situations with people you don't know and are in need of Jesus' hands and feet? What if God is calling you to stop? What if stopping is a step in maturity, and something bigger awaits you down the road of life?

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

By George, I Think We've Found It!

Trying to take advantage of the President's Day sales yesterday, we went to Modesto yesterday to look at furniture stores to see if we could find a sectional for the livingroom once the remodel is over. At the second store, we found a sectional about a foot longer on each end than our current sofa/loveseat/table configuration. It had big comfy pillows and a huge ottoman. Greg got so excited over the size of the ottoman. Being 6'4 3/4", we was thrilled that he could stretch his legs out and not reach the end of the ottoman. It was so comfortable, and much larger than the leather Laz-E-Boy we found for the same price. Plus the leather one didn't have an ottoman. This one is cloth, which I'm leaning more towards leather just for cleanability, but I can't get this one out of my head. It's got colors that will go nicely with what we're trying to do as well. It's so nice when things come together!

Day by day, inch by inch, we're getting closer to starting the remodel. I can't wait!

Monday, February 18, 2008

When Leadership and Discipleship Collide

I'm skipping chapter 3 on the Identity in Christ book. It was about being chosen and adopted. One interesting thing though was about in the days of Paul, under the Roman government, biological children could be given up, neglected, and abandoned. Adopted children, however, had full rights to all that a father had, including the inteheritance, and name. The adopted child could never be given up, neglected or abandoned. Interesting, huh?

Yesterday I read the book When Leadership and Discipleship Collide by Bill Hybels. It's from his Leadership Library, is a little hardback book and only 68 pages.

The book starts out comparing secular leadership techniques with those of Jesus. Basically, Jesus broke all the secular leadership rules. I look at it as Jesus designed the leadership rules and the secular world broke them. Afterall, who came first?

Bill continues to give examples of how he broke rules and chose to follow the Biblical leadership examples of Jesus, choosing discipleship over currently accepted leadership rules. Here are a couple of examples:

1. Regarding derailing momentum in the church: "Despite the positive attention, (of the church growing by hundres of people a month) I had the sickening feeling that even though people were filling up our auditorium, they weren't necessarily becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. This was a problem for one simple reason: our mission was (and still is, acutally) to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ.

I interruped whatever was on the preaching docket to do a six-week series about the cost of following Christ, including no-holds-barred teaching about the requirements of discipleship. I wanted our entire congregation to understand what "full commitment to Jesus Christ" really meant. It was during this time that I coined the expression: 'Ninety-five percent commitment to Christ is 5 percent short.'
I asked every person in the auditorium why on earth they would consider giving less than their absolute best to the One who had given his best for them. I beat that drum for six weeks straight."

2. Bet on a Ragtag Team. (When Bill was ready to plant Willow Creek Community Church, he had to choose a leadership team. Normal leadership best practices would tell you to pick highly qualified, bright, experienced people). "One friend was fresh out of the military and trying very hard to get off a bad marijuana habit. Another was just back from South American, where his missionary parents had dragged him along. To say he was spiritually disillusioned would be a gross understatement: he didn't have much use for God, he didn't go to church, and he was intolerant of anything that smacked of religiosity. Another was a high school buddy who had dropped out of college because he had no clue what he wanted to do with his life.

The leader in me knew that I was signing up for all sorts of unnecessary risk with this ragtag group, but whenever I prayed about who was supposed to help me start Willow, the Spirit would whisper the same three names over and over again: Tim, Scott, and Joel. So that's who I chose. Thirty-one years later, these guys are still with me; it can accurately be said that Willow Creek Community Church was built on their shoulders as much as mine."

This was a good, quick read with solid Biblical leadership advise. Other topics covered were Propogate Good Press, Avoid Unnecessary Controversy, Leverage Time and Influence, Don't Bite the Hand that Feeds You, Avoid Sensational Exploits, and Demonstrate Unshakeable Courage.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Identity in Christ #2

I got some good stuff out of chapter 2. We'll do today's blog like a little Bible Study.

