Back to the Beginning

Reflections on Faith, Friendship, and Community – the tagline for this blog from the beginning, July 17, 2008.  I’ve been writing in this space for almost five years now, and while my life and this blog have both taken a lot of twists and turns, these ideas – faith, friendship, community – are still at the forefront of my mind.

It’s been said before by better speakers and writers, but we are not meant to live in isolation.  We are created for community.  We may not share the same place in that community – I am an introvert who loves words and music, and maybe you are an extrovert who prefers hiking – but we do share the need to live our lives in the presence of others.

Friendships don’t come easily, and truthfully, there are more days than I care to admit when I would rather just stay in the safety of my home with these people who have to love me.  Meeting new people is risky.  Will they like me?  Will they think I’m okay or a little strange?  Will I fit in or just hold up the wall?

When I started this blog, I was searching for that sense of community.  I wish I could say it happened quickly and painlessly, but it did not.  In time, God has granted me this precious gift – the gift of friends, both in real life and on the Internet.  But it took work – the effort to get out of my shell, meet new people, try new activities, take a few risks.

Even now, I don’t always feel like I fit – that I’m a little different, that others don’t quite share my interests or convictions.  I use those times to remind myself of the segment of our community we are working to reach – those people who live on the fringe.  They don’t always feel like they fit in with us – inside the four walls of the Church.

And we need to change that.

We need to go out of our way to make sure that everyone in our community is welcomed into our church - and that they know it.  This making room for community with those who may be different from us is the way to introduce them to Jesus, the only One who can change their lives.

How about you?  Are you in a season where friendships and community are easy or difficult?  How can you extend that gift of grace to another?

And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” Luke 19:5

 

Revival and Other Things

When I was a little girl, I can remember our country church holding revival services.  Sometimes they were joint services held in the park with several other local churches.  Sometimes they were just for our church.  This series of services was almost always preceded by several weeks of special prayer meetings, handing out flyers, and inviting friends and family.  As a teenager who sang in the adult choir, I particularly looked forward to the guest worship leader, whomever he would be.

You could count on 2 Chronicles 7:14 being quoted several times in the weeks leading up to a revival service:  If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This is a beautiful promise from God.  The problem is, I don’t think we ever really did what it says.  I don’t think that I have ever been a part of a true church revival – seeing people on their knees before God, repenting of sins, seeking forgiveness from God and man, and really turning away from their sin and doing the things that God has called us to do, being the people He has called us to be.

When the church comes out of her front door and into the world, when she opens her doors to invite the rest of humanity in, when she opens her heart to true community, that is revival.

When the church finally feels comfortable in her skin that she can love Jesus and love others at the same time, this is revival.

When we see the orphan care crisis in it’s death throes and the world slavery at its end, this is revival.

When we see Christ-followers opening their homes regularly and coming outside the walls of their church, this is revival.  (Sarah Markley, “This is Revival”)

Or, as Isaiah said:

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.  Is. 58:6-8

I am praying for a real revival, for myself, for my church, for my city - the kind of revival that Isaiah describes.  Will you join me?

A couple (or three) side notes this week:

1. The garden has been planted!
2. I have had two guest blog posts in the past few weeks, and I have neglected to mention them here.  The first was “An Introvert, a Minister’s Wife, and the Great Commission” at Flourish.me.
3. The second guest post was for my sweet friend Jessica at Grace for Moms.  Jessica and I met in college, and I am so grateful that God continues to allow our paths to collide.  I wrote over there about “Surviving as the ‘Older’ Mom.”

 

Doing One Thing

Sometimes it’s all a bit overwhelming.  I can recycle, garden, buy local, and repurpose.  I can support this ministry, this friend’s adoption, this mission endeavor.  There are so many places to give my time, my money, my efforts.  Where to start?  What do I choose, and what gets left out?

Instead of beating myself up about all that I can’t do (and I’m plenty good at that, mind you), I’ve decided to pick a few areas to invest what resources I have.  For example, take this photo.

This is my garden.

Well, not entirely mine.  Fortunately, most of this belongs to my friend’s father, but about four families are going to share a small corner of this and pretend that we actually know how to grow vegetables.  We covet your prayers that our plants do not die and that the deer do not eat our corn.

