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The Greatest Need

The Greatest Need

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:48 AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:48 AM

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With so many tender topics swirling around our world today, there is much to discuss with kids and adults alike. Depression, sexual identity, vaccines, political leanings, social justice, quarantining, social media and its influence, even the wearing of masks…all worthy topics to lean into via conversation.

With so many tender topics swirling around our world today, there is much to discuss with kids and adults alike. Depression, sexual identity, vaccines, political leanings, social justice, quarantining, social media and its influence, even the wearing of masks…all worthy topics to lean into via conversation.

However, brothers and sisters, may we never forget every soul’s greatest need. Every soul’s greatest need is Jesus.

Jesus, who wrapped in flesh and lived among messy people. Jesus who suffered shame and ridicule and was completely misunderstood even by His closest friends. Jesus, who died a terrible death while amassing the sin of all humanity upon his shoulders and worse yet, His Father turned away. Jesus, who rose victoriously, squashing sin, death, and the grave. Jesus, who promises that He will make all things new, and He will wipe away every tear from every eye.

When Jesus enters a soul, lives are transformed, and perspectives are changed. It is not our primary role to correct in others their “misunderstandings” of any of the above topics or to coerce another to “see things our way” (which in actuality most times translates to “our way is the right way”). When Jesus intervenes, when He works in a broken life (of which we are all in that category), He brings freedom and victory.

Jesus brings perspective in suffering, knowing that it is for an eternal weight of glory that far outlasts the temporal ways of this world.

Jesus brings healing to the broken hearted. And yes, complete healing will not be accomplished this side of eternity and will be ultimately fulfilled when we see Him face to face.

Jesus brings conviction of sin and the power to live according to His desires instead of our old fleshly desires.

Jesus brings hope. Hope when all seems lost. Hope when the world looks like it is falling apart. Hope when the enemy seems to be winning. Isn’t this what the disciples must have felt like on that Saturday before the Resurrection?

Jesus brings transformation through the indwelling Holy Spirit, who acts as our guide, our comforter, our closest companion.

Jesus brings rest. Rest to a weary soul. Rest even among the external chaos. Rest that is so much deeper and consequential than any rest the world offers.

So, as we enter into the messiness of our own lives and the lives of those around us, may we never be tempted to believe that this or that solution can rescue us. What we all need most is Jesus. He alone is the Rescuer. He alone is our deepest longing and the lover of our souls. He alone provides the solution to our greatest problem, which is sin. He alone will victoriously bring us home to glory and make us whole.

Kristi Gholson is a member of Grand Parkway. She and her husband Ryan have four spunky kids age 7 to 14. She is passionate about women knowing the Bible and living according to the transformational truth that it contains.

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Salt and Light

Salt and Light

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:46 AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:46 AM

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You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden"

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5.13-16

Jesus loves a good analogy. He also knows that if you’ve ever been stuck in complete darkness, there’s nothing more powerful than the sound of a striking match. I grew up in Florida where hurricanes are an inevitable part of the landscape. As a child, I didn’t grasp the magnitude of the damage. I just knew school was called off and my family all pulled together to have one huge indoor camping experience. Inevitably, the electricity would go out and Mom would light the oil lamp and set it in the most central location in our house so that we could all see. The simple point of the lamp was to be able to see our way through the darkness of the house. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called “the light of the world.” Part of our “point” is to make it possible for people to see God. When you think about it, it’s kind of preposterous that God would entrust that analogizing to us, but He did.

What does it look like to BE salt and light? The answers to that question are as numerous as there are Christians in this world. It’s offering to mow your neighbors’ grass when they’re out of town or new to town. It’s paying the bill for the single mom in line at the grocery store who’s rifling through her purse for change. It’s returning an overpayment for purchased goods or stopping to give your information when you accidentally ding the car next to you. It’s ferociously loving and serving your spouse or remembering that the cashier at Walmart is a person with a name and a story. Being salt and light is living with simple intentionality toward others. When their curiosity leads them to ask why you did what you did, listen with your soul to the sound of a match being struck.

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Holy Habits

Holy Habits

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:45 AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:45 AM

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Do you consider yourself a Christian but wish you loved God with more fervor?

One of the ways we all grow in our love for God is to know Him better. In yesterday’s sermon, Neil mentioned the need to develop “holy habits.”

Do you consider yourself a Christian but wish you loved God with more fervor?