Grab your Bible and turn to Ephesians chapter 1, verses 1-14. As you read this passage, look for any word phrases like "in Christ" or "in Him" or "in Himself" or "in the Beloved" or "in whom" when it refers to Christ.

Now list all the things it says about you and who you are in Christ. If that doesn't build you up, I don't know what will!

Take a look at these verses: 1 Cor. 1:1-2, Phil 1:1, Col 1:1-2. This is what the Word says. Now ask yourself and write down what the Word says to you.

The next thing the chapter talked about was being "in Adam" as opposed to "in Christ". Being "in Adam" refers to where we were before we were Christians. We were in the world, in a dark place of transgressions, outside of God's grace. When we made the decision to be "in Christ" all that was erased and we were given eternal life, and eternal grace.

Here's a quote from the book by Charles Stanley. "Once we are in Christ, no longer are we to draw from a deposit of previous good works; no longer are we to rely on our old associations and allilances; no longer are we to believe the "old lies" that have been playing in our heads since early childhood that we are worthless, unwanted, or undesirable. We are new creatures with a new life ahead - a life that is totally reconciled to God and is set on a pth toward fulfillment and satisfaction in Christ Jesus."

I'm liking the content and format of this little book. It's only 110 pages.

Have a great Sunday!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Decisions, decisions

Greg and I had a blast yesterday. After he worked in the morning and I ran errands and did some housework stuff, we met with our business insurance agent, then went to Modesto to have our Valentine's day lunch. Black Angus doesn't open until 4:00, so our business went to Olive Garden. On the way in, I was happily surprised to see a co-worker from Gallo that I've worked with since 1988.

We had a wonderful lunch and great conversation about our future. Next we went to the mall and returned a sweater Mark got for Christmas, then went to Bedrosians to look at the tile and granite. I found the granite I want for the kitchen countertops finally. Greg's only thing he wanted for the remodel was granite in the kitchen, but I never could find one that I liked. SO glad that's over! We brought home 6 tile samples for the floor with a $5 deposit and a promise to bring them back in 2 weeks. Fortunately, we both decided on the same three that we liked best and in the same order. We went to Lowe's to see if they would let us borrown a kitchen cabinet door to match with the granite, but we couldn't get anyone to wait on us. We grabbed a bunch of paint samples and faux finish brochures and left.

Next we went to Best Buy and picked up the two 37" plasma displays for the church hallway. Jon, if you're reading this, they're in my office. They were bigger and heavier than expected and we decided not to haul them upstairs to your office and have you haul them back down to install them.

We got home in time to pick up Kristen from drum lessons and get her ready to go to the 30 Hour Famine. We heated up our Olive Garden for dinner and headed out to Lowe's in Turlock, where we did get help, and they did loan us a door. They didn't want a deposit or even our names, we just have to bring it back Sunday. We got more paint samples, looked for slate, which we didn't find, and headed for home to watch Ocean's Thirteen and crash. Greg finished the movie, I fell asleep as usual.

Today, after Greg works at the church, we'll head up to Bedrosians and compare the cabinet to the granite. SO can't wait! We'll then pick up Kristen and hear all about the Famine.

Hope you have a great day!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Happy Friday!

I've finished the into and chapter 1 of my book but haven't really hit on anything meaty yet. I'm hoping chapter 2 will me things to share with you.

I did find a cool discovery however. Remember when I included the video on the Grand Central Freeze? That video has been viewed by over 3 million people in the last 2 weeks! I found an ABC Nightline report on the leader of Improveverywhere and other cool skits he's done. Check it out below:

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day

Sorry I'm late, I just didn't have time this morning as I was opening up my first Valentine's gift this morning. Being married SO beats being single!

It's been a great day already. Our bookkeeper brought in a beautiful bag of hershey kisses for everyone, then our Full Throttle person brought us a 1 lb. box of See's nuts and chews. There are chocolate chip cookies and heart cookies in our kitchen at work. I've decided that diets don't count on holidays. Seriously, think of today, Easter, graduations, birthdays, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Why do the guilt thing? Just plunge in and enjoy! Tomorrow it's back to cottage cheese and pinneapple for lunch.

