The Light of the World

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about light lately. I have some of those cactus plants that bloom in the winter. We call them Christmas cactuses, but some of them start blooming around Thanksgiving, and a few go all the way to Easter. These plants set their buds, I am told, according to the light they get. For this reason, it’s good to put them outside for a while in the summer. I did this one year with a large plant, and as soon as I brought it inside, it began to bud. That was the best I’ve ever seen it do! (Now that I no longer have an old Tomcat hanging around on the porch, the squirrels nibble on my cactus if I put it out there.)

I read an article around the time of the winter solstice that detailed the way light returns to us during the winter months—slowly at first and then in larger increments right up to the vernal equinox. It’s exciting to watch. Even if you aren’t a sky watcher, you know how vital light is, not only to plants but to the health and wellbeing of people.

Back before Christmas, we attended an assortment of seasonal presentations. Two of our granddaughters attend one of the magnet schools in town, and their program was all about Holidays Around the World. One class did a presentation about Israel and discussed Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights during which Jewish families light the eight candles of the menorah to commemorate an ancient miracle. Another group sang “Santa Lucia,” whose name actually means light, and told the story of a young woman who came bearing gifts and wearing a wreath of candles on her head. Over and over during the program, there were references to light overcoming darkness, and I thought of Jesus’s words “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). In another place, he said to his disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14).

If you listened to Handel’s Messiah during the Christmas season, you heard these words from Isaiah 9:2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”

Jesus told Nicodemus, “This is the condemnation: that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Jesus brings life and warmth and cheer—all the things we associate with light—and he intends for his followers to carry his message of hope to the dark world we live in.

All over the world, people know that light is associated with goodness. For centuries, different people groups have celebrated the coming of the light in different ways, but we who know Jesus know the source of all light—both physical and metaphorical. As we watch the days grow gradually longer over these next weeks, let’s rejoice that our God created such a beautiful and orderly world. And may the increased light be a reminder to us to tell our friends and neighbors about the true Light of the world who can give them hope both in this life and in the life to come.

--Sherry Poff

What's Your Mindset?

 

Have you ever met someone who seemed to enjoy being sick or being a victim? I have, and I admit I really don’t understand it. In 2016, I learned I had breast cancer. It made me mad (and a little scared) more than anything else. Determined to not be a victim, I began looking for ways to better care for myself – for ways to take charge of my health and not wait for death to take me. Others helped me a great deal (Cheryl Howe for one). It helped that I already had an interest in health-related topics too.

Clearly, people are different in how they approach life challenges. It appears to boil down to mindset. There are at least 2 types of mindsets: Fixed and Growth.

A fixed mindset is when a person does not believe there is anything they can do to control or change their situation. They are resigned to it and feel powerless. They are stuck.

A growth mindset is when a person believes they can grow and change and improve their situation with effort and hard work. These people don’t just “throw in the towel.” They take action. Success is there for those willing to work for it. Success might look different than first imagined, but there is still much that can be attained.

We form our mindsets from our culture, experiences, values, disposition, relationships, among other things. The way you think, feel, and behave impacts success and failure in life. Some time reflecting on these can be beneficial to one who is curious about what mindset they have.

To change our mindset to something more positive, we must first see the need for changing it. Maybe we’re stuck because we have not considered that there are viable possibilities we have not considered to improve our situation. For example, I was not happy about having a double mastectomy, but before and after my surgery, I got some acupuncture to help with the healing process. I also drank tons of healing vegetables via juicing and took lifegiving supplements. Others I know have gotten bariatric oxygen treatments after surgery. I did everything possible to heal quickly, because I believed it was possible to support my body through my actions. Guess what? I healed very nicely and had no complications, which I later learned was unusual. A growth mindset is a wonderful thing! (I didn’t know to call it that at the time.)

What does a biblical mindset look like? God is the giver of all truth and wisdom, so He should be consulted. Talk about thinking “outside the box”! Scripture focuses on mind renewal. In opposition to our natural inclinations, we don’t live for the present, but for the eternal. Cultivating gratitude and joy results in abundant life. Let’s not forget faith (God can do the impossible} and courage (He is with us in tough times – even persecution). We turn our minds to the Spirit and let Him lead us instead of going our own way. Also counterintuitive, God commands us to love our enemies and serve others. Contentment with what God has provided gives us rest and satisfaction.

