Spiritual Gifts: Believe Series

Key Question:  What gifts and skills has God given me to serve others?

Key Idea:  I know my spiritual gifts and use them to bring about God's plan.

Believe, Chapter 17, Spiritual Gifts (Daniel 2:1-47 - Daniel Interprets the King's Dream; Acts 3:1-10 - Peter Heals a Crippled Man)

Key Verse:  We all have gifts.  They differ according to the grace God has given each of us.  Romans 12:6

Believe Family Guide

Paula Taylor at SBPC shared Sunday about Spiritual Gifts.

            "God gives spiritual fits to believers.  We are invited:

                      1.  ...to discover and know our gifts.

                      2. ...to express our gifts in community.

                     3. ...to release our gifts to the world."

I recently read a blog by Lindsey Nobel that did a beautiful job of summing up Owning Our Gifts when she reflected on the IF: Gathering  and shared how it: 

    "...was all about me remembering and owning that God is my Creator.

That I am His beloved.

That He knit me together with unique giftings.

That I am IN SIN when I disqualify myself because I don’t I cast vision likeJennie, preach like Bianca, sing like Lauren, mobilize like Jen, or pray like Ann.

That I need to own my gifts, use my voice, and stop comparing myself.

That my gifts might not attract the masses BUT they are still immensely valuable.

{and so are yours by the way}

Y’all, God didn’t make us all to be speakers, teachers, singers and writers. He made some of us to be team builders. He made some of us to be connectors. He made some of us to be strategic leaders. He made some of us to be award-winning home makers. He made some of us to be welcoming hosts. He made some of us to be prayer warriors. He made some of us to be freedom fighters. He made some of us to be compassionate caretakers. He made some of us to be wise counselors. And he made some of us to be loyal sidekicks.

We all need to own who God created us to be. And remember that we are His masterpiece. Designed purposefully to play a specific part in His good work.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10"

Well said Lindsay, thanks for encouraging me and so many others, "to own who God created us to be." 

Time: Believe Series

Key Question:  How do I best use my time to serve God and others?

Key Idea:  I offer my time to fulfill God's purposes.

Believe, Chapter 18, Offering My Time (Haggai 1:1-15 - Building the Temple; Luke 2:41-52 - Jesus "forgotten" in Jerusalem)

Key Verse:  Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:17

Believe Family Guide

Mike McClenahan's Sermon at SBPC 

Shape Assessment link to prepare for next week.

So while our faith community was worshipping and discussing "time" we were packing up from camping with the Boy Scouts in 90 degree weather and then madly dashing to the soccer field to spend some more of our March winter weekend.  Typically our Sunday mornings are committed to worship and while we did attend "Scouts' Own" an inspirational service is not the same as truly gathering with others who know the one true God.  Not only did we miss reconnecting with friends we only get to see on Sunday but we also missed our practice of checking our life orientation and resting in God's presence while celebrating that we are not alone on our journey to greater faithfulness.  There is no denying though that our lives are richer for the time spent making great memories and hanging out with each other and friends.  

With 3 active kids who live fully engaged with life we make a lot of decisions about how to spend our time.  I love that Mike pointed out in his sermon that time is a gift and all of our time belongs to God.  A few years ago I was introduced to Ben Patterson who shared a concept that he wanted to spend His time being a part of what only God could do.  I love that desire because playing a leading role in God's story seems awfully exciting -- I grew up with stories like Bruchko and Jim Elliot.  Then there are the modern days stories like those Bob Goff shares in Love Does.  Spending your time doing God's work seems exciting and adventurous.  Yes, there is the dangerous part too (like ISIS persecution), but what happens when God's work feels mundane?

As a mother of 3, caught up in the daily demands of laundry (which seems to never be done), dishes (which seem to appear empty and dirty more often than clean or full), and the other physical, educational, emotional, spiritual and social needs of our family my time has a tendency to feel more mundane than adventurous.    Sometimes it is hard to believe that God designed me -- created me specially -- to meet the mundane tasks of the here and now.  To tie shoes.  To give pep talks.  To hold hands. To load the dishwasher (giving thanks that I'm not washing dishes by hand).  To fold freshly laundered clothing (giving thanks for a washer, dryer, clean water and the clothing items).  To let the clutter build on the dining room table so we can enjoy hanging out with friends in the back yard around the firepit.  To share photos with classmates parents who couldn't get out of work to make the school presentations.  To carve out time for prayer and personal and spiritual development.  To have tea with my husband.  

