Monday, June 30, 2008

Undeveloped Resources

After I finished The Cross and the Switchblade yesterday, I picked up Wide Awake. I'm barely into it, but already I'm encouraged. Erwin said something about believing all these years that people are the most under-used, under-developed resource on this planet. I have to agree.

I looked back at a previous post I wrote about potential. I almost used that as my title today. That blog was focused more on people within the church, but it goes much further than that. You don't have to be a Christian to do great things with your life. There are many humanitarians helping thousands or millions of people. You just have to have a dream and be willing to do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality.

What are your dreams? Did you have a dream you gave up on? Pick it back up. Dreams are meant to be used to motivate us to doing great things. They're too precious and valuable to be laid down and abandoned. Their purpose is to spur you on to living out your purpose. Dream big and live fully. God bless you on this clear, beautiful, awesome day.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

The Chicken or the Egg

As I was reading The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson last night, I read of a situation that intrigued me. They were at the point in their ministry where they needed a building to house the youth and staff. David was flying all over the country talking in churches and sharing what God was doing in these kids' lives. The money he raised was enough for the rent on the office space he had, but he wasn't able to raise a chunk of money to buy a house for permanent residency.

He (David) told his wife of the situation and she said, "You're going about it all wrong. You should commit to the house first, then watch God provide the money, not the other way around." He thought that was very wise advice, so he started looking. The organization had $125 in the bank and the houses on the street they felt God calling them to were between $17,000 and $65,000. They went for the $65,000 house and through a series of events, raised $4400, which was the down payment of $4200 and $200 in lawyer fees they needed.

What intrigued me about this was not the amount of faith David and his board exercised in committing to the house first, but just that it seemed backwards to my logical, sensible, conservative, low-risk taking way of thinking. It was almost like going into debt to get something that was out of your price-range. Aren't we taught not to spend beyond our means? But it worked. The book said David realized his wife's advice was actually Biblical. Didn't Moses have to first raise his hands BEFORE the sea parted? Didn't Joshua have to blow the horns BEFORE the walls came down? God seems to often place people in a position of exercising their faith before he provides. Isn't that the way he builds our faith?

Blessings on the gorgeous, sunny Lord's day!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Aaaahhhhhh

The concrete pour went very well yesterday. They were done bringing in the concrete within an hour and done smoothing it by lunchtime.
We had to keep the dogs out of the backyard until this morning, and boy are they happy to be out there again. They have a nice, cool, clean, smooth place to lay and sit and look in at us. It won't be long before the walls go up and they're back to just dirt and grass.

I feel like I have a little more order and organization around me now that the patio/great room is smooth and orderly. Funny how what we see outside of ourselves changes what we feel on the inside.

I read more of the Cross and the Switchblade yesterday. What I came away with was that when God wills something, things just fall into place. It's amazing to see God move in someones life. Love this book!

Today we get to look at cabinets and maybe stone. Yeah!!!! Housework, reading, and shopping. What more could a girl ask for? Blessings on this sunny, peaceful, (and less smoky I think) beautiful Saturday.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Focus

This morning Greg and I got up bright and early. The workers were coming at 6:30 with the cement truck!

Greg left and called me a few minutes later to tell me to look at the sun. It was bright red! I've never seen it so bright and colorful before. All the smoke in the Central Valley of California tinted the look of it. It was beautiful!
The brightness and definition of the sun reminded me of God and how we're to be focused on Him. We're to zero our thoughts in on Him. When I saw the sun this morning, I didn't even really see the trees or the gray smoke filled sky around it. All I saw was the sun and it captivated me, as our Father captivates our hearts. His will for our lives and our relationship with Him are more important than whatever is going on around us.

This reminds me of a time over a decade ago when God gave me a word for someone. I'm not a prophet, and I don't have the gift of prophesy, but sometimes God will give someone a gift for a one-time use or a brief period of time. I was reading my Bible one night before going to bed, and this thought came into my head. I didn't know at the time it was a Bible verse. It didn't stop. I fought it. I felt God wanted me to call this person (at 10:00 at night!) and tell them God was pleased with what they were doing, to stay on track, and not to veer to the left or to the right. Basically, stay focused, don't be distracted by other options. I figured maybe this person was trying to decide what to do, they were at a crossroads choosing between staying on the present course or changing lanes. I didn't want to disturb him or his wife and kids at bedtime, with what may have been received as a ridiculous thought of the flesh. I wimped out. I never called and to this day, I have never told him about this. I feel I missed an opportunity and I regret not being more obedient to the Spirit's leading. I trust God used someone else or spoke to him Himself.

As I look out the window this morning at the crimson-tinted sky, I watch Ramon ankle deep in concrete. Here are a few pictures. I wonder if they can dig a big hole and pour for a pool? Wouldn't that be great? Some dreams are yet to be realized as we live many of our dreams right now. Blessings on this warm, muggy, smoky Friday!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

House and Stuff



Here's a picture of our patio/great room before they inspector comes today and we hopefully pour tomorrow. Mark took this shot of our front yard last week. The crape myrtle is almost in full bloom.

I picked up a couple more books yesterday. I was SO happy to see Erwin McManus' new book, Wide Awake in the bookstore. It had a release date of July. The Awaken conference gave everyone a pre-release of this book in April. After reading it I knew I wanted to buy the book. Funny thing I found out, too. Greg and I ordered what we thought was a CD of all the conference sessions. What arrived in the mail was a DVD of all the conference sessions. The funny thing was as I was watching the sessions from the first morning, I'm in them! A few Mosaic staff members were being interviewed on stage by another Mosaic staff member, and Erwin came out from backstage with his wireless mic and started asking questions of the staff. He was standing about 6 feet in front of me and I was on the aisle. It's a little weird seeing yourself on a professional DVD. Why didn't they airbrush me? Just kidding.

I also picked up a book on the story of David. I'm wanting to get Chuck Swindol's book on David, which is coming out in paperback. I'll read this one first, then see if I still want the other.

So, they next book I talk about will probably be Wide Awake. The Cross and the Switchblade is just too full of miracles and fantastic stuff to go through. You're just going to have to read that one yourself.

Kristen is 16 today. Yeah!!!! Each year I think about the 2 days of back labor, the 20 minutes at the hospital before she was born with no drugs or episiotomy (I tore) and how my ex-husband stole my car after the birth. We have a tradition here. Since Kristen is lactose-intolerant, I get her an apple pie and I get me, Greg, and Mark a cake. It's a celebration of the birth of an amazing young lady. Purity is her banner and Jesus is her focus. She's a blessing.

Have a wonderful, joyful, peaceful Kristen's birthday today!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A New Book

I've easily selected my next book. It is The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. David started the highly successful treatment program, Teen Challenge and parent organization Challenge World. This is a book that I couldn't put down last night. There were countless miracles that he experienced in just the first few chapters. It is a very insightful, true story of a man who obeyed God even when it didn't make sense and was very outside of who he was and what he knew. He obeyed anyway, and the result is thousands of changed lives.

My prayer is that every believer has this kind of faith, to step outside what is known, what is comfortable, and be open to whatever God has called you to do. There is so much work to be done.

I'm looking forward to sharing this new book with you. I'm going to hold off on the Garry Gilley book for now.

Blessings on this gorgeous, yet smoky Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Humble Beginnings

As promised yesterday, I wanted to share the last bit of Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado. This is actually found in the Afterword, but it is so powerful. It starts out talking about humble beginnings.

His story began in a pasture.

