Vitamins for the soul – {donnicia}

A friend texted me on Friday to see if I wanted to meet for coffee. She only had an hour to spare but I readily agreed to meet her. We ordered our coffee and found a table. We launched immediately into talking, filling the hour so quickly and covering quite a few topics. Too soon it was time to part.

I had entered our time together feeling pressed and frustrated about so many things. But I left it feeling calm and renewed. After several weeks of snow, too much time spent at home alone and pressures at work that were dragging me down, it was like a breath of fresh air to get to sit down with a friend and talk.

As I got back into my car to continue my errands I realized that I was craving connection and real conversation. Not the chatter at work, not the pleasantries that I exchange with people at church, but real conversation, sharing of life.

That thought took me back to a question that had been asked on Wednesday night at church about why people leave the church. I have so often talked to people who say “I don’t feel connected.” That set the gears in motion for me and I started to wonder, what is this connection we all seek? And we do all seek it. Everyone wants to fit in, to belong, to be a part of something. Everyone wants to feel wanted, needed, special. Everyone wants connection.

I heard a report on the news this week that research was being done to try to discern why teenagers and young adults are leaving their countries to go and join terrorist groups. It was discovered that at least in some cases, these young people had sought relationships, had tried to find a place to belong, only to meet with failure over and over. And so they go to join this cause, something they can unite around, a place where people want them, accept them, where they are part of something bigger than themselves.

That brought me back to the church question. Don’t we have something bigger than ourselves to unite around? Jesus died for each of us, sinners, bought with a price, washed in the blood….saved by grace. Why does this great truth and His extravagant love for us not pull us together and cause us to pour out lavish love on each other? Why does any member among us feel unaccepted, unloved, like they don’t belong? Why do they feel adrift and not connected?

Is it our own individual sin that causes us to feel disconnected? Is it that as a people we are too distracted, to busy, to unwilling to make commitments? Is it that we have let ministry take the place of ministering? Is it that while we say it is all about Jesus, it is really more about us?

Do we let our backgrounds, our hurts, our slights, our perceptions and misconceptions, our passion and desire, our pride and our pain, keep us from pursuing connection, from offering connection? Do we walk by hurting people on our way to take care of that tasks that is on our to-do list, do we put up walls that keep people from coming near?

As is always the case with me, I have more questions than answers. What I know is that God created us for community. He did not create us to journey alone. He has left us so many instructions on how to treat each other, how to love each other. Will you join me today in praying that he will show us each how to love as He wishes us to and it learning to do that, find community and connection with each other?

That hour on Friday, that cup of coffee and real conversation….it was a vitamin for my soul!

Ps: If you would like to start a discussion on community and connection, email me. Maybe we can meet for coffee.

Let me hear…

In a world where busy seems to be the norm and rushing is the standard, it is often hard to hear that still, small voice that God uses to speak to us. We fall prey to our schedules and routines, leaving little time for quiet and for just being with the one who so longs for our presence. We rush from one event to another, blinded to the beauty around us, ignoring the needs of the people we pass. We do good things, meaningful things, important things and things that matter deeply to our families.   Our to-do lists are long, in fact, they are never ending.   We forgo rest because there is so much that has to be done, needs to be done. We somehow think it all depends on us.

God has said “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)  He longs for our presence, he delights in us and wants us to find our peace in Him. (Zephaniah 3:17)  He is willing, waiting, longing for you to sit at His feet so He can guide your way.   He has come to give you rest, to help you carry that load, to give you more than you can ask or imagine. (Matthew 11:28), (Ephesians 3:20)   Will you carve out some time from the busy and be with him today?

Still my racing heart.

Calm my restless spirit.

Quiet my wandering mind.