By itself, this garden is a very small thing.  Choosing to support two of our local stores this week is a small thing.  Taking the time to talk with two of my neighbors while on a morning walk is a small thing.   But if I do my small things and you do your small things, they can add up to something really big.

Our pastor’s wife recently shared about shopping in a dollar store and overhearing a conversation between a mother and daughter.  The mother could not afford something the daughter wanted, so our pastor’s wife gave them the money.  It was a small thing, but made a big difference to this girl.

The 20 or so volunteers from our church who have been giving of their time to tutor at-risk students in a low-income neighborhood, the women who have cooked meals for the program, and the school and community leaders who are working with these students are doing a small thing that we pray will make a big difference.

No, I can’t reinvent this world.  But God can, and He has given each of us areas in which to serve and invest.  He has called us to the communities where we live, and we are to be His representatives in those communities, to the people we see everyday.  We are called to be actively serving, giving, contributing members of society.

Even if it is just one thing.

 

For the Insignificant Days

Some days I feel so terribly insignificant.  I am a stay-at-home-mom and the wife of a minister in a small city in Kentucky.  I live in a small-ish house in an average neighborhood.  I serve through the ministries of my church, take my son to story time at the library, and try to keep my house clean and the laundry caught up.

I know people who are actually doing world-changing stuff – publishing books, leading large ministries, standing for the gospel and Truth in a world that is increasingly antagonistic to the message of the Bible, and teaching future pastors and scholars.  When we visit a larger city, I can feel the energy of people working, doing, accomplishing.  My life seems very small in comparison.

But, if the Bible is true, then these words are not just for those who are out front, but for me as well:

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?  Esther 4:14

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.  Philippians 1:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

God has given me promises in His Word to let me know that my days are not insignificant in His sight.  I am raising my son to be a mighty warrior of the faith.  I minister to my community to try to lift just one person out of the cycle of poverty and all that comes with it.  I support my husband in his calling to be a servant in Christ’s church.

So, while I may not oversee an office staff, and I may not reach thousands with my blog, and my life may feel very small, I trust that the plan that God has for my life for today in the place and circumstances that He has given me is exactly what He wants me to do.

 

Where I’ve Been … Where I’m Going

I cannot run the race weighed down with so much excess; the indulgences sabotage the pace.  All this time I’ve been slogging through the kingdom, dragging my luxuries and entitlement behind me … But as I slowly (and sometimes begrudgingly) dropped a few extravagances on the shoulder, something happened: not only did the pace pick up, but I suddenly noticed other weary, hungry, beautiful people littered along the course, sidelined by hunger and disease and poverty … When my hands were emptied of carrying my own entitlement, I was free to slip my arm around their waists, walking those first tentative steps with them until they got their legs under them … Because we live in a broken, sinful world, we who are strong are required to bear with those who are weak. ~ Jen Hatmaker in The 7 Experiment

If you’ve been reading here long, you know that I have been on a journey, rediscovering what it means (and does not mean) to actually be the Church, finding my own place of service, learning more about my community and the people who live here.

I am here today to say: I have not arrived.  Truthfully, I have only made a few baby steps in this direction.  I have had some high moments when I could clearly see God moving and working, and other extremely low moments when I realized how sinful and selfish I actually am.

Here are a few things I have learned:

1. As the Bride of Christ, we have forgotten our mission to a lost, dying, and needy world.  We are called to go out, not to stay at home and fulfill our own wants, preferences, pet projects, or whatever.  I have personally spent too much time making church a social club rather than a hospital for the sick.  This is not acceptable.
2. I have too much stuff.  I was taught that if you have paid all your bills, given a little to the church, and put a little in savings, whatever is left is yours to do with whatever you want.  That accounts for the boxes and boxes filled with stuff that I have hauled out of this house for the past six months.  I still open cabinets, closets, and drawers and see things that we could do without.  And then I drive a half a mile from my house and see children who do not know where they will get their next meal.  The cycle of buying just to accumulate stuff needs to stop.
3. I need to be a better neighbor.  Living in a subdivision with fenced backyards and no front porches makes getting to know neighbors a little more challenging.  So, I need to work harder.  I need to spend more time with my son’s friends and their moms.  I need to reach out to new faces at church.  We need to be in each other’s lives, even if it is time-consuming and messy.
4. Community ministry is hard work.  Last night, we were cooking a meal for an event when we found out it was cancelled at the eleventh hour.  Yes, I grumbled a little.  But we are slowly, slowly building bridges with other community agencies and leaders.  Each step we take in faith gets us out of our sheltered lives and into the messy, needy, difficult world where people actually live.