Not known to the world but known to God, who, for his reasons, chose Bethlehem as the incubator of this chosen child.

Chosen, indeed. Chosen by God. Anointed from on high, set apart by heaven. The prophet declared the call. The family heard it. The lad of sheet would be a shepherd of souls. Bethlehem's boy would be Israel's king.

But not before he became the target of hell.

The road out of Bethlehem was steep and dangerous. It led him through a lizard-laced desert, an angry Jerusalem, conflict, and peril. Leaders resolved to kill him. His people sought to stone him. His own family chose to mock him.

Some people lifted him up as king; others cast him down. Jerusalem gates saw him enter as a sovereign and leave like a fugitive. He eventually died a lonely death in the Hebrew capital.

But he is far from dead.

His words still speak. His legacy still lives. Love or hate him, society keeps turning to him, reading his thoughts, pondering his deeds, imagining his face.

You know who I'm describing.

You do, don't you? The pasture. The anointing. The childhood call. The lifelong enemies. Wilderness. Jerusalem. Judea. the lonely death. The endless legacy. Who is this boy from Bethlehem?

David, of course.
Or Jesus, perhaps.
Or . . .both?

List a dozen facts, and in each describe twin traits of David and Jesus. Amazing. Even more so is the fact that we can do the same with your life. Read these truths and tell me, who am I describing?
Jesus. . . or you?

Born to a mother.
Acquainted with physical pain.
Enjoys a good party.
Rejected by friends.
Unfairly accused.
Loves stories.
Reluctantly pays taxes.
Sings.
Turned off by greedy religion.
Feels sorry for the lonely.
Unappreciated by siblings.
Stands up for the underdog.
Kept awake at night by concerns.
Known to doze off in the midst of trips.
Accused of being too rowdy.
Afraid of death.

You?
Jesus?
Both?
Seems you, like David, h ave much in common with Jesus.
Big deal? I think so. Jesus understands you.

That's the end of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So much, in fact, that I might pick up Charles Swindol's book on David, or I've been told Beth Moore also has one on David. If you have any suggestions on books that study David's life, I'm interested.

Now I'm faced with the task of choosing another book. Erwin McManus is coming out with one in July. Can I finish one before that one comes out? Who knows! Blessings to you on this beautiful Tuesday!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Five Stones

Yesterday I finished my Facing Your Giants book by Max Lucado. It was great! I got used to his style of writing and it launched me into a memorization habit without even trying to! Yesterday I read this great chapter called Take Goliath Down! It talks about the five answers that are revealed in the story of David, represented by the five stones he chose. You use your five fingers to remind you of the five stones you need to face down your Goliath. Paraphrased, it said:

Let your thumb remind you of . . .
1. The Stone of the Past
David remembered how he killed the bear and the lion as he was facing Goliath. When you face a Goliath, remember how God has helped you do amazing things in the past. Remember how he has fought your enemies and given you victory.

Write today's worries in the sand. Chisel yesterday's victories in stone.

Pick up the stone of the past. Then select . . .
2. The Stone of Prayer
Note the valley between your thumb and finger. To pass from one to the next you must go through it. David fell before he got up. Eph. 6:18 says "Prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long."

Peace is promised to the one who fixes thoughts and desires on the king.

Invite God's help. Pick up the stone of prayer. And don't neglect . . .
3. The Stone of Priority
Let your tallest finger remind you of your highest priority. God's reputation. David jealousy guarded it.

See your struggle as God's canvas. On it he will paint his multicolored supremacy.

Announce God's name and then reach for . . .
4. The Stone of Passion
Once David hit Goliath, he didn't run from the giant, he ran towards him. Do the same! What good has problem-pondering gotten you? You've stared so long you can number the hairs on Goliath's chest. Has it helped? No.

Let your ring finger remind you to take up the stone of passion. One more stone, and finger, remains:

5. The Stone of Persistence
David didn't think one rock would do. He didn't gather 5 stones because he thought God couldn't do it with one. He gathered four more because of the four relatives of Goliath's that also needed to be taken down. David gathered five stones. You do likewise. Past, Prayer, Priority, Passion and Persistence.

Next time Goliath wakes you up, reach for a stone. Odds are, he'll be out of the room before you can load your sling.

We'll probably be back to This Little Church Went to Market on Wednesday. I have one more thing to share from the Giants book tomorrow. Blessings to you on this mid 90's day!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

In Search Of . . .

Have you ever needed something and looked everywhere to find it? Maybe you finally found it, maybe you never did. Did you settle for something similar or continue to wait for the exact thing you wanted?

We're in that position now. We're looking for three things:

1. A dining room set
2. A beach clock for Kristen
3. Serving trays

All through my growing up, when I found something I really liked, often my mom would say, "Let's not get that now, let's come back for it later." Perhaps she didn't have the money right then. Understandable. My experience then was that when I went back for it, it was never there. That taught me to get it when I saw it if it was really important to me.

Through my single years, I learned to be extremely discerning when it came to prospective husbands. I waited 13 years. Possible suitors would breeze in front of me as friends, but I always knew they weren't 'the one' until Greg came along, and through much prayer and a vision, God revealed he was 'the one'. It certainly paid to wait, not jump at something that looked like a good substitute.

In looking for my wedding set, Greg and I went to 17 stores in two different towns before I found 'the one'.

When it was time to get my wedding dress, I looked and looked, and went with the one I really wanted. Not the one that was hundreds of dollars less that would have been a good choice, I went with the best choice. I have no regrets.

Now we are looking for a dining room set. We must have looked at 15 stores so far. I haven't found what I want yet. We are even toying with the idea of having it made. Part of me doesn't want to put someone through all the work it must take to make a large set that seats 8-10. I feel I'm being too picky. We found one set, very inexpensive, a good substitute, but it's not something I could pass down to my children as an heirloom. I think it would fall apart in 30-40 years easily. And so we wait and continue looking.

I've found some serving trays, but they're the wrong color, or the wrong material, or have the wrong bottom, or are too heavy. So I wait and keep looking.

Thinking about this today, my thoughts go to those who are not saved. They're looking for something too. They're looking for a full and satisfying life. They're looking for purpose, the reason why they were born at a time like this. They probably try different things to find that satisfaction. Relationships, drugs and/or alcohol, materialism, career, etc. These things bring short-term satisfaction, but will also eventually bring regrets. They realize that these things are not 'the one' real deal. Until they find it, they don't know exactly what they're looking for, just what isn't it.

Isn't it wonderful to know the Savior personally, 'the one' and only who satisfies with living water? If you found gas for $.99/gallon, wouldn't you run and tell everyone you knew, even those you didn't know? Why are we so hesitant to tell people of 'the one'? There's a reason it's called witnessing. A witness just tells what they know, what they saw, what they've experienced themselves. It's so simple. Share 'the one' with others, so they can experience the joy that you have. Blessings this sunny, warm Sunday!

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Prayer Walk

Twelve hours later, I finally have a chance to blog! Thank you for praying for our prayer walk. They are always so amazing. God spoke some interesting things to all of us. One thing that He spoke to both me and another person on the walk as we walked around a school, was that the school was the one place that even gang members still respected. They knew it was a place of light and hope for future generations. As we walked around it, there wasn't any graffiti anywhere on the walls. Abandoned houses had graffiti, other buildings and businesses had graffiti. Isn't that interesting? The school is a safe haven for children. We sat and prayed at the school for many, many things before walking back to the car.