Our daughter has been working the last 2-3 weeks on raising money for WorldVision's 30 Hour Famine to feed hungry children in Africa. The kids raise money, sleep in cardboard boxes at church Friday night, do a canned food drive Saturday morning, feed the homeless, then come back to the church for a soup lunch. They do all this without eating for 30 Hours. Talk about putting your faith where your stomach is!

She set a goal of $1095, which will feed 3 children for a year. She set this goal because she knew it was outside her abilities to raise the money. She had to rely on God to provide. For a quiet, shy girl, she assertively went up to people at church she knew and didn't know and asked them if they would sponser her. She asked teachers and fellow students. She even made an annoucement at the end of Bible class and kids handed over all their spare money.

I had to go to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned (I so dread it, though my dentist and his staff are wonderful, I just don't like being stuck in a chair being worked on). Kristen came with me. First, she hit up the dentist when he checked my teeth. She was blessed with $50! Then the hygenist offered $10 and she didn't even ask her! Then she hit up the receptionist and she gave $5. She went in $90 short of her goal and was now $25 short. Greg took her to a neighbor afterwards and she got another $50. She was over her goal with 2 days to spare!

The thing I loved was how she received the money. When they handed her the money, she looked them in the eye and flashed that straight-toothed $3000 smile and said, "Thank you SO MUCH!" It was so genuine. I was so proud. She treated every donation with the same appreciation.

It's also true love when we give unselfishly. Kristen started her fundraising with her own spending money, all that she had, which as around $17. She's going to give one of her fellow youth group kids $20 towards his goal on Friday out of her own money as he gave her $10 of his own money. It's so cool to watch.

2Cor 9:7 "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

And to tie giving in with love:

1Cor 13:3 "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

When you give, give cheerfully and not because you're forced to. And always, give with love in your heart.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

4th Time's the Charm

This is my 4th attempt at blogging today. It seems my laptop was left on last night and was frozen and overheated this morning. I tried to use Greg's laptop and it wouldn't connect to the internet. Then I remembered I opened an email last night and my computer froze. It locks up within 2 minutes of getting where I want to go, so Norton doesn't have a chance to pick it up. I'll see if this affects the kids' computers, as we all connect wirelessly to my PC at home. I think I have computer issues, so if you don't see a blog Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you'll know why.

I didn't get to read too much last night. Greg and I had to work on some things last night and got to take a walk, then, of course, American Idol was on.

I felt so bad for some of those people. Not that they didn't make it, because there are many other avenues to make it in music. I felt bad because they chose to put themselves in this kind of position where there was a better chance of being cut than making it to the top. They were so upset, it was almost like they hadn't prepared themselves for the probability. Maybe it's good to have that much confidence in your abilities, maybe not. What do you think? Would you set yourself up like that? Would you be crushed if you lost, as though this was your only option for making it?

I'm kind of rooting for Josiah. I don't know anyone else's name. I said over and over last night, that he needed to take care of his body and get sleep, and he would be able to handle things better. I thought it was gutsy to dismiss the band. It seemed the judges had no idea what he had gone through the night before. I'm glad he made it and I hope he continues to do well, but I don't think he's the cream of the crop.

I love the Janis Joplin girl and the guy who wore a brown shirt, had a scruffy shave, and sang so well. I think they're my favorites. Of course, I really liked Gina last season, and the guy with the long curly hair that has a Christian band. If the Janis Joplin girl cuts a CD, I'll buy it if she sings the sixties songs. I love that kind of music.

I'm usually not one of the people who stands around the water cooler and talks about American Idol the next day but it is a fun show to watch. I just wish Simon was nicer. I guess that's what makes the ratings. He'll probably never have an ulser since he can totally be himself and say whatever he wants. There's a lot of freedom in that. It's just irritating for everyone else!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

It's Here!

Yeah! My Identity in Christ book and my Spiritual Warfare books arrived yesterday!

I had a chance to read a little last night and here's what 'struck' me.

Charles Stanley writes "If we have a faulty self-image - which is having any self-image other than what God says about us - we behave in a way that is contrary to God's highest purposes and plan for our lives."

