Spiritual

Does the title of this post make you squirm a little bit? It does for me. Not necessarily in a disagreeable way, but in a way that it gets me thinking. A few questions keep coming up. Am I willing to risk it all, or am I willing to risk just enough to still be comfortable? What am I willing to risk today, and what am I trying to hold on to? What is the difference between a big risk and a small risk? And what does it look like for me to risk everything?

Risk… it is the exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance, being in jepoardy, the unknown, a threat, uncertainty, and just pure possibility. People do not like the unknown. We like being in control and knowing what is going on and what will happen. Uncertainty can bring fear, instability, anticipation, and speculation. We would rather stay secure and safe in our own little world than take a step beyond our comfort zone. Risk doesn’t mean safe. It doesn’t always mean bad, but it doesn’t mean safe.

But that is exactly where we are supposed to be as followers of Christ.  Risking it all. Laying our life down so we can live for our Savior. Risk makes me think of a quote from the Chronicles of Narnia.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” So just like Aslan, our lives as believers is not safe, but it is good. Risking a life for Christ is not safe, but it is great, it is abundant, and it is worth it. So yes, it is unknown but it …

Usually change doesn’t come naturally. It can come with kicking and screaming, hesitation, or just flat out rebellion. But change doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Yes, change often comes with uncertainty… but it can also come with growth, opportunity, and adventure. Look at change with a new hope. See that change can be good, and trust God with the process. Don’t be afraid of what may be around the corner of a new opportunity.  Be open. Be willing. Embrace change.

Ephesians 4:21-22 says “when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

The Lord wants to continually refine us, mold us, and break us so that we can become more like Him.  But that doesn’t come without change. Our human nature is broken, selfish, and immature.  Christ calls us to throw off our old self and daily strive to live in the abundance and the blessing that Christ has for us in a life with Him. A life of hope, forgiveness, love, and purpose. And a life with Christ compels us to live differently. We don’t have to live stuck in our brokenness or shame. Christ has redeemed us. He has set us free. And we have power in His transforming work in us. We live out the characteristics of Christ as we get to know him more.  We grow and begin to bear the fruit of the spirit.

Change also takes work. Sometimes hard work. …

How do you “see” things? Do you really see them? Do you have a certain perspective? Do you have a tainted lens through which you look? Do you look past the way things appear? Or do you have an opinion before you even really look?

I ask myself these things because I want to see things differently. I want to have the eyes of Christ as I see the world. This doesn’t mean that I walk around blinded by a “Christian bias”. It means I see things in a way that I want more of the world. I want to see things in a way where I can be the hands and feet of Christ. I want to see people with love. I want to see situations with truth. I want to see things for the purpose of Christ.

The world has tainted our perspectives. The world has a lens that is always pushing us to want more, get more, and have more. But it is filled with emptiness, void, and lack of real reason. I don’t want to see with my eyes. My eyes don’t see the potential that Christ sees. He sees fullness and hope and abundance. I get blinded by doubt and skepticism and criticism. I want to see truth. I want to see love. And I want to see Christ. He is there. He is all around me. He is living in the creation around me, he is speaking in relationships I have, he is touching my heart through blessings, he is showing me provision through trials, and He is holding my hand every step of the way. I just have to open my eyes and walk in faith so I can really see.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great …

Is your day so scheduled that you have no room for anything else? Do you run from one thing to the next? Is your vision so focused just so you can get through your day? Is there room for spontaneity? Where’s the space for anything else that may come your way? What if we were open to having our world interrupted. What if we weren’t so set on our own schedule that we could “interrupt” someone else’s world (in a good way)?

Let’s look at Acts chapter 8. The church was growing. The gospel was spreading. The apostles were journeying to new places. They were willing to leave their comfortable place. They were obedient to go without knowing the exact destination or the future. They were determined. They knew their purpose. They were set in their obedience and their journey, but not set in their schedule. They were willing to listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings. They were willing to step out in faith. They were looking to see God in the unique things that happened on the journey. They were open to opportunity.

The Ethiopian in Acts chapter 8 was not someone that Philip would ordinary seek out. But Philip heard him reading and went to him. Philip was not preoccupied with what he wanted for himself or what his own plan held. Philip was willing to listen to the Lord. Philip got the opportunity to help the Ethiopian. He got to help him not only understand the gospel, but baptize him in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As soon as the Ethiopian understood the good news of Jesus and wanted to instantly take action in his own life. He didn’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be baptized. Now that he understood …

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” Proverbs 13:12

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Disappointment and discouragement can come at any time and from almost any situation. Often disappointment comes when you least expect it and before you know it you have slipped into discouragement, frustration, confusion and temporary irrational thinking. If you are a person who loves the anticipation of an upcoming event, like I do, then the progression from disappointment to irrational thinking can occur quickly and turn your life into emotional chaos.

I was the unlucky recipient of a bit of news this past week that quickly set me on a roller coaster of emotions and took me on the challenging ride from disappointment to discouragement before I could catch my breath. Compared to many of the VERY difficult things I have faced in my life, I am surprised that I was so thrown off by this seemingly insignificant curveball that was thrown my way. Sitting here this morning, 4 days after the disappointing news, with a better perspective on the whole situation, it is a bit hard to understand how and why my disappointment moved so quickly to discouragement. And with discouragement come the inability to think creatively and problem solve effectively.