Here’s what I know the future holds:

1. More play dates and relationship building with the people God has placed in my path.
2. A garden, shared with at least four other families, with part of the harvest going to our church’s food pantry.
3. Investing in our community by supporting local businesses and ministries.
4. Continued outreach to our impoverished neighbors.
5. Re-evaluation of our financial resources and how we can invest in Kingdom purposes.
6. Prayer for possible future mission trips.  We are considering two separate trips next year.  Would you pray about this with us?  The money and time commitments would be enormous.

What about you?  How is God moving you to reach beyond what is comfortable and find your place of service in a broken world?

 

His Good Gifts

I enjoy a lot of things – strong coffee, good books, nice music, pretty flowers, a playdate at the park.  I attempt a few creative endeavors – making music, cooking, scrapbooking, blogging.

And, too often, I am guilty of separating those God-given talents and interests from my walk with Christ.

God made me, and in His goodness, He gave me the ability to appreciate a well-written novel, a beautiful performance, and the perfect bowl of ice cream.  He created the sunshine I enjoyed this morning, a mind that retains and processes new information, and hands that play the notes on the page.

He created others who can write songs, build tall buildings, perform on stage, or run a marathon.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men… Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do…

…preach a sermon.

…teach in a school.

…mother small children.

…make music.

…work in a factory.

…care for the sick.

…write a book.

…work heartily, as for the Lord…

We are equipped with creativity to glorify God and to serve His creation.  Our abilities are not simply for our own enjoyment, but for blessing others.  We are a demonstration of God’s love and grace through our music, words, food, and art.  We share these gifts with a watching world to draw them closer to a Savior.  We share them with the body of Christ to encourage and strengthen one another. His gifts are powerful tools.

Whatever you are busy creating today – art, spreadsheets, a life – this is His gift to you.  Steward it well.

 

Are We Ignoring Their Hunger to Satisfy Ourselves?

Since we began our adventure last fall to engage our community in a new and (hopefully) more meaningful way, I have struggled with a lot of conflicting feelings about the way we do church – both in my own church and in the greater Body.  Understand, this is a hard struggle for me.  I have been a part of my particular denomination since I was born.  I have memories and mementoes from all of the children’s programs, choirs, Bible drills, youth activities - you name it, I did it.  I am COMMITTED to my people.  In fact, I married a minister and absolutely love denominational happenings (yes, a little strange).

But the things that I have learned the past six or so months have led me to an inescapable conclusion – we are often guilty of being so busy building bigger and supposedly better ministries that we do not see the people right around us who are both spiritually and physically hungry.

Hear me – I am not pointing fingers.  I am as guilty as anyone.  I have started and led women’s ministries, college groups, music groups, and children’s ministries.  I have tried to be innovative, cutting-edge, slicker-than-the-church-down-the-street-so-we-can-draw-more-people.

And you know what I have learned?

I am worn out.

I am tired of competing to be the best.  I am tired of competition among churches.  I am tired of competing with those in my local body and with others in the greater evangelical world.

The Christian life is not about who attracts the biggest crowd, whose offering is the highest, who has the nicest sanctuary, or who has the best band.  It is not about who gets the “star” ministry positions or the choir solos.  The Christian life is about following the example that Christ set before us – putting others first and ourselves dead-last; meeting people in their sin and offering them spiritual food; and literally providing for their physical needs.

It is about being a band of followers who share all things in common, who care about the larger body more than about individual desires.  It is about hearing and understanding the differences among our members, and embracing those differences rather than being suspicious of them.  It is about caring, loving, serving, sacrificing.

Will I give up working with established church ministries like our choir, VBS, or Sunday School?  No.  I believe that those groups can fit into God’s design for His Church.  But some of them may need to be done differently.  We may need to sacrifice some sacred cows so that we can return to God’s mission to give hope to a lost and dying world.

I believe that the established church has a place in God’s Kingdom today, but we may have to give up some things that are near and dear to our hearts so that the Great Commission becomes real again in our lives.  But the other thing I have learned on this journey is this – it will be worth it.