After the prayer walk, Greg and I went to Modesto and picked up our tile. It was 5400 lbs. and our truck handles about 3500 lbs. One pallet in the truck and one in the trailer and we made it home at 50 mph. Then we unloaded it, showered and went to Stockton for great food, conversation, and Kristen's birthday. I think my brother wants to buy a Wii and Guitar Hero after playing it.

Now we're home and soon will be moving concrete. Tomorrow, Greg takes out the rest of the stucco. We're excited and pooped. I'm going to see if I can get a quick nap in before working outside tonight. Blessings on what is left of this Saturday night!

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Gospel of Felt Need

Continuing in Chapter six of Gary Gilley's This Little Church Went to Market.

From psychology, Strobel and the seeker-sensitive church have discovered that both baby boomers and busters have learned to expect that their needs should be met, jobs would be provided, money would be available, and problems would be solved. The result is a generation of young adults who want and expect everything right away. Life is to be lived for the present. There is little awareness of a philosophy that says we should make long-range plans, or work hard today so things will be better tomorrow. This is a 'now' generation that has little interest in any religion that talks about sacrifices, heaven or 'the sweet by-and-by.' They want to hear about a faith that works now and brings immediate results.

If this is true, how are we to proclaim the gospel to a pampered, self-centered generation that demands society meets their every whim? Previous generations of Christian leaders, including biblical ones, would use these traits to point to evidence of sin in Harry's life. 'Look Harry,' they would have said, 'your selfish, proud heart reveals just how sinful and rebellious you really are.' They would have called Harry to repentance from such a lifestyle, and to faith in
Christ for forgiveness of these very sins. Then they would have challenged new-believer Larry to abandon his self-centeredness, call for a life of self-sacrifice, humbly allowing the Spirit of God to transform him into Christ-likeness.

But the modern church sees it differently. Strobel writes, "Our challenge, then, is to help this new generation of unchurched Harrys to understand that Christianity does work, that is, that the God of the Bible offers us supernatural wisdom and assistance in our struggles, difficulties, and recovery from past hurts." Harry simply will not be attracted to Christ if we present him with the biblical gospel. We must then change the message in order to make it more palpable to this generation of ultra-self-centered Harrys and Marys. What worked at one time simply does not speak to today's Harry. David Wells has nailed down the prevailing attitude when he writes, 'What our culture suggests is that all of the greatest treasures of life are at hand, quite simply, in the self. Religious man was born to be saved, but psychological man was born to be pleased. "I believe" has been replaced by "I feel". The problem is that we have not been feeling so well recently.'

A few more quotes from Strobel's book will help identify exactly what the new-paradigm church is offering the unbeliever. '"We baby boomers aren't coming to church to become members," said one pastor, himself a boomer. "We are coming to experience something. Yes, even to get something."' Strobel suggests that the best way to reach Harry and Mary with the gospel is to discover what it is that they want to 'get', what it is they want to experience; what it is they want to obtain in life, and offer it to them in Jesus. For example, 'If you discover that unchurched Harry suffers from a sagging self-esteem . . . you can tell him how your own self-esteem has soared ever since you learned how much you matter to God.' Never mind that the concept of self-esteem is foreign to the Bible, even against it; never mind that the real issue that Harry struggles with, according to the the Bible, is pride not low self-esteem; the gospel is now gift-wrapped to offer Harry what he has been conditioned to believe he needs.

We'll stop there for today. Tomorrow we'll see what Gary says about a church focused on the wrong need in chapter 7.

Last night was great. Kristen went to a small group sleepover, Mark went to his small group, Greg and I headed to church for him to speak at the Turlock Gospel Mission dinner, then we headed to Cool Hand Luke's, a great new steakhouse in town. We ran into a sweet couple from our church and had a great conversation about gospel missions. I didn't run too well this morning. I think it was the big dinner last night. We were there until almost 10:00, having wonderful conversation about ministry. I am truly blessed to have great friends at church and a wonderful husband. Off to my quiet time and to pick up Kristen, then a full day. Blessings on this amazing Friday!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

A Church With the Wrong Message

This Chapter is quite interesting and thought provoking. Continuing on with chapter 6 by Gary Gilley in This Little Church Went to Market.

Counterfeit money is recognized by those who know how to identify the real thing. Before we examine the gospel message found in the new-paradigm churches, it would be best to examine the gospel message found in the Bible. The good news in a nutshell is this: Harry is a sinner, in full-blown rebellion against God (Rom. 3:23; 5:1-2). While some Harry's are outwardly religious and some even desire the gifts and benefits that God can supply, no Harrys truly seek after God or desire him (Rom. 3:10-18). As a result of Harry's sinfulness he is under the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18), faces future judgment (Heb. 9:27), and will die both physically and spiritually (Rom. 6:23) and will spend eternity in hell (Rev. 20:11-15).

It is because of Harry's hopeless plight, and the fact that he can do nothing to redeem himself in God's eyes (Titus 3:5), that Jesus Christ, through grace alone, not because of Harry's value and worth (Eph. 2:8), became a man, died on the cross (Rom. 5:8) thus taking Harry's sin upon himself and satisfying the wrath of God (Heb. 2:17), and resurrected from the dead, in order that Harry cold be saved from his sin and be given the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4). While all of this is a gift from God, Harry obtains hat gift through the exercise of faith (Eph. 2:8,9) - purely taking God at his Word, trusting that God will save him if only he truly believes.

What I hope to demonstrate in this chapter is that while many within the seeker-sensitive movement would ascribe to most of the above definition for the gospel, this is not how the gospel is being presented to Harry. Rather Harry is being told that he is so valuable to God that he sent his Son to die for him. This is, in effect, a denial of grace, whereby God grants us undeserved favor. Harry is also being told that if he will come to Christ, Christ will meet all of his felt needs and that will lead to personal fulfilment. Harry is then being asked to trust in Christ, the great 'Needs-Meeter', who will end his search for a life of happiness and fulfillment.

What we supposedly learn from [a] marketing study is that the real reason Harry doesn't come to church has little to do with his rebellious, God-rejecting nature. Rather it is because church is borning, predictable, irrelevant, money hungry, and odes not meet his needs. The new-paradigm church operates under the credo that Harry is 'hostile to the church, friendly to Jesus Christ.' They 'have the misconception that to win the world to Christ we must first win the world's favor. If we can get the world to like us, they will embrace our Savior. The expressed design of the user-friendly philosophy is to make unconverted sinners feel comfortable with the Christian message.' The only way this is possible, I fear, is to change the message. For the gospel message is not a comfortable one for the unbeliever, and to try and make it so merely deforms it.

That's enough for today. Tomorrow we'll continue with the chapter on a section about the gospel of felt need.

Just an update on stuff around here. We should have our building permit Friday or Monday, and we'll start pouring the foundation for the great room (where the patio used to be) early next week! Mark had 6 friends over Tuesday night and I found 4 of them asleep on our sectional yesterday morning. They had a great time. We're so blessed he has such nice friends. Kristen's room is almost done. She needs to glue some seashells onto her outlets and we need to get some shelves and drapes put up, but then I think we're done! We pick up our 1400 square feet of tile Saturday and finish moving the last of the little concrete pieces Saturday, and dump it Sunday. We're also fitting in a prayer walk Saturday morning an a trip to Stockton for a swim/birthday party for Kristen with family. Lots going on, even more than I'm going to blog about. Thank you in advance for praying for the prayer walk. We're already seeing healing take place in several families on the westside. Blessings this beautiful Thursday!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Church Growth History

Continuing on with Chapter 5 of Gary Gilley's This Little Church Went to Market.

