A Break From Busyness

Posted: February 26, 2009

I’ve invited Shelley, my wife, to share some thoughts about our recent marriage retreat.  I’m presently putting together a similar marriage retreat, at Winshape, for our church.  Let me know if you would be interested in joining us this spring.

Last week, Jody and I had the pleasure of participating in a marriage retreat held at beautiful Winshape Retreat at Berry College.  We were invited by dear friends, who also accompanied us there.  If you’ve ever been to Winshape, then you understand the beauty of the restored dairy.  It is a media-free environment, one that almost killed my husband!  Thank God for the Iphone, or he may have needed anti-anxiety medications.  The retreat is breathtaking.  It was once a working dairy that was built with the architectural influence of Normandy, France – a wonderful place to get away from the busy schedule we all live.  But, the beauty of the surroundings paled in comparison to the beauty of reconnecting with my husband.

The poor statistics regarding marriage are not shocking to any of us anymore.  But, what was surprising to me is the divorce rate is not any different among evangelical Christians than the general public.  According to a study by the Rainer Group, called the Bridge Generation, children of Evangelical Christians polled said they did not want a marriage like that of their parents.  I don’t know about you, but that is not something I take lightly!

The purpose of the retreat was to help us better understand the needs of each other.  We all have basic heart needs: approval, appreciation, respect, support, etc.  The better we understand each others needs, the more effectively we are able to minister to those needs.  We looked very deeply into the concept of “aloneness” and how God said that after He created Adam, He chose to address this issue of aloneness by creating Eve.  Aloneness was defined as vulnerability to illict intimacy and human connection, which left unchecked will lead to sin.  God created us to be relational and with a desire for intimate connection.  The primary purpose of marriage is thus to take away “aloneness” from our spouse.  And while meeting that need, we then take on the second purpose of marriage which is to be a spiritual protector to our spouse.  It is a concept that I had never heard as it relates to marriage.  We both had big “A Ha” moments, as we discovered new things about each other and cried as we saw some big areas in our lives where we were failing each other.  The retreat was too lengthy to discuss here in its entirety, but it was an eye-opener for us that our marriages are too important to simply do half-heartedly.  We need to fight to work hard to better understand each other and to save the institution of marriage in our society.  We owe it to each other, we owe it to our children, but most importantly, we owe it to the God who created us to be relational and with the desire to be intimately connected to our spouse as a symbol of the intimacy between God and His Church.

Jody is diligently working to bringing this marriage retreat to our church!  It is our desire to see the many wonderful families in the church be renewed and restored by a loving God who wants nothing more than to see our hearts healed.

Shelley Ray

Send For Help

Posted: February 21, 2009

“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

In a cotton factory, cards on the walls of the workrooms read: “If your threads get tangled, send for the foreman.”  One day a new worker got her threads tangled.  She tried to disentangle them but only made them worse.  Then she sent for the foreman.  He came and looked.  Then asked her, “You have been doing this by yourself?”  ”Yes,” she said.  ”Why did you not send for me according to the instructions?”  ”I did my best,” she said.  ”No, you did not,” said the foreman.  ”Remember that doing your best is sending for me.”

The Philippians, to whom Paul wrote, were living is some very difficult times.  Paul writes to them (while in prison) to remind them the ability to make it through tuff seasons in life is to pray and trust God to guide them.  The Philippians were much like the new worker at the cotton factory.  They knew their instructions were to ask God for the things they needed.  They also knew that they could not do what they needed to do by themselves.  They, like us, had a basic distrust for God and His desire and ability to answer their prayers.  As one of the pastors of this church doing my best for you is not doing what I think is right or doing what I think you need.  It is seeking direction and wisdom from a higher power who knows your needs better than you (or I) do because He created you.  That person is God.  So to really do your best in difficult times is to send for help.  Paul is saying we need to pray in all situations because God is in control and He knows what we need better than we do.

Are you anxious (worried) about the days we are living in?  Do you find yourself fearful about the future?  Paul says the antidote is to rejoice, that is to remember you are blessed, and most importantly to pray.  Send for help – asking the One who already knows the answer and the outcome to guide you and to give you peace.  As we live these exciting but troubled days, we need to face the unique difficulties of our modern age with prayer and petition – then trust God with the outcomes.

Remember to “send for help.”

Jody

Beware of the Monkey Trap!

Posted: February 15, 2009

Galatians 5:1 states, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.”