Our minds must be transformed to include these things as we become more Christ-minded. It happens over time and in small, often indistinguishable, increments as we read and meditate on the Word and choose a growth mindset. We can be changed! PTL! By aligning ourselves with God’s Word, He builds truth, purity, excellence, and beauty within us.

There is some work that needs to be done in me. May God’s Word do its (sometimes painful) work in me! What’s your mindset? Is is a growth mindset or are you stuck? Is your mindset biblical? Developing a biblical mindset is a lifelong quest, but sometimes we can look back and see how far we have come. Let’s grow together in the New Year!

joyce hague

The Christmas Story in an Unlikely Place

 

When you think of reading the Christmas story, you most likely think of Luke 2. You may also turn to the gospel of Matthew to read more about Joseph and the wise men. Passages preached in Christmas messages also include the prophets, particularly Isaiah and Micah. Additionally, I have always loved Galatians 4:4-7 in the context of the Christmas story which relays how God sent Christ to be born in the “fulness of time.” However, one place we do not typically go to for the Christmas story is the book of Revelation. Yet it is there, in this unlikely place, told in an unusual way and pointing to a great reality. Let’s take a look.
            Revelation 12:1-6 goes like this: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.”

            Revelation is a book that describes John’s symbolic visions, pointing to things yet to come. As the ESV Study Bible notes, it “unveils the spiritual war in which the church is engaged: the cosmic conflict between God and his Christ on the one hand, and Satan and his evil allies on the other.” Its purpose is not for the believer to be able to “decode” every piece of symbolism or for the church to argue for years to come about its timeline and what to take literally. Its main message is simple: Christ will return as conquering king and will judge the world. And the church, in the meantime, can stay encouraged by this truth, persevering despite hardship until that day comes.

            So, with this in mind, look back to the above telling of the Christmas story. The pregnant woman could specifically refer to Mary or more generally to the Israelite nation into which Jesus would be born. The descriptive words (sun, moon, 12 stars) point to Israel. Meanwhile, the red dragon, Satan himself, with the descriptors that show power, is seeking to do what he can to prevent this child’s coming into the world. His goal is to devour that child. What methods does he employ? The one that stands out clearly to me is when Herod has all the young boys in Bethlehem killed in an effort to eliminate any rivals to his throne. But we can think back even further to the Old Testament: Pharaoh’s attempt to have the Hebrew male babies killed in Egypt, the famines, and the captivities. Satan did not want this child to be born.

            This passage in Revelation then skips straight from the birth of the Christ child to his being “caught up to God and his throne.” In other words, Satan could not stop him. God protected Christ’s life while he was on earth so he could submit to the Father’s plan, dying on the cross for the sins of man so we could now be right with God through faith in Him. I love this shortened version of the Christmas story because it does what Revelation sets out to do: It shows the cosmic battle that continues today that will not be won by Satan. He was not able to stop Jesus, and he will not be able to stop Jesus’s church. The rest of Revelation repeatedly bears this out in a variety of ways. The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem will return, though this time not as a baby but as a conquering king (Rev. 19:11-16).

            I think it’s appropriate that at Christmas time, we don’t just focus on Jesus’s first coming as a baby, but we remember that we are in a time of waiting for Jesus’s second coming. And thus, we heed the message of Revelation: We are in a battle, so let’s fight well and let’s persevere. And above all, let’s keep our eyes fixed on the sky, knowing that the victory already belongs to God and to His Christ, and that one day Jesus will return, put an end to all that is wicked and broken, and take us home.

-- Amy O’Rear

More Than Coffee and Doughnuts

 

One of my favorite times of the week is the fellowship half-hour between services on Sunday. I like to get back to the fellowship hall in time to finish my coffee, but I also want to take my time and talk to people along the way. It’s a great time to really look at people as you pass, ask them how they’re doing, and take time to listen.

Once you get to the large room with coffee and doughnuts, listening is going to be hard. There is a variety of ages and even languages to enjoy. There is lots of conversation, laughter, and music, but that’s ok because it’s a joy to watch folks interacting with each other and to hear little snippets of talk: Well, here you are . . . That was beautiful! . . . How have you been? . . . I’ll just have one doughnut.