Let me hear the whisper

The voice of the Divine

Shutout the noise

The deceiver brings

And speak Holy Spirit

Set me free

Communion thoughts from a young man ~ Sean Condon

Exodus 12:25-27  New International Version (NIV)

 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

It was for this purpose that God instituted the Passover ceremony.  Not so that the Hebrews could feast on this special day.   Not so they could celebrate the Egyption’s first born being killed, but so that they could remind themselves of what God had done for them.  To remember when God guided them out of slavery and into the promise land, and more importantly, to pass this knowledge to their children.  This is one of the most important aspects of one’s faith;  to pass it on to the next generation.  God knew that the Hebrews would forget God’s power and protection easily.  Didn’t the Hebrews complain incessantly when they were in the wilderness, and ask that they  be returned to Egypt?  Hadn’t they just seen Gods power in the plagues, the parting of the red sea, and quite obviously, their freedom from the Egyptions in general.  God had literally just saved the Israelites from slavery, and yet, they still forgot.  If the people of that generation were already forgetting and taking God’s power for granted, think of how easy it would be for future generations.  THIS  is why the Passover was established; to remember the sacrificial lamb and the salvation God had given them from slavery.  With this tradition, the faith of the Hebrews has been passed down for thousands of years in not only the Jewish culture, but in the  Christian culture  as well.  For when Jesus broke bread at the last supper, he did not change the reason or tradition itself.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26:  For I received from the Lord, what I passed on to you: the lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For whenever you eat this bread an drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

When we partake in the Lord’s supper, we are partaking in the new Passover.  This time Jesus is the lamb slain in sacrifice for our salvation.  We remember this sacrifice and our own salvation through this tradition.  It is the WHY to our salvation.  We remember this sacrifice and our salvation through this tradition.  It is the WHY to the WHATS of Christianity. It is important that the parents generation remembers why the do what they do, lest the children feel as if what they do is useless.  The new generation ask the question WHY?  Why do we partake in this strange ceremony?  Why do we come to church on Sunday?  Why do we follow these rules from a 2000 year old book?  It remains only the parents faith if these “why” questions are not answered.  Like the Israelites in the desert, we forget God’s power and grace, and we need reminding.  And it is vital that our children understand that this is not just a tradition we do because we have always done it.  Be ready to answer the whys of the next generation.  As we partake in the bread and juice, think about why we do this, and remember.

Growing Your Life Garden

 

Have you always dreamed of having a beautiful garden full of beautiful flowers or yummy vegetables that would provide enough with offerings to share?  Or maybe you dreamed of a garden that would bring serenity and peace, a place where you could sit and meditate on the joy of all God’s wonderful blessings? Have you ever imagined a garden that would bring glory to God, one the He would want to spend time in?

Have you ever dreamed of a Life that blessed you with wonderful bouquets of blessings?  Gave you peace and joy?  One that could be shared with others and allowed you to offered a “Token of Love”?  A life that would bring glory to God and one where God dwelled?

Well, it is time to begin growing your own Life Garden!

How does one begin?

First, you need a plan.  You begin by plotting out your garden.
Ask yourself, what do I want from my garden?  Do I want to reap love, peace, joy, self-control, knowledge, kindness, faith…

Take inventory of the garden plot?  Look at the conditions of your current life garden ~ is there enough light, is your soil rich and good, does it lack nourishment, is it full of weeds?

What kind of garden do you wish to have?
Spot plot:  Just a little space needed, low maintenance, doesn’t require much water but only bears one maybe two crops.

Row Garden:  This type is well organized.  Not very flexible but produces a good harvest.  Does require a lot of time in weeding between the rows and watering may become more labor intensive.  One must stay rigid, making sure not to go outside of the boundaries, only allows narrow views but one is able to stay on the straight and narrow.

Raised Bed Garden: With this type of plot design, all your plants are planted together without any lines or rows, utilizes the space very well; also, less weeding is required. The raised bed promotes healthy plants by minimizing soil compaction and improving drainage and aeration. It is very adaptable from season to season and you can increase or change your garden as you grow. The major disadvantage to having a raised bed garden plot is that it takes more time to set up.

