YAY! I am finally caught up to at least the same month that we are currently in. This is progress!
This time, instead of a narrative of what I said on Wednesday, this week will be an outline. For those of you who like outlines (like me) this will be great. If you don't then I would have to say sorry! tough cookies! But keep reading! They won't all be like this.
Three Truths about Living the Mission:
1) Living the Mission comes out of our love for God.
Proof: Read Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-20
and 1 John 4:19-21
Living the Mission isn't something we do because we have to or we know we should like brushing our teeth or cleaning our room. Living the mission is worship! It comes out of our love for God. When we see all the many incredible things God has done for us in our lives, not to mention the love He showed us on the cross, dying for our sins so that we might inherit eternal life, worship should be our immediate and almost involuntary response. You won't be able to stop yourself from living your mission as a way to thank God for His faithfulness, and the more we worship God, the more we will fall in love with Him, the more passionately we want to do His will in our lives.
2) Living the mission will increase your faith.
Don't believe me, huh? Well..
Proof: James 2: 21-24
and 1 John 3:16-20
Still don't believe me? Well then, LIVE IT! Go ahead! I double dog dare you! Live your mission and see if it doesn't make your faith grow like a weed! (A good weed, of course, that grows quickly!)
3) Living the mission is hard!
Proof: Colossians 3:23
This semester our guys and girls bible studies have been looking at a book by Alex and Brett Harris called "Do Hard Things". The book is fantastic and I would highly recommend reading it on your own or with a group of friends. We have gotten a lot out of this book and it's been a perfect addition to our pursuit of living the mission. If you just can't get enough info about living the mission and what it looks like, especially in your life individually as a high school or college student, READ THIS BOOK! It proves my point much better than I could and shows why it's so important to do the things that are sometimes hard and uncomfortable.
But just because the mission is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Maybe you're afraid of failure or of losing friends or of being different and standing out. 2 Timothy 2:17 addresses these very feelings: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind. (NIV)" Don't be afraid! God is faithful and won't let you go!
Blessings,
PM
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Catching up...
OK, I'm trying to get caught up here. The goal is to be totally caught up by the end of the week. Cross your fingers!
Here's the word from March 11th.
Grounded in the Word:
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
1 Peter 4:7-11
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-12, 15-16
Have you ever played the alphabet game in the car? You say, "I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take...an alligator. Or whatever you want to take that starts with an 'a'. Then you go through the alphabet and you have to remember what everyone else is taking. OK, so it usually ends up being pretty silly. Most people wouldn't really take an alligator. I've heard they are unruly and snarly. But let's say you are going on a trip and you can only take three things. What would they be? Your teddy bear? A picture of your mom? Your favorite video game? OK, so realistically if you know your going to be stranded on your trip, what would you take? "Pastor Mara, that's a dumb question," you might ask. "You're very right," I respond. What you take depends directly on where you are going. If you are going to be stranded in the desert, you would want to take things that will help you survive in the desert (preferably a shade tree and a lemonade stand ;). But if you are going to Antarctica, the lemonade stand and shade would do you no good. Instead, you would want hot chocolate and every article of clothing in your closet.
What if I told you to get ready to play a game, but didn't tell you which game to get ready for? You might get ready to play soccer when we are actually playing football and you probably would get hurt. Or you might get ready to play football and we are actually playing duck-duck goose. Either way, you are unprepared for the game. Why? Because you didn't know what it was so you couldn't put on the necessary equipment.
Alright, PM, get to the point. OK, read scriptures at the top of the page. No really. Do it. I'll wait for you...still waiting...are you finished yet....maybe now. OK. So what's the common thread in those verses? We all have spiritual gifts. You probably already knew that. In fact, we all have different gifts. It's what makes us unique individuals. You probably already knew that too because you're smart. I don't know that for sure, but you're reading this blog, so you're definitely smarter than the average bear.
OK, back on track. So let's say that your mission is music. God has blessed you with an incredible talent to write music and play an instrument. Awesome! So maybe that's what you decide to do with your life because that's what God has called you to. BUT, let's say that you really like to do math too. So you decide to be a stock broker, but you still play and write music on the side. OK, let me make a bold statement. Your mission is going to suffer if you don't pursue it all the way. If God has called you to be a worship leader and a song writer and you're spending your days as a stock broker, your songs and your music are going to suffer, and so is your mission. What if Chris Tomlin decided that he wanted to be a professional soccer player and then write music on the side. I guarantee we wouldn't have many of the worship songs that God has given Chris if he had decided to pursue something else too.
