Let Me Entertain You!

Let Me Entertain You!

          I love to entertain.  I really do!  No, not by performing for you, though I am a speech teacher and love to do that kind of performing.  I love to have people in my home for good food and conversation.  I was taught to love to entertain.  My mother was a hostess par excellence and taught me by her example and words.  She was quick to remind people that it was a command to be hospitable, not a choice.  The Amplified Bible renders I Peter 4:9 as “Practice hospitality to one another (those of the household of faith).  [Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers, with brotherly affection for the unknown guests, the foreigners, the poor, and all others who come your way who are of Christ’s body and [in each instance] do it ungrudgingly (cordially and graciously, without complaining but as representing Him).”

          Entertaining does not have to be a burden.  In the book, The Gift of an Ordinary Day by Katrina Kenison (one of my favorites right now!) the author says, “The whole point of entertaining is not to impress people, but to welcome them.”

          When my children were small (five in six and a half years) I thought that I needed to have my house clean before I could have people over.  Then I realized that was not going to happen and settled for just picked up.  People did not want to come to see a spotless house.  They didn’t even notice what seemed glaring to me.  They simply wanted to be invited in.

          I didn’t have much to offer guests  in the way of food.  We were too poor for that.  So instead I gave them what I had.  I remember once having a visiting family over after church for popcorn and water.  I had several friends who would ask when I was having beans and cornbread or potato soup so they could invite themselves over.  Food is not the major reason to entertain.

          I now find that I can entertain by asking others to help out on the menu.  I generally prepare the main dish and my guests contribute other parts.  This last Friday night I had ten people for dinner, but all I prepared was a meatloaf.  Others brought salad, baked potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and dessert.  We had a very satisfying meal without burdening anyone.  People want to share in the supply.  One dear friend washed the dishes as his contribution.

          One of my goals this year (as it was last year) is to invite new people over, to extend hospitality to those I do not know well, not just my close friends.  I need to stretch a little further.

          What is keeping you from being hospitable?  Let me challenge you to stretch.  Practice hospitality.  Have a welcoming home.

                                                            ~~Faith Himes Lamb

The Perfect Sunday

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but every once in a while I have a Sunday that is perfectly scooped and topped with me in mind. Yesterday was one such treat.

It began with a trip to the gym with my dear friend, Michelle. We are probably out of our minds to get up at 5:00 A.M. on a Sunday, but we have found it to be both physically and spiritually refreshing. After a vigorous workout and many laughs with a dear friend, my mind is fresh and awake enough to have some time in the Word before a busy, long day unfolds before me. I treasure the unrushed hour of reading, meditating, and prayer. Yesterday morning, I read the story of Joseph. As a church, we have just journeyed through this story in detail, in our children's ministry as well, so it was especially fun to get to it in my YouVersion chronological one year plan. I never get tired of the ending! What a testimony of God's sovereignty! How can we not trust a God who takes evil and makes it good? 

Then, there was Sunday school. I don't always get to go to my Sunday school class, 'tis the nature of the job of a Children's Director, but yesterday I got to go! I love the way Pastor and Tom Smith begin our time with prayer for each other-real, focused, purposeful prayer time. It is a joy to bear one another's burdens and  to rejoice in each other's blessings!  And then, we study God's Word together. Yesterday's lesson was an introduction to the book of Jeremiah. For some reason, Jeremiah seemed less "prophet-y" (read in a booming, echoey voice) to me yesterday and more real and human. Look at these verses from Jeremiah 1:4-8 (ESV):

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

Are you seeing the theme of my day yet? If not, keep reading...well, keep reading anyway, because it's so cool!

Thanks to an amazing Lighthouse Church team, I was able to remain in the morning service with my visiting aunt and uncle. In addition to the incredible music that prepared our hearts for the message ("then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee..."), our hearts were turned to focus on the sanctity of life. I couldn't help but see God's hand in the mere location of Choices Pregnancy Center at a former abortion clinic. Evil turned good. God in control...wow!

But then, Ken Rudolph spoke transparently about how God taught him to trust Him! I sure needed to be reminded from Psalm 126 that God is always at work, He makes dreams come true, He delivers, He answers prayers like streams in a desert, He saves, and it is DOUBTLESS that we will rejoice in full harvest! God is sovereign and turns sorrow into rejoicing...amazing!

Sunday afternoon was a joyful time with family reminiscing, catching up, sharing our lives with each other. There is just something about being with family. It was the whipped cream on top of an already perfect Sunday.

But let's not leave off the bright, red cherry...it was added Sunday night. While I'm biased and think that my aunt and uncle are the best ever, I still believe that their presentation was one of the best I've ever heard. Years of ministry have produced and reproduced with much fruit, and it's still going! But then, Uncle Steve tied up the whole day in one thought (not exact words): Our response to our circumstances (good or bad) comes from our core, and our core is the gospel! Woo Hoo!