Stanley continues to explain about both low self-esteem and high self-esteem. Both are wrong and dangerous. Whether our view of ourselves is too high or too low, we risk the Error of Comparison. We are comparing ourselves to others. God never asks us to do that. We are unique, and created just the way God wants us to be. He has a perfect will for our lives and it is by being who we are that we are able to fulfill the purposes he has for us. The other risk in comparing ourselves to others is that we can put ourselves down or put others down in our minds. God never intended for that either.

Romans 12:3 tells us "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

What this means is that we are to have an accurate estimation of ourselves. It means that if we do something well, we do it well. We know our gifts and abilities come from God and should be thankful for all that he put into us. We also know what weaknesses we have and acknowledge them, not hide them. Too much humility can be trite or even self-seeking of sympathy. We are called to have an accurate view of ourselves.

What's been important to me in the beginning stages of this journey, is that if someone asks you to be someone you're not, don't do it. It's good to get feedback on how others view you, but how they view you is their choice. You have no obligation to be anyone other than who God created you to be. Some people will like you and be drawn to spend time with you, others will loathe you. AND THAT'S OKAY. You can't be all things to all people and should never try to be. You are responsible and called to love everyone. If some people won't receive that love, again, that's their choice. Maybe they're dealing with identity issues themselves.

Can't wait to see what tomorrow reveals!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Book Review Soon

For those of you who are waiting for me to talk about a book I'm reading, I'm waiing for my books to arrive. Some of them shipped 2/1/08 via the post office, so I'm hoping they come very very soon. I've decided to starve my self reading-wise so I devour the books when they arrive. Be patient. Soon, very soon.

In the meantime, my son was sent this link from a friend last night. I thought it was such a cool idea. You can even sign up to be part of a local group. Check it out. It's done by Improveverywhere.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Favorite Verses

Yesterday I decided to read some of James. I didn't know how far I would get, but I just love that book of the Bible. I started at 1:2, and once again was reminded how much I love the beginning of this book. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

This verse has several things I love. The first is 'pure joy'. Anything pure is without blemish, perfect, 100%. Consider it pure joy, means there is no room for any thoughts about your trial other than joy. It's hard to wrap our heads around being happy about a trial, but that's what we're told to do.

The second is that trials come in many kinds. There's variety. Each trial has a purpose. Sometimes our trial is dealing with grief, sometimes stress about finances or job or other things that threaten our security. Sometimes it's dealing with conflict in relationships with others. I find this one the most difficult, because you can't control the other person, how they react, or what they do.

The third is that these trials test our faith. Our reaction to trials should be to be thankful for the trial, pray about it to see what God wants us to do about it, and leave the worry and concern the Master's feet. Faith is trusting God with the outcome.

Fourth, by practicing our faith repeatedly develops perseverance in us. We persevere when we don't give up. We have faith and hope in the only one who can make everything turn out all right.

And lastly, when we continue to persevere through these trials, we become mature and complete. There's a peace within us. When you think of the mature Christians around you, aren't they the ones who are at peace, joyful no matter what, have faith, and keep going? Aren't those you know who are always stressed and going through lots of trials the ones who you know are going through the proccess of maturity?

If we learn to put this scripture into practice when we face difficulties and do it consistently, our reactions to these things will be more peaceful.

How do you approach trials? What are your favorite verses?

Friday, February 8, 2008

Heaven

I'm becoming a regular reader of Perry Noble. Not quite a Perry Noble junkie yet, but somewhat a regular. Yesterday's post had a unique perspectie of heaven. See here. I especially liked his comeback for people who said they like your church but feel it's too big for them.

We've had several interesting conversations about what heaven will be like. I know the Bible says that God is preparing a room for us. I personally picture my own house, made of chocolate, with chocolate milk running from the kitchen sink, edible walls, a kitchen full of fudge (no nuts), chocolate cakes, ho-ho's, ding-dongs, and See's milk chocolate butter cremes, peanut crunches, and bordeaux chocolates. My bed is a cloud, my view is of the ocean, and I have horses, dogs, and cats. The dogs don't dig, slobber, or jump on me. The cats always want to be held and petted when I want to hold and pet them. The horses never throw me and care for themselves. And of course, Greg and the kids live there too.

