Month: December 2017

Skipping around through my bible, I came across some verses that got me thinking…

Many of us are familiar with the scripture from Hebrews 12:2   …Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith,
and then I read in Acts 3:15, Peter saying …You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead… 
and so it made me think, that in some ways, faith is life.

Stay with me a minute here…
Whatever we place our faith in, becomes essentially, what we base our life on – what we live for. You may not have thought of it this way, but really, we choose  what to place our faith in, even if we think we don’t have  ‘faith’.

If it’s money and possessions that we rely on to satisfy us,  we go down the path of materialism. If it’s a relationship with someone,  our happiness and joy hangs on the every word, action and approval of  that person, or those we love, and so then our chance of offense is great. If we place our faith in our work, what we do for a living, then our satisfaction hinges on our daily success on the job,  in whatever expectations our boss or co-workers have placed on us, or that next raise, that next promotion.

Sometimes, worse yet, we simply place our faith in ourselves. We don’t need any help, we think    I got this, I don’t need anyone, I can handle it.      If our faith is in ourselves, we live in fear.  Fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of what others think of us and of everything  we do.

Even when it is our family that is our identity and our highest priority,  and what we place our faith in, that can be a misplaced level of importance, too.

But… if we place our faith in God, and His promises, our life resides more in the spirit realm.  We can begin to see ourselves the way God sees us, and that our hope is not in the things of this world, but in what God has planned for us.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1 

We can then truly live as though we are in this world, but not of it. That we are simply passing through.  Maybe then our focus can be – Will the world be a better place because I was here? Have I left my little corner of the planet better off than I found it? Has anyone else’s life benefited because I was here?

Maybe some food for thought as we enter 2018.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, Blessed New Year!

Just exited a Lutheran church’s parking lot -after missing my destination and  doing a turn around-  and I noticed something that struck me.  As I was leaving the lot to go onto the main street, there was a sign that said

You Are Now
Entering
The Mission Field

I.  Love That!
Some people leave church after Sunday morning service and think, ‘Okay, that’s done.  Check it off the to-do list.’   I used to.  I’d check that  ‘go to church’  box and feel I was done with my religious requirement for the week. 

I know better now, that  church attendance is not the whole of our Christian life,  but that sign made me think;  you know,  in reality,  it’s just about the opposite.  We go to church to worship God and to encourage,  fellowship and pray  with other Christians. But our work as a Christian is  -for the most part-  everywhere else but church.  With the exception of pastors, worship leaders, and others whose calling is working directly in ministry.  For most of us, church should be  the jumping off point to a real life of service, to  accomplishing God’s  purpose.

I’ve since  learned that being a Christian is not about what you do in church. Not very much, anyway. If you look at Christianity as “Love God, Love Others” ,  then being in church on Sunday is just a small part of the first half of that equation; the Loving God part.  But you’re a Christian every day of the week.  You’re a Christian in the things that you do and say outside of church.   And in the  way that you choose to spend your time,  and the sacrifices you are willing to make for others…

 I used to think I was doing God a favor by going to church.  But it’s the other way around. 

I think we actually go to church to get filled up.  We go to church to get inspired, to get ideas about how better to serve others.  Maybe to actually rest from service a little.  To let God’s grace wash over us.  And to be refreshed. 

I saw an interview with Jeff Foxworthy, a stand up comic, about serving those in need in your community. He said  ” My life is the best when I’m not the most important thing in it.”  And,   ” Once you’ve tasted purpose, you can’t be happy with just existing anymore.” (That’s a sermon in itself.)

Foxworthy talks with Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint church in Atlanta about his mission and what he is doing in the homeless community in Atlanta. It’s a great interview and it is worth checking out:    http://northpoint.live/messages/be-rich-2017/andy-stanley-with-jeff-foxworthy-just-say-yes

 So your mission field really does start when you leave church.
Sunday afternoon does not have to be the end of your spirituality for the week!

It’s just the beginning.

What a fantastic week it’s been. Who doesn’t love this time of year?

Let’s see…we have Friendsgiving – the day before Thanksgiving, when friends in from out of town get together and catch up with their old crew. There’s Thanksgiving, of course – with food, family, fun, and more food (who’s not a fan of that?)

Then we have Small Business Saturday – when we support and honor the hard-working people at family owned businesses and mom and pop shops. By giving them our business we are helping to keep jobs and  dollars in our own community.  And finally we have Give Back Tuesday, when we are encouraged to count our blessings and share what we have been so graciously given by God with those who are in need, through donations to our favorite charities.

Grateful Every Day

This whole week was about being grateful, and recognizing your blessings. I heard the term “Thanks-living” used to remind us-especially followers of Christ- that every day, all year long, is a good time to be thankful to God.  I couldn’t agree more!

In the midst of it all,  I had the chance to get out of the house one day this week to run errands and go to an appointment, and I was so overcome by gratitude!   When someone does their work in  an exceptional way, with such integrity and sincerity, I am nearly brought to tears of gratitude and admiration for them.  I find it to be one of the best ways to live out our Christianity.   It was one of those great mornings where everything went better than expected.

First, I received exceptional physical therapy and felt fantastic afterwards, and had a friendly chat with with the new PT tech at my clinic. She was so sweet, I left smiling. That was followed by a great visit to the Rochester  post office. Contrary to what many  think about going to the post office, the downtown Rochester location is terrific. With fast, friendly service and helpful staff, they are the best.  And everyone I encountered there just seemed to be in a good mood, smiling, holding the door open for each other, making small talk.

Then there was the guy at the gas station who pumps my gas  (yes, you can still get full service at  a gas station!  In downtown Rochester, at any rate).   He is a true sweetheart and just a really nice, earnest guy who works with  diligence and kindness.

Then, I encountered the women at the Rochester library gift shop… so, so friendly and helpful!  Very sweet and just kind beyond necessity. Finally,  I got a fantastic car wash in Lake Orion from guys who really seem to enjoy their job and were super nice and positive about it.

It’s the Little Things…

I can’t tell you what it means to me to just go out into the community and have so many uplifting experiences all at once. I’m tearing up thinking about it.  And about  how it really is the little things that make your day great.

It’s just that easy to make someone’s day, incidentally.  Every day we have the power to build someone up or tear them down.  “Be kinder than is necessary” is a very cool maxim that has resurfaced recently.  So good!

Just grateful to be part of such a stellar community…  

What if we lived in a constant state of gratitude and service?

I know we all go through tough times and there are some days or even seasons of our lives where it doesn’t feel like we have anything to be grateful for.  But if you’re willing to open your heart and really examine the life that you’re living, you will find that every one of us has something to be grateful for.

Gratitude is a powerful emotion. It’s hard to walk around depressed when you are counting your blessings.  And on the bad days, rather than dwell on what is going wrong, maybe think of someone who is struggling more than you are, and needs your help. There is nothing like serving others to get your mind off of your own problems.

What little, seemingly inconsequential, things are you grateful for that would be easy to take for granted?