Small Farm Garden:  This type of gardening may be for those who are more experienced.  First time gardeners may not wish to begin here but potential is great with much dedication, study and determination.  It does require a great commitment but the harvest is plentiful when done correctly.

So, you have made the commitment to a Life Garden.  You want to work hand in hand with God and be hands on with his creation.  You want to harvest great things and pray that they will be bountiful so that you may share the fruits of your harvest with others.

Let’s get started:

Prepare Your Soil ~ 2 Timothy 2:15
Test your soil – determine your needs – do you lack something particular – is your soil hard as clay or acidic, if so you may need to amend the soil, add nutrients or change your planting choices so that you may reach your full harvest potential.  If you are set on a certain planting but your soil may not support that be patient.  You can amend the soil to provide those nutrients so that you can reap your desired harvest.  Get your hands dirty – participate in the process, get to know your garden and seek others who have the same passion.  The more you get involved in the preparation of the soil the more you will be surprised what will come from soil that is properly prepared.  Do your research – go to the source daily, seek and you shall find.

Till the ground – dig a little deeper.  Sometimes you may even have to look to other resources for a better understanding of what your garden truly needs.  Look to those who have been able to cultivate good gardens for more advice and information.  You may need to double dig or even rotary till.

Feed your soil ~ Deuteronomy 11:13-15
A soil that is rich with nutrients will be easier to garden.  Be careful not to over fertilize with chemicals! Stive to maintain a good rich natural balance in your soil.

Keep a Garden Journal ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-20
Writing down what you have learned and being able to go back and recall it is worthwhile.  Record what you have learned and when applied how it affected your garden.  You may learn that some things worked well to improve your Life Garden while others did more harm.

Be open to change ~ Acts 3:19
You may have to change direction (repentance) when gardening.  Things outside of your immediate control can effect your growth and you may make some mistakes but be deligent and stay focused on your goal.  Look around, you may find rewards where you least expected them.

Give credit where credit is due ~ Hebrews 13:15
As you work in your life garden look at all the little changes. Enjoy and celebrate the good that is forming.  Thank God for all that He is allowing to grow within you. Take pictures, journal and be aware of your ever changing garden. Most importantly ~ Give glory to your Great Creator!

Inhale…exhale…”Thank you, my Heavenly Father, for bringing me to this place, for giving me the resources and knowledge and using me to make a wonderful Life Garden that it may be enjoyed by all but more importantly that it may be a place that finds favor in your sight.”

Tell others God has brought you to this place and He is the one who has given you the blessings that you are receiving ~ 2Corinthians 9:13.

by Kim Harrison

 

 

 

 

every street corner…

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” ~ Jeremiah 29:13

Over the weekend, my son and I were watching some Christmas movies on Netflix. After entering the word “Christmas” in the search box, and looking through the choices, we decided on a movie entitled, “The Bear that Slept through Christmas.” The little bear in the movie didn’t want to hibernate for Christmas with all the other bears, as they have done his whole life. Instead, he wanted to stay awake in hopes of finding Christmas. He searched everywhere for Christmas but couldn’t find it. When he bumped into Santa, he thought that maybe Santa could show him where to find Christmas.

This time of year, it is not difficult to find Christmas. It’s on every street corner. It’s on front lawns and in the neighbor’s window. It’s in every store and shopping center.

What if it was that easy to see God? What if we could look on every street corner and see Jesus?

I believe we can. We just have to know what to look for. We have to cleanse the fog of this world from our eyes and gaze upon the world with His eyes. Yet this, we can not do alone. This kind of vision requires the lens of The Spirit. We need only ask Him to sharpen our focus. Once we have done that, we need only to earnestly seek Him.

If you have a few moments, I would love to share this video with you:

Lately, it has been my prayer that I find opportunities, just like that one, to show the love of Christ to the world. Can you imagine what the world would be like if each of us saw opportunities, just like the man in the video did, and simply met them? I believe it would be at that point, not only would we see Jesus and God… but so would the world!