Okay, that is a very selfish, worldly view of heaven, based on my own limited earthly view of what's available. I know it will be more than I could ever dream of. That in itself should be enough to convince people to choose heaven over hell any day.

A few weeks ago Greg and I were in Borders and were greeted by a man in his late 50s that Greg has had several meetings with. This poor man just can't get a handle on who God is. He reads parts of the Bible, but always focuses on God's discipline. "Why would God kill David's whole army, all those innocent men, just because he was angry with David? Why is there a hell if he is such a good God? Why do children die?" His list goes on and on. After another of these conversations which I was able to witness this time, I left feeling very sorry for him. We try with everything we have to answer his questions, but I think he's convinced himself that Christianity isn't worth it. He's a very sad, stubborn man. I wish he would see all the verses in the Bible of God's grace, love, redemption, second, third, forth chances, and forgiveness. Before I became a Christian, my then boss said, "You're a tough nut to crack." This guy is too. But the tougher they are the harder they fall. If this guy falls for God, it's going to be hard, a huge transformation. What a great testimony he will have. What a great perspective for him talking to others who feel the way he does.

Pray for him. He says he's terminal, though he looks the same he did two years ago. He needs Jesus.

Great Discoveries

I made a great discovery yesterday. I found our previous Associate Pastor Allen White on the internet. He's at Brookwood Church in South Carolina. They're running about 6500-7000 on the weekend, up 2000 from a year ago. The church is only 14 years old but looks like a great place to worship and grow.

I found that Allen also has a website called Halfreadbooks.com where he reviews books he's read part of and discusses why he didn't care to finish them. Anyone can submit reviews.

There were also some articles he wrote on the web. If you google Allen White Small Groups you'll find them.

Okay, now for some great leadership stuff I've discovered.

Scott Hodge writes a great blog on simplicity.

Mark Batterson, who wrote In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day wrote a great article on courage. If you haven't read the book, I'd recommend it. It will stir you up to do great things for God.

Talk to you tomorrow!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

A Test of Readiness

Over the last week I've had a handful of people come in my office for various reasons. They have been of different ages and different places in their spiritual walks. Amost all of them have commented on the pictures I hung in my office about a month ago. You can see them here and here. I've had a lot of fun testing their readiness to hear and grasp the significance of those pictures.

They ask why I have pictures of concrete on my wall. I explain Greg and I went on a Prayer Walk on the west side and when I listened for God, he told me something different about the hearts of those on the west side for each of those pictures. Then I wait. I see if they'll bite the bait. They sometimes ask another question, like "Oh really, like what?" Then I start to explain a few of the pictures. Most people don't get this far. Only two have. Then I wait to see if they want to hear about the rest of the pictures. No one has bitten to hear the rest or continue on with a spiritual conversation. That surprises me. I find that spiritual conversations are the most joyful of all topics. I'd like to talk of nothing else most of the time.

Maybe it's a sensitivity issue. Maybe they're just not ready to hear stuff like that. I don't know. If you've been in my office and haven't asked about the pictures, don't sweat it, I know you've read my blog and know all about them!

I like setting the bait for folks to see if they take the bait to continue the conversation on to spiritual things. You can tell alot about a person's spiritual readiness that way. Do you bait the hook for folks? I think it's a good way to test leadership potential. Try it sometime!

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Let Go and Let God

Have you ever been in a situation where you held onto something so tight in your life, trying to control it, and wondered where God was? You prayed and prayed for God to move and nothing happened? You wondered where God was in your trouble? I've learned over the years how to let go and let God through many situations. The one that comes to mind most is this:

I was going through a divorce, we had been separated for 9 years and I finally agreed to a divorce when he offered to pay for it and said he wanted to marry someone else. I'm not advocating divorce, but he had been unfaithful from the time he still lived in the house and throughout the 9 years. I had a Biblical reason for divorce, but continued to hold on for 9 years.