The church growth movement owes much to Robert Schuller. He claims to be its founder, at least in this country, by being the first to launch the marketing approach in Christianity. 'The secret of winning unchurched people into the church', Schuller said, 'is really quite simple. Find out what would impress the nonchurched in your community [then give it to them]. Schuller laid out his philosophy of ministry in his 1982 book Self Esteem: The New Reformation, in which he called for a radical shift in the church's focus from God to human needs.

He decided that mankind's most fundamental need was self-esteem; a 'need' nowhere mentioned, alluded to or even hinted at in the Bible.

Working from Schuller's premise that, as [Lee] Strobel would later communicate, 'The most effective messages for seekers are those that address their felt need', it remained for Hybels and company to determine which felt-needs required most attention. Leading the pack, Hybels decided, was not self-esteem, as Schuller taught, although he did not reject it, but rather personal fulfilment (or the pursuit of happiness). This view was derived from secular psychology, not the Bible, as we demonstrated in our last chapter. Fulfilment was followed by identity, companionship, marriage, family, relief of stress, meaning and morality. To Hybels, fulfilment was the felt need that emcompassed and and defined all others.

When Harry is attractred through a felt-need philosophy, he will not be retained when that approach is no longer used. In other words, If Harry is drawn to the church in order to get, in order to satisfy his flesh, he is not likely to stay around when and if he discovers that Christ calls for him to lose his life for Christ's sake (Matt. 16:25). The result is that churches which have been built on the quagmire of the superficial must remain superficial if they hope to retain their Harrys and Marys.

David Wells asks the right question of these seeker-sensitive churches. 'Does the church have the courage to become relevant by becoming biblical?'

That's the end of what struck me in Chapter 5. My question is, can a church help fulfill needs and be strongly biblical at the same time? Didn't Jesus meet physical and spiritual needs in the people He ministered to? Or are we just talking emotional needs here? I think we are. I think the point the author is trying to make is that all emotional needs can be addressed by a person's deep and abiding relationship with Christ and if a church focuses everything on fun to draw them in, and ministries that try to heal through psychology instead of addressing sin for what it is and allowing Christ to do the healing, then the church is barking up the wrong tree. That's my summary. We'll see what he says tomorrow. Blessings on this gorgeous Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Strongholds

I read something this weekend that really struck me, so I'm going to sidetrack from Gary Gilley's book today and re-visit Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado.

(2 Sam. 5:6-9) And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,"...Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites...he shall be chief and captain."...Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David.

This regrettably brief story tantalizes us with the twofold appearance of the term stronghold. In verse 7, "David took the stronghold," and in verse 9, "David dwelt in the stronghold."

The Jebusites pour scorn on David like Satan dumps buckets of discouragement on you:

"You'll never overcome your bad habits."
"Born white trash, gonna die white trash."
"Think you can overcome your addiction? Think again."

If you've heard the mocking David heard, your story needs the word David's has. Did you see it? Most hurry past it. Let's not. Pull out a pen and underline this twelve-letter masterpiece.

Nevertheless.

"Nevertheless David took the stronghold..."

Wouldn't you love God to write a nevertheless in your biography? Born to alcoholics, nevertheless she led a sober life. Never went to college, nevertheless he mastered a trade. Didn't read the Bible until retirement age, nevertheless he came to a deep and abiding faith.

Why listen to the mockers...when you can, with the same ear, listen to the voice of God?

Who knows, you may be a prayer away from a nevertheless. God loves to give them.

He gave one to Pete. Remember him? Speak-now-and-think-later-Pete? God released Satan's stronghold on his tongue. For proof, read Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2. God turned impetuous Peter into the apostle Peter (Luke 22:54-62)

And Joe, the failure? Fired by his family. Jailed by his employer... Can Jobless Joe ever amount to anything? Joseph did. He became prime minister of Egypt (Gen. 37-50).

What about the five-time divorcee? The woman whom men discarded, Jesus discipled. Last report had her introducing her entire village to Christ. The Samaritan woman was Jesus's first missionary (John 4:1-42). Further proof that "God's mighty weapons...knock down the Devil's strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4).

Peter stuck his foot in his mouth.

Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt.

The Samaritan woman had been married five times.

Jesus was dead in the grave . . .

Nevertheless, Peter preached, Joseph ruled, the woman shared, Jesus rose - and you?

You fill in the blank. Your nevertheless awaits you.

Blessings, this Tuesday!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Psychology

Chapter 4 is on Psychology by Gary Gilley in This Little Church Went to Market. We enter on a discussion of how a psychological approach is different from a spiritual approach when it comes to the issues in a person's life.

For example, a man with a bad temper may blame his anger on his abusive father. Rooted deep in his 'subconscious', he has been told, is a resentment and bitterness toward this father (which he may not even recognize) that is now being 'acted out' in his own temper tantrums. Unfortunately, the man does not know this. So he attempts to curb his anger through prayer and Bible reading, but it does no good. What he needs is a psychological expert to uncover the root forces behind his behavior. When he discovers that he is an angry man because of his father, he can blame his problems on dad and feel better about himself. Once all of this happens (which could take years) he will begin behaving better, or so the theory goes.

The biblical approach, however, is that our man is responsible for his own actions. While it is true that he may have copied or learned bad behavior from his father, and while it is true that his past will affect his present, nevertheless, this is no excuse for sinful actions. It is not necessary for this man to understand all that has happened in his past, nor is it helpful for him to shift blame. He must take responsibility for his own actions, confess his sins and seek to change according to biblical principles.

Most forms of psychology teach that the key to personal problems lies somewhere in our past. The Bible deals with us in the present. As a result, God can command us to stop being angry or anxious immediately, without looking for root causes founded in the past. The past, especially our reactions to it, may have shaped what we are today, but change lies in the present as we choose to live obediently to Christ.

What is the biblical counterpart to a psychologized approach to living? In passages such as Gal. 5:19-21, Col. 3:5,8,9 and 2Tim 3:2-7 the characteristics of spiritual immaturity are identified. Here God tells us that we should expect people not living according to his truth to be unstable and easily deceived, guilty, selfish, and divisive. It should be expected that they will love wrong things, gossip, lack self-control, be angry at life, liars and deceivers, etc.

If we are to handle the problems that we face in a way that pleases God, we must grow spiritually (2Pet. 1:5-8, Jas. 1:2-5) through obedience to the Word of God (Col. 3:16, Acts 20:32, 2Tim. 3:16,17) as the Holy Spirit works in our lives (Gal. 5:16, 22-25, also see Heb. 5:12-14).

We'll stop there for today. I hope that all made sense, as I skipped around a little throughout the chapter. I think that Psychology has it's place in society. I think a lot of healing and insight can be obtained by finding out why we do the things we do, but it shouldn't stop there. I believe that knowing what the Bible says about how we should live and being obedient to that is what will really change us for the better. Blessings at the start of the work week!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Market Driven Philosophy #2

Continuing on with Gary Gilley's This Little Church Went to Market.

Quoting Wells, 'But neither Christ nor his truth can be marketing by appealing to consumer interest, because the premise of all marketing is that the consumer's need is sovereign, that the customer is always right and this is precisely what the gospel insists cannot be the case.'

What if the consumer changes?