One of the ways we all grow in our love for God is to know Him better. In yesterday’s sermon, Neil mentioned the need to develop “holy habits.” One of those holy habits is study.

Read what Jen Wilkin has to say about how knowledge feeds our delight in God.

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Building Community on Your Street

Building Community on Your Street

Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:42 AM
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 10:42 AM

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Several years ago, as a pastor friend of mine was discussing the upcoming mission trips his church would be taking he said, “I’m not going to send people across the world to share the Gospel if they won’t cross the street to do it ?rst.” This was a punch in the gut for me.

Several years ago, as a pastor friend of mine was discussing the upcoming mission trips his church would be taking he said, “I’m not going to send people across the world to share the Gospel if they won’t cross the street to do it ?rst.” This was a punch in the gut for me. You see I had just moved back from ?ve years overseas as a missionary and I had no idea who my neighbor across the hall from me was. I’d never even thought about speaking to them if I was honest.

Why was it so easy to go to another country and share the Gospel but it wasn’t even a thought to knock on the door ten feet away from mine? Didn’t they need Jesus just as much as someone on the “mission ?eld”? And why did the term “mission ?eld” bring up images of some far o?, foreign place but not my street? We all know the Great Commission is not just for the foreign missionaries, it’s for all of us who follow Jesus, so where do we even start?

Let me begin by saying that I’m not an expert and I don’t have all the answers. What I do have is a conviction that I desperately want to be in community with the people who live around me and I want those same people to know Jesus. What has, somewhat organically, happened on my street this past year is not a template for what will work on every street. But one thing I know that is without a doubt required for building community is intentionality.

When I look back on this last year I have some takeaways that I think may help in your own community building e?orts. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good start.

 

  • Be visible. It is all too common and easy for our neighbors to drive their car into their driveway at the end of a long work day and shut the garage behind them, escaping into their homes for the evening. Maybe you’ve been one of these people. I really do believe this is where intentionality starts. If you want to know your neighbors you ?rst have to be known. My backyard is a much more comfortable place for me to hang out, but it’s not where the life of my street happens. We set chairs out on our driveway. We go on walks. We pull the yard games out to our front yard. We talk to people as they walk down the sidewalk. Many of our neighbors have started doing this as well. Granted, this will de?nitely be easier if you have kids in your home and kids on your street, it’s a natural connection, but we honestly love when our empty nest neighbors join in on the fun. True community is multi-generational. These days, more often than not, we will have people from 5 or 6 di?erent houses all hanging out in a driveway talking while our kids run all over the place. It’s chaos and it’s wonderful.
  • Be available. Your neighbor needs help moving a big heavy table, wants to borrow a wrench, is wondering if you can loan them a stick of butter. The answer is yes. I am here to help you. It’s not always convenient, but it is what community building is made of.
  • Be thoughtful. Before you really know your neighbors well you can still show them that you care. Pull their trashcans up to their garage for them after they’ve been emptied. When you see that they’ve accidentally left their garage door open send them a quick text. If you notice that they go out of town every long weekend, o?er to let their dog out. Just as in any relationship, your neighbors will appreciate that you care enough to think about them and they will likely o?er that same care in return.
  • Be fun. We have some awesome block parties on our street. Want to know how these got started? Several of us were standing around on the driveway talking one night and the hot topic of the best methods for smoking meat came up. One thing led to another and we decided the only way to settle this was to have a rib cook o?. The next month we decided to have a wing cook o?. Then we just decided it was so fun we would start having these (now not so little) block parties every month. We pick a theme and everyone brings something to share. Yes, they are fun, but they still require e?ort. Someone has to spearhead everything, send out reminders, make sure we have enough paper plates. If you want to make sure the fun happens, you might have to be that person making it happen.

 

 

Intentionality may involve stepping out of your comfort zone. It may mean some extra work. It might take longer than you’d like. And it should de?nitely include prayer. God has placed you in your exact house to be a light to the speci?c people living on your street. If that’s not a
“mission ?eld” then I don’t know what is.

– Laura Gregory

 

Laura Gregory is a member of Grand Parkway. She and her husband Justin have two active boys, Hunter (12) and Henry (1). She loves to make people feel wanted by Jesus and His people, exploring new places and fancy coffee drinks with friends old and new.

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When Power Meets Desire

When Power Meets Desire

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:26 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:26 PM

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I’ve thought of a thousand ways to dress this up in a way that will capture your attention and stir you to action. I feel too urgent today to think anymore about how to say it just right. It’s not user-friendly or short. I trust the Lord will let it fall on the ears who need to hear it. 

