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When I was 16 years old, God showed me myself through Scripture.  The experience was not what I expected.  God was correcting me and preparing me through his Word for things that were to come.

As I sat home on a Friday night, all my “friends” out running around and having a good time, I began to feel sorry for myself.  I was upset that they were out having fun and that I was stuck at home…doing nothing.  I arrogantly said to the Lord, “If your Word is for me, then show me something that relates to what I feel right now.”  I opened my Bible to Psalms 73.

In Psalm 73:1-16 Asaph is looking at the world around him and becomes angry that they can do whatever they want and still prosper.  They clothe themselves with pride, have no thought of God or the repercussion of their actions.  Asaph looks at their lives and questions why he is working so hard to please God and seemingly gets little but trouble and heartache in return.

Then, in verses 17-28, Asaph gets in to God’s presence and everything changes!  God shows Asaph what happens when people live in such a way.  He carefully points out to Asaph that this way of living leads only to spiritual death.  God then pushes Asaph to look even deeper at the true root of what’s going on.  Verses 21-28 are where Asaph truly sees himself and where he truly sees God’s heart for him!

Psalm 73:21-26– Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.  22 I was so foolish and ignorant—I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.  23 Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand.  24 You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.  25 Whom have I in heaven but you?   I desire you more than anything on earth.  26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Through this scripture God revealed himself to me!  I was focused too much on the world, on my own desires and wishes.  He lovingly held my hand and led me back to reality.  He put my heart in focus just as he did Asaph!!   He is such a patient and loving father!

Another version of this scripture reads, “My flesh and heart may fail, but God is my strength.  He is my choice forever!”  On a daily basis we must choose the Lord.  The world around us is always pulling for our attention and affections.  The enemy wants to divide us and put a wedge between us and the Lord.  Today, let us say that even if we mess up…even if we miss the mark…we will choose to follow God regardless how we feel or how things look around us.  Help us Jesus to say each day, He is my choice forever!!

(Johna is our Youth Pastor and one of our worship leaders)

I pray a lot. I think about prayer a lot. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe that we cannot live effective, powerful lives without prayer.

There are prayers for every season and every situation. There are no seasons or situations when there is no need to pray. Every season is a time for prayers of thanksgiving and praise. We pray when things are good so that we stay the course and are not led astray. We pray when things are bad in order for our faith to be strengthened, so that we can continue to trust Him, and we can watch Him unfold our victories.

There is a time for a cup of coffee, a scented candle, warm, fuzzy socks, a comfortable arm-chair, and a sweet time with Jesus. And then there is a time for a sword, a helmet, a shield, a breastplate, a belt, combat boots, and an all-out fight!

The Word says “pray continually” (I Thessalonians 5:17). Multiple times Jesus said “when you pray,” assuming that we would (Matthew 6:6, Mark 11:25, Luke 11:2). Jesus also told the disciples a parable teaching them that they should always pray and never give up (Luke 18:1).

I simply want to leave you with a challenge: PRAY!

(Brenda is our Worship Pastor and Women’s Group Leader.)

We are all a product of the people that we allow in our lives. Take a minute and think about those who have impacted you along the way. I can think of many influential people from my childhood, teen, college, and young adult years. The Lord sovereignly put me in the path of people that would forever mark my life in the Lord. I think it’s important to have this kind of perspective about our lives. As Christians we should be one of two kinds of people. Either you are a mother or father in the Spirit to someone or you are being shaped and formed (otherwise known as being discipled) by someone. It is also possible, and healthy, to do both.

1. The transition into becoming a mother or father in the Spirit should be a goal that each of us should have. Not everyone has the qualities of being a spiritual mother or father. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says “You may have ten thousand mentors in Christ, but you don’t have many fathers.” This means that being a mentor doesn’t necessarily mean you carry the qualities of a spiritual father or mother. There is a difference. Spiritual fathers and mothers carry something special and unique in the community of believers that they live in. Here are three of my own thoughts about who a spiritual mother and father should be.They have an understanding of Father God’s heart. There’s something about knowing how God truly treats people that overflow into our own relationships. People that know God’s nature and have experienced it for themselves carry His heart for others. Spiritual mothers and fathers carry the patient and nurturing side of God that is required to see people walk in their destinies.
2. Their life and ministry is no longer about themselves. When you get excited about someone else being honored and promoted above yourself, you might be on the path to fathering and mothering. We don’t want people limited by our abilities and talents. We want people to go beyond anything we have been able to do in the Lord. Fathers and mothers want to see people succeed far above what they could ever do or become. They are secure in their identity in Christ as they are content in standing on the sidelines cheering others on that may be more gifted than them. 
3. They call out the gold in others. Spiritual fathers and mothers are fully aware of the character weaknesses of those they are championing. Like Jesus, they have the ability to see past those weaknesses and know who the person will become in the future. They patiently walk with them through personal trials and failures and encourage them to know what their spiritual identity looks like until they walk in it maturely. They carry a prophetic sense of who the person will become and can speak those truths into their life.

