This Is Who We Are

 

I read an article the other day entitled, “Parents, Just Go to Church.” I encourage you to look it up and read it, especially if you have kids (you can find it on thegospelcoalition.org). Since reading it though, I have been thinking that besides the Holy Spirit’s work in my life, I think the greatest reason you will find me consistently in church is due to my parents. I am profoundly grateful for the example they set. From my earliest memories, we were involved in church – Sunday School, the main service, Sunday evening service, and the mid-week service. We were at extra church functions, business meetings, and prayer meetings. You could argue that we had no other choice; my dad was one of the pastors. But I know better; I know the values of my parents, and even when we were in the States and could have taken a bit of a “break” from the busy church lives we led overseas, my parents got immediately involved, again attending all regular services and extra events, and even served where they could.

My mom taught me how to teach children’s church when I was around pre-teen age. My siblings and I often helped set up chairs for church or tear them back down afterwards, we sometimes helped clean the building between services, and we helped pass out invitations to special events through mail-box campaigns (which is legal in Germany). When I think back on my childhood, church life was a massive part of that. I never perceived it as legalism; I understood that I didn’t go to church to gain favor with God or earn my salvation. Church was just so much a part of our identity that not going would have seemed strange. Our church was our family – truly – with whom we did life with all its messes and joys.

About a year ago, I was listening to a message by Matt Merker, a modern-day hymn writer who is perhaps best known for his song, “He will hold me fast.” He was speaking on the importance of corporate worship, and he made this statement, “We go to church because we ARE the church.” Church is not something we do, or even primarily a place that we go; it is who we are. We are God’s people, Christ’s body, the church (Colossians 1:18). And as His body, as one people, we gather physically for the sake of worshipping God and doing life together. We encourage one another in truth, we walk alongside one another in the joys and sorrows of life, and we serve one another as we have opportunity (Galatians 6:10). We don’t miss the gathering of the believers (Hebrews 10:25) as we grow together in unity and in the knowledge of the Lord (Ephesians 4:11-16).

               As Cameron Cole, author of “Parents, Just Go to Church” points out, attending church is not easy, especially with a family – maybe it’s little ones who are sleepy, teenagers who don’t want to go, or maybe it’s been a really busy week and we just want a relaxing day at home. But he writes, “It’s not optional or a matter of preference, and this is God’s mercy toward us. God knows how badly we need the benefits of meeting together. God doesn’t need our worship. We, on the other hand, desperately need corporate worship to center and order our lives around the Lord.”

               Sisters, is church an integral part of our lives? Moms, do our kids see that we value church, not just for their sakes as we send them to youth group or Awana, but also for our own spiritual growth? Are we involved beyond the mere sitting in the pews during Sunday morning worship? Are we making regular church attendance a priority over other activities such as sports? Oh, sister in the body of Christ, we need you, and you need us. We together are the body. You can contribute things we cannot. This is not about legalism; it is about our identity.

To my parents, I say thank you for teaching me and my siblings this well. My parents were out of town this morning but their influence was felt as my brother served behind the scenes by changing the slides on the screens, my sister assisted in a children’s Sunday School class, and I used what Mom modeled to me through her teaching gifts as I got to lead a class. My parents would say it was all God, and while I agree, I would add that God used them. My prayer is that my three kids would have the same testimony one day.

--Amy O'Rear

The Natural Order

 

Have you seen those signs that say “A messy desk is a sign of genius”? I have not done the research, but I’m willing to accept that statement as truth. I guess people who have a lot going on tend to move from one task to another, prioritizing work over straightening up. Certainly we all have different tolerance levels for messiness. My stacks of paper used to make my college roommate crazy, but we both accomplished what we needed to for our classes. So if you won’t judge me for my stacks of books and papers, I’ll try not to judge you for your clothes lying about. J

But there’s another kind of orderliness I want to think about this week. I’ve been meditating on Psalm 104 this month, and among the many beautiful and inspirations aspects of this passage of scripture, I keep coming back to the patterns and order that God built into the world.

Have a look at verses 19-23.

