Worrier or Warrior?

I’m a worrier by nature. I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help myself. All it takes is an icy road or a health scare and my thoughts spiral out of control until I have to shake myself out of my trance and reign myself back to reality. I won’t go into all the details of my irrational anxieties, but let’s just say, I’ve planned more funerals than have ever been necessary.  It was during one of those anxious moments, that a bird hit our window.

I heard the distinctive ‘thump’ and quickly ran to assess the damage.  The bird lay on the ground, helpless and stunned, with its neck at an odd angle. It appeared to be beaten as it struggled for breath, its little breast heaving. It had come against an unseen obstacle, been stopped in flight, then was paralyzed with fear. After the initial shock, it came to its senses, blinked a couple of times, then sat quietly and collected itself.  Soon, it was strong enough to fly away in victory. 

I sometimes feel like that bird laying helpless on its back, gripped by shock and fear, sensing defeat before allowing time and reason the opportunity to seep into more sensible areas of my mind. Feeling desperate, until I sit quietly before God and realize the arsenal of weapons he has given me to do battle against every obstacle.

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of  the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:14-17 (NIV)

When I’m consumed with worry, I ask myself if I've buckled truth around my waist. Are things really as bad as I think or are my emotions magnifying the situation?  Am I holding the shield of faith? I ask him to remind me of all the times he has been with me and draw on that strength to deal with the next crisis. Am I using God’s word as a sword? Scripture is full of wisdom and knowledge and prepares us to do battle against anything we might face, whether real or imagined. He has freely given us the tools we need to be victorious, and yet, we find ourselves cowering in a corner waiting for the roof to cave in.  God would rather see us standing strong, using the weapons he has given us, than wringing our empty hands.

We all have worries...finances, our families’ safety, or our future, but like that bird, we need to sit quietly before God as he reminds us that he is in control.  No amount of worrying will change what he has planned for our lives and I know from experience, that those plans are good.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying, add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:26-27 (NIV)

Written by: Kitty Nancekievill

A Still Life

I just got back from a wonderfully, relaxing holiday with my family.

My husband enjoys creating videos and I enjoy blogging, so a Vlog (video-blog) seemed to be the perfect marriage of our talents :)

You can check it out by clicking on this link:

http://youtu.be/NqlyiUPX20Q


Written By: Esther Allison
(video done by Kent Allison)

Place of Safety

For the past couple of weeks I have been carrying a heavy heart. I have some friends who are walking through difficult situations and because of the closeness of our friendship I carry their pain. In recent conversations with these friends about life challenges and issues we are walking through, someone made the comment that our friendship is the safest place they know. I’ve never thought of it that way before, but instantly I could feel my heart agreeing with my friend’s statement. There is no place where I feel safer than in the heart to heart connection between true friends.

When I was in college I experienced something that made me feel very vulnerable and unsafe in my college dorm. Even just walking into my room, a place where I normally never questioned whether or not I was safe, now made me feel nervous and uncomfortable. After a day or two of living in fear I called my friend John who was home for the summer and hours away from me. John’s solution was for me to get on the next train and come to his parent’s house so I would be in a place of safety. But that was not what I needed; I simply needed to tell him what had happen. I did not need a location of safety; I needed a relationship that held me safe.

For all of us there are places in our heart that are vulnerable and make us fearful. There are unmet desires, broken promises, dreams that seem unreachable, personal let downs, all of which are carried in the deepest part of us. To share our hopes and pain requires a place of safety, the kind not found in location but in relationship.

I hope for all of you reading this that you have close friends as I do. I pray that you have friends who could be miles away from you, and yet bring you safety because of the honesty, accountability, and love that they bring to your life. But I know from experience that despite the close friendships you may have, there are seasons of loneliness that we sometimes have to walk through. The promise for those seasons is the safest place possible, the relationship found in the Presence of Jesus. It’s in the heart to heart connection of our Savior that all pretenses can be dropped, that real honesty and vulnerability happens. But it’s also there that healing happens, faith is restored and hope arises.