Friends,

I’ve thought of a thousand ways to dress this up in a way that will capture your attention and stir you to action. I feel too urgent today to think anymore about how to say it just right. It’s not user-friendly or short. I trust the Lord will let it fall on the ears who need to hear it. 

I have been vexed since the summer women’s Bible study. We walked through 1 Thessalonians and I cannot get out of my crawl the fact that in less than 2 years, a brand new church full of brand new Christians spread the ridiculously transforming experience of following Jesus to what is now modern-day Greece…and beyond. No email. No radio. No phone. No car. Just using words physically spoken with their mouths, backed up by a radical and noticeable change in their values, choices, view of death, the way they treated people and their response to suffering. They believed God and thought He was powerful enough to change them…for good. And it put in them a fire that burned them to the ground and left the living and true version of themselves, never to be the same again.

For the modern-day church-goer, whose primary attitude in “worship” seems to be “Oops, I Did it Again,” we can’t conceive of this kind of transformation, much less experience it. We have replaced personal holiness with authenticity and it is not the same thing by a long shot. Authenticity is good but it’s only the first page of the first chapter of holy, pure, righteous, God-besotted living. We say, “God understands that my situation is unique.” With all of the love in my heart, I say to you, “Fire on that hell!” No, our situation is not unique. The consequences for thinking that we can get away with sin because our situation is unique and “God understands” will not be good. In fact, at some point, God’s judgment IS to cut the strings (See Romans 1:24, 26, 28). That phrase in Romans 1, “God gave them over” is like the sound of “clods of dirt being thrown onto a casket.” Spiritual death has come and a terrifying silence is upon us.

Philippians 2 says that God has not only given Followers of Jesus the DESIRE to please God but the POWER to do so. That’s my sadness. To come to church week after week and to remain the exact same person (even if it’s being a nice person), doing the exact same things, going after the exact same goals in your jobs and your families and your retirement as everyone around you means you are not even getting to experience the profound adventure of faith in Jesus that comes with such peace that the word peace barely expresses what it settles inside of your soul. Being ALL IN, all burned to the ground, all dead, all out of any better hopes than Jesus and what He says to do is what it means to be a Christian. Nothing less. There is no other Gospel. Can you imagine getting in bed at night without feeling icky or regretful or weighing out what went well and what stunk or without a gnawing sense that something’s missing, without needing to medicate that gnawing with sex or alcohol or prescription drugs or TV or social media or shopping or impression management or activism or a thousand other things?

Okay, so all of that is the preface to what I am asking you to consider. My responsibility to God, as a minister of the Gospel, and to the elders, as a pastor in this church, is to equip you, the women of this church, to be and do what the Bible says we can be and do, to hold up the Word of God as the only mirror by which we can truly see who we are to be, and to exhort you over and over to be done with lesser gods and to ask God to draw you into the life which is truly Life.

With that in mind, I am begging God today to stir you up. If you are a young Christian (whether you are 18 or 81, whether you have been in the church your whole life or just started coming), would you find someone who has the fire of God in her eyes and ask her to teach you what to do next or get in a Discipleship Group (“D-Group”) at our church which will help you know the Word of God and let it have its way with you? If you are a mature Christian (no matter your biological age), would you consider what it looks like for you to follow the Biblical command to train the younger women in our church in some way? If you have suffered trauma in your life that keeps you tangled up (whether it’s something you have done or has been done to you), would you come and tell your story and let us figure out a pathway through? If you don’t know which of these women you are, would you come to me and let’s talk it through and pray and discern together what it would look like for you to live like Jesus if He were you? Scripture says it this way, “Come let us reason together. Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.”

Curt Thompson says in his book, Anatomy of the Soul, “The process of being known is the vessel in which our lives are kneaded and molded, lanced and sutured, confronted and comforted, bringing God’s new creation closer to its fullness in preparation for the return of the King…. To be known means that you allow your shame and guilt to be exposed—in order for them to be healed.

I am begging us all to lay down the very thin and cracking veneer of having it all together and lash ourselves to the Word and to each other so that we can all forget what is behind and strain forward toward the Prize. Come be known. Come be exposed. Come be healed.