Is anything worth losing the freedom we recieve in Christ?  Because of Christ death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, we have been set free from all the things that enslave us.  I’ll say it again, “Is anything worth losing the freedom we recieve in Christ?”

There are so many things that enslave us – things that we need to let go of in our lives: rejection, rebellion, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, guilt, the feeling of inadequacy and control.  So many of us today are holding onto these things, and they are literally killing us on the inside.

Have you ever heard the term “present-past?”  Present-past describes the person whose present life is dictated by something in the past.  Present-past people are so enslaved by a past circumstance that they can’t live a life of freedom and joy in the present.  They have a hard time seeing God’s best for their lives because they see the world through the lens of their past experiences (divorce, death, betrayal, a past failure).

Is anything worth losing your freedom in Christ?  Are there things in your past that you need to let go of and allow God to heal areas in your life?  Do you need to forgive someone who wronged you?  Do you need to ask someone to forgive you?  Do you need to forgive yourself of a past failure?  All of these past issues will influence how we will live in the present if we don’t deal with them.  Many times in order for us to go forward in life means that we must first go backward and deal with the past.  As Christians, we really don’t have the right to be wounded we have the right to be healed!  That’s the power of Jesus sacrifice on the cross.

I wonder why we find it so hard to let go of the things in the monkey trap and reach out to Him.  You’ve heard of the “Monkey Trap,” right?  In Africa the monkey hunters drill a hole in a coconut, just big enough for a monkey to stick in his hand and arm, so long as the hand is open and extended.  However, if the hand is in a fist, it cannot enter or come out.  The monkey hunters put a worthless shiny stone in the coconut, big enough to ensure the monkey’s hand cannot come out while clinching the stone.  The shiny stone makes the monkey curious.  He becomes attracted to the shiny object he spots inside the hole.  So he sticks his hand inside the coconut and grasps the shiny, worthless stone.  Now the monkey gets possessive, and he won’t let go.  The coconut is anchored to the tree, and the monkey’s desire for the worthless stone becomes greater than his life.  Then the monkey hunters come, and the monkey is screaming in fear, but because he will not let go of the stone, he is captured.  He won’t let go of the object he’s holding onto –  a shiny, worthless stone which has no value whatsoever to his life.  The shiny object becomes more important to him than his freedom.

 Is anything worth losing our freedom in Christ?  Will you let go of all the things that keep you from really living?  Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and the sins of the world, we no longer need to live enslaved to the past because He has set us free – and He who the Son sets free is free indeed!  

Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  When you get sick and tired of being sick and tired, I know where you can find rest and healing from the past.   Jesus will take your burden and carry it for you – His yoke is easy.  The cost is high though – it will require all of you.  But it’s worth it to get all of Him – He’s peace, love, and joy.  Truth is for all you who are suffering from ills of our economy that’s a bargain you can’t pass on.  Will you let go of that thing in the monkey trap and let God take control of your life?

Freedom or slavery – the choice is yours.  Choose freedom.  Let he who the Son has set free be free indeed!

Jody 

“The Biggest Loser”

Posted: February 13, 2009

How serious are you about your faith in Christ?  I’m not talking about what you believe – I’m talking about how you live.  When you look at your life, how do you spend your time and your money?   Are you serious about your faith?

Jesus always encountered people who weren’t really serious about their faith.  Near the end of His earthly life, Jesus set out with the disciples on the road to Jerusalem.  On their way to the Holy City, they encountered people who wanted to follow, but there was always something in their way.  One man told Jesus he would follow Him anywhere but first let me go and bury my father.  Jesus’ reply seems pretty heartless when you hear it today, but He is deliberately making a point: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” They met another person on their journey who said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family.”  Jesus responded by saying, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit to serve God.” What Jesus was saying is “are you in or are you out?”  Plow the field or don’t because you can’t do both.  It’s like driving your car.  You either drive it or you don’t.  There is no middle ground.  Are you in or are you out?  Are you serious about your faith?

I think what keeps most of us out (remember there’s no middle ground) is that we are always trying to control our lives by pursuing what we think we need to live a life of purpose and meaning.  It’s unfortunate, but so many people in our community think that real purpose in life is found in the things of the world.

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matt. 16:24-25)  What about you?  Are you so consumed with keeping up with your life, and all the worldly en-trappings, that you are actually in the process of losing it?  The biggest gainers in the kingdom of God – the one’s who are the most profitable in this life – are the “Biggest Losers.”  These are the people who come to the place where they want the presence of God in their lives more than life itself.  Are you serious about your faith in Jesus?  Do you really what to find your life?