These are not monumental conversations, but they are meaningful just the same because they allow us to share moments of our lives with others. A smile or a pat on the back can sometimes communicate care and concern as well as an extended conversation.

I love to watch the children sitting together sharing secrets or hiding under the table munching snacks. They are learning that church is a warm and friendly place and that the people there love them.

I am so grateful our staff developed this plan for Sundays. I know it’s a lot of work for several people. I see them week after week, picking up and sorting things out, but they are helping to make possible the admonition found in scripture to “exhort one another” (Hebrews 3:13), to “comfort each other and edify one another” (I Thess. 5:11).

Certainly we carry out these admonitions in other ways as well. I hope you are involved with a small group and that you take the opportunity to connect with a class during the discipleship hour. Over the years, some of my best church relationships have been forged in these kinds of groups, and I love bonding over God’s deep truths.

The fellowship time is a way to get to know different people or to reconnect with longtime friends. So if you aren’t in the habit of moseying back to the fellowship hall, give it a try. If you make it a point to show up every Sunday, you already know--It’s more than coffee and doughnuts.

--Sherry Poff

That's Not Fair!

 

One of my kids was running out of sweatpants that fit. The skinny waist, growing legs problem where nothing will stay up or it looks like they’re wearing capris. So off to Old Navy we went. All 3 kids were in the store with me, and while we were specifically looking for pants for one, we found 2 items on sale for another as well. We did look for sale items for the third child, but nothing was found in the right size and there weren’t any specific needs in the moment anyway. 

          On the walk to the cash register, through the aisles, and out the door there was a stream of “that’s not fair’s!” I cannot actually tell you how many times I hear that phrase. I’m never surprised by it. There’s a natural sin-nature “that’s not fair-ness” in all of us! I want to take each moment it arises to teach a correct biblical worldview of fairness. Most of the time, however, my in-the-moment response often is, “You’re right, it’s not and neither is life.” *Insert eye roll at such a mom-answer.

           It is true that because we live in a broken world, full of sinful people, life here will always be unfair. It is important that my children learn the reality of this truth so that they can reasonably respond to it in their futures.

          It is also the case that in our complaints of “that’s not fair,” they are coming out of us because we are wallowing in selfishness, pride, comparison, and jealousy. None of these things is good or pleasing to the Lord, either. So having a shift of perspective, finding the things we are thankful for, realizing it’s not actually all about us, will benefit our hearts greatly.

         God is just. He is good and fair always at all times. He does not change his standards from one person to another. He offers freedom from sin to every human. His truth is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The way to a full relationship with Him and forgiveness from sin is the same for every person.

From our perspective, we could say that some of His gracious and good gifts are unfair in the sense that we do not deserve them! We do not deserve Jesus’ rescue on the cross. We cannot earn any part of the close relationship God offers us. It is not fair that even in our daily sin we are offered hope eternal with Jesus! 

It is my desire that over time my kids will learn the reality of a fallen world and the fulfillment of a just and fair God. I pray they will learn to imitate their Savior and strive to treat their neighbors with fairness and love. And when they fail or others fail them, I hope they take the steps to repent and restore and forgive. I pray these things as I pray for God’s help with this problem in my own heart. And when I get caught up in some self pity and consider my life less fair than the next person’s, may the Spirit prompt me to have that perspective shift, preaching the gospel to myself and thinking well and kindly of others.

--Sandy Gromacki

 

Scripture and Song

 A few days ago a dear friend cried on the phone.  She was discouraged about life in general, depressed about her health, her relationships, her living conditions, her future.  She felt she just could not go on.  All of us experience depression to some degree in our lives. I had advice for her, honed by bouts of depression in my own life--Scripture and song.  Read, memorize, listen to Scripture, especially in the Psalms.  Listen to music; sing it yourself.

At one point in the darkest time of my life, I went through the book of Psalms and marked every Psalm that spoke to my situation.  Then I recorded those Psalms on a CD.  Each evening when I headed for bed I started that CD playing next to my bed.  I quoted with the CD and the Scripture went deeper into my heart.  I called that CD my sleeping pill.  My distress lessened by the night. Going to sleep became easier as I transferred my focus.  God truly became my Rock, my Fortress, my Hiding Place.

