Saturday, March 3, 2018
Rest
Pastor Jeff recently talked about experiencing a day of rest and making that a rhythm in our lives.To rest is not a weak thing but to say I know you are God and I will cease to keep trying and trust in you. Lord teach me to build rhythms of rest in my life and for my family. I don’t do this well and I’m oh so tired.Amen!
Be a Mother
it wasn’t the most profound piece of advice. In fact I had heard it before and knew it. But the Lord needed me to hear it that day:
“Don’t try to be their friend. What they need is a mother.” Said dear Robbie as sh turned to me at BSF.
Boy was that from the Lord! Profound? Yes!! New? No!
Conviction: I wasn’t being their mother. They need me to have boundaries, set clear expectations, to nurture them, employ them to grow, challenge them in the Lord, show them what walking in faith looks like, feed them, cuddle them, look in their hearts, pray for them, and much more. I was missing the backbone and my kids were feeling it. I was feeling it.
So begins the journey, Lord, what does our routine look like? How can I be faithful to teach them and love them and rest in the fact that you will turn their hearts. How can I provide a sure foundation? By experiencing you first and foremost myself and to boldly live it out each moment of my day. Please Lord give m you Jason as I venture into this unfamiliar territory of motherhood. May there be fruit for your glory alone! Amen!
“Don’t try to be their friend. What they need is a mother.” Said dear Robbie as sh turned to me at BSF.
Boy was that from the Lord! Profound? Yes!! New? No!
Conviction: I wasn’t being their mother. They need me to have boundaries, set clear expectations, to nurture them, employ them to grow, challenge them in the Lord, show them what walking in faith looks like, feed them, cuddle them, look in their hearts, pray for them, and much more. I was missing the backbone and my kids were feeling it. I was feeling it.
So begins the journey, Lord, what does our routine look like? How can I be faithful to teach them and love them and rest in the fact that you will turn their hearts. How can I provide a sure foundation? By experiencing you first and foremost myself and to boldly live it out each moment of my day. Please Lord give m you Jason as I venture into this unfamiliar territory of motherhood. May there be fruit for your glory alone! Amen!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
(Pilot MC) Prayer: Family
Father God,
You are perfect in all your ways. Your deep love for your children compelled you to give up your son so that we may be redeemed to you again. Oh how you love us! Thank you Lord Jesus that you were humble enough to come for us. In your perfect obedience you display your love for us. Thank you for being the perfect big brother allowing me to be adopted into your family, the Father's family. Thank you that you love me so you are still at work today interceding for me. Thank you Holy Spirit that you came to empower me, I'm not left to my own accord; that you do the work in and through me; that you are interceding for me too at this moment because you love me! Nothing (including all my failures as a parent, my sins and my own condemning thoughts) can separate me now or in eternity from your love.
Thank you for the BSF leaders who faithfully show up each week to serve and bow our knees to you and the work you are doing. Help us to be faithful, and allow your work to be done through us. May we not find our success in our own selves doing but in the humble faithfulness of resting in you and allowing you to work. Thank you that they have shown me what it looks like to pray, what it looks like to be a friend and what it looks like to depend on the Holy Spirit, that it is your work not mine to take over. Please bless us servants today as we show up to love your people.
I confess I have been struggling to remember the depth of your unconditional love for me Father. That your love solely is because of what you have done, nothing I have, am or will do. The condemnation I pass on to my children is disgusting. Holy Spirit, help me to believe your love for me, to rest in it and to reflect it to these little ones that you have gifted me. Father forgive me for all the wrong I have done.
I also confess the idea of community is exciting as it will draw me closer to you (I hope) but I fear the time commitment, the messiness of living with other people and that I don't have it all together. I will no longer be able to hide. Help me to trust in you that you are at work in all things and begin to let go of trying to control everything.
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!"
Amen!
Friday, January 12, 2018
(Pilot MC) Prayer: Community
Lord, I thank you for your loving kindness. That almost 5 years ago I prayed for friends. I confess, I've tried to live most of my life, christian life especially, alone and by myself. My pride let me think I could press forward on this race alone. That I had it taken care of. Thank you for revealing this sin to me. Thank you for even dying for this. I'm so grateful for your forgiveness and willing to go to the cross fo me. But you had other plans for me, a community of friends and now a community of servants that I'm so blessed to live with. You are tearing my pride down each day as I try to grow as a friend. You can't be a good friend and be prideful, it's like oil and water. I have to learn to love the other person as you see them and suffer with them as they suffer. It's hard.
