Just a Little Light

Light. God called us to be light to a lost world.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven. Matthew 5:16

Have you ever been in darkness? Have you ever come out of darkenss and into a lighted place? The longer you have been in the dark, the harder it is for your eyes to adjust to light. Bright, abrupt light blinds us and causes us to recoil. What we want is just a little light...enough so that we can see what surrounds us...that light is good.

I believe this is true in the spiritual world too. Make no mistake, life without Christ is dark. There is no hope. However, for those in the darkness, it envelopes them and is everything they know. They can't see the dangers or even the good things that lay around them. Their eyes are adjusted to the darkness.

As light bearers, we are accustomed to living in the full light of Christ. We know the joy of basking in His light. But are we aware of how we shine our light? Do we require that those in darkness step out of the dark and into the daylight...in one giant step? Or do we allow our light to shine as a candle first, just loving people, serving them and allowing them to see that light is good?

The world can embrace this kind of light. It is warm, it is comforting. It does not blind them and cause them to recoil back into darkness. And, when a lost soul sees this small light, it will begin to seek more. It will wonder where the source of this true light comes from. And slowly, we can add more light. Slowly by loving people, they realize they can have the same light and love and peace that we have. The more we serve and love them, the brighter His light can shine. And eventually, one day, some may step into the Son shine with you and embrace His warmth, peace and love. Some may not. Some will choose to only watch your candle burn...but even so, they will see that light. They will know Light exists. And perhaps, someday, they will follow another light bearer to the real Light. And when they do, they will be ready for that Light. They will be able to embrace Him and then reflect His light to another.

How is your light? Are you blinding people with your abruptness? Or are you a gentle flame that grows as a soul grows and needs more and more of the Light you have?
Remember, the verse says, "Let your light so shine..." Let your light shine in such a way that it draws men to Christ's perfect light. Allow Him to shine through you and use you in just the right brightness so that the world sees Him and begins to yearn for His light.

Rocking in the Darkness

The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you.
He will quiet you with His love.
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Recently, I discovered this verse and it brings me so much peace. In my mind, I go back to a place some 16-18 years ago. I am taken to the middle of the night, to the sound of a child, precious to me, crying out in hunger. Picking them up, I would rock them and sing to them while they filled an empty tummy. It was quiet, peaceful and my child was at perfect ease. They knew they were being fed, nourished and perfectly safe in the arms of the person who loved them most. They had faith that the person rocking and singing would always take care of them. In fact, as a mom, I wanted nothing but the best for them and had visions of the grand things they would do in life, of the great person they would grow to be.

God is the father who lovingly holds us in his arms and sings over us. He looks at us and he is delighted. He doesn't focus on the spit up or the flaws...He focuses on the beautiful face of HIS child, the one He holds so dear to Him. And God, so much more than me as a parent, wants all the best for me. He envisions me being all I can be in Him. He envisions me becoming the perfect reflection of His love.

What an awesome picture of a mighty,loving God. Our God isn't set on destroying us...He preference is to be the father we can run to. The one who answers when we cry out in our darkness. The one who hears us and picks us up, and nourishes us with His peace, His comfort and His rejoicing. The one who is constantly pushing us to know Him and live in His image.

Seek Him and let Him take delight in you...let Him quiet you and then embrace His rejoicing over you and sing along with Him. Live in the peace of His love and his joy.

Faith??

Some days I get so frustrated. I wonder if God does? He blesses us over and over and over...abundantly. And in return...we doubt Him and don't even give Him the chance to supply all our needs. Some days I wonder if God's church really even believes in HIm...or is He just an abstract idea that makes us feel more secure with our deaths. Is He only there to make us feel immortal? No, we would never say that...we just quietly live it by the decisions or indecision in our lives.

God is REAL. God is LOVE. God's realness shows through in HIS love for us. All we have to do is look around and we will see His blessings just overflowing. All we have to do is look back at the times where we stepped out in faith and see how richly God rewarded that. God is bigger than money...God is bigger than attendance...God is bigger than a bad economy.

He always has and always will provide. It may not be in the way we think He ought to. Sometimes, I believe He lets us plunge downward just so we have to look up and trust Him to take care of us. Why, when God has done so much in each of our lives, can we not believe in Him to take care of us in the future?