We went to our attorney, who had done our legal separation 9 years prior. I didn't want the back and forth fight so many go through. I wanted an agreeable divorce. In that meeting he told the attorney he would pay for it. Over the next year or more, the attorney slowly went through the motions of filing paperwork and started billing me for over $1200 plus interest every month. I called the office, I emailed (which they charged me for!) and they never returned my calls. After about six months of this I enlisted another attorney. He wrote letters, called and to no avail. I talked to my husband and he refused to pay, though he said to me and our attorney he would. I fought. My new attorney and I decided to file a complaint with the Legal Arbitration Committee, a group of attorneys in town that handled wrongful charges from lawyers. We gave her a couple more chances and then let her know our intentions to go to the Legal Arbitration Committee.

My kids were 10 and 13 and had never been to Disneyland. I had saved a tax refund to take them but waited because I might need to use that money to pay this attorney. I remember walking into the bathroom stall at work and praying, "God, if you think the right thing to do is for me to pay this bill, I will. I don't think it is right, I want to take the kids to Disneyland, they deserve it, but I will do whatever you want me to do." The next day I received a letter from her via my new attorney that she wasn't going to bill me anymore. Now I must say that her letter was very mean, saying that what goes around comes around, basically saying that I was trying to get out of paying the bill. I don't know what my husband told her after we met and he said he would pay the bill or if she just decided to go after the one with the better job. But the letter was very unprofessional and whenever anyone asks for a referral to a divorce attorney, I make sure to tell people not to use her.

So many times I've had the situation of trying to manage a situation myself and couldn't get anywhere. Then I woke up and decided to give it to God and not worry about it. It's when we open our hands and let go of things that God takes the situation and turns it out for good.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Remedial Christianity

I had a thought yesterday as I was getting in my car. The thought was about how I need to re-visit my identity in Christ when I thought I had this down. I've been a Christian for over 20 years and I thought who I was in Christ was a fundamental thing that I should have learned 20 years ago. Maybe I did. Maybe I forgot. Maybe I didn't have this down as well as I thought once I was tested in it.

I had this happen to me about three years ago with selfishness. At that time I remember saying, "you'd think I would have licked this 15 years ago." As a single mom for 13 years, I gave everything I had to everyone I knew. My kids got the most, then my church, then my employer, then the rest of my family. Never did I do anything just for me except maybe read my Bible, go to church and take classes, but even those things were eventually for the benefit of others. I thought I was very unselfish. Then I got married. Sharing my home was easy. Sharing my time was easy. The thing that got me was sharing my food. Not meals or anything, but when I was eating something small, like a cupcake, Greg would look at me like, "Aren't you going to share that with me?" My reaction was "Get your own, this is MINE!" I never had to share like that. My kids didn't ask for what I was eating. God had to deal with me on that and it took awhile.

I think it is wise of God to have us re-visit our fundamental basics in Christianity from time to time so we don't forget them. It's good to be tested. It's humbling to fail.

May God always correct me. 2Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Monday, February 4, 2008

The Way God Works

I'm a firm believer in the providential will of God. This is a term I learned while watching Andy Stanley's Discovering God's Will DVD. Andy explains that you need to know how God works and you do that by reading His word. Once you figure out how God works, you can more easily discern His will for your life, making decisions so much easier.

When watching the SuperBowl yesterday, we saw Eli Manning give a friendly bump and smile to the opposing quarterback. What he received was a less than friendly response. I knew at that moment that God would probably have a hand in the outcome of the SuperBowl. There was even more evidence by seeing how the Patriot's coach acted on camera throughout the season. Though he and the team appeared humble, there was an underlying tone of pride that could be discerned.

It's just like God to lift up the truly humble and bless them. James 4:6 says "...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." It makes you really want to watch your heart attitude. No matter how much talent or what kind of past record(s) you hold, if your heart isn't right, God will hold you back until you learn this important lesson.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Superbowl Sunday

75% of our family is grounded today. Odd for us, we're usually always at church on a Sunday. Greg is still in bed, unable to teach his First Steps class. Kristen is sick too, unable to drum for the youth group. I'm home caring for them both and will soon be off to buy a second humidifier. Mark is there and we anxiously await him returning to tell us about church.