I believe you've made me strong in studying God's word and encouraging others. Please help me to see other ways you have gifted me so I may share that with others.
We have not really embraced Doxa Church as our family. We are still hiding and believing we can do life alone and justifying why that's okay. I ask for your forgiveness Lord and the provision as you lead us during this pilot group to guide us into walking with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Bring together a group of believers who can call each other "family." Please continue to reveal any areas I still am sinning in or deceiving myself about the idea of community.
In Jesus' precious name, Amen!
I believe you've made me strong in studying God's word and encouraging others. Please help me to see other ways you have gifted me so I may share that with others.
We have not really embraced Doxa Church as our family. We are still hiding and believing we can do life alone and justifying why that's okay. I ask for your forgiveness Lord and the provision as you lead us during this pilot group to guide us into walking with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Bring together a group of believers who can call each other "family." Please continue to reveal any areas I still am sinning in or deceiving myself about the idea of community.
In Jesus' precious name, Amen!
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Fruit of the Spirit
God saves. He does and he does in his own time. He also sanctifies. He is powerful and we are all united in the same spirit.
I can’t change other’s behaviors especially our children. I’ve tried controlling it but I know They are God’s children not my own. He has to change them. I can only be faithful to point them to him and his word and his truths, the good news. It is heartbreaking and trying.
However, praise God because I see fruit!! God’s fruit, not mine. Isaiah reminds me often that he believes. We talk about God’s truth and he says, “mommy, I believe.” But it’s the fruit that bears witness to the God at work, and I’ve seen n abundance of it!!
“Mommy, I know the perfect gift for Mama!” What Isaiah? “A bible!”
He often listens to his “jams” and wants to read the Bible on his own.
He speaks truth. He will answer questions at BSF or church and deeply know them in his heart.
He is a tremendous help and caretaker for his sister. He said he would wake up during the night at Mama and Papas making sure Audrey doesn’t rub her eyes (she just had stent surgery).
The list goes on, those are only a few but what I see is a desire to be in God’s word, hear God’s word and worship him. Thank you Lord for this fruit I see. It’s such an encouragement in my call as a mother of faith. Lord, continue to do a good work him. Draw him to you and mature him into a wise, man of God even at a young age. May he work for your kingdom and see the eternal purpose of his life no matter where you take him. Protect him and keep him. It is an honor to be his mom, thank you. Amen!
I can’t change other’s behaviors especially our children. I’ve tried controlling it but I know They are God’s children not my own. He has to change them. I can only be faithful to point them to him and his word and his truths, the good news. It is heartbreaking and trying.
However, praise God because I see fruit!! God’s fruit, not mine. Isaiah reminds me often that he believes. We talk about God’s truth and he says, “mommy, I believe.” But it’s the fruit that bears witness to the God at work, and I’ve seen n abundance of it!!
“Mommy, I know the perfect gift for Mama!” What Isaiah? “A bible!”
He often listens to his “jams” and wants to read the Bible on his own.
He speaks truth. He will answer questions at BSF or church and deeply know them in his heart.
He is a tremendous help and caretaker for his sister. He said he would wake up during the night at Mama and Papas making sure Audrey doesn’t rub her eyes (she just had stent surgery).
The list goes on, those are only a few but what I see is a desire to be in God’s word, hear God’s word and worship him. Thank you Lord for this fruit I see. It’s such an encouragement in my call as a mother of faith. Lord, continue to do a good work him. Draw him to you and mature him into a wise, man of God even at a young age. May he work for your kingdom and see the eternal purpose of his life no matter where you take him. Protect him and keep him. It is an honor to be his mom, thank you. Amen!
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Lessons from Doxa’s Daniel Series
Daniel is a great picture of living in exile and being a faithful servant- even as a minority- for God’s will and purpose. Here is how I’ve changed:
1. Seeing my place in this life (my family, America, culture, etc) as one in exile. It is clear a Christian worldview is no longer the norm. No longer do people know God or do those who say they are believers truly know who he is.
2. God is the ultimate King! He puts kings in power and removes them from power. He is ultimately in control. Like Daniel, which king will I serve? The one of our culture or the true king our Lord Jesus Christ? On the same note, I have not earned who I am in life. I’m humbled that God has clearly given me all things and made me to be who I am. He can take this away at any moment.
3. God’s glory and will is always the purpose. He will do whatever it takes to bring his beloved children to his fold. I need to be prepared (know God myself) and be faithful to acknowledge him in all things. I will fall short but when I’m truly confessing I can remember God’s true characteristics. There is peace and boldness found here.