Seeing the Unseen {Through a Season of Fasting and Prayer}

Seeing the Unseen: Focusing our Vision on the Spiritual

 2 Corinthians 4

by Mike Ellis

This past Sunday, the Elders shared that our desire is for our congregation to focus on the spiritual – to “See the Unseen”(2 Corinthians 4, 2 Kings 6).  In order to make this focus a reality, our desire is to ask you to focus on your personal prayer and fasting for our congregation in the months to come.  Specifically, we are asking you to ask God that 2015 would be a powerful year of growth and transformation.  We ask that you fast and pray for our 12 new deacons, asking God to bless them as they help our congregation with the work.  We ask that you fast and pray asking God to bless our staff and the future ministry team.  We ask that you fast and pray asking God to bless our entire leadership.  We ask that you fast and pray, seeking where He wants you to serve in very specific ways for 2015.

On November 16^th and December 7^th, our services will be devoted to prayer and will serve as an opportunity to “break fast” during our communion time.  In our tradition, fasting is not a frequently mentioned spiritual discipline.  But our eldership believes now is the time to implement it.  Matthew 6, Jesus infers quite directly that he expects us to give, pray, and to fast. In the life of Christ, before he started on his Ministry Walk, He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (to contrast some traditions of fasting during the day and then eating an abundance after sundown and before sun-up).  When the church was deciding who to send out and how to proceed with ministry, they fasted and prayed (e.g. Acts 13:2; Acts 14:23).

 So, we are going to do our best to follow the example of Christ as well as His church of the First Century.

Many have asked what specifically should they do as a fast and for how long.  Our answer is simply, “That is up to you.”  Fasting, as practiced in the Old Covenant and renewed in the New appears to be related mostly to the conscious decision to abstain – usually from food.  Typically, that is all food for either a short period or long, but bottom line, God doesn’t outline a very specific format or form for fasting.  In other words, you choose what will help you the most to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him. {The special days of worship simply provide one possible ending time for your fast.  You just need to choose when to begin.}

But, since God leaves the content and for of the fast open, your choice probably should be dictated by what is most integral to your self. If you are being too devoted to your phone or other technology, maybe fasting from those for a period you define is what you need to do.  If there is a specific food that is a stumbling block to you, make a conscious decision to withdraw from that food for a very specific period of time.  If your focus has been distracted with sexual thoughts, maybe withdraw for a time.  Maybe what you need to do is skip one meal, or two meals, or not eat anything for 24 hours, 48 hours, or you fill in the blank.  How you fast is between you, God, and whatever your physician considers safe for you given your specific health.  But what makes fasting so compelling is that every time you have a craving, it provides an opportunity for your mind, and then your heart, to re-orient.  You remember your God and your Savior. That compels you to lift up praises and thanksgiving.   You learn submission, humility, and the true meaning of “hungering and thirsting after righteousness.”  And once we are all humbling ourselves together, then we can truly begin to see the unseen and allow God’s Spirit to move and work in us in ever more powerful ways.

Running the Race {by Mike Ellis}

Running the Race

Adam Campbell, 35, is an Ultra-Marathoner.  I thought my buddy and fellow elder, Kevin Henegar, was a little crazy to compete in the IronMan Triathlon competition in Maryland.  All the training, all the time, all the energy it required was enormous.  But because of all that sacrifice, Kevin completed his race in 12 hours, 33 minutes, and 18 seconds to complete the 140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running. To me, that is amazing and inspirational!  But Adam, competes with a different category of crazy athletes.  This past July 11th,  Campbell was running in the Hardrock 100 in Silverton, Colorado, a 100.5 mile foot race up and down the San Juan Mountains.  When he and his safety partner reached the top of Handies Peak at 14, 048 feet elevation, they were struck by a sheet of lightning.  They hit the ground. Campbell’s headlamp light was fried.  But remarkably, Adam got up, and kept running!  Adam finished in just under 26 hours…in 3rd place!