Let me tie this all in together. Actually let God's Word do it for me. It always turns out better that way. Read Matthew 21:18-19.
We cannot live every mission. Most people I know these days are talented in a multitude of different ways. You, dear reader, are probably no exception. You probably played an instrument at some point because your mother made you. Your probably played a sport at some point, even if it was just the "I'm not touching you" game in the car to make your siblings angry. You probably have a hobby, like playing video games or collecting stamps or coins or something. Now, if you tried to be a professional at all of those things, you would look like a schizophrenic with A.D.D and ants in the your pants. God has given you a specific calling in your life. He doesn't expect you to cure AIDS and end world hunger and run the government and write worship music. Our mission is very specific and for us alone. Every other pursuit in our lives can get in our way.
When a tree is not bearing fruit, just like the one in the account in Matthew, it's no longer useful for anything. If there are things in your life that are not part of your mission, that are not bearing fruit for the Kingdom, they have to go! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that hobbies are bad or that we should only do one thing all day every day. But we can't pursue every mission that comes along. If we are pursuing the mission with reckless abandon, that means that we don't let anything else get in our way. Are there things in your life getting in the way of your living your mission passionately and all out? If there are, there's something you can do about it, but it takes a lot of guts. If you're ready, then pray this prayer:
God, curse those things in my life that are not bearing fruit just like you did with the fig tree. Get rid of those things that are not part of the calling you've given me. Help me not to get distracted or waste time pursuing the wrong mission. I want to only pursue the mission you have for me. Continue to reveal your heart and your mission for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Here's the word from March 11th.
Grounded in the Word:
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
1 Peter 4:7-11
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-12, 15-16
Have you ever played the alphabet game in the car? You say, "I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take...an alligator. Or whatever you want to take that starts with an 'a'. Then you go through the alphabet and you have to remember what everyone else is taking. OK, so it usually ends up being pretty silly. Most people wouldn't really take an alligator. I've heard they are unruly and snarly. But let's say you are going on a trip and you can only take three things. What would they be? Your teddy bear? A picture of your mom? Your favorite video game? OK, so realistically if you know your going to be stranded on your trip, what would you take? "Pastor Mara, that's a dumb question," you might ask. "You're very right," I respond. What you take depends directly on where you are going. If you are going to be stranded in the desert, you would want to take things that will help you survive in the desert (preferably a shade tree and a lemonade stand ;). But if you are going to Antarctica, the lemonade stand and shade would do you no good. Instead, you would want hot chocolate and every article of clothing in your closet.
What if I told you to get ready to play a game, but didn't tell you which game to get ready for? You might get ready to play soccer when we are actually playing football and you probably would get hurt. Or you might get ready to play football and we are actually playing duck-duck goose. Either way, you are unprepared for the game. Why? Because you didn't know what it was so you couldn't put on the necessary equipment.
Alright, PM, get to the point. OK, read scriptures at the top of the page. No really. Do it. I'll wait for you...still waiting...are you finished yet....maybe now. OK. So what's the common thread in those verses? We all have spiritual gifts. You probably already knew that. In fact, we all have different gifts. It's what makes us unique individuals. You probably already knew that too because you're smart. I don't know that for sure, but you're reading this blog, so you're definitely smarter than the average bear.
OK, back on track. So let's say that your mission is music. God has blessed you with an incredible talent to write music and play an instrument. Awesome! So maybe that's what you decide to do with your life because that's what God has called you to. BUT, let's say that you really like to do math too. So you decide to be a stock broker, but you still play and write music on the side. OK, let me make a bold statement. Your mission is going to suffer if you don't pursue it all the way. If God has called you to be a worship leader and a song writer and you're spending your days as a stock broker, your songs and your music are going to suffer, and so is your mission. What if Chris Tomlin decided that he wanted to be a professional soccer player and then write music on the side. I guarantee we wouldn't have many of the worship songs that God has given Chris if he had decided to pursue something else too.
Let me tie this all in together. Actually let God's Word do it for me. It always turns out better that way. Read Matthew 21:18-19.
We cannot live every mission. Most people I know these days are talented in a multitude of different ways. You, dear reader, are probably no exception. You probably played an instrument at some point because your mother made you. Your probably played a sport at some point, even if it was just the "I'm not touching you" game in the car to make your siblings angry. You probably have a hobby, like playing video games or collecting stamps or coins or something. Now, if you tried to be a professional at all of those things, you would look like a schizophrenic with A.D.D and ants in the your pants. God has given you a specific calling in your life. He doesn't expect you to cure AIDS and end world hunger and run the government and write worship music. Our mission is very specific and for us alone. Every other pursuit in our lives can get in our way.