I know the holidays are upon us. It’s about to get busy for you. This is not a well-timed exhortation, but man, I am pleading with you to consider what I’m writing. Over the holidays, I would encourage us all to read two things as we pray:

  • First, read whatever passage our sermons are on every day for the rest of that week. Ponder it, chew on it.
  • Second, read The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield. You can get a taste of it from this article. What does this book have to do with anything I just said? It is a very radical and practical way to begin to be known and to live out the Gospel. It will unsettle you in all the best of ways. Get some friends together and read it. It will push you toward living like a glorious, bonfire of a believer in the midst of the cold, indifference of church-attending. Now that I’m writing this, I say we ALL read it together. Mid-week studies have ended for the year. The cold weather has called us indoors. It’s 10 chapters. If we read 2 chapters a week, we’d have it read by Christmas. I say we do it. Order it today HERE. Put it on your online reading device. We’ll start next week.

If you have read so far and are overwhelmed with where to begin and wondering if there’s any point because there’s already so much water under your bridge, remember this unexplainable, sacred miracle: God CAN put in you and me not just the DESIRE but also the POWER to live in a way that brings Him great glory and brings us great joy in every stage and season of life in which we find ourselves. 

I love you immensely,
Marcie McClendon
[email protected]

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‘Tis The Season To Be Hospitable

‘Tis The Season To Be Hospitable

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:25 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:25 PM

Attachment: tis-the-season-to-be-hospitable-1536x1024.jpg 48KB

I’ll admit it, I love Pinterest. Very few days go by that I’m not on the sharing site checking out new pins and saving them to one of my many interest boards. If you’re unfamiliar with the site, it’s basically an online corkboard where people can share recipes, home décor, DIY projects, etc. There are some amazing things on there, but sadly, most of them make me feel like a failure. My home doesn’t look like it should be on the pages of some trendy home decorating magazine...

I’ll admit it, I love Pinterest. Very few days go by that I’m not on the sharing site checking out new pins and saving them to one of my many interest boards. If you’re unfamiliar with the site, it’s basically an online corkboard where people can share recipes, home décor, DIY projects, etc. There are some amazing things on there, but sadly, most of them make me feel like a failure. My home doesn’t look like it should be on the pages of some trendy home decorating magazine, I’m not handy with a miter saw (that’s a type of saw right?) and I don’t have time to cook a weeknight meal with 85 ingredients. All of this could make a person feel a little discouraged. So why do I keep going back to it? Because I am still inspired by the spirit of hospitality that leaps from the pages.

During this Christmas season, you will probably open your home to your neighbors, friends and family or be invited into someone’s home to celebrate. Churches will hold special Christmas gatherings (this seems like a perfect time to remind you about Grand Parkway’s Christmas Eve services). Dinner menus are being created, Christmas cards are being sent out and ugly Christmas sweaters are being purchased left and right. Amidst all the hustle and bustle, I wonder, do we miss the doors that our hospitality can open?

The Bible is full of exhortations on practicing hospitality. 1 Peter 4:9 tells us to be hospitable “without complaint” (try remembering that verse the next time someone shows up for a last-minute visit, your house is a wreck and you haven’t been to the grocery store in weeks). In 1 Timothy 3:2 we see that hospitality is a requirement for church leaders, and Hebrews 13:1-2 sets hospitality as a duty of all believers, not just those in charge.

So why is hospitality so important? As someone who should probably buy stock in Hobby Lobby, I’d like to say it’s so that I can show off my latest decorating project, or have people wondering “how does she do it all”, but truthfully, hospitality has nothing to do with me. Hospitality has everything to do with the Gospel.

When people feel welcomed by your warm and inviting space, loved and filled by your delicious meal or special and remembered by your beautifully wrapped gifts, they let their guards down. Hospitality softens hearts and makes them fertile soil for receiving the Good News of the Gospel. Our hospitality is a reflection of the love of a Savior who would move heaven and earth to be with you. We show our love for Christ by loving others.

This Christmas season I would encourage you not to get caught up in the pressure of the perfect Christmas tablescape (yes, that’s really a thing), but remember that your open home and open arms could make the difference in someone’s eternity. Out of the many gifts we will receive this Christmas, the greatest is the “indescribable gift” of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15). Be hospitable, not because of Pinterest, but because the unmerited grace of the Gospel beckons you to love others well.