For whatever situation you may be walking through today that is causing you to carry a weight in your heart, chose today the safety of our God who promises us that “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)

I can think of no greater place of safety.

Written by: Tricia Gibb

Accessible

I am amazed at how accessible our God is! Think about it for a minute: the Creator of the universe, the very One who spoke the stars into existence is available to us this very moment! This access came at a very high yet very free price, through the beautiful sacrifice of our Redeemer Jesus. There is no need for us to be burdened by the fear and worries of this world. We do not need to fret about the next terrorist attack, the next financial crisis, or our job stability. We are not our own! We belong to the most amazing Father, who will never, never, never let us go. He is not surprised by the events that take place around us. He is not thrown of guard when the unexpected occurs. He longs for us to trust Him in the unpredictable times as much as the predictable times.

A while ago, my son had a scary dream that made him not want to go back to sleep for fear of the bad dream returning. Instead of trying to get him to think of something else and take his mind off of the nightmare, I had him tell me about it. He really did not want to even though it was so fresh in his mind. I explained to him that God created our imaginations and would use them if they were surrendered to Him. He described to me scary beings that hurt people, and invited Jesus into that scary place and then began to laugh. I asked him what was so funny, and he said that Jesus was karate chopping the bad guys. I asked him if he was afraid of them any more, and he said that he wasn't. Now whenever he has a bad dream, he invites Jesus into it himself. He has access to the One who banishes fear. He learned for himself the powerful words of Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?"!

Each of us have access through Jesus to the incredible life giving power that can help us overcome every obstacle we may face! Jesus dwarfs every foe, both real and imaginary!! Jesus banishes every fear when we invite Him into our circumstances!!  The familiar song says it all, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

Written By: Rosie Wagner

Church of the Spilled Blood

My mom and I recently returned from a Northern European cruise. We had been planning and dreaming and booking day tours and researching cities and getting REALLY EXCITED for months. When we were finally on our trip, I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around all of the history, the culture, the beauty of what we were seeing.

…Look over there, remnants of the Berlin Wall!

…Sure, let’s eat reindeer for lunch in Helsinki!

…Ahhh, I can’t believe we are standing right in front of original Van Goghs and Picassos and Rembrandts in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg!

And the churches, oh, the churches…they are everywhere and they are amazing. The one I was most excited to visit is the Church of the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, and it did not disappoint.  The entire inside is built out of teeny-tiny mosaic tiles. Here is what it looks like upclose.

And here is what all those teeny-tiny tiles look like all together.

It was breath-taking, beautiful, overwhelming. I kept thinking of the patience required by the artisans who created it in the first place. How were they able to take all those little bits of color and create such magnificent panoramas?

It wasn’t until I got home from our trip that the Lord reminded me that while it may be nice to visit The Church of the Spilled Blood, I AM THE CHURCH OF THE SPILLED BLOOD, every single day of my life. And you are too.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

God is the master artisan who is creating the mosaics of our lives. He is the one piecing it all together, all of our experiences, all of our heartaches, all of our joys…they really can come together to create something beautiful. Through the blood of Jesus, we get to be the ones who house His presence, allowing Holy Spirit to illuminate us from the inside out.

My prayer for us today is simply this, that when others get around us, they would feel that they had visited the true Church, the one where Jesus is seen and Holy Spirit is felt. 

Written By: Carrie Johnston

Profoundly Simple

Ernest Hemingway wrote a complete story using just six words. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Those few words stir up all kinds of thoughts and emotions; the sorrow of its meaning, the curiosity to know the full story, and the admiration of the author’s sheer genius. It’s a simple message with astounding impact.