 He appointed the moon for seasons;
The sun knows its going down.
²⁰ You make darkness, and it is night,
In which all the beasts of the forest creep about.
²¹ The young lions roar after their prey,
And seek their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they gather together
And lie down in their dens.
²³ Man goes out to his work
And to his labor until the evening.

God made the world to work in predictable ways. Seasons follow one another in the same order year after year—and we’re due for a season change this very week! The moon gradually changes from new to full and back again month after month. This is the way the world works. And it seems pretty clear to me that people are healthier when they work with the natural order that God  created. I know that some jobs require folks to sleep during the day or to work uneven shifts, and I’m ever so grateful for those people who keep watch while the rest of us sleep. When possible, though, we should try to maintain some kind of routine. This is how God made us.

Especially with children, I have noticed that routines provide security and stability. Children like to know what to expect, even when they aren’t old enough to recognize that need in their lives. So I want to encourage mothers of young children to keep serving up regular meals, insisting on rest time, and encouraging routines. You and your little ones will be happier for it.

For those of us who are older, what can we learn? Get up at a good time, eat regular meals, go to bed at a reasonable hour. (Wow, it’s about the same as for the little kids!) Life may seem a little boring at times, so maybe we can mix it up now and then, but it has been my experience—and I think we can support the notion with scripture—that a life of orderliness is a healthy and happy life.

You have my permission to ask me how I’m doing getting to bed at a reasonable hour. That’s my struggle.

I hope you have a great week. Happy Equinox!

--Sherry Poff

God's Subtle Reminder

 

Music has always been a significant part of my life and whenever I am discouraged, music and Scripture are usually my strong source of comfort and encouragement.  Songs like “He Giveth More Grace,” “All Your Anxiety,” and “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” are just a few.  If you’re not familiar with the lyrics, look them up.  All are based on Scripture and are a great reminder of who God is.

Father’s Day weekend has been a very difficult weekend for me for the last 12 years.  I “lost” my husband the day after Father’s Day on June 21, 2010.  Let me rephrase that. God called my husband home.  His job on earth was complete and it was time for him to meet his Heavenly Father face to face.  Oh, what a blessing!  Oh, what joy—no more sorrow, no more pain!  On Father’s Day weekend this year, I was wallowing in self-pity being reminded of the significance of the holiday, and I received a phone call from my sister informing me that Dad’s time on earth was coming to a end.  His doctor had placed him under hospice care and it was just a matter of time.  Did I mention he was 99 and had served God faithfully for over 80+ years?  He was no longer able to care for himself in any capacity, had limited hearing and sight, slept most of the time, had no friends.  Basically he had no life here on earth.  So why was I again wallowing in self-pity?  Dad was ready to meet his Heavenly Father and what a blessing that is for every child of God.

I mentioned earlier how music has played a significant role in my life.  God used music that weekend to really show me who He is.  After talking to my sister on Saturday, I had to run to the grocery store.  On the way I was listening to Southern Gospel music and the Triumphant Quartet sang “The Goodness of God” and I was reminded that God is in every aspect of our lives, even the hard times.  Sunday morning as I was driving to church, again “The Goodness of God” came on the radio.  As we were singing in the service, Fred had chosen the song, “The Goodness of God.” Need I say that tears were flowing by this time as I was reminded of the goodness of God once again?  Pastor Love’s message and Amy O’Rear’s lesson reinforced the fact that when our focus is on God and who he is, we find joy even in the difficult times. 

Later that afternoon and evening, I was watching a video of the church service where my son serves as Youth Pastor.  They were honoring their graduates, and they were also honoring him for ten years of faithful service.  In his “speech” he mentioned his dad and yes, the tears began to flow once again.  Not tears of sorrow as much as tears of pride and wishing Jim could see how God was using Nathaniel to meet the needs of teens and encouraging them to stay faithful to the Lord as they go out into a godless world. Can you even guess what the next song in their service was?  “The Goodness of God.”  That night I went to bed with a full heart.  God had truly shown me his faithfulness.  The next morning when I awoke, the first words that went through my mind were the words of the chorus: “All my life you have been faithful.  All my life you have been so, so good.”  I am so thankful today for a God who is faithful and good even when we fail Him, He never fails us. 