The following two quotes are worthy of pondering: 'He who marries the spirit of the age soon becomes a widower'; 'To be always relevant, you h ave to say things which are eternal.' What happens when the fickle consumer changes his interests, or develops new wants, as he inevitably will? Will today's cutting-edge pastor suddenly find himself stampeded by the herd tomorrow? In order to avoid such a tragedy must be keep his ear to the ground of modern marketing techniques? Will he become a slave to polls and surveys? And how does all of this affect his use of the Bible? We don't have to have a crystal ball to answer these questions; all we have to do is look behind us. The Church has always fought, and too often lost, the battle with its age.

In order to market a church to the unsaved consumer, he must be given what he wants. Since unsaved consumers do not desire God, or the things of God, they have to be enticed by something else. Thus the temptation arises for a church to change, or at least hide, who they are so that they appeal to unchurched Harry. Additionally, the church is tempted to alter its message to correspond with what Harry wants to hear and thinks he needs. The end result is a felt-need gospel that appeals to Harry's fallen nature in an effort to entice him to come to Christ, the ultimate felt-need supplier, so that he is fulfilled and feels better about himself.

But, 'Can churches really hide their identity without losing their religious character? Can the church view people as consumers without inevitably forgetting that they are sinners? Can the church promote the gospel as a product and not forget that those who buy it must repent? Can the church market itself and not forget that it does not belong to itself but to Christ? Can the church pursue success in the market place and not lose it's biblical faithfulness?' I believe the answers to these questions are self-evident.

Tomorrow's chapter will be on Psychology. Have you ever thought of church in this way before, paralleling marketing with delivering the gospel? Lots to think about. Until tomorrow, blessings on this beautiful Lord's day.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Market Driven Philosophy

Continuing on with This Little Church Went to Market by Gary Gilley, he talks about Saddleback Church.

Warren ably demonstrates that many church growth principles are simply common sense on the one hand and purposeful, aggressive leadership on the other. Many of Warren's suggestions are excellent. churches should pay attention to cleanliness and attractiveness, where people are going to park and how new people are going to feel walking through the doors. We should strive for excellence and do our best to communicate God's truth. And we should want to grow - in the right ways. Warren states, 'Every church needs to grow warmer through fellowship, deeper through discipleship, stronger through worship, broader through ministry, and larger through evangelism.'

The leaders of the market-driven church believe that 'the most effective messages for seekers are those that address their felt needs.' However, this approach is not drawn from the Bible; it is draw from market research and the latest in pop-psychology. No one denies that there are many benefits to the Christian life, but these benefits must not be confused with the gospel. The gospel is not about helping [unchurched] Harry feel better about himself and his circumstances; it is about his rebelliousness against a holy God who will ultimately condemn him to hell if he does not repent and trust in Christ for the forgiveness of his sins. The distinction between the market-driven approach and the biblical approach lies largely in understanding this fundamental difference.

In America for example, fifty percent of churches average fewer than 75 attendees on any given Sunday, and only 5 percent attract more than 350, according to Barna's surveys. Church growth gurus use these figures to prove that the church has lost its edge - it is not making a significant impact on society. But is this the case? David Wells shares his thoughts,

A century ago, in 1890...the average Protestant church had only 91.5 members, not all of whom would have been in attendance on any given Sunday; a century before that, in 1776, the average Methodist congregation had 75.7 members. It seems to be the case that our churches today are about the same size as they have always been, on average, and the supposition that we are not experiencing drastic shrinkage needs to be clearly justified before it can be allowed to become the premise for new and radical strategies.

As a matter of fact, church attendance in 1937 averaged 41% of the population, whereas it was 42% in 1988, leading Wells to comment, 'Barna's efforts to make mega churches the benchmark of normality and then to argue that churches of conventional size are failures is simply unwarranted and wrongheaded.

It doesn't take a mathematician to realize that if the percentage of Americans going to church has remained constant, yet mega churches are popping up almost weekly, then the giant churches are largely being populated by folks funnelling in from small churches. Just as the major retailers are killing mom-and-pop department stores, chain restaurants and groceries are doing the same in their respected venues, and the Mall has demolished 'downtown', so the mega-churches are doing a number on the small church. But large does not necessarily mean better, and when all the numbers are tallied, overall church attendance (on a percentage basis) is not increasing despite the methods championed by these mega-churches.

That's enough for today. Lots to disseminate. I have to go move concrete and then paint. Fun! Blessings to the start of a wonderful weekend!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Best Laid Plans

Well, this morning was going to be the morning I got back up to my 1 mile run. Unfortunately, my moose dog, in his exuberance in thinking he was going to run with me, crashed into my 12 year old dog, and she injured her foot. She wasn't limping too bad, so I thought I would give her a try. I kept a slow pace and she made it 1/3 of a mile . . . until she spotted the Garfield cat behind a hedge and start to go after it. I was still running and pulled on the leash, but she was determined. She ended up slipping on a mow strip and walking most of the rest of the way. We had a nice walk with a little running mixed in. There's always tonight, or tomorrow, maybe by myself.

So today will be finishing painting Kristen's room, the ceiling and trim, moving things in, receiving our double ovens, meeting with some landscapers, drum lessons, and hooking up Kristen's wall unit to the wall. A full day for sure.

Let's continue on with This Little Church Went to Market by Gary Gilley. This chapter is on Entertainment.

One researcher discovered that the word 'fun' was of 'recent origin and that no other language had an exact equivalent to the English meaning, leading him to speculate that fun was neither readily understood nor fully accepted until the twentieth century. It is interesting to do a word study on the words 'laugh' and 'laughter', as found in the Bible. While these words are found a couple of dozen times, they are almost always used in a negative sense - usually of one who is expressing scorn or mockery (e.g. Ps. 2:4) Only three times is laughter portrayed as something clearly positive. (Ps. 126:2, Prov. 14:13, Eccles. 3:4). Additionally, none of the great personalities of Biblical times are ever said to have laughed as an expression of joy and happiness. Jesus wept, but we never hear of him laughing.

It may be hard for us to imagine today, but right up until the end of the nineteenth century, the most important course in an American student's college career was moral philosophy, or today what we call 'ethics'. The course was seen as the crowning unit the senior year, usually taught by the college president himself. As James Monroe, the fifteenth president of the United States, said of such classes, 'The question to be asked at the end of an educational step is not, "What has the student learned?" but "What has the student become?"

The problem is this - Christians have been seduced and trained by the same forces that have enticed society as a whole. Too many Christians, just like their unsaved counterparts, are impressed by appearances rather than structure; are seeking thrills and excitement rather than substance; are more apt to respond to emotional manipulation than to rational discourse.

There is no doubt, in other words, that religion can be made entertaining. The question is, by doing so, do we destroy it. The problem is that the main business of entertainment is to please the crowd, but the main purpose of authentic Christianity is to please the Lord. Both the Bible and history have repeatedly shown that it is seldom possible to do both at the same time, for very long.

The author of Hebrews, addressing a whole different set of issues that had left his Christian audience immature and ineffective, called for this very thing. 'Solid food', he wrote, 'is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good from evil' (Heb. 5:14). There was no shortcut then, as there is none now, to maturity and discernment - solid food, in the form of in-depth study and application of the Word of God, is needed.

Yet, God desires his people to consider, reason, analyze and study. He has given us his Word in propositional form: a Word that must be carefully dissected if it is to be understood. (2 Tim. 2:15).