During that same dark period a CD from Damaris Carbaugh became my tranquilizer, along with a collection of Praise hymns.  As I drove to work in the morning I sang along, often with tears streaming down my cheeks. Sometimes I would choose a topic, joy, love, heaven, and so on. I would think of every song on that topic I could, and I would sing each song as it came to mind.  By the time I got to work I would be ready to face the day.

So I shared with my friend. I suggested scripture and song. I sent her a text with Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."  Her response: "I cannot hear that verse without singing it."  That's the whole point!

So the last couple of days I have been looking up verses for her, all from the Psalms.  I am only listing references because I want her to look them up.  I'm going to list these for you.  Perhaps they will be what you need, perhaps not.  But hopefully they will encourage you to search the Scripture and the hymnbook.

Here are the ones I have listed for my friend.  All are from the Psalms.

               5:11                             6:2                    9:1-2

            18:2                            18:4-6                27:14

            30:2                            30:56                  31:24    

            33:21-22                     34:1-3                 34:18

            38:9                            40:1-3                  42:8

            59:16-17                    106:1                    107:26-31

           113:1-3                        119:28                   119:50

           121                              139:17-18            145:17-18

           147:3                         150:6

 Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.  Praise ye the Lord.

These are the verses I have chosen for my friend who is depressed and grieving.  They may not be the ones that you need, but I hope they will be just what my friend needs.

Scripture and Song.  The song I come back to when I am feeling low, is "Does Jesus Care?"

 
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained                                                         
Too deeply for mirth and song? 
When the burdens press
and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?                                                                           

Oh, yes He cares, I know He cares
His heart is touched with my grief.
When the days are weary,
The long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.

                --Faith Himes Lamb

What Should I Choose?!

 

Have you ever stressed about making the right decision? I stress about this all the time, even over small things. What is the right meal to order? Which would be the right book to read next? Which is the right bit of housework that I should get done tonight? Sometimes, it seems like there can only be one right decision, but they all look like they could be good, and I begin to spiral. What ends up happening is that I don’t make a decision, wait until someone else makes the decision, or rush to choose something because I’m running out of time. This way of thinking has a lot to do with my perfectionist tendencies, but they also stem from an incorrect view of God’s will.

Last month, I wrote about good fruit beliefs and bad fruit beliefs and how it is important to weed out the beliefs that produce bad fruit. One of the bad fruit beliefs I garnered from my childhood church attendance is that living in God’s will requires always making the right decision based on the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In every decision, great or small, I must follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. If I choose incorrectly, I am living outside of God’s will. Getting back in God’s will is then very difficult and takes a lot of work.

While it sounds super spiritual, this belief certainly results in bad fruit. In my life, that has looked like unnecessary fear and anxiety that I will make the wrong decision. I am a chronic overthinker and have difficulty relaxing or going with the flow if I think something is not quite “right.” I must constantly remind myself that making a wrong decision is not the end of the world and in many cases, there are many good decisions that could be made.

A few years ago, there was a great show on NBC called Ordinary Joe that was unfortunately cancelled after one season. The show focused on the life of Joe Kimbreau and how his life would have looked if he made one of three different decisions following graduation. There are three different timelines in which Joe is a nurse, police officer, or rockstar. At the beginning, you may think that one of the timelines was the “right” path to take because things seem to be going better, but as the story goes on, you see that each timeline has its own unique joys and challenges. There’s not a clear “right” path. It all contains the ups and downs of life.

I remember when I first started college and had not yet declared my major. I had narrowed it down to a few, but I stressed so much about which path I should take and which was the “right” one. I didn’t have a job I had wanted to do since childhood. I was overwhelmed by the possibilities and scared that one decision could ruin my life. I finally declared as an English Literature major at the beginning of my sophomore year, and I can confidently say that I love where that path has taken me. I love the job I have and the people I get to work with. But you know what? I could probably say the same thing if I had chosen a different major. I don’t believe a different choice would have been wrong. It would have just been different.

So what does living in God’s will actually mean? When God’s will is discussed in Scripture, it is more about our behavior than the decisions we make. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3 ESV). He goes on to give examples of actions to take and abstain from in order to live and grow in sanctification. As you go about your week, I urge you (and myself!) to stress less about making the “right decision.” Focus instead on living a life of sanctification, allowing God to mold our hearts and minds to be more like Him.

--Concetta Swann