A few years ago, while taking a writing course, I had to analyze four different poems. They were all obscure, but I was determined to expose God in every veiled line. It was a challenge and I exhausted myself after wringing out every drop of spiritual meaning I could in the first three poems. Then I came to the last one entitled “The Bull Moose.” When my assignment was returned, I was told I had totally missed the symbolism in the fourth poem. The moose symbolized Christ ... and I had missed the obvious because I was looking for something more complicated. Sometimes the simplest, most profound things are right in front of us and we fail to grasp the message because we’re looking for something more complex.  I tried so hard I missed the point.

 Jesus used ordinary illustrations to get his point across, but the people missed what was staring them right in the face. He spoke in parables and language they could understand. His words challenged them with ideas contrary to what they had always thought to be true and their expectations of who their Savior would be. They made it more complicated than they needed to. Do we do the same? The simple truth and path to deliverance was right before their eyes but they couldn’t see past the idea that God’s Kingdom and its message had to be more difficult. Jesus taught, “Just believe.”

 Jesus’ message is simple, but profound. Scholars, theologians, and wise men of all kinds have searched for years to discover God.  Throughout history, man has been on a quest to find answers and peace of mind, setting off on long pilgrimages to places like Mecca, The Western Wall or Bodh Gaya. It doesn’t take a lifetime of searching; it takes a moment of pure faith. The greatest stumbling block to those seeking peace, is the simplicity of salvation. We want to "do" something to earn salvation, but it’s a gift. Jesus Christ, God’s son, has already taken our place on the cross and paid the price for our sins so that we can live with Him forever in eternity. 

Do you find God’s Word complicated and puzzling? Maybe you’re trying too hard and if you open your heart to the obvious message of faith that Jesus came to teach, you may have more insight. God’s Word makes the message of salvation easy enough for a child to understand, yet complex enough to give us studying material for the rest of our lives.

The challenge posed by Hemingway prompted me to try writing my own short story. It’s a profound message in just six words:  “Our Savior died so we wouldn’t.”

We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  Romans 3:22 (NLT)

Written By: Kitty Nancekievill

Don't Be Afraid

“Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:13–14)

Don’t be afraid? Stand Firm? Be Still? When you’re in a battle with the enemy running up behind you, these instructions seem ridiculous, even cruel. How could I not be afraid? Don’t you see the enemy coming at me, God? I Peter 5:8 tells us how the enemy “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” On the Discover Wildlife website I found a great set of instructions on how to react to a lion “seeking to devour you.” It amazed me at how easily the roaring “king of the jungle” can be shut down. I hope it helps you to see how you need to react to the enemy’s attacks:

Being charged by a lion when you are on foot is extremely frightening. It is difficult to stop yourself from bolting, but that is likely to prompt an attack. A lion charge is usually accompanied by a deep growling sound that reverberates through your very core. It is vital to stand your ground, perhaps retreating very slowly, but to continue facing the lion while clapping your hands, shouting and waving your arms around to make yourself look bigger. Most charges are mock charges, so you will usually be fine. Hold your ground. Never run or turn your back. (1)

There’s a reason why the Bible compares fighting with the devil to fighting with a lion! Do you get the spiritual implications to what is said above? In order to stop the enemy’s charge from turning into an attack, follow the directions from the website with a twist. Stop yourself from bolting, stand firm, and be still in God’s presence. Then, look the enemy square in the eye to show him you’re putting your trust in God, that you’re not afraid of his scare tactics. Clapping, shouting, and waving your arms around sounds like a great worship time to me! Worship your way to victory like they did around the walls of Jericho that came crumbling down! David’s enemy was loud and yelling threats of defeat. David ran at Goliath with his mouth open telling him that he was not afraid; how he trusted in God to save and how the victory was going to happen. Waving his arms in the air to sling a stone, David’s faith was released and David’s enemy was defeated! Remember; when it seems there is no way you can win, God will fight for you! So, be like the Hebrews crossing the Sea; don’t be afraid and walk right through to victory!

(1) http://www.discoverwildlife.com/travel/how-survive-lion-attack

From, WATER IN THE DESERT by Sherry Stahl, page 78.