Tomorrow's chapter will be on the Market-Driven Philosophy. This one may have to cover a couple of days, as there is a lot to it. Have a blessed, beautiful, sunny Friday!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The New Paradigm Church

Jumping into chapter one of This Little Church Went to Market by Gary Gilley, he explains what a new paradigm church is and talks about church growth.

Mega-churches are defined as those with average worship attendance of 2000 or more, but these behemoth churches come in all shapes, stripes and forms. Some are centres of great preaching and teaching, some are charismatic, others are little more than social clubs. New-paradigm churches, on the other hand, are identified by a philosophy of ministry intentionally designed to effect numerical growth. In their church growth methodologies more attention is paid to market strategy, business techniques and demographics than to New Testament instruction.

From a mountain of research [more than 1000 churches on all five continents] [Christian A.] Swartz has observed eight characteristics of growing churches. These are empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, functional structures, inspiring worship, holistic small groups, need-oriented evangelism and loving relationships.

Growing churches are creating an atmosphere, an environment of fun. So fun has replaced holiness as the church's goal. If we can get the world to like us, they will embrace our Savior. That is the philosophy behind the user-friendly church movement.

Let's play 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'. For $500,000: which of these churches was a growing church in the book of Revelation: the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22), which saw itself as rich and wealthy and in need of nothing or the church at Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11), which was described as poor, in tribulation and facing great persecution? Need a 'lifeline' you say? Here you go: God said of the Laodicean church that he would spit them out of his mouth, but of the Smyrna church that they would receive the crown of life. Confusing, isn't it? The growing church did not please God, while the struggling one did. Apparently, the Sunday morning worship attendance is not the criteria God uses to judge the true effectiveness of a local church.

So, Gary says, a growing church isn't necessarily one that pleases God. Reminds me of the scripture of how man looks at the outside, but God looks at the heart. God is more concerned with the heart of people and churches, what's behind what is seen, than what is happening on the outside. So we need to look at why a church s growing, is it the entertainment factor, or because it is doing the Acts 2 stuff, like listed above from the survey? Good stuff. Blessings on this beautiful Thursday.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

A Stray Thought

Continuing on from the theme from yesterday on the Acts 2 church.

Do you ever have a thought that enters your mind that you haven't thought about in several months, kind of like an item left unchecked on your To Do list? This morning I had such a stray thought. I remember blogging about a book I had started reading and mentioned it was a little controversial, they I never blogged about it (that I can remember!). Today I fulfill that promise.

The book is Gary Gilley's This Little Church Went to Market. A friend told me about it and it's sister book, This Little Church Went Home (which I'm still reading). I agree with most of the book, not all, and found it very interesting. Here are some highlights:

Acts 2:41-42: 'So then, those who had received his word were baptized and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.' We see from these verses the essential functions of the local assembly: evangelism, instruction in the Word, participation in the ordinances, prayer and fellowship. Intertwined within these would be worship and edification. These activities defined the New Testament church, and distinguished it from a social club or a political rally.

Start with evangelism. Evangelism was the one biblically mandated function in which believers engaged outside of the assembled church. They did not invite friends to the church gatherings to win them to Christ. The church services were not geared for the unbelievers but for the saints.

It was not enough to produce baby Christians; believers needed to be trained in the Word so they could move on to maturity. (Heb. 5:11-14) It was one of the primary functions of the local church to aid in this maturing process. . . If the church is the dispenser of truth to both the lost and the redeemed, then dissemination of truth must be at the top of the church's agenda.

That is most of what I highlighted in the introduction. This guy doesn't pull any punches. The book is mainly about churches getting back to the basics of the faith, not allowing culture to dictate how we deliver the good news, but how the church should be influencing culture. He has many thoughts on the state of mega churches, he believes they are doing a good work, but really disagrees with how they are doing it. He believes that there is a huge entertainment factor to worship today. Because culture has become accustomed to video and sound and anything visually stimulating, many large churches integrate that into their worship services in order to draw people in. Once they're in, he believes they deliver the truth most of the time. His question is, should we be baiting people like that? Is it honest? Fish are caught with bait . . . ? Hmmmm. But he says that people should be winning people to the faith outside the church, then bringing them in to learn.

An interesting thing, though, one of our nation's megachurches did a survey of their attendees and found that the seekers don't want the song and dance on Sunday morning. They want what the Christians get. They want to experience the real deal, because that's how they want to make their decision on whether or not to follow Christ. The church decided to change their services so that Sunday morning was what they used to offer only on Wednesday night, the solid teaching and worship.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It hits hard. There were times I had to put it down and take a break. All in all, I do have a lot of highlighting in it. It's a short read, and full of information. Lots of food for thought. I'll continue with this book in my next blogs.

Blessings on this warm and sunny Wednesday.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Hmmmmmm . . .

This morning I've been pondering. For me, that's a common occurrence. I'm a deep thinker, a contemplative, an introvert, introspective, shy, a bookworm. My motto has always been, 'you learn more by listening than by talking'. So here's what I've been pondering this morning:

I used to think there was one right way to do church and my church did it. Probably every church goer has had the same thought, that's why they were there. It was kind of an 80's model, corporate, which was good, because at the time I worked for a corporation so everything fit together. But recently I've come to realize that just as the body of Christ within one church is made up of a variety of people, who all fit together with their gifts and personalities, each church has it's own focus and personality to minister to different segments of society, according to what God has called them to do. Some churches are very missions oriented, some are very fellowship oriented, etc. It's their focus and they attract people looking for that.

But recently as I've been reading books that have challenged me a great deal in who I minister to, it seems there is a trend for churches to get back to the grassroots of the faith. Pastors are going back to read Acts 2, they're preaching on it and writing books on it. They're stripping away superfluous ministries, they're doing the things that bring the most transformational changes in people. Books are being written on the nitty-gritty of ministry, like Messy Spirituality, and being In A Pit With A Lyon On A Snowy Day, and The Unstoppable Force. People are being encouraged and stretched to minister to those who are not like them. God is no respecter of persons. He ministers and loves everyone equally. Why don't we?

Look around you. Is everyone you work with and interact with each day like you? Look at my life for example. I'm a middle-class baby boomer, homeowner, with 2 kids, 2 dogs, a cat and a fish, 2 cars and a college education. I work with similar people. My neighbors are similar people. Our kids' friends' parents are similar people. The people in our church are similar people. So I ask myself, how is that stretching me? It's not. It's easy. It's comfortable. It's status quo and keeps me in my soft, puffy world. Is that what God wants for me? If everyone ministers only to people like themselves, we have segregation. Even our society woke up to the negative aspects of that in the 50's.

So here's my challenge to me and to you. Look around you. Whether you know them or not, how can you bless someone who is not like you? Maybe they're richer than you, poorer than you, smarter than you, less educated than you, older than you, younger than you, addicted to chemicals or emotional habits, haven't showered in weeks, handicapped, sad, homeless, hungry, angry, been in prison, been in jail, sick, the list goes on. Jesus would talk to and minister to them all. Why don't we? Is it uncomfortable? Yes. Will you get dirty? Possibly. Will you be blessed as you bless them? Definitely.

I think the time of staying in the glass houses of our churches and only ministering to fellow believers one or two days a week is over. It's time to step outside the doors and into the sunshine of God's love and be a conduit of generosity to those who are really in need. Then, yes, bring them in, love them, heal them, train them, and release them to do likewise. That's the call. Are you up for it?