We make our decisions based on what we see and hold. We occasionally give God wiggle room, but not much and only if we control it. I wonder...what could GOD's church do...if we just had the faith of a mustard seed?

We laugh at the disciple's lack of faith and Jesus telling them they could move mountains if they so chose...but we fail to see how most days we don't even have the faith they do. Even with their tiny faith, they allowed God to build His church through them. The church then was vibrant and alive. They made HUGE mistakes. Their worship was atrocious at times (see Corinthians). And yet, they all had faith. They believed in the GOD they loved and they knew loved them. They believed enough to know HE would see them through their errors. HE would see them through economic disasters (See Jerusalem - around 60-70AD) They had faith that even in the face of torture and death that their God would see them through. They recognized their flaws, but believed God was bigger. They let Him be in control. Was the church of the 1st century perfect? Not even close! Every letter in the New Testament is written to churches telling them what they need to fix and yet each one believed in doing whatever it took to get the message of Christ to a world that was lost.

For some reason, somewhere along the line, we decided we had it all figured out. We knew what it took to be the "perfect church". And somewhere in there, we felt the need to begin to micro manage God's church. REALLY??? Like we can do a better job than God with HIS church??? He blesses us so abundantly and yet we plunder His blessings. HE gives us talented people and we tell them they have to fit the roles we give them. HE gives us funds and we refuse to use them, just in case we might lose some of them. HE gives us vibrance and excitement in our youth and we legislate them down until they are lifeless.

THIS is not the church that I read about in the first century. They did "whatever it took", even if it meant they sometimes got it wrong.

"Whatever it takes" is a big step of faith. It may mean making my decisions differently. It may mean coming to a point where I can truly say, "I serve an awesome, mighty God who loves me and will not abandon me".

Jesus...that's all people need

It is so simple and yet we try to make it so difficult. We have plans and formulas and "tricks" on how to get people to get to the point we think they should be at with Christ. We have the sword method, the Romans Method, the list goes on & on. What method did the apostles use? They unfortuneately (???) did not have all the eloquence and scripture that we do, so...what did they do?

Simple...they shared with the world what Jesus did for them. Paul summed up what he taught beautifully in I Corinthians 2. (I am not a big fan of the Message version, but on advice of a friend, I used it as a comparison and I really like the way it worded these two verses -- same meaning, just different times) Anyway, read below to see what Paul taught...

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

(NIV)

1-2You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did—Jesus crucified.

(Message)


Do you see that? He ON PURPOSE kept it simple...he told people who Jesus was and what He did. How many times do we miss that??

We need to stop and relize we hold in our hands something so awesome. In the words of Jeff Walling, we have the "cookie"! In my house, that would be equivalent to having the "pie"! Everyone who knows us, knows Clay loves baking pies and he is VERY good at it...homemade EVERYTHING!! When he started this, the teens started telling everyone; they told him he needed to sell the pies. And of course, he decided to sell them as a fundraiser for the mission trip. It has been crazy!! One person taste the pie and they buy one, then they have someone taste the pie and they want one...and on and on...he is closing in on making 200 pies now since March!!! How?? Well, we taught and recruited the teens and our friends in a fool proof method. We spent hours in a classroom learning how to make the pies sound good enough to eat. NOT!!!!! People just talked about how much they enjoyed the pie. They let people taste the pies that they had... and ...some things are just too good to be passed up!

How good is your God? How much has Christ changed your life? If you are just going through the motions of living in Christ, you may have forgotten what Jesus did for your life. I don't mean the reality of living forever with Him in Heaven. (as if that is not enough) I mean the life, you know, abundant life, He gives me now. The peace I have even in the worst of times. The love I feel toward people. What would your life be like without Christ?? What if you did not have that hope and the assurance that "someone" had everything under control?? If you, as a Christian are sleepwalking, wake up and realize what God is doing everyday of your life!!

We don't need a method...we don't even have to worry about the end results. God can take care of that. All he asks of us is to share how he is working in our lives. But first, we have to wake up and think about how He is working! Practice by sharing what God is doing in your world with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of talking about the stupid issues of the day, or what you disagree with, talk about how awesome God is and how He is moving. When we start talking to each other and our faith becomes an everyday part of our lives, it will flow out to everyone without us even realizing it. And pretty soon, when you're loving people (for real: not with an agenda), someone will ask, WHY?? Then we can tell them about the God who loves us so dearly, that we can't help but love others!