Wishing you a very Merry ( & hospitable) Christmas,
Laura Gregory

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The Power of the Wait

The Power of the Wait

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:19 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:19 PM

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In 2014, Thomas and Misty were ecstatic to find out they were pregnant. It had been a three-year journey of waiting and praying. They shared the news with their immediate family and shortly thereafter faced jolting sadness when they lost the baby.

In 2014, Thomas and Misty were ecstatic to find out they were pregnant. It had been a three-year journey of waiting and praying. They shared the news with their immediate family and shortly thereafter faced jolting sadness when they lost the baby.

“I am going to meet that kid one day,” says Misty. “It’s going to be a person that from eight weeks old has never known anything but the perfect love of God. That’s something that I just think about sometimes…It sounds more broken than it feels to me. That’s a blessing. That’s when I became a mother. I was a mother before Hudson. But these things are good things.”

“Anytime you want something very badly that isn’t in your ability to provide for yourself, you’re in a position to be learning things,” says Misty. That is exactly the place where the Browns found themselves.

First Comes Love

The couple first met in an economics class at Austin High School. She was the theater nerd, and he was the football guy. They didn’t like each other. Fast forward a few years and the pair met again in the college ministry at Grand Parkway.

In 2005, Misty asked the group for help moving into an apartment. Several people volunteered to help. But on moving day, Thomas was the only one who came. That’s where their story began. Misty remembers carrying a couch with Thomas up the apartment stairwell. Thomas had one end of the couch and Misty had the other. Her mom stood behind Thomas at the top of the stairs excitedly pointing and mouthing to her, “Invite him to dinner!” She did.

Then Comes Marriage

They got married in 2007, and like most newlyweds, they were just excited to be married. Neither of them was in any rush to start a family. “We were 24 when we got married,” says Thomas. “We knew in our minds we had time.” But two years later, they decided to start a family.

Then Comes…

“Every month that went by, it got harder and harder,” says Thomas. Doctors couldn’t find anything wrong. When months turned to years, they sensed it had started to overshadow their relationship, and they decided to take a step back. “I cannot make my life about this,” says Misty. In 2013, they went to Costa Rica with Grand Parkway on their first international mission trip together. “We didn’t want that to become our identity, like ‘Oh, that’s the infertile couple,’” says Thomas. “Our life is more than that. Our relationship with Christ is more than that.”

You can’t be obedient to God…and still, have your one thing. That’s idolatry.

— Misty

Pursuing Obedience

“There’s not a secret combination, where like if I put the coin in, pull the slot handle just like this, then God will spit out the magic prize, that’s not the way it is,” shares Misty. “I can’t make my life about infertility and still have my life be about obedience to Jesus. I’m not saying it’s sinful to pursue children. It’s sinful to pursue it at the expense of obedience.”

After their first pregnancy and miscarriage, they went through a season of depression followed by renewed hope. Soon, they were expecting again. They were excited but cautious. “It was more than I was ready for. It was overwhelmingly good,” says Misty about Hudson’s arrival in 2015. “You know that that’s in God’s capacity. It’s what you’ve been praying for and wanting, but when he shows up, you’re like, ‘Look at you!’”

They now have a concreteness to their trust in God that was once just warm feelings. Misty says, “You can trust Him. It’s going to suck. It’s going to be great. It’s going to be much more than you are capable of handling, but you can trust Him.”

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Slowing Down With A Good Book

Slowing Down With A Good Book

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:15 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:15 PM

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My oldest daughter and I were talking the other day and comparing our experiences of being in high school as a Christian. In many ways, our experiences could not be more different. Where they are similar was in our hunger to be stretched and pushed. Because we were both pretty low-drama teenagers, it was easy for us to be overlooked in some ways because more attention is usually given to the drama, whether by choice or necessity...

My oldest daughter and I were talking the other day and comparing our experiences of being in high school as a Christian. In many ways, our experiences could not be more different. Where they are similar was in our hunger to be stretched and pushed. Because we were both pretty low-drama teenagers, it was easy for us to be overlooked in some ways because more attention is usually given to the drama, whether by choice or necessity. So we got kudos for being “nice young ladies” with leadership gifts instead of being challenged to be set apart for more than being “nice young ladies.”

I shared with her the ways I began growing in my relationship with Jesus. Apart from being with God in His Word, one of the ways God stretched me most was by putting me in the company of big souls. Some of that meant pursuing time with more mature people who would speak into my life. More often, it meant reading books by people with big souls who would stretch me and cause me to think beyond my limited experience and small circle of influence. So really, if you were to ask me who some of my mentors have been, it would not be a lie to include C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Amy Carmichael or Richard Foster. As our conversation was wrapping up, she said, “Mom, send me a list of the most spiritually formative books in your life.”