When a tree is not bearing fruit, just like the one in the account in Matthew, it's no longer useful for anything. If there are things in your life that are not part of your mission, that are not bearing fruit for the Kingdom, they have to go! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that hobbies are bad or that we should only do one thing all day every day. But we can't pursue every mission that comes along. If we are pursuing the mission with reckless abandon, that means that we don't let anything else get in our way. Are there things in your life getting in the way of your living your mission passionately and all out? If there are, there's something you can do about it, but it takes a lot of guts. If you're ready, then pray this prayer:
God, curse those things in my life that are not bearing fruit just like you did with the fig tree. Get rid of those things that are not part of the calling you've given me. Help me not to get distracted or waste time pursuing the wrong mission. I want to only pursue the mission you have for me. Continue to reveal your heart and your mission for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Excuses, Excuses...
I can't even think of any good reasons why I haven't posted anything for the last month, so I'll just say I'm sorry! I'll try to keep more up to date on this!
So, the last post was the word for February 11th. There is no post for February 18th because youth group was cancelled due to a freak snow storm that caught us off guard. We were sitting having girls bible study at the Eby's house and all of a sudden it was a winter wonderland outside! Well Jesus, thanks for the reminder that your ways are mysterious and of the beauty of your nature, but I think your timing might have been better ;) Since February 25th was Crash and Bash week, we are up to date until March. (So I'm not as behind as you think ;)
We've been talking about what it means to live the mission. We've decided both as a group and as individuals to pursue this idea with reckless abandon (because that's our name, duh!) But we haven't done anything about it yet. We've started putting ourselves out there in little ways. Last week, a few of you told about the ways you started getting out of your comfort zones, and that is awesome! Doesn't it feel good to step outside of what you know and do something hard? You're gaining confidence and momentum. But we have got to keep pushing the envelope on this thing. "How do we do that?", you ask. Well, let God show you.
Read 1 Samuel 3: 1-11 and Acts 9:10-17.
There was a distinct call in both of these people's lives. God called them by name. He didn't call them and give them instructions all in one shot. He didn't give out general instructions. "Hey, will someone please take out the garbage?" God called these people by name! Why is it so important to call people by name? What does it show them?
Do you like it when someone says your name? Most people do. Why? Because it's personal. It's not just a "hey you" thrown out there to get someone's attention. If you know someone, you know their name, but if you don't you have to find ways to get around that. Sometimes you'll throw out a "buddy" or "pal" just to get by, but someone who knows you well doesn't need to do that. At least I hope that your friends don't forget your name. If they do, you might want to rethink who your real friends are.
So, here's a good example. When people get married, everyone knows the speech. "I, Mara Penelope Wilcox (Penelope is not my middle name, p.s.) do take you, Prince Charming Esquire to be my husband." We don't say, "I take you to be my spouse" because it could mean anyone in the room. 'I take you" doesn't require any previous knowledge of the person. It's not very intimate. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't know my name!
In both of these passages, God calls these people by name. Samuel and Ananias knew God and God knew them, so it made sense that God called them by name.
Think of these last few weeks as God getting your attention. You know that God is calling you to live the mission, not just me, not just someone else, but you specifically. Now it's up to you to respond.
Read James 2:14-18.
Responding can be scary. Think about it this way. If you're the main character of a horror movie and you're hiding from the ax murderer and he calls your name, are you going to answer him? UH, no. Why? When you respond, you're letting that person in on 3 things.
First, you're letting that person know where you are. If it's God calling you, it's ok because He already knows where you are, physically, geographically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever. He knows. But sometimes we think we can hide from him and we don't want to let him know where we are. Sometimes it's because of shame or guilt, or maybe we just think we're not ready for Him. The point is revealing where you are is scary.
Second, You're making yourself available to them. If your mom calls you from the bottom of the stairs in a very angry, demanding voice, do you want to answer her? No usually. Because when you answer her, you're giving her the opportunity to yell at you, or tell you to do something, or maybe she just wanted to tell you she loves you. (in an angry voice) You don't know what she's going to say, but by responding to her, you're giving her the opportunity to do any of those things.
Third, how you respond reveals your feelings. Confidence, frustration, anger, annoyance, fear, anything you are feeling is going to come out in the way your respond. Are you ready to reveal that much of yourself?