We have a tradition in our family on Superbowl Sunday. I make a butt cake. It all started about 1998 when I was starting a small group for single moms called Heart to Heart. I was single too and the kids were 9 and 6. I invited my little group over to have a small superbowl party and had found a recipe in a magazine for a football cake. It was chocolate with chocolate icing, and white icing for the laces. It said to make 2 round cakes and when they were cool, stack them with icing between them. Easy enough. Then it said to cut about a 1-2" slice out of the middle. That made it shaped more like a football than a round cake. Then ice it and put the laces on it. I tried it. Apparently I was impatient and the cakes weren't cool enough. After I iced it, the two halves started slipping away from each other making this huge crack in the center. My daughter in her brilliance said, "Look mom, it's a butt cake!" It's been called a butt cake ever since. I don't even try to put the laces on it anymore. I don't try and wait for it to cool completely. After all, you can't mess up a butt cake!

I think everyone in our house is rooting for the Giants. I personally am rooting for the 49ers. Faithfulness is a virtue!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Pictures

Here are some neat pictures I was sent. I hope you like them.







Illness Sets In

Kristen stayed home three days this week and when she went to the Dr. yesterday for another reason, she was told she had a rip roarin' cold that was suspicious of the flu. She's doing pretty well except for the stuffy nose and sore throat.

Greg on the other hand started coughing, had trouble sleeping last night, is achy, has hot eyes, and said his chest feels like there's a cannon ball on it. So this morning it was off to get the humidifer moved from Kristen's room to ours, load him up on Mucinex, Tylenol, water, and sleep. What's more, he needs to cancel his 8:00 Bible study with a young man from the West Side and I can't get anyone at the house to answer the phone! We may have to cancel two or three other appointments today, we'll see. We were going to do a prayer walk at the college and a couple of schools today if it didn't rain, but I don't think he'll be up to it. It may be next weekend.

With Greg in bed, it looks like I'll get alot done today. I've already sorted the tax stuff and cleaned out the files from 2007. Time to work on doing the taxes and clean house, two things I actually look forward to. Strange, huh?

I'll leave you with a few verses from Isaiah 26.

3 You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast
because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in the Lord forever
for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Alice in Wonderland

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

Sorry I'm late blogging today. I'm our church's Business Administrator, and am first on the list with our alarm company. We've been having a few days of calls due to rain soaking our underground wires and setting off the alarm system. Last night we got calls at 9pm, 10pm, 11pm, 2am, 5am, 8am, 8:30am and 9:30am. Greg went out at 9 and 2. All false alarms, but he did have an interesting sighting. An oppossum. He said it was 4 times the size of our cat, which would make it 40lbs. We think it was trying to get into the Children's building. Anyway, we slept in.

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, I had an epiphany yesterday. (My spell check doesn't seem to be working so please forgive my misspellings). It seems for the last 2-3 months I've been allowing someone else to dictate who I am. I've felt oppressed and cut off at the knees. I prayed Wednesday night that I would find a way out of this dark hole, see things from 40,000 feet again (seeing the big picture), and keep my eyes focused on God and not on man. I'm usually pretty good at that, but I think I just lost my way recently. God has shown me the big picture, but it seems I've been looking more at the here and now instead of the soon to be.

I have a subscription to Jon Walker's Purpose Driven Life Devotion, which comes in my email. I usually just delete it as I don't think I have time to read it. I read it a few weeks ago and it spoke to me and a friend. Yesterday I read it and it shot me right between the eyes. (You can see it for 1/31/08 as well as the archives here). So, apparently, I have an issue with my identity in Christ at this time. I'll be studying this topic as soon as my book arrives. It's Discoverying Your Identity in Christ by Charles Stanley. I ordered another book on Spiritual Warfare by Charles Stanley as well called Landmines in the Path of the Believer: Avoiding the Hidden Dangers. I've read through a couple of the excerpts from his books and it looks like he's a great writer. I've never read his books, but I've read his son Andy's and he's great as well. I would recommend Next Generation Leader.

Okay, enough plugs for books. Until tomorrow, keep reading, keep growing, keep focused on God.