While deciding how we spend our time involves some big decisions I find a lot of the time decisions I make that really impact our lives are moment to moment.  Do I make the time to see the ladybug my daughter discovered before it flies away?  Do I stop to sooth and wipe away tears or buckle a child in the car to keep us on schedule?  Do I celebrate the majestic creation displays of God's grandeur or pick another item from my "to do" list?  Whether intentional or haphazard we are constantly making decisions about how we spend our time - there are so many options.

Resources: Believe Series

Key Question:  How do I best use my resources to serve God and others?

Key Idea:  I give my resources to fulfill God's purposes.

Believe, Chapter 19, Giving My Resources (Exodus 35:4-29; 36:1-6 - Gifts of the Tabernacle; Matthew 2:1-15 - Gifts from the Wise Men)

Key Verse:  But since you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we have kindlid in you -- see that you also excel in the grace of giving.  

2 Corinthians 8:7

Believe Family Guide

Mike McClenahan's sermon at SBPC 

                     

I love the collection of paper and thoughts we come home on Sunday with -- the resources my church provides to enrich our dialogue with God and with each other as we interact with Scripture, our community and as a family.  If you page back through the posts in this blog you will see that this time of year is one that has been focused on through the years.  As I was coordinating our church's MOPS group women were asking about Lent and so I started sharing about how our family prepared for Easter.

The blue building  in the lower corner represents a tool my church uses with our young children to make them aware of the many resources they have -- schools, water, medical access.  It is a result of the Lenten journey we take each year getting to know the Afar people.  http://www.solanapres.org/news/lenten-guide.  I love watching young children  grow in their awareness of the world around them.  I love when our giving is a response of gratitude.

When my oldest was at this young, tender age he asked why we were giving our money to the Afar if the wave hit Japan as we sat in the wake of the 2011 Tsunami.  He was moving from the innocence of giving from gratitude to assessing need.  As we were caught up in discussion instead of teaching him about our God who "owns the cattle on a thousand hillls, the wealth in every mine" (a chorus I learned in my youth based on Psalm 50) I instead introduced the concept of scarcity -- there is only so much to go around - you have to choose.  I am so thankful for a friend who in that space lovingly gave my son a gift certificate for his birthday that year.  It enabled him to choose from multiple opportunities where to give money -- one of which was the Japanese Tsunami.  

In our house we believe we are merely stewards of God's resources -- it is all His.  I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit who plays an active role in directing our lives to know what to do with it.  I am hopeful my children will know abundance without entitlement, that they may appreciate the amazing blessings we live with and use their lives and resources to bless others -- in obedience rather than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22).  Will I live in such a way that they see the God who owns it all and loves to shower us with his goodness -- smiles of little children living in dumps, shoeboxes of necessities and toys that change lives, easier access to clean drinking water, food that sustains life, pinewood derby cars, the time to enjoy beautiful sunrises and sunsets, standing strong in the battle against cancer, persevering in recovering from a stroke, replaced heart valves?  It is my prayer that I am able to focus on the abundance of God's good resources in a world that is broken in epic battle.

Discipleship, Spiritual Gifts and Sustainable Ministry

What does it mean to disciple, mentor and lead others to find their spiritual gifts -- their place to uniquely plug into what God is doing in the world -- to partner with God in his work?  Some might use the language "to discover your calling."
Equipping and encouraging each other to serve God can be daunting but also highly rewarding work.  The joy of coming alongside a leader who is seeing God move in tangible ways -- women in her group have made signifcant steps of faith, her group is impacting her community through feeding the hungry or clothing a new baby or loving on a family in need -- is amazing.  God doesn't just work in those bright places, though.  Sometimes we walk alongside the family who battles illness or experiences disability or death.  And sometimes we are that family.  These are hard spaces of leadership.

Sometimes we think those spaces are about surviving instead of thriving in who God calls us to uniquely be.  As I have watched a friend walk alongside her husband in illness, listened to the stories shared at IF:Gathering 2015, and lived my own life, I have recognized that it is in these spaces we most need the encouragement of others to keep serving God.

As I listened to Susie Davis and Latasha Morrison expound on Hebrews this morning and encourage times of rest as we "run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1) I was struck by a conversation I had earlier this week with a friend about the sheer joy of somebody discovering and using their "gifts" for the first time.  That sense of fulfillment and wholeness is unmatched.  Not only is the person fulfilled but the whole community celebrates as their gifts are poured out as a blessing.

So often that story doesn't stay in that space -- the American church isn't really gifted at disciplining people to run with endurance -- we prefer the sprint.  We are learning to incorporate rhythms of rest in every day life.  We are using catch words like sustainable to describe how we should manage our resources, live life, and do ministry.  We dialogue about simplifying -- our church programming, our worship, our resources (wardrobes, menus, leisure activities, etc), our lives.
 