All we have to do is share that hope and love. We just need to share our lives with people so that the overflow of Jesus will pour out on them and they will want what we have. If we are not overflowing with Christ, then I don't believe we are living in Him as fully as we can. God doesn't need us to sell Him. Their are no quotas in Heaven. All we need to do is love Him and love His creation.

Go Outside & Play!!

Remember those rainy weeks when you were a kid--so boring--nothing to do--so you argued with your siblings. It didn't matter about what. I remember my sister used to tell on me for "thinking mean things about her"--okay, I probably was antagonizing her just a bit! :) But we all remember how staying in the house, playing games, school, dolls, whatever was only fun for a very short time and then everyone in the house got on your nerves! We would argue about petty things, mean things and even the things we really didn't care about.

As moms, we all longed for the sunshine..that first ray when ALL moms kick everyone out of the house saying..."Go play outside". And oh, the relief. The kids could run, play and interact with people outside the house. They played to exhaustion and when they came back in they were thrilled to be there...because at home there was nourishment (Read nice, hot dinner or a cool popsicle), there was love (mom always has a kiss and a bandaid for the boo boos we get outside) and there was true acceptance.

I think, as a church, we have been playing in the house for far too long. As God's kids we bicker and argue; we look for the petty and insignificant issues and we pick fights. We are totally intolerant of anyone...and Jesus is callig us to "GO PLAY OUTSIDE!"

He even said it..."Go into all the world..." Jesus understood that if the apostles stayed in that upper room not only would the world be lost but they would devour each other. Can't you imagine Peter and John arguing about what exactly happened the night Peter walked on the water? Or maybe Andrew belittling James and John for asking for special places next to Christ?

Jesus knew they had to get outside to play. What made the church in the first century great? What was their pattern? It was simple...they put their own selfishness aside and went outside and played! They engaged the world wherever they were at. They had to settle arguments by agreeing to disagree and yet love and fellowship each other. And while they were out...the world was in awe of what they had. The world didn't see petty arguing...it saw the power and love of God and they were "cut to the heart", "filled with awe" and "favored by the people" (Acts 2). And what did God do?? He built His Church.

And then they came by inside to draw nourishment from each other. They shared, they ate happily and they loved each other. God didn't build His church for us to take it over...He created it and us so that we could go out and bring every person we touch in life one step closer to Him. And then, as a family we could draw on the strengths of each other and build and encourage each other up!

"He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." I Thessalonians 5:10-11

All we have to do is go outside and play...when we engage the world while we are steadfastly seeking God...our world will change...and better yet, so will someone elses.

My God is TOO BIG for a Sunday Morning Box

Sunday morning-8am- everybody up---let's go... get ready...it's time for "church". We all look so pretty coming in to "worship" on Sunday. We piously sit in the pews, we reverently take the Lord's Supper, we sing in spirit and truth, we listen as someone prays for the Lord's direction and guidance...and then, we're done. (And by the way, all these things are good and neeeded) Then, we hurry out of "church" to make it to lunch. Then sooo many times, at lunch the discussion centers on the preacher going over or not saying what we thought he should, or maybe the choice of the songs...but what happens to God?

We have placed God in a box. We take Him out for the appointed days/hours and make every effort to appease Him. We follow a very set pattern of HOW to worship during that time, but what about the other 165 hours per week? What do we do with God then?

Our table talk should be filled with God; our conversation should be seasoned with His love and grace. Our discussions filled with the things of God and how we are growing spiritually. I should feel ever so comfortable with my brothers and sisters in Christ to ask, "what's God doing in your life?". When in Deuteronomy 6:7 God instructed His people to talk about Him, walk about Him and live their lives in the midst of Him...He knew what He was talking about.

If our children grow up and the only thing they hear about the church is the mistakes of the preacher, the song leader or the elders why would we expect them to remain faithful??? If all they hear of church is the negative, why would they want to stick around to support something so obviously failing?? For that matter, why would the unchurched want to be part? How can we present to them an abundant life when all we talk about are the abundant issues?