4. In terms of spiritual warfare... Satan will even use my love for God against him. In other words, Pastor Justin mentioned, “knowledge is not neutral. It either brings us to Jesus or away.” My self-righteousness can even happen as I read God’s holy word.
5. Lastly, over the course of the year and mainly from the pulpit my eyes have been opened to naturalism versus a Christiandom worldview. God is clearly revealing to me how many “naturalistic” ideas I (and even the Christian world around me) have adopted. They are comfortable ideas but there is no hope there. I’m grateful that God is opening my eyes to the truth in how I should see the world.
Thank you Lord Jesus! Thank you that you continually pursue me. Like I said above, will these truths help me rest in who you are and who I am and may we continue to walk in relationship, me as a humble sheep allowing you to be my Good Shepherd. Amen!
1. Seeing my place in this life (my family, America, culture, etc) as one in exile. It is clear a Christian worldview is no longer the norm. No longer do people know God or do those who say they are believers truly know who he is.
2. God is the ultimate King! He puts kings in power and removes them from power. He is ultimately in control. Like Daniel, which king will I serve? The one of our culture or the true king our Lord Jesus Christ? On the same note, I have not earned who I am in life. I’m humbled that God has clearly given me all things and made me to be who I am. He can take this away at any moment.
3. God’s glory and will is always the purpose. He will do whatever it takes to bring his beloved children to his fold. I need to be prepared (know God myself) and be faithful to acknowledge him in all things. I will fall short but when I’m truly confessing I can remember God’s true characteristics. There is peace and boldness found here.
4. In terms of spiritual warfare... Satan will even use my love for God against him. In other words, Pastor Justin mentioned, “knowledge is not neutral. It either brings us to Jesus or away.” My self-righteousness can even happen as I read God’s holy word.
5. Lastly, over the course of the year and mainly from the pulpit my eyes have been opened to naturalism versus a Christiandom worldview. God is clearly revealing to me how many “naturalistic” ideas I (and even the Christian world around me) have adopted. They are comfortable ideas but there is no hope there. I’m grateful that God is opening my eyes to the truth in how I should see the world.
Thank you Lord Jesus! Thank you that you continually pursue me. Like I said above, will these truths help me rest in who you are and who I am and may we continue to walk in relationship, me as a humble sheep allowing you to be my Good Shepherd. Amen!
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Study of Romans - Just the Beginning
We are in week 7 of the study of Romans and it has already been life changing...
Paul addresses that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL! He further continues to drive this point home be subdividing humans into 3 fallen categories: unbelieving sinners full of evil and wickedness, unbelieving moral people who judge others and therefore see themselves as better than others and lastly prideful religious people who are "guides" to the blind. There is no category for one who has fully "arrived" nor is completely "righteous." Only Jesus alone is holy, perfect and righteous. I can deceive myself and think I belong in the same category as Jesus but I don't and neither does anyone else. This is not to be something to be ashamed of. It should be humbling, knowing that only Jesus alone can credit me his righteousness as a gift and he alone can justify me by faith alone in him and what he has accomplished. No one can do anything to be right with God. I don't have to try harder. I don't have to be better. I can rest alone in the work of Jesus calling me his child and crediting me, as the most wonderful gift, his righteousness.
My greatest sin? Pride & self-righteousness! Thank you Lord that you even died for me, a self-righteous, prideful religious person who has always loved you but hasn't always needed you. Please forgive me and make me new. Amen!
Paul addresses that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ALL! He further continues to drive this point home be subdividing humans into 3 fallen categories: unbelieving sinners full of evil and wickedness, unbelieving moral people who judge others and therefore see themselves as better than others and lastly prideful religious people who are "guides" to the blind. There is no category for one who has fully "arrived" nor is completely "righteous." Only Jesus alone is holy, perfect and righteous. I can deceive myself and think I belong in the same category as Jesus but I don't and neither does anyone else. This is not to be something to be ashamed of. It should be humbling, knowing that only Jesus alone can credit me his righteousness as a gift and he alone can justify me by faith alone in him and what he has accomplished. No one can do anything to be right with God. I don't have to try harder. I don't have to be better. I can rest alone in the work of Jesus calling me his child and crediting me, as the most wonderful gift, his righteousness.
My greatest sin? Pride & self-righteousness! Thank you Lord that you even died for me, a self-righteous, prideful religious person who has always loved you but hasn't always needed you. Please forgive me and make me new. Amen!
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