Based on the words of  Jesus’ in Matthew here are four keys to really finding your life:

Jesus said……

1.  ”Come after me” = Let nothing get in the way of you following Him.

2.  ”deny himself” = Your wants and desires are secondary to God’s desires for you.

3.  ”Take up your cross” = What is God calling you to do?  How will you respond to His love?

4.  ”Follow Me” = Follow Him at all cost no matter when, where, or how He’s calling you to go.

Do you really want to find life?  Then try becoming the biggest loser.

Jody

Let’s Get Radical!

Posted: February 12, 2009

RADICAL?

The word “radical” makes us nervous sometimes.  When we think about someone being radical, our minds aren’t moved to positive thoughts.  To say someone is radical often makes us uncomfortable because in many cases it describes some kind of negative behavior – you know someone who is out of balance or is an extremist.

But to be “radical” isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  One definition of radical is to have an extreme belief or devotion.  When used in the context of our faith it means to have an extreme belief or devotion that does not require proof or evidence.  I like the implications of “radical faith.”

Radical faith in Jesus Christ is for all of you who look at your life and the world around you and see there is a great need for change.  I believe our world needs the transforming power of Jesus more than any other time in history.  Our radically messed up world needs to be offset by a radical faith in Christ, and I believe it begins when Christians start living like Christ followers.  Brennan Manning said, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle.  That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Before I go any further I need to warn you that following the Jesus of Scripture is far from ordinary and way outside the confines of our traditional church mentality.  Radical faith is not a prescription for the safe and comfortable life nor does it have anything to do with attending church.  It doesn’t mean acting more spiritual or using spiritual words it means living a life that follows the teachings of Jesus (I’m convicted!).  When Jesus crashed into our world some 2,000 years ago He turned our world upside down.  As a matter of fact, I think He’s still turning the world upside down for those who find themselves looking at the world through the lens of the Scripture. When I read the words of Jesus and try to live the way He lived, I realize just how far I am from really living it.

Radical faith in Jesus Christ always leads to a radical following.  To be a radical Christian means radically love the least in the world, to love your enemies and to think of others before yourself.  When you have “radical faith” in Jesus you need to know that you’re not taking the easy way – as a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Let’s get radical!

Jody

The Power of Position

Posted: February 9, 2009

We all understand to some degree there is “power in position.”  Your position in your company many times will determine your benefits package.  When negotiating a contract or putting together any kind of business deal you understand that how you position yourself is vitally important.

The prophet Habakkuk also understood there was power in position.  He understood that to hear God’s voice meant he needed to position himself to hear.  Habakkuk 2:1 states:

I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and I will watch to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected.

In the first section of the text we read the phrase: “I will stand my watch…”  The word “watch” offers a vitally important concept for Christ followers today.  We must “stand our watch” against the world we live in.  If you want to hear God’s voice then you must position yourself to hear.  We are going to be watchful over our lives, then we must pursue and develop an intimacy with God.  We must be watchful over our hearts and our lives. Watching is to guard our lives against all those things that keep us from spending time with God.  We must watch over our hearts so that we don’t become ensnared by all the things that keep us from encountering God.  We must be careful and attentive over our lives and the lives of our families because it is so easy to get pulled off course.

Getting pulled off course happens most of the time without us ever realizing it.  Day-by-day and little-by-little over time, if we are not careful, we get pulled off course – our hearts are lured away from God.  So “watchfulness” requires that we are diligent in our pursuit of God and for intimacy with God.  I guess you could say it’s a day-by-day watchfulness so that we aren’t devoured by the entrapments of our world.  It’s important we take Habakkuk’s advice and become watchful over our lives.

It’s hard to be watchful when I’m always on the run.    There’s nothing more demanding in my life than the busyness of my schedule.  The busyness of ministry is a killer (no I don’t just sit around all the time and read the Bible).  It is the most difficult issue in my life to manage.  Can you relate?  I try to make sure I’m spending quality time with God (reading the Scripture, praying, and listening for His voice).  I plan for it everyday, but then the busyness of life begins to happen, and I find myself drowning in the waves of busyness.  It’s hard to have enough time to be a good husband and a good daddy much less time to spend with God!

It’s vitally important we become “watchful” over our lives.  We must put things into divine order and plan the right way.  We need to prioritize our lives and stop responding to every sales pitch that pulls us away from God and our families.  It’s hard but it’s worth it – Be Watchful!

Jody