Kevin and Adam are great examples of running the race with perseverance.  But we have even more remarkable living examples of folks who have been struck by lightning and are continuing to run.   My Janet, our dear Patty, Jannie, and a host of others are running a race in an ultra-marathon called life and like Adam have been hit with hard realties but are still racing.  They prove to us that no matter the circumstance, we must get up, brush ourselves off, and run the race with perseverance.    Hebrews 12 states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”  You see, no matter whether you are hit by lightning, tangled up in a web of consequences, burdened by physical ailments, or being hit by stones cast by the unknowing or uncaring, God is still there.  God is still good.  God is still with you.  And He wants you to FINISH!

Too often, we think if things are going wrong, that we must be doing it wrong or that God is not there or God doesn’t care.  That is simply not true.  God sees our race as a spiritual race.  If things aren’t going well in the physical doesn’t mean that He is unconcerned about us. Neither does it mean that if our life on Earth is simple and full of material blessings that He loves us more than others.  God simply wants all of us to FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS.  He wants us to push forward, no matter what is happening in the physical and move on toward the spiritual.  He wants us to see what is truly real and make the choices that will allow us to be with Him in the end.  So, be an ultra-marathoner for God and for Good.  Even if you get hit by lightning, you can run the race because Spirit Power and Jesus’ strength will carry you to the finish line!

Mike Ellis

 

Victory!

Let’s be real for a moment. There are times in our lives when even the most optimistic person experiences darkness. I am not talking about a bad hair day or an argument with a person they love or respect. I am talking about a season of darkness when the waves of pain, despair and disappointment build upon one another. Ever-present, ever-crashing, continually keeping your head below the surface. Times when the rose colored glasses (that we aren’t aware can even come off) slip right off our faces and shatter into a thousand pieces. Times when that usually half-full glass doesn’t appear to you as half-empty but rather disappears and you don’t even know where the little bugger went!

I don’t know about you, but when I am in one of those seasons, I notice I handle things far different than I normally would. With energy drained and heart tender, I walk on edge, unsure of so many things, riddled with doubt, uncertainty and quite a bit of insecurity. When this happens, the deafening of my own skewed thoughts drown out God’s guiding whispers. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case last week when I walked away from a gathering completely weighed down with hurts.

You see, the enemy had it all planned out. He calculated and twisted everything to his purpose. He spent hours whispering to me lies and falsehoods. Do you know the scary part? Every lie and falsehood seemed plausible. Every single one made sense and seemed absolutely believable. And we all know, If it makes perfect sense then it can’t be untrue, right? {cough, cough}

So there I was, the first one rushing out the door (which hardly EVER happens), trying to keep it together until I got back in the car. Playing so many of the evening’s conversations back in my head. Did I misread that? Did I really hear that right? Was that really the reaction I got? My mind was a mess as I tried to make my way back home. Trying to keep the car centered between the spotted white lines in the road that seemed blurry and doubled through the tears in my eyes. Fighting the urge to throw my already broken cell phone out the window as the first of the “are you alright” phone calls began. Oh yeah… all that while driving my car with “1 mile until empty” on the gauge and every gas station I drove into was closed!

It was after the second closed gas station that I began to hear God’s voice. He was reminding me that He watches over me. Reminding me that I am never alone. Reminding me that HE is in control. As I began to put my faith in Him to get me safely to gas and back home, I felt the challenge to put my faith in Him for the rest of it. The rest of life… the hard and the ugly, the painful and the difficult, ALL OF IT!

At the third gas station, as I was pumping my gas, God began to speak to me through recent conversations with a friend and an in-depth study of Job we’ve been studying in our Ladies’ class. As I listened for God’s guidance, He chose to use my own words to convict me. “Yes, you’ve been hurt by the words or actions of others. But can you, now, put that aside? You know that this is the work of the enemy. You know that he is just trying to cause division and dissension. Can you put your hurt aside and allow God to heal it while you move forward with those that you feel have hurt you?”