I’d like to leave a couple references that help to remind us of the goodness of God.

II Tim. 2:13, I Cor. 10:13, I John 1:9, and II Thess. 3:3

The Goodness of God

I love You, Lord, For Your mercy never failed me.

All my days, I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head.

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

And all my life You have been faithful

And all my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

I love Your voice

You have led me through the fire

And in the darkest night You are close like no other

I've known You as a Father

I've known You as a Friend

And I have lived in the goodness of God!

 

'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me

With my life laid down, I'm surrendered now

I give You everything

'Cause Your goodness is running after, it's running after me, oh-oh

 

And all my life You have been faithful

And all my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God

Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God

 

God is so good.  God is so good. God is so good, He’s so good to me.

 --Bonnie King

Summer Tomatoes

            The taste of summer--a tomato picked off the vine, maybe a sprinkle of salt, maybe not, straight into my mouth, still warm from the sun.  In pursuit of this taste of summer I buy tomato plants every summer, hoping to grow that perfect tomato.  I usually wind up with two or three very expensive tomatoes, the results of that investment.  This summer though I have had more than two or three, with more than that almost ready to pick.

    Two of my tomato plants look pretty ordinary, but they are producing.  The third though looks spectacular, thick and bushy and almost six feet high.  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it!  There's only one problem--there has not been a single blossom, not a single tomato, all summer.  No fruit at all.

    As I've watched that tomato plant I've remembered a song that my junior Sunday school teacher, Miss Dottie, made me and my fellow students at Calvary Baptist Church in Wheaton memorize and sing every Sunday.  It was called "Nothing but Leaves".

    The Master is seeking a harvest in lives He's redeemed by His blood;  

    He seeks for the fruit of the Spirit And works that will glorify God.

    He looks for His likeness reflected in lives that are yielded and true;

   He's looking for zeal in the winning of souls He's entrusted to you.

   Nothing but leaves for the Master

    Oh how His loving heart grieves when instead of the fruit He is seeking,

    We offer Him nothing but leaves.

    The song is referring back to the story found in the Gospels, Matthew 21 and Mark 11.  Jesus and His disciples were on their way to Jerusalem.  Jesus was hungry and saw a fig tree growing ahead next to the road.  He examined the tree, looking for fruit to satisfy His hunger, but but found nothing.  I never understood His next actions, since Scripture says it was not the season for fruit.  Jesus searched for fruit, found none, so cursed the tree, saying it would never bear fruit again.  The tree withered, then died.  I have learned that even though it was not the season for figs, often there would be figs hidden within the green leaves, after most of the figs were gone.  Jesus was giving His disciples and us a picture, a picture of fruitlessness. 

    Let's look at the two kinds of fruit that Christians are expected to produce in their lives.  Could we be considered fruitless?  The first fruit is the fruit of the Spirit, described in Galatians 5:22 and 23.  "The fruit of the the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, self control."  The song describes this as "His likeness reflected."  I found this question in a discussion about the song.  "What aspect of the fruit of the Spirit do you have most trouble producing?"  I didn't have to think very long before I could answer this question.  I suspect you don't have trouble identifying your elusive characteristic.  

    The other kind of fruit is found in our influence on other people's lives, perhaps in leading them to salvation or perhaps in encouraging growth.  John 15:13 commands us to love one another, just as He loves us.  We could change our worlds with that kind of fruit.

    In verses two and three of John fifteen Jesus tells us that the Father prunes the vine (us) so that we will bring forth fruit.  He has to cut out what prevents us from being fruitful.  We only bear fruit when we are attached to the vine.  "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." Most of the time that pruning is painful since something must be cut out.  I have tried to prune my tomato plant, hoping to make it fruitful, but I don't have the wisdom of a master gardener like the Father.  My tomato is still not producing.

    So, do you want to be the tomato plant with lots of leaves and no tomatoes?  Or do you want to have abundant fruit, both in the Fruit of the Spirit and in the lives of others?  Do you want the best possible harvest? Abide in Him.  Choose an abundant harvest.

                                                                            ~~Faith Himes Lamb