Well, we might as well add some sprinkles while we're at it. We closed our day with the Lord's Table, a celebration of what the gospel means in our lives. I was so spiritually full at the moment we took the bread and the wine (a.k.a. grape juice) that I was afraid I might spill on my white sweater. I truly felt like dancing, but my muscles were beginning to remind me about my morning workout, and I probably would have scared a few people. I just couldn't help but to be excited about what we were doing. Remembering the Lord at His table means that we can trust a sovereign God. It means that He has a purpose for our lives and that He will help us to fulfill it. It means that we can call out to Him to turn our deserts into streams, because He will. It means that we can tell everyone about what He's done, because the death of His Son brought salvation to all. And it means that no matter what comes our way, He can be trusted, even praised, always.

~Rebecca Phillips

Filling My Mind

I’m telling you, I love Tetris. I find it strangely soothing.  There’s just something so satisfying about those little colored blocks falling into the right spaces and then the whole thing dropping down when the rows line up right.  If I can keep Tetris and crossword puzzles around, I am a decent person to live with. I have found that if I’ve been playing a lot of the game, I “see” the pieces in my mind in moments of relaxation---listening to music or dropping off to sleep. 

It occurs to me that I should be this full of God’s word. His truth should so saturate my mind that in moments of reflection, I am thinking “The Lord is my shepherd” or “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” At first, it’s largely a matter of discipline, isn’t it? I purposely choose to put God’s word into my mind by reading and re-reading, by memorizing and reciting. 

Several years ago, Bea Ward challenged us at Grace to commit large portions of scripture to memory. If we can learn long lists of individual verses, we can learn long passages in context. This practice has been one of the most helpful things for me to incorporate into my life. So many times, my chosen passage for the month (It does take a while to learn a whole chapter!) applies to my life in numerous ways. I find opportunities to encourage others with the verses I’m learning, and I am instructed and admonished daily as I gain new insight into familiar scriptures.

One of our teacher in-service sessions at school was on incorporating biblical truth into lessons---math, history, English, and so on. Tina Holcombe made the observation that if we are walking in the Spirit and reading the Word daily, we will naturally be thinking of what God says about various issues. We will easily see God’s hand at work in the events of history, His power displayed in nature, and His wisdom portrayed in the principles of mathematics. And there’s no way to study literature without exploring important questions about sinfulness and forgiveness.

So these are the things God is teaching me these days. And the verse running through my mind this week?  “He that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it.” I Peter 3: 10-11. Look it up and read the whole chapter. It’s great! Better yet, join me in memorizing the chapter.

---Sherry Poff

Out With the Old

We love new - new toys, new clothes, new friends, new books, new projects, new seasons, new jobs, new houses...new years. All hold the promise of something exciting and fresh, and frequently offer closure from some old things - friends, projects, seasons, jobs, and years - that weren't so wonderful.

I especially love new crayons - sharp, unused, perfect Crayola® crayons. I love them so much that I don’t actually want to use them because the moment I do is the moment they begin their decline. Call it OCD, if you must, but I’m willing to bet that many of you have stocked up during school supply shopping season just as I have. A girl can never have too many boxes of brand new crayons, right? In fact, knowing I have a few extra boxes in the drawer helped to relieve some anxiety when I sat down to color with my niece this Christmas (God bless her 6-year-old, not-so-gentle grip) and when my 14-month-old nephew got a hold of what he must have thought were carrot sticks.

So as the Director of Children’s Ministry (a.k.a. authorized purchaser of brand new crayons), my New Year’s challenge to all of you is to throw out the old crayons! All of them! Who wants to start a new year anyway with all of those broken, dull crayons that are missing their wrappers so that you are not even sure you've grabbed black, midnight blue, or denim?

“But, wait!” you say, “I can melt the old crayons and make a candle with my kids.”

Ummm…right. Okay, go for it. But, your child will never be able to use the crayons for their intended purpose again…ever! And chances are, the basket in which you've been collecting the pieces has fallen over countless times in the craft/linen/toiletries closet, and you still haven’t purchased the wicks or collected all the baby food jars you need for the project…and your child is now 18.

“But, wait!” you try again, “Waste not, want not! We’ll just add them to the basket, and eventually all of them will get used up.” Seriously? When have you ever placed a basket of crayons on the table in front of a child and they've willingly chosen the fat ones with specks of other colors all over them, the ones with the wrappers torn down, or the ones that are so small they have to pick them up with their fingernails? I’m guessing…NEVER. And, let’s be honest, you've never chosen those either. Am I right?

 So let me say it again: Don’t save them, and definitely don’t throw new ones in with the old. Throw them away, and start with a NEW box!

In many ways, we view our salvation like a box of new crayons. We have been born again. The old is gone and we have become new. We are new creations. We have the new life of Christ. So beautiful. So perfect. 

Unfortunately, however, we also try to mix our new life with our old.

So how do we throw out the old? How do we live in this new righteousness that we now possess through the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25)?