In mentioning this to other folks, I realized that a syllabus of sorts is a pretty welcomed commodity. I get that not everyone is a reader, but I encourage you to pick one book and let it sharpen you a bit. As we get older, many of our ideas and beliefs become solidified. That’s not a bad thing unless the ideas and beliefs are based on preference instead of Truth (and yes, I believe there is absolute Truth). My prayer is that some of these books will allow you to abandon some of your pet theologies that are built more on culture or upbringing and less on Scripture. Order one or two, carve out a little time and put yourself in the company of a big soul.

Each of the following books has molded me in specific ways. I have read some of them so many times that their pages are worn and marked.

Knowing God J.I. Packer

This book challenged me to move from knowing about God to knowing God.

“For some unfathomable reason, God wants me as His friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given His Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose. We cannot work these thoughts out here, but merely to mention them is enough to show how much it means to know, not merely that we know God, but that He knows us.”

Celebration of Discipline Richard Foster

If you are stuck and hungry to grow, this book offers ancient and practical disciplines that will grow your faith immeasurably.

“God intends the Disciplines of the spiritual life to be for ordinary human beings: people who have jobs, who care for children, who must wash dishes and mow lawns. In fact, the Disciplines are best exercised in the midst of our normal daily activities. If they are to have any transforming effect, the effect must be found in the ordinary junctures of human life: in our relationships with our husband or wife, our brothers and sisters, our friends and neighbors.”

John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides, An Autobiography

Living among constant dangers and death threats, battling against illness and enduring great personal loss and sacrifice, John G. Paton labored on and showed great love for the island peoples. You will be riveted by his story.

“Being entirely at the mercy of such doubtful and vacillating friends, I, though perplexed, felt it best to obey. I climbed into the tree and was left there alone in the bush. The hours I spent there live all before me as if it were but of yesterday. I heard the frequent discharging of muskets and the yells of the Savages. Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe as in the arms of Jesus. Never, in all my sorrows, did my Lord draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul, than when the moonlight flickered among those chestnut leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I told all my heart to Jesus. Alone, yet not alone! If it be to glorify my God, I will not grudge to spend many nights alone in such a tree, to feel again my Savior’s spiritual presence, to enjoy His consoling fellowship. If thus thrown back upon your own soul, alone, all alone, in the midnight, in the bush, in the very embrace of death itself, have you a Friend that will not fail you then?”

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Post-Christmas Mommy Guilt

Post-Christmas Mommy Guilt

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:13 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:13 PM

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The guilt started as we drove home in the dark after a not so silent night at my parent’s Christmas Eve service. Much of motherhood, especially the preschool years, must be met with humor and a lot of patience. This night was no exception. During the Children’s Message (in which all of the kids in the church service were invited upfront), my boys and their partner in crime cousin thought it would be a good idea to have a wrestling match. As the pastor closed in prayer, our boys were piled on top of each other like a triple stack at IHOP. Then, at one point during the service, I looked around and noticed I was alone on the back pew, save for my sleeping 3-month-old in her carrier. The other 9 people in my extended family were in the foyer due to poor behavior! Surprisingly, I was not bothered by these chaotic events—it just typified the season of life that we were in.

The guilt started as we drove home in the dark after a not so silent night at my parent’s Christmas Eve service. Much of motherhood, especially the preschool years, must be met with humor and a lot of patience. This night was no exception. During the Children’s Message (in which all of the kids in the church service were invited upfront), my boys and their partner in crime cousin thought it would be a good idea to have a wrestling match. As the pastor closed in prayer, our boys were piled on top of each other like a triple stack at IHOP. Then, at one point during the service, I looked around and noticed I was alone on the back pew, save for my sleeping 3-month-old in her carrier. The other 9 people in my extended family were in the foyer due to poor behavior! Surprisingly, I was not bothered by these chaotic events—it just typified the season of life that we were in.

However, as we drove home that night the mental barrage began: “Once again, another Christmas season has come and gone and I have not claimed the real meaning of Christmas for my family.

The Advent wreath underutilized; the Jesse Tree made but not experienced; so many great ideas that never happened. When will I get it right? When will baby Jesus not get lost in the to-do lists, the presents to wrap, the Christmas cards to address, or the out of town packing?”