My husband and I have saved and dreamed and planned for a VERY long time to go on a Pilgrimage to Israel. We were in the planning stages 3 years ago to celebrate both of our 40th spiritual birthdays, but the trip had to be postponed …

When we are spending time with people, I think most of us want those relationships to look a certain way.  We want the friendship or relationship to go both ways, be reciprocal, have a give and take, or be somewhere close to “50/50”. It’s pretty normal to have that perspective about most things. With friends, family, coworkers, classmates, whoever it is, there is a certain level of expectation that relationships go two ways. It’s an investment. And with investments there is usually something received in return.

But here’s my dilemma… what if Christ loved us under those conditions? What if Christ only loved us if we loved him first.  What if he loved us the more we did for him? It’s a good thing that this is so far from how to characterize Christ’s love. Christ’s love is unconditional. He doesn’t ask us to come half way. He comes all the way, no matter how far into the depths that all the way is. He doesn’t ask anything of us, except for us to let Him in. There is no formula, no agenda, no guideline. Just LOVE. It reaches beyond anything we can even imagine. We can’t even picture how much He loves us because it is just too big.  Nothing we ever do will earn more love or take away His love. We don’t deserve it. We don’t even know how to fully understand it.  But we can receive it.

So we say we love as Christ loves, but do we really?  Don’t we usually have some sort of agenda lurking in the background? We say we are giving and loving people and don’t expect anything from them but I am not sure if that is always the truth. Maybe you are struggling today with your expectations of people …

Yesterday I was able to spend a few hours by myself in a new environment on a little vacation.  Usually in these situations I get really distracted by my phone, something back at home, or flooded with the list of to do’s… I can never fully enjoy where I am because my mind is in a completely different place. Which is a little selfish.  If I am so stuck in my own world that I can’t see beyond my own two feet, where is that going to get me. But yesterday I feel like I was able to take it all in. Just be. Be present. Be engaged. And don’t just coast, but live.

If I had been distracted by my own life yesterday I may have missed out on the interesting and unique culture I was visiting.  The people, the restaurants, the sights, the architecture, and the history.  People didn’t all just arrive and become who they are in their own worlds.  There is a history, a story, and a personality to each culture. It is an amazing experience to open your eyes and take it all in.

I could focus on the idea that rushes into my brain that I accomplished nothing at all yesterday.  Which may be partly true, but in that moment, it doesn’t have to matter. I was able to be me.  I was able to enjoy some time alone. I am the kind of person that doesn’t do nothing often. And I for sure do not do it well. When I have those few hours, I feel a little guilty. But I am not being useless. I need to be thankful for those moments and be refreshed. Life isn’t about just rushing around doing as much as possible in a short amount of time. …

Do you ever feel bored? Do you feel like you are going through the motions? Do you feel stuck? Sometimes life can get very mundane or very routine. With these moments come feelings of monotony or lack of excitement. But what causes that emotion? I have a feeling we really aren’t bored… There is probably a number of things that you could spend your time doing. I am not sure what bored actually means. I think we just fall into a mode of not taking advantage of living in the moment. There’s plenty to do if you actually think about it. (Or we can give you some ideas, look to previous posts from this week) It is just the mindset and perspective about being right where you are.

So my encouragement for all of us this week is to be present. Be here and now to take advantage of this moment. Be present physically. Be present emotionally. Be present spiritually. Open your eyes to see bigger and see broader. Open your mind to think beyond. Open your heart to love a little deeper.

Put away the distractions that so easily take away from the ability to be present. Whether it is the phone, tv, a to do list, or an agenda, put it to the side for a little bit. Allow yourself to be.

Live for today. Don’t live in the past or the future. Don’t be held back by something in your past. Don’t only look forward to tomorrow because you think it may be better than today. For today, you have today, so make the most of it.

Be blessed by what you have. Don’t focus on the things you don’t have. Be content right where you are. Be blessed in the task at hand and make the …

What does is mean to be truly satisfied? The definition of the word satisfy used as a verb is to fulfill the desires, expectations, needs or demands of a person or to put an end to a desire, want or need by sufficient provision. Some of the synonyms for the word satisfy are gratify, pacify, appease and please.

How are we satisfied? What brings satisfaction…..? For some people it might be when their relationships with family and friends are going well and they do not have conflict. For others it may be when their “To Do” list is completed.  Still others to be “satisfied” may be when they feel they are making a contribution to society. Satisfaction comes when our hopes or our expectations are met by people, or circumstances that we can control or events that occur in our lives that we have no control over. Often times we think of satisfaction only in terms of the fulfillment of our material wants and needs. In our culture of consumerism and materialism we get off track easily. Every where we turn there is an opportunity to to be discontent because the goal of media marketing is to makes us believe there is “more and better” of everything we could possibly need or want.

A few months ago, my husband and I read a book with a few friends called “Satisfied-Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption” written by Jeff Manion.

There was a workbook that went along with this book that had some challenging tasks for us to do, to help us begin a journey towards contentment and generosity.  One week we had to count all the shirts and shoes in our closet. One week we were asked to write all the blessings we could think of that we …

I was studying Acts 5 this week. There are a few different sections of this chapter filled with encouragement and inspiration. But I was especially motivated by studying the last part which talks about the Pharisee Gamaliel. Here is the excerpt from Acts 5:34-39. “But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

So first let’s talk about what he says to the people. “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” I don’t think this statement needs much explanation. It is pretty straightforward. But it is also pretty bold. Gamaliel was 100% sure that anything apart from God would fail. And not only was it apart from God, it was fighting God. And the …