The God I serve is BIGGER THAN SUNDAYS! He knows all about our issues, faults and challenges. And yet, He wants us to commit ourselves to Him. He knew the church would be full of sinning people when He chose to die for us. He knew it with the lust filled Corinthian church and the legalistic church of Galatia. And yet...it was worth it to Him. Why? Because God puts love first. He created the church (his people) because He loves us and in return He asked us to LOVE HIM FIRST and commit ourselves to Him daily.

When we focus our hearts, minds, strength and souls on loving Him and on loving HIS creation...that will overflow out of our mouths from our heart. We won't be able to keep God in a Sunday box...He will be my God and I will be His child 24/7 and I will not be able to contain that.

So...make it your focus to love God and to love His church...start talking about what He does for you everyday. Talk about His word and how it works in your life. Ask questions...seek HIM. Start looking for God in your world. He is there and He blesses us COUNTLESS times everyday. He loves HIS church despite all its imperfections, challenges and issues.

You want true worship? Make your life a living sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1) Transform your mind by filling it with the things of God. Put all your energy into the things of Christ. (Colossians 3) Make everything about Him..."whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of Jesus..." This is the way to truly worship God...by making every moment of our lives about Him.

The Mission -- It's not about you...or me!

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
That is the mission..in a nutshell. Isn't it funny that Jesus said...GO to us...not "have them come to me"? And yet the church through 2000 years has changed that command to "Come to our church building, where if you fit our mold we will accept you and we will preach to you our gospel"

The world is lost. Jesus knew that; He died for that reason. I believe He also knew that to save the lost, his disciples (that includes us) were going to have to get their hands dirty. They were going to have to give up what made them comfortable. Read the book of Acts...they did...Peter met in a Gentile's home, Paul met with the lost amongst the Idols of Athens...check it out.

For the most part, the lost are not comfortable in our sanctuaries and holy places. The lost are comfortable in their world...that is where they gather. We are comfortable meeting on Sundays, Wednesdays and any other day the saints can gather at the building. Do you see the disparity? So did Jesus...And he suggested...no wait...He commanded that we go into all the world. We can not reach the lost if we are not where they need us to be. This doesn't just apply to missionaries in Africa or Asia... this means us making ourselves open and available to love and communicate the gospel (Jesus'--not ours)to a world that is dying. Yeah, for our locality it means ball fields, Starbucks, stores, restaurants and our homes. Sometimes, it may mean we have to rearrange a service time or extend ourselves to meet when the world is available...on their terms...not ours.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the retoric of "well, I really like everyone to meet together", "I like seeing you" or "I really draw encouragement from our meetings" that we fail to see the commonality in each of those statements.... "I". Somewhere it became all about what makes ME comfortable, encouraged and happy. What about the 100's (maybe 1000's) in our immediate area who will never hear the gospel because we are most concerned about ourselves. I understand we need to be together and encourage each other...there is no bad in that. However, that, I am afraid has become our key focus. We only give lip service to Christ's gospel...we expect the world to come...not us, go.

I heard a preacher speak recently about the parable of the sower. And He added a new place that seed is being sown. We sow our seeds against the insides of our church buildings and then we wonder why they don't sprout. The fertile soil is away from our buildings where the lost are so afraid of being judged and condemned. Our goal should NEVER be about us and how to increase OUR numbers...our goal is to increase the number of people who hear that Jesus loved them enough to DIE for them and that He was raised to give them eternal life. AND THAT IS THE WHOLE GOSPEL...and Jesus did not ask us to sell it...just to tell it.

Look around on Sunday...Wednesday...How many lost are walking in the doors of our buildings? The lack of response is not due to singing, preaching or a chance to respond. There is no response because by and large, there ARE NO RESPONDERS!! THE WORLD THAT IS LOST IS OUTSIDE! No matter how many invitations we offer inside our walls...they can not hear us!

So...what can we do? We need to find the places where the lost are and we need to share the God who loves them so exquisitely. We need to not worry about "getting them saved" but just share the love of God and let Him do the saving. Believe it or not...He has a lot of experience and He is pretty good at it.

So... DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!! Get uncomfortable...meet in weird spots fro study, use your home groups, use your life groups, do kind things for peple, tell people God still loves them, LOVE PEOPLE, pray for them...do something besides just coming to the building and waiting for God to bring them here...God is moving! You better be watching 'cause He may be moving without you!

Delight!!

You know, it never ceases to amaze me...I really enjoy my children...and I don't think I am alone in this. This weekend was crazy...a soccer tournament and prom all rolled into a very short 2 days. The weekend started with torrential flooding Friday night and trekking through the water (at 11:30pm) to pick up a stranded son. Good thing we have that "bus" suburban! After two soccer games Saturday on the other side of Houston, we rushed home to help get Josh off to prom and of course take tons of pictures! Sunday held two more soccer games and then on to life groups...

Somewhere during the weekend, Jenna told me, "mom...you know you don't have to go to my games." She doesn't understand. I LOVE watching her play ball. Whether she has a great game, a horrible game or somewhere in between...I just love to be there and watch. When Josh came down all suited up for prom, my heart was filled with pride...not just because he actually cleans up really well, but because of the man I saw before me. A man of God...a man, I believe, who seeks God's Heart. Oh, I know he is going to make a lot more mistakes, but he is my child and more importantly, he is God's.


I delight in watching the kids do things...whether they succeed or fail miserably, I just want to be a part...I want to share in their joy AND in their heartbreak. I don't want to be a parent who stays at home coming up with rules and discipline to apply...I want to be part of their lives...I LOVE being part of their lives. I have felt this way from day one.

AND...I believe this is exactly the way God feels about His children. (only exponentially more) He DELIGHTS in us! He LOVES being part of our lives. He gave us His Spirit,(John 14 & elsewhere) so He could ALWAYS be right with us. We are never far from Him. We never need to ASk God to draw near us...He is ALWAYS present with His children. We just need to be aware of His presence. And know that even though sometimes we just choose to ignore Him, God delights in us! (Ps 147:11)

So do we act like we know this?? Do we live like we have a father who wants to be a integral part of our lives? Or do we instead live like children of an uncaring tyrant, just waiting for us to fail? Yes, our God will disipline us when needed...but that is not His desire...His desire is for us to love Him and fellowship Him and to take joy in the fact that He is always there for us.

You know...it really makes me smile in those moments when my kids let it slip that they are glad I attend all the games and am part of their lives. I think it makes God smile when we are glad He is an integral part of our lives...

Look for Him!! He is not waiting for you to fail...He is cheering you to success.

I just wonder...

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we just took Jesus at His word?? What would the world be like if every child of God focused on what He said was most important...

1. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength! Wow that pretty much covers every aspect of my life. If I love God like this...I am guessing obedience would just naturally fall in line!? (Why in the world would I choose to purposefully sin against a God I know loves me and who I sooo love??)

2. Loving others as much as we love ourselves. Okay...we all love ourselves...Jesus knew that! Most of us love ourselves so much that we think our way is at least the best way...if not the only way. I usually am first concerned with MY needs being met...If I love like this...I guess that means others needs become just that important??

If all the people of God in the world embraced this, what would change?

I am guessing the bickering and devouring each other over the "external" marks of the church ( you know - music, worship style, name, etc)would become very unimportant. If we focus on God and on loving Him and His creation...we won't have time or desire to prove we are right. We will be much too busy serving the people in need of HIS love! (and in the meantime we will realize how little it mattered anyway)

So...what's wrong with us? Jesus said these two things were the most important; God said it more than once in His Word. Maybe He meant it? I think he knew how our humanness was going to make this a fiercely difficult concept for us. It is so much easier to establish a firm set of rules and rituals and say "here's what you gotta do". It's much harder to submit to a loving, passionate God and be a loving passionate child.

It is so much easier to condemn those around me who are different...whether in color, thought, worship or whatever. The hard part is to accept that the same God who is able to see through my error and faults can do the same with others. We are all on a journey. JESUS is the ONLY way to the finish line. It is only because He stands for us in the presence of God that we have any chance of being found worthy.

When we focus on loving God and others, Christ will change us. When we shift our focus from how we "do church" to how we can love God and His creation...not only will we be better for it but the whole world will be changed!