As this mommy guilt heaped upon my shoulders, all of a sudden—it hit me; a silent nudge from God. “What about the rest of the year?”

What if I did everything just right during the holidays, but Jesus was not celebrated the other 11 months of the year? I can surely seize more moments next Christmas season, but if that is the only time of the year that baby Jesus—King Jesus—is lifted up in our house, then something is clearly wrong. What does my everyday life speak to my kids about Jesus; about His love, His patience, His grace and forgiveness? How does discipline in our home bring them to a better understanding of the true reason of why He had to come as a baby? How does the joy that I exhibit through trials or suffering demonstrate the power of a living God inside of me?

“What if Christmas is not like a firecracker that flashes in the sky and fades as quickly as it appeared? What if Christmas is the culmination of this growing crescendo throughout the whole year?”

This would give greater texture and veracity of the Truth of the Christmas story for our kids. They would know that it is real—not because the calendar says so, but because of a well-lived (absolutely not perfect!) life before them.

So, for those like me who are burdened by the guilt of “I didn’t do this right…somehow I missed it again this year,” let’s throw off the lie that the enemy is feeding us.

“Christmas is not a once a year celebration; one that we either ‘got right’ or ‘missed the boat…again!’ The story of Christmas is for every day.”

Every day I mess up, fall short, and indulge in the selfishness of sin. Every day I am in need of a Savior, a baby Jesus, to come and make things right, to make me new again. Every day I can be part of His redemptive story, living out the Truth before my kids in such an attractive way that they can’t help but notice what’s up with their crazy mom. So, let’s seek Him in the not so silent moments of our chaotic lives. And even if we seemed to have missed it this Christmas, we always have today!

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Letter From A Mom on Mission

Letter From A Mom on Mission

Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:10 PM
Wednesday, January 4, 2023 12:10 PM

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Our morning started with, “No! don’t eat the shaving cream!” – all while I held my sweet, crying son who decided not to participate in the day’s mission project. It wasn’t the picture-perfect start to our day, but just the reality of raising toddlers represented in front of us. Together, a group of mom friends, charged by God with raising these precious children, dedicated our morning to being moms on mission. We took time from our usually busy mornings to help our children be tiny missionaries that displayed God’s love through their creativity.

 

Morgan Daniels has become a Mom on Mission. This didn’t come overnight or without its challenges, but in the following words, she shares the difference it has made in their family.


Our morning started with, “No! don’t eat the shaving cream!” – all while I held my sweet, crying son who decided not to participate in the day’s mission project. It wasn’t the picture-perfect start to our day, but just the reality of raising toddlers represented in front of us. Together, a group of mom friends, charged by God with raising these precious children, dedicated our morning to being moms on mission. We took time from our usually busy mornings to help our children be tiny missionaries that displayed God’s love through their creativity.

In the years of raising my young kids I have found that it’s easy to become buried by the diapers, tantrums and marathon dinners and think to myself, “In a few more years, I’ll have more time to teach them about being the hands and feet of Jesus.” We teach our kids to be forgiving, kind, and loving like Jesus, but what about missionary Jesus? I’m reminded of the times when I’ve said children “are way smarter than we give them credit for, more capable.” To follow my own advice, I decided that our kids were not too young or incapable of understanding this important side of our Lord’s work.

I want our family to be a family on constant mission for Jesus. What a gift God has given us with our families, a chance to be the first people to cultivate God’s love in our children’s hearts. My desire is to show my children that I am in constant pursuit of God. Let us be intentional in finding ways to bless others. By pouring our love on others through acts of service we provide our children a tangible example of what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Our family mission journey has started, small and realistic of course, but it’s started. We’ve been teaching our children about the love Jesus had for the sick, widowed, and lost. We have seen the passion of service arise in our four-year-old daughter as she makes something for a teacher she’s never met. We see her gifts develop before our eyes, and are beginning to see how God has uniquely designed her to love on others. The concept of looking outward can be hard for young children to grasp but we prayerfully want them to develop a natural desire, not felt out of obligation, but out of love for others. 

So, I encourage you to guide your children down the path of servanthood, no matter their age. We are instructed to lead them in the way they should go. Let us show our children what it means to love our neighbors, strangers, the broken and under-appreciated, to love like Jesus loves us. We can help nurture their desire to reach beyond themselves and be the living proof that God moves in even the tiniest of ways.

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