Let me share with you what has been working for me since I have embraced my new life. I confess I still have hurts that are easier to hang on to than to forgive, habits that are self-gratifying and addicting, and hang-ups that keep me from experiencing the fullness of the “abundant life” that Christ died to give me (John 10:10). So, I’ve taken one at a time and have experienced true freedom from them in this way:

• I daily saturate myself in the Truth that I have been made new! Some days it takes more effort than others, and I listen to sermons online by preachers that are known for their new covenant teaching. Other times I call my mother, because she never forgets to remind me Who I am in Christ. Sometimes I go back and read portions of books that have changed my attitude toward righteousness, like this quote that I love from the book The Hurt & the Healer by Bart Millard (lead-singer of Mercy Me) and Andrew Farley (Best-selling author and pastor of Ecclesia, a church in Lubbock, TX):

God has done more than credit righteousness to our spiritual bank account. He has actually brought real change to our human spirit, the core of our being. His Spirit has come to live in us, and he has literally and actually made us new and righteous on the inside. We have undergone a change of nature. This is very different from God simply calling us righteous or looking at us “as if” we were righteous. It is a new birth, a regeneration, a DNA swap, a heart surgery, a literal transformation as we have been born of God’s Spirit (John 3: 6; 1   John 5: 4).

Farley, Andrew; Millard, Bart (2013-08-15). Hurt & The Healer, The (Kindle Locations 558-562). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

That means that these hurts, habits, and hang-ups are not me anymore. They are the old life that has been replaced, and I’m coloring with the new.

• I have forgiven those who have hurt me, and have confessed my faults to dear brothers and sisters in Christ who pray for me and who check in on how I’m doing. I know, easier said than done, but there has to be a reason that the Hebrew author said, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16, NKJV).” I have experienced this healing. It works! And in addition, I have been blessed with the added bonus of new and dear friendships. 

So, away with the pride that kept me using that dull red…or…ummm, orange red?…or maybe that’s scarlet…crayon!

• Stop sinning. Again, you’re probably thinking, “Not so easy.” And you’re right. The web of deceit has entangled us, and it’s hard to break free. But what did Jesus say to the adulterous woman in John 8? 

He didn’t say, “What were you thinking you horrible woman? You are not permitted into the temple again until you’ve confessed in front of the town, met for counseling with our head Pharisee, and gone through a Bible study about sexual immorality (which consequently may entice you to think about it more than you ever have).”

Nope, in verse 11, Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Basically, He said, “Stop. Here’s a new, whole, spotless, creamy white crayon. Don’t use the old speckled one anymore. ” 

I have struggled with some very bad habits (shocking, I know). Let's just call them what they are...sins. Every time I am tempted, I have a choice. Because I now possess the righteousness of God through my belief in His Son, I have the power, the desire, and the ability to say no. I can even stop after initially choosing yes. I can gladly claim victory over these addictive behaviors. Jesus Christ can break the power of cancelled sin and set me free. It doesn’t mean the temptations have disappeared. The Enemy is too hateful to take them away. I am tempted often, but I look the other way, turn to another channel, and cry out to God as I step in the opposite direction. Don’t misunderstand me to say that sin is no longer a part of my daily battle. I still have flesh that gets tired, irritable, hungry, and craves immediate gratification. But I’m dropping my old crayons-one at a time-as I reach for the new ones I’ve been given.

My prayer is that in this new year you will experience and embrace the newness that is “You in Christ.”

So, out with the old! In with the YOU!

~Rebecca Phillips

May Jesus Christ be Praised!

MAY JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED!

               What is your theme song for 2014?  What is the song that will play in your head over and over again? Sometimes circumstances or people set our theme song.  More often, I think God sets it, bringing those people and circumstances into your life.  I think I have my theme for the year—May Jesus Christ be praised!  That song first captured me in 1971 when my grad school roommate used it as her wedding processional.  With every step down the aisle, I heard “May Jesus Christ be Praised.”  I thought of what a marriage would be based on that theme.

               That song has come again, perhaps because I recently saw that roommate.  It has possessed my thoughts and focused my mind.  May Jesus Christ be Praised.  I want it to be my theme for the year.  I have printed out the verses and sung them and read them repeatedly.  May they be your theme as well.

When Morning Gilds the Sky by Katholisches Gesangbuch

When morning gilds the skies my heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer, to Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When you begin the day, O never fail to say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
And at your work rejoice, to sing with heart and voice,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Does sadness fill my mind? A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss? My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this at meals your grace, in every time and place;
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this, when day is past, of all your thoughts the last
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When mirth for music longs, this is my song of songs:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evening shadows fall, this rings my curfew call,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When sleep her balm denies, my silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
When evil thoughts molest, with this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Be this, while life is mine, my canticle divine:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Sing this eternal song through all the ages long:
May Jesus Christ be praised!

                                                                                          ~~Faith Himes Lamb