As a leader who was called to lead through my sister-in-law's battle with cancer, the birth of my three children, 1st and 2nd trimester miscarriages, evacuating my home due to wildfire with a 2 year old and 2 week old, layoffs and other career and job changes, my mother-in-law's battle with ALS, and the many other ups and downs of life I have grown an appreciation for what it means to "run with endurance."  But more than anything I have held onto what it means to "run and not grow weary." (Isaiah 40:31).  How do you find "rest" in sleepness nights of meeting real needs right in front of you?  How do you keep going when your strength is gone?  What happens when what you are doing isn't sustainable through nothing within your control?  When there is no way to simplify?  What do you do when Satan creates spaces of isolation and loneliness in your life?  You hold onto our good God with both hands -- the hope of His good plan for your life and those around you.  And you pray that you will be blessed by friends (old and new) who are willing to journey in ugly, dark spaces with you.  So thankful for a God who will not let us go.  When we walk through dark valleys we need to ask for eyes to see God's goodness which still surrounds us, the strength to continue serving him and walking in faithful obedience, and "always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

So be strong and courageous,

all you who put your hope in the Lord! 

Psalm 31:24

Biblical Community: Believe Series

Key Question:  How do I develop healthy relationships with others?

Key Idea:   I spend time with other Christians to accomplish God's purposes in my life, in the lives of others, and in the world.

Believe, Chapter 16, Biblical Community (Nehemiah 2:11-4:23; 6:15 - Rebuilding Jerusalem's Wall; Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37 - The Body of Christ)

Key Verse:  All the believers were together.  They shared everything they had.  Acts 2:44

Mike McClenahan at SBPC shared how in Biblical Community we accomplish God's purposes together in 3 ways:

1)  Giving ourselves to doing God's works.

2)  Giving ourselves to saying God's praise.

3)  Giving ourselves to becoming authentic community.

This morning as I did my IF:equip study on Hebrews 10:19-29 verse 25 "...do not give up meeting together..." resonated in my head.  How often have I held onto that verse as a spiritual discipline? Sometimes I believe Biblical Community is just as simple (and as complicated) as not giving up meeting together.  In life's busyness it is so easy to find other activities to fill worship and small group time.  It is so easy to let my hurt by what was said or not said keep me from rejoining my friends.  Satan works so hard to create obstacles to our gathering together.  I loved standing in worship this past Sunday and thinking about what it meant to gather with God's people in worship -- to celebrate Community Serve Day together -- to see friends and reconnect -- to talk about Lent and what it means to Believe.  As I read Hebrews this morning I was struck by the simplicity -- keep meeting together.  No 15 step plan to creating community.  No measurement of how many people have to gather before it counts.  Just a simple directive -- keep meeting together.  The other verse that stuck out to me was verse 23, declaring "...He who promised is faithful."  I am so thankful I have the opportunity to gather at Sunday worship and small group with others who will remind me that God is faithful.

I love the key question this week, "How do I develop healthy relationships with others?"  Sometimes I think it is just in the discipline of continuing to meet together.  To not let my pettiness keep me from community.  To love the person sitting next to me more than my doctrine.  To find the good in each other and share it.  To celebrate God's creation.

Some days I find it easier to see the unhealthy, brokenness than the good.  As we joined together Sunday to celebrate Community Serve Day Mike McClenahan started by sharing, "What a great day to celebrate what God is doing through us as the church!"  I love when we see the good in the church.

Sometimes, however, the community we experience isn't the loving Biblical Community God created it to be.  I have recently been enjoying two resources to help navigate hurtful spaces.  Mary Demuth's What To Do After People Poop On You  and Dr. Henry Cloud's book  Changes that Heal.  Being freed to experience authentic Biblical Community often necessitates healing and nearly always requires God's grace.  The most powerful Biblical Community experiences I have had haven't been with my closest friend though those times have been very special.  They have been when God has gathered His people together - connecting strangers (and often the marginalized) - to demonstrate His Kingdom.  The vision of God's diversity and what it means to enter God's unity in those spaces has been amazing.  Seeing how Big our God is with new eyes and hearing Him speak with new ears and experiencing God move in new ways -- that is the gift of Biblical Community.  But I have found it starts with an openness to the new and an open heart.  It necessitates risking letting go of the "tried and true" of my religious footholds and being willing to hold God's hand in relationship to have the strength to act on the Spirit's prompting.  Joining in Biblical Community is about praying "May Your Kingdom Come" and may I be your faithful, humble servant.  Biblical Community isn't about our vision; it is responding to God's invitation to be a part of what He is doing in the world -wherever that leads and with whomever you connect my with in doing that.

Am I willing to authentically seek His Kingdom?