There's a song called "Here I am" by the group Downhere. It's a great song that talks about the importance of responding to God and how we respond to him. Give it a listen. Respond to Him. Because while the responding might be scary, and the mission might be uncomfortable, God is no ax murderer looking to destroy you. He doesn't give you a mission or a calling that will cause you lots of pain and heartache for no reason. He doesn't delight in our suffering, but he's looking for us to step out in faith so he can grow our faith, so he can give us that abundant life he promises. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want that! So today, step out in faith and answer God. I promise that you won't regret it!
So, the last post was the word for February 11th. There is no post for February 18th because youth group was cancelled due to a freak snow storm that caught us off guard. We were sitting having girls bible study at the Eby's house and all of a sudden it was a winter wonderland outside! Well Jesus, thanks for the reminder that your ways are mysterious and of the beauty of your nature, but I think your timing might have been better ;) Since February 25th was Crash and Bash week, we are up to date until March. (So I'm not as behind as you think ;)
We've been talking about what it means to live the mission. We've decided both as a group and as individuals to pursue this idea with reckless abandon (because that's our name, duh!) But we haven't done anything about it yet. We've started putting ourselves out there in little ways. Last week, a few of you told about the ways you started getting out of your comfort zones, and that is awesome! Doesn't it feel good to step outside of what you know and do something hard? You're gaining confidence and momentum. But we have got to keep pushing the envelope on this thing. "How do we do that?", you ask. Well, let God show you.
Read 1 Samuel 3: 1-11 and Acts 9:10-17.
There was a distinct call in both of these people's lives. God called them by name. He didn't call them and give them instructions all in one shot. He didn't give out general instructions. "Hey, will someone please take out the garbage?" God called these people by name! Why is it so important to call people by name? What does it show them?
Do you like it when someone says your name? Most people do. Why? Because it's personal. It's not just a "hey you" thrown out there to get someone's attention. If you know someone, you know their name, but if you don't you have to find ways to get around that. Sometimes you'll throw out a "buddy" or "pal" just to get by, but someone who knows you well doesn't need to do that. At least I hope that your friends don't forget your name. If they do, you might want to rethink who your real friends are.
So, here's a good example. When people get married, everyone knows the speech. "I, Mara Penelope Wilcox (Penelope is not my middle name, p.s.) do take you, Prince Charming Esquire to be my husband." We don't say, "I take you to be my spouse" because it could mean anyone in the room. 'I take you" doesn't require any previous knowledge of the person. It's not very intimate. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't know my name!
In both of these passages, God calls these people by name. Samuel and Ananias knew God and God knew them, so it made sense that God called them by name.
Think of these last few weeks as God getting your attention. You know that God is calling you to live the mission, not just me, not just someone else, but you specifically. Now it's up to you to respond.
Read James 2:14-18.
Responding can be scary. Think about it this way. If you're the main character of a horror movie and you're hiding from the ax murderer and he calls your name, are you going to answer him? UH, no. Why? When you respond, you're letting that person in on 3 things.
First, you're letting that person know where you are. If it's God calling you, it's ok because He already knows where you are, physically, geographically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever. He knows. But sometimes we think we can hide from him and we don't want to let him know where we are. Sometimes it's because of shame or guilt, or maybe we just think we're not ready for Him. The point is revealing where you are is scary.
Second, You're making yourself available to them. If your mom calls you from the bottom of the stairs in a very angry, demanding voice, do you want to answer her? No usually. Because when you answer her, you're giving her the opportunity to yell at you, or tell you to do something, or maybe she just wanted to tell you she loves you. (in an angry voice) You don't know what she's going to say, but by responding to her, you're giving her the opportunity to do any of those things.
Third, how you respond reveals your feelings. Confidence, frustration, anger, annoyance, fear, anything you are feeling is going to come out in the way your respond. Are you ready to reveal that much of yourself?
There's a song called "Here I am" by the group Downhere. It's a great song that talks about the importance of responding to God and how we respond to him. Give it a listen. Respond to Him. Because while the responding might be scary, and the mission might be uncomfortable, God is no ax murderer looking to destroy you. He doesn't give you a mission or a calling that will cause you lots of pain and heartache for no reason. He doesn't delight in our suffering, but he's looking for us to step out in faith so he can grow our faith, so he can give us that abundant life he promises. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want that! So today, step out in faith and answer God. I promise that you won't regret it!
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