That is not an easy thing to do! And, trust me, I didn’t know the first thing about how to put that into action!! But there was one thing that helped me through every step… God’s precious Word. (Not surprising, eh?) This is what He spoke to my heart:

Psalm 20

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.

3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

4 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

5 May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.

6 Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

9 Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call!

By the time I arrived safely at home, these words renewed my strength. They helped me find the courage to write a message explaining to those involved how I was feeling and what I had experienced that night. It wasn’t a message of accusation nor a message seeking apologies or validation. It was a message of honesty, of where I had been but that I was in that place no longer! The enemy lost that battle. God won the victory!

By choosing to walk in God’s victory through that situation, I feel that He saved me from all the enemy had planned for me: more doubts, more segregation, more inactivity and more loneliness. By choosing God’s victory, God healed my heart and kept those important relationships safe from harm.

Every day, we can choose joy. But when those days don’t come because we feel we just don’t have it in us, I pray that we choose victory…
HIS VICTORY!

Love Does

Over and over again these words echo in my mind. I believe them to be a word from God, a message whispered again and again by the Holy Spirit…trying to speak to the deepest part of me. They first came on a Sunday morning a few weeks back.   I had known for months that my brother had cancer but I was not supposed to have that information. At last things had become critical and the news that he was near death came to me from an outside source and I could finally acknowledge the truth I had known for months. Both of his daughters were by his side and I contacted them to let them know that I was aware of them and their pain. In the course of texting back and forth they indicated I was welcome to come.

For most people it would seem like a no brainer to get in the car and make the 80 mile trip to visit a brother.   But I had not seen my brother in over ten years and my nieces in probably over thirty years. The family relationships were fractured and there had been much conflict through the years. Still I felt strongly that this was something I needed to do so I set out on a journey with little else than the confidence I was doing the right thing.

As I drove, I thought and I prayed and admittedly I worried. I worried about what I might be getting myself into, about how it might impact me emotionally. Already I had lost a cousin a few months back and I was watching my Aunt’s health decline rapidly and my grief was deep even before this. Would he be alive when I got there? How would he receive me? While we had not been at odds with each other for the last years, still there had been no contact. Would he welcome me or be angry that I came? How would my nieces receive me? Would I really be welcome or were they just being polite? Would I encounter my older brother that I have not seen in many years and with whom my last contact had been an angry conversation? All these questions and emotions surrounded me as I drove and I prayed and I asked “why am I doing this?”   And that is when the words came “love does”…..They seemed to make some sense at the moment and I tucked them away as some sort of reassurance and comfort as I sped toward this unknown encounter.

In the days and weeks since then the words continue to echo in my mind. Love does, love does…..I admit I am not totally sure what they mean or what the Spirit is trying to say to me but I am trying to hear. In our fast paced, over committed, busy world it seems we have lost that personal touch, that being present type of reaching out. Social media allows us to send a wish, express condolences or joy in mere seconds without ever leaving our computer. We use the words I love (fill in the blank) so easily. In other circles we say “I love you”, “Love you” or “Love you all” with frequency.   Being the ever serious and analytical person I am, I wonder…what does that mean? Does it mean “I wish you well” or “I wish you no harm”? Is it enough to “phone in” our feelings or does it require something more? Am I willing to lay down my life for another, for anyone? What does love look like in day to day life?

I had a conversation with a friend once about service and sacrifice and he said that sacrifice is not sacrifice if it does not cost you something.  I think about that often these days.  When did I do something for someone that it cost me something?  Something I wanted to do, sleep, giving up my own needs?  I am not sure I know.   What I do know is that these words continue to echo in my mind and my heart and I want to learn what they mean.  I do not want to simply speak love, I want to live it.  I believe that it is the doing, not the feeling or the speaking that God calls me to.

 1 John 3:18 American Standard Version (ASV)

¹⁸ My Little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth.

And so I keep praying and keep asking God to show me what these words mean and what He wants me to do with them.