As you read the above paragraphs, I hope you are stirred to do one of two things. You might need to search out a spiritual father or mother, or you may need to find someone you can be a mother or father to. Let’s make it our goal to become a church that champions each other along the way and celebrates each other’s giftings and destinies. Let’s go hard after the heart of Jesus and see each other through His eyes! Let’s become spiritual mothers and fathers that carry a prophetic sense of how special people are before God.

(Marci Isaacs is our Children’s Pastor and Outreach Director)

A few years ago, I found myself having a hard time progressing in my walk with Jesus. I felt stuck, so I had the following conversation with the Lord:

Me: Lord, give me discipline!

Him: Katelyn, give me your love.

Me: Lord, show me how to love you.

Him: Katelyn, watch the way I love you.

Throughout most of my life, I would have told you that I believe that His love for me is unconditional, but my actions rarely reflected that belief. I was performance-driven in my walk with Him. I behaved as though the more I did for Him, the more He would love me; the less I did for Him, the less He loved me. The result was that I lived my life feeling frustrated, inadequate, and consumed with failure.

The truth is quite the opposite. My actions (good or bad) have nothing to do with the amount of love He has for me. When we begin to realize that His love has everything to do with His character and who He is, we begin to understand that His deepest desire is a relationship with us. When we begin to understand His love for us, we stop being consumed with our short comings. When we focus on who He is as our Father, we are no longer held captive by chains of religion or impossible standards. His love brings freedom!

Jonathon David Hessler writes the following lyrics:

“I heard about a sea where sin sinks like stones. There’s no floor there, just mercy down below. . . I heard about a man with holes in His hands; He can hide mountains of sin in them. His smile destroys my religion; His love shakes down my prison.”

Maybe you feel that your sins define you, and Jesus can’t (or won’t) love you because of mistakes you’ve made. Whether you feel as though your works define you or your sins define you, you’re believing a lie. The truth is that the Lord sees you right where you are, and He loves you. There is NOTHING that will separate you from His love. Your job is to respond to it.

(Katelyn is our Administrative Assistant and she co-pastors our Young Adults Group with her husband)

 

I LOVE spending time with people who are strongly connected to the Lord, and especially with those who have been serving the Lord for many years.  Their life experience and practical approaches to connecting with God never cease to amaze me.  There’s so much to learn if we are teachable and open to listen and receive.

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  As a youth pastor, my prayer is that our teens would have a heart to learn and that our church family would have a heart to teach.  God intended for the church to connect from one generation to the next, learning from one another and passing down biblical truths.

More than ever, we need to contend for the hearts of this generation.  The enemy is fighting tooth and nail to separate and confuse our youth about God!  May I encourage you to begin to pray for our youth?  May I ask that you begin to speak with them and invest in their lives?  You have rich wisdom within you and life experience that could make a difference.  Please partner with me as we invest in this wonderful group of young people.

(Johna Hancock is our Youth Pastor and a Worship Leader)

Life is often messy and hard. It sometimes reminds me of the song Broken Vessels,  that starts out “All these pieces, broken and scattered…” Sometimes we feel like the Psalmist who cried out: “To you I call, O Lord my rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.” Ps. 28:1

But the song goes on: “In mercy gathered, mended and whole.” The key? Do what the Psalmist did, cry out to the Lord our Rock. No matter how big the mess is or how small the scattered pieces are, He not only wants to fix it, He is more than able to fix it.

It really is that simple: sincerely cry out to Jesus and expect Him to fix it! And as you see His amazing work unfold in your life, you will be able to declare with the Psalmist: “Weeping may remain for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning… You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. Oh Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.” Ps. 30:5b, 11, 12

Don’t sink in your brokenness; give Jesus the pieces, He is the master mosaic artist!

(Brenda is our Worship Pastor and Women’s Group Leader.)