"Engaging. Energizing. Empowering."
“The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” Jesus
In which areas of your life do you long to see more faith?
I had a great time at our Conversation Group last night. We’re really going to have a lot of fun! I can tell already.
Can you join us? Don’t let the word conversation scare you. You’re welcome to just sit and listen, too, if you’d like. Just drive over to 2751 E. Broad St., Mansfield, TX 76063 (Daily Grind Coffee House) on Wednesday nights for the next 6 weeks. Bring the book “The Relationship Principles of Jesus” by Tom Holladay with you to discuss. You can attend 1 session or as many as you can. Here’s the schedule:
March 4: Principle 1, March 11: Principle 2, March 18: Principle 3,
March 25: Principle 4, April 1: Principle 5, April 8: Principle 6.
I’d love to see you!
“You are the ones chosen by God,…God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you – from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.” (From the book of 1st Peter in the New Testament of the Bible)
What does it mean to be “chosen” by God? Does it mean that God picked me and left others out? Am I so special that God acknowledges me for following him and abandons those who don’t know him? Should I live my life differently because of my “chosen” status?
What do you think? I think we have ALL been chosen by God as people belonging to God, created in God’s image. We have ALL received God’s love and mercy. Sometimes we recognize it. Other times it’s hard to see through our circumstances. Nevertheless, it is there and it is real. And God loves us so much that he trusts us to let others know of the changes in our lives as a result of our relationship with him.
If someone asked you what difference Christ has made in your life, how would you answer? Think about it. Could you come up with an answer is 60 seconds or less? The changes usually don’t happen overnight, but have you seen a difference in your character, your behavior, your words, since becoming a follower of Christ? If you’re not a follower, have you seen a “night-and-day difference” in those who claim to follow him?
“What is the basis of our security? When we start thinking about that question, we may give many answers: success, money, friends, property, popularity, family, connections, insurance, and so on. We may not always think that any of these forms the basis of our security, but our actions or feelings may tell us otherwise. When we start losing our money, our friends, or our popularity, our anxiety often reveals how deeply our sense of security is rooted in these things.”
“A spiritual life is a life in which our security is based not in any created things, good as they may be, but in God, who is everlasting love. We probably will never be free from our attachment to the temporal world, but if we want to live in that world in a truly free way, we’d better not belong to it.”
(From the book “Bread for the Journey” by Henri J. M. Nouwen)
I woke up feeling horrible this morning. Every time I tried to get up, I felt real hot like I was either going to pass out or throw up! It was a yucky feeling. Since I couldn’t get out of bed without feeling sick to my stomach, I thought I’d spend a couple of hours praying and reading my Bible. I had planned to do that, anyway, before the day was over, and this morning seemed as good a time as any.
I got whole books of the Bible read, but the passage that really got my attention was this from the New Testament book of Hebrews: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, …. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever.”
I’m feeling much better now. I won’t let a little upset stomach keep me down. I’m keeping my eyes wide open and firmly fixed on Jesus this new day. I pray God helps me keep this focus every day. Nothing’s more important than my relationship with him. God helps put my life in perspective. He helps me see others through his eyes. Keeping my eye on the prize, a life lived forever with God, I can endure the hardships and suffering that come into my life. I’d hate to try to make it without him.
How about you? Are your eyes wide open or shut to the work of God in your own life? Where are your eyes fixed today?
If you had your life to live over, would you do anything differently?
IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER – by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, ‘Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.’ There would have been more ‘I love you’s’ More ‘I’m sorry’s.’
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it … live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!
What does your list look like?
At this morning’s “Conversation Group,” we discussed extreme forgiveness. Nothing in Jesus’ teaching seems more outrageous than his ideas about forgiveness and loving enemies. Some people think his idea of love is highly practical and rational, while others think it’s too idealistic in our world.
What do you think? Are you able to love your enemies when it seems hard enough just to love your family and friends? How realistic do you think it is for you, in your circumstances, to turn the other cheek or do good to those who treat you badly?
We all struggle with these things on our own, yet with God’s help and the support of one another, I truly believe it is possible to love the way God loves. Sure, it doesn’t happen overnight. It definitely takes time, but Jesus’ teachings on love are entirely practical and realistic. I would bet this unusual quality of Christian love is the chief factor in drawing people to Christ.
What do you think? Are you able to practice extreme forgiveness in your life?
We had a great first worship gathering last night. 110 people showed up. It was very exciting! But I told the gathered persons that the most exciting part of the whole evening was that God was there with us.
I hope at the start of this new day, you know that God is with you. I pray that you feel God’s presence and experience God’s love and acceptance.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There a lot of people who have a lot of head knowledge, who have lots of information, but then don’t do anything about it. They don’t put it into practice. I know. I have 3 college degrees (so far), but if I don’t apply and use what I’ve learned, what does it add up to?
Some of us Christians are willing to follow Jesus, as long as it doesn’t cost us too much. We like to quote from the Bible, impressing others with what we know, trying to convince others to follow Jesus, too. But our words are shallow and empty if we just stop there. The Bible says it’s not enough to hear or read the words. We must do what they say. Put those words into action.
To me the Bible can be summed up in 2 simple sentences. Love God. Love others. But these are easier said than done, right? I can have all the diplomas in the world hanging on my wall, but if I don’t love, if I don’t show my love in practical ways, it all adds up to nothing.
It’s not enough to only know the right words to say, like ”I love you,” (words that we all need to hear, I might add). Let’s commit to showing our love in how we act and in what we do.
There’s only 5 more days until our first ever worship gathering. I still have a few things I need to do before next Sunday night. I just went over my sermon, (again). I have programs, gift cards, and thank you cards to pick up. I have to prepare for “Connecting in Christ”, the small group I am facilitating this Thursday morning. Plus my daughter is home sick from school and so I’m taking her to the doctor this afternoon. In spite of the length of my to-do list, I still feel like I’m on top of the world!
Last night I read these words from the Bible before I went to sleep: “God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.”
Those words excite me. I’m going to recite them to myself throughout this day. God can do anything. And I love the way God operates, don’t you? God doesn’t control, coerce, force, or bully. God is at work from the inside out. He provides us with an inner strength and peace. I don’t totally understand it and I don’t always do a good job of explaining it. I just know that I have experienced it and I want others to experience it, too. God is gentle and kind, merciful and forgiving. Another verse said in fact that God lavishes forgiveness on us. What a picture of God’s love!
I hope you will come to our first ever worship gathering on Sunday night, February 8, at 6 p.m. at the Mansfield Activities Center. I pray God will deeply and gently encourage you to come. I hope God will bring people who may have never considered a relationship with Christ before just to check this God and church thing out. But do you know what the most exciting thing is for me about that night? God will join us there. You can count on God to show up. I hope you will, too!