Monday, June 9, 2008

Beautiful Things

Today I thought I would share some of the things that I've noticed recently that I think are absolutely beautiful. (in no particular order)

The way my friend Joanne writes.
My husband ministering boldly to a friend.
Our kids' smiles and humor.
A sunny day.
The heart of a Pastor shepherding his flock.
A child praying.
God speaking.
God-given peace.
A new Christian.
My husband's hairy chest.
My skinny jeans fitting!
A good haircut.
A clean house.
A mountain side of pine trees.
Snow-capped mountains.
The ocean.
Our dogs licking each other.
Our cat's white tummy and purr.
A good book that challenges the actions of my faith.
Time with God.
A great sermon.
Wisdom.
Integrity.
Humility.
Fear overcome.
The movie The Notebook.
The movie Philadelphia.
Lives transformed.
Healing.
A mother's prayers for her children.
A heart turning from an inward focus to an outward focus.
Birth.
People all dressed up to honor a deceased.
An engaged couple planning their wedding.
A wedding.
Running further each day.
Getting a lot accomplished in a day.
My husband planting flowers for me as a surprise.
Sleeping in.
My husband's blue eyes.
My family making dinner while I sleep as a surprise.
Hot chocolate chip cookies and cold milk.
A good cry.
Trust.
Faith.
Kristen playing the drums.
Mark playing the piano.
God's provision.
70 degree weather.
God's calling.
Truth.
Knowing God.

Since I can't think of anything better than knowing God, I'll stop here for the day. What are your beautiful things?

Sunday, June 8, 2008

The What If Game

Friday Greg, Kristen and I went to Pollock Pines to visit my mom. Mark had to work on Saturday, so he didn't go. On the way up, Greg and I played the What If game, which we love to play in the car or on walks. It went like this:
I asked Greg, "What if someone came into our church sanctuary, who had just killed someone and said they wanted to claim safety, since they were in a church. (There's a word for this, but I can't think of it). What would you say and what would you do?"
Greg said to me, "What movies have you been watching? That's no a law, at least in the US."
Greg continued. "First, for the safety of myself and my staff, give me your guns and knives and any other weapons, and I'll put them in the safe and we can talk." Then he said he would have the secretary call the police and tell them to come in quietly. He went on to talk to me like I was the young man and I answered him. He asked him why he did it and asked about the family of the one killed, and did he think of how they would be mourning? Did he think this thing out all the way? What would happen to him? How would his family and friends feel if he was given the death penalty? God can forgive him of this sin and all the others, but there is still punishment that comes from our choice to sin. Then he led him towards a presentation of the gospel. The police came in and Greg promised to visit him in jail and continue the conversation.

Next, he asked me a question. "You have 10 minutes to make three points on stewardship. What would you say?"

I talked about the different kinds of things we're stewards of, like relationships, possessions, money, our children, etc. Then I talked about the different between managing things and owning them, and that since we came into this world naked and broke and will leave the same way, we really don't own anything, but God provides things for us to use and care for while we're here. 1 Tim 6:7: "For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." Then I talked about how everything we have comes from God and how some people confuse the channel of our provision with the source of our provision. Some people think their source of their income is their job, but that's just the channel. The real source is God, for without his will that we have that job and make that money, it wouldn't happen.

I love our What If conversations. They challenge me to step up and do what is needed in the moment and educate me on how to handle a variety of situations. It gives him a new perspective sometimes, as I see different angles to things that he doesn't always think of. Try playing the What If game with someone you're discipling or with a friend or your spouse. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Blessings on this peaceful Sunday.

Friday, June 6, 2008

A Friday Giggle

Last Friday I was sitting at my daughter's drum lesson and as she rocked out, I read my Facing Your Giants book. In the midst of the thumping, I broke out in laughter. They looked at my like I was making fun of what they were doing, but I pointed to the book, apologized, and continued reading, when I broke out in laughter again. I hope you find this story just as funny.

The chapter is called Blind Intersections and it's about seeking God before making decisions.

"The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." (Ps. 32:8)

Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths. (Prov. 3:6)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (Isa. 30:21)

My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27)

The God who guided David guides you. You simply need to consult your Maker. I wish I'd sought counsel before I made a recent decision. I awoke early one morning for a meeting. When searching for some breakfast, I spotted a plastic bag of cookies in the kitchen. Denalyn (his wife) and our daughter Sara had just attended a school bake sale, so I thought, 'What great luck! Breakfast cookies. Denalyn must have set them out for me.'

I ate one and found it very chewy, almost gummy. 'Interesting texture', I thought. 'reminds me of a pita bread.' I ate a second. The taste was a bit subtle for my preference, but when mixed with coffee, it made for an interesting option. I grabbed a third for the road. I would have grabbed the fourth, but only one remained, so I left it for Denalyn.

Later in the day she phoned. "Looks like someone has been in the bag."
"It was me," I admitted. "I've had better breakfast cookies,but those weren't bad."
"Those weren't breakfast cookies, Max."
"They weren't?"
"No."
"What were they?"
"Homemade dog biscuits."
"Oh..." That explained a lot. That explained the gummy texture and the tasteless taste. That also explained why all day each time I scratched my belly, my leg kicked. (Not to mention my sudden interest in fire hydrants.)"

I can so see that happening! We're off to Pollock Pines to see family this afternoon. Sadly, Mark is staying behind as he couldn't get tomorrow off. I'm hoping I can reschedule the texture guy to come this afternoon instead of Monday morning to do Kristen's room, which will give me Sunday to paint too. The furniture comes Wednesday! It will be so nice to have somewhere comfortable to sit in the living room! I'm reminded of a book Greg started re-reading by Gordon MacDonald called Ordering Your Private World. I feel I need that! Next Saturday we move the concrete. I'm sure I'll be whining about how sore I am that next week. Blessings this sunny Friday and have a wonderful weekend. I'll try and blog tomorrow morning, but no promises.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Plopping Points

Catchy title, huh? I'd love to take credit for it but I can't. It's from Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado. I was intrigued by the title and even more intrigued when I read the chapter. It reminds me of the paradigm shift I talked about yesterday with visiting people who don't want visitors. Kind of a different way of thinking about that situation, huh?

In this chapter it talks about how we run ourselves ragged sometimes doing this and that for everyone until we just can't do one more favor, run one more errand, have one more long conversation, etc. We're so pooped! Max goes on to talk about when David and his six hundred soldiers return from the Philistine war front to find utter devastation. The Amalekites had come to his village, taken everything, even wives and children. The men are sad, then angry, but not against the Amalekites, against David, their fearless leader. David had led them into battle, leaving everything behind to be stolen. They want to stone him.

David seeks God. In 1Sam. 1 Sam. 30:6 "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God." David asks God if he goes after these raiders, will he catch them, and God says, yes. They head out, already tired from the last war, but they have to retrieve their families and possessions.

They come to Brook Besor, dismount, wade in the water, drink, refresh, wiggle their toes in the grass. Aaahhhh. When it's time to continue on, two hundred decide to stay at Brook Besor and rest. They're exhausted, can't take another step.

Quoting from the book: "How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?

The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They're exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can't summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeats. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church as its share of people who just sit and rest.

And the church must decide. What do we do with the Brook Besor people? Berate them? Shame them? Give them a rest but measure the minutes? Or do we do what David did? David let them stay."

The story goes on the say that David and his 400 men went and retrieved all the wives and children and possessions. Max talks about how the wives must have felt, being dragged off, captured, but then David and his men come and rescue them. But some are saying, "Honey, where are you?" Some are at Brook Besor, that's where they are. The rescue squad is thinking that the 200 at Brook Besor are leaches, letting them do all the work rescuing their wives. Resentment brews. How does David handle all the disgruntled people?

1 Sam. 30:23-24: "Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike."

From the book: "Noe David's words: they "stayed with the supplies," as if this had been their job. They hadn't asked to guard supplies; they wanted to rest. But David dignifies their decision to stay.

David did many mighty deeds in his life. He did many foolish deeds in his life. But perhaps the noblest was this rarely discussed deed: he honored the tiered soldiers at Brook Besor. It's okay to rest. Jesus fights when you cannot. Who are the strong to criticize the tired? Reserve passing judgement on the tired. Odds are, you'll need to plop down yourself. And when you do, Brook Besor is a good story to know."

If I hadn't read that story in this book and had it explained to me in that way, I would have cruised right over it in my reading. I'm so thankful for spiritual books that slice God's Word in different ways so can see the subtleties that I would have otherwise missed. Good stuff, huh? Blessings this sunny Thursday.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Challenges

God sure likes stretching us, doesn't he? But he also encourages us in it. Yesterday was a bit of an emotionally challenging day for me. First our church hosted the funeral of a young man shot on the west side a week ago. You can read about it here. Seeing the young man in his casket reminded me of when my boyfriend was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was 19. So, so sad, but I was thankful that the family had him for the number of years that they did.

The next challenge was going to the hospital last night to visit our friend from the west side (who lives on the same street as the shooting). He had shoulder surgery yesterday. The challenge for me is that I really struggle with seeing people with tubes and needles and stitches and all the other stuff that goes along with surgery. When I was a child, I would faint and have small seizures when I saw blood or anyone talked about 'gross' stuff. Greg promised we would only be there for 15 or so minutes and he kept his promise. It wasn't as hard as I thought, but it wasn't easy. They mentioned their son hated hospitals and wouldn't come to see him. Greg mentioned I also hated hospitals and they know that I love them because I came. They poured out so much love on me, saying they loved me too and thanked me so much for coming. We were all touched. God so encouraged me in that moment. I felt like visiting them mattered, it wasn't just a cordial act of 'I was supposed to' or 'we promised we would' or 'it's expected'. We prayed for them and as we left I wiped my sweaty hands on Greg's arm and he laughed. God is so good.

Greg and I had a conversation before going to the hospital. We talked about visiting people in the hospital who didn't want visitors. I have always believed that you should respect the wishes of those in the hospital but Greg gave me a different perspective. He said that it isn't all about them. He said that sometimes people in the hospital are on medication that doesn't make them think right, or that they become very inwardly focused and don't realize that there are friends and family that may actually need to go visit them, whether it is to say good-bye, or to make amends for things in the past. There are two sides to every relationship, and just because someone says they don't want to see anyone doesn't mean they don't need to see someone. They just don't know what kind of blessing may come their way as a result. Maybe eternal life? Maybe forgiveness? Maybe laughter and a smile? Maybe peace or a few moments of joy in the midst of fear? So, Greg's advice is, next time someone says they don't want to see anyone, don't let them control what you do. You can still go see them. More times than not, they will be happy you did.

May God encourage and bless you in the big and small things of this beautiful Wednesday!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Proverbs

I've been going through Proverbs lately and it is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It's so full of wisdom in so many areas, I have highlights all over my Bible. I just opened my Bible to Proverbs 20 this morning and there are so many things to choose from. Here are a few of my favorites.

20:22 "Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." aka 'Revenge is mine sayeth the Lord'

20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

21:2 "All a man's ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart."

21:3 "To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice."

21:13 "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered."

22:9 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."

22:24 "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered"

This food is so rich. The last verse goes on to say that you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared. That reminds me of a line in Desiderata that says "Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexations to the spirit." I tend to shy away from people who are loud and aggressive. I gravitate towards direct, open, honest people. Who do you gravitate towards? Fun loving types? Quiet types? God loves them all equally. Blessings all over you this Tuesday!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Distractions

I learned something this morning. As I went for a run with my older dog, hoping to do well, but not expecting any miracles, I donned my new cell phone with MP3 player playing Billy Joel and hit the sidewalk. I had it up full blast in my ear phones, as I have some hearing loss. I learned that when you run with loud music in your ears, you are oblivious to the things around you. Not real good for a woman running alone, but the neighborhood is fairly safe and I did have a German Shepherd and a phone with me and I know several neighbors I can inconvenience if need be.

As I ran, I couldn't hear birds, dogs barking and best of all my own breathing. In the past my heavy breathing had a psychological effect on my performance I think. I would think, "I'm really huffing and puffing, I better walk for a while." Today I ran almost a mile. The only sensations I had were what I saw and any pain. It was weird, though, seeing my dog react to things she heard like dogs barking, (she would speed up and look at a fence), or an approaching car (she would look behind her). My eyes reacted to her ears and eyes. I became very dependent on her senses, rather than being concerned about what I heard and protecting both of us. It was rather freeing to get rid of all the distractions and just run. I was encouraged to see I could run better than I thought after all this time.

This morning's experience made me wonder what we would be able to accomplish without distractions in our lives. What could we do for God if we didn't have that voice whisper, "Don't do that, it isn't safe. You could get hurt. Think of your family and their safety. What would this do to your children? The risk is too high. They won't accept you. It will take too much effort and there still is no guarantee of success. Look what happened to them when they did something like this. God's not really calling you to do that, is He? It's all in your head. You made that up. Why would God put you there, when things are going so well here and you're so comfortable? Everyone is so happy. You might die."

If we could eliminate the distractions and the fear caused by them, how far could we run? How fast? What distractions and keeping you at the gate? Turn up the sweet music of God's voice and go for it! Blessings the gorgeous day!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

A Good Day

Yesterday was a very good day. It started with our Prayer Walk. We had planned for six people, but ended up with three. Next month we will be inviting at least eight. The great thing was that when we got back and started sharing what we heard from God, two of us always got the same impressions. God talked to us about fences and walls around people's hearts and things, and how building trust will be the way to bring down those walls. He talked about the enemy robbing the seeds that are planted there, about His word not returning void and several other things. It was a great prayer walk.

Next we took my car down to get a couple of new tires.

Then Greg and our friend Burt rented a jackhammer and made rubble out of our patio. It took a couple of hours, but went smoothly. I was so thrilled they saved a concrete piece that had Mark's hand and feed prints and date from 1991. Burt is coming back over with a saw blade to cut the piece cleanly.

Next, it was time to pick up the car, but they hadn't called. We had to take the dog to the vet, so we loaded the dog in the truck and headed for the tire store. They had just finished the car. We then took both cars to the vet, making it on time to our appointment. We ran into a friend from church with her mom and had a nice conversation about her moving to California from Nebraska in her Model A car when she was 19.

Then it was home for dinner and Greg headed off to a neighbor's to give them a bid and I headed off to Target. I had a blast. I got everything on my list, then went to Home Depot to replace our power washer. Greg had taken it to use on a job and it started smoking, then went 'poof'. So I bought a better one. When I got home, Greg still wasn't home, though he said it would only be 15 minutes, so I put one of the dogs on our new leash and headed out to see if he was done. We were there almost an hour and had great conversation. Back home we watched a movie and went to bed.

Today we're bringing some friends to church who live on the westside. Then Greg will be painting Killz on Kristen's walls and I'll be power washing the front of the house. Lots getting done this weekend! Have a glorious Sunday!