What if there was one quality that would change almost everything about your life for the good – would you try to get it? What if there was one thought process that lifted how you lived life to a new height – What would you pay for it? What would you do to get it?
What if there was one attitude that changed or improved you emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually would you seek to have that attitude created and increased in your life?
Does it seem too good to be true? Could there really be a quality, a thought or an attitude that could change a person’s whole life? That sounds too good to be true – doesn’t it? Maybe . . . After all doesn’t common sense say – If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is!
There actually is a quality that can have an almost immeasurable change on life. That quality is gratitude. Gratitude may not change the circumstances that are being played out in a person’s life but gratitude will change everything that surrounds those circumstances.
In the century before Jesus entered human history there was significant debate among the philosophers and thinkers of the day about vices (sin and evil) and virtues (goodness and rightness). One of the most brilliant thinkers and writers of that day was Marcus Tullius Cicero - often referred to as simply ‘Cicero.’ Cicero was a Roman Lawyer, Writer, Scholar, Orator and Statesman. One of the observations and quotes, regarding vices and virtues, that he is well known for is: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
The human body cannot function correctly without the correct amount and make-up of spinal fluid. Spinal fluid is what keeps the brain suspended, protects the brain and spinal components from injury in normal life, and it helps to maintain chemical stability in the body. Gratitude is in a sense the spinal fluid running through the spiritual cord of people. If the gratitude is there then people can be healthy spiritually, emotionally, mentally and psychically.
The great GK Chesterton wrote about having gratitude is every area of life: You say grace before meals. All right! But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.
How’s your gratitude? Do you need an infusion of gratitude? Ask God to ‘grow gratitude’ in your heart – it will change almost everything in your life!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Seek Week - Share Your Story ...
Today, January 23rd, starts “Seek Week” here at South Whidbey Assembly of God. I want to encourage each of you to take time out this week to spend time with God. We have provided a simple “Seek Week” guide/handout for you. You can use the guide/handout if you want to, or recycle it. It is not meant to be ‘The Guide’ but a tool to help you if you want it.
A number of us have been praying that Seek Week will be a time of blessing in your journey with Jesus. I personally have been praying for those of you that may be in a difficult season or a time where it seems like God has been silent or distant. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to use this week to speak to you and bring about some new growth in your life.
When someone is going through a season marked by what seems to be silence and distance on God’s part, a common reaction is to avoid seeking God so that they are not reminded of God’s silence or distance and avoiding disappointment that has characterized recent history.
God’s Word promises that when we “draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.” If you are someone who has been avoiding seeking God because your recent experience has been silence and distance, I want to encourage you to ‘by faith’ to spend time this week seeking Him.
We are expecting some great things to happen in people’s lives this week – if something happens that you would be comfortable sharing, would you share it with us? You could write it in a note and mail it or put it in the offering bag next Sunday. You could send the story to us via email. You could check the church’s Facebook page and share your story there.
We want to be able to share what God is doing with the church family.
Seek Week is not just for adults but for the whole family. It is for children, teens and adults. Could you encourage your children by reading and praying with them? Could you encourage your teen to spend some extra time ‘seeking?’ I want to encourage you to be creative as you seek Jesus.
A number of us have been praying that Seek Week will be a time of blessing in your journey with Jesus. I personally have been praying for those of you that may be in a difficult season or a time where it seems like God has been silent or distant. I believe that the Holy Spirit wants to use this week to speak to you and bring about some new growth in your life.
When someone is going through a season marked by what seems to be silence and distance on God’s part, a common reaction is to avoid seeking God so that they are not reminded of God’s silence or distance and avoiding disappointment that has characterized recent history.
God’s Word promises that when we “draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.” If you are someone who has been avoiding seeking God because your recent experience has been silence and distance, I want to encourage you to ‘by faith’ to spend time this week seeking Him.
We are expecting some great things to happen in people’s lives this week – if something happens that you would be comfortable sharing, would you share it with us? You could write it in a note and mail it or put it in the offering bag next Sunday. You could send the story to us via email. You could check the church’s Facebook page and share your story there.
We want to be able to share what God is doing with the church family.
Seek Week is not just for adults but for the whole family. It is for children, teens and adults. Could you encourage your children by reading and praying with them? Could you encourage your teen to spend some extra time ‘seeking?’ I want to encourage you to be creative as you seek Jesus.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Spectator or Participant?
There are two major ways that involvement in sports takes place. One way is to actually participate in the sport. Someone, involved practices for the sport and then actually ‘put on the gear’ and participate. They go out and get sweaty and dirty and sore. They are fully engaged in the game.
The other way is as a ‘spectator.’ Instead of actually practicing, gearing up, and getting sweaty, dirty and sore they watch from the sidelines while others play the sport. In every arena of sports down through history there have always been more spectators than there have been participants.
It seems to me that in the modern American church both of these types of involvement happen. It never has been the plan of God that there would be two types of people in the church – participants and spectators - but both types exist.
There are those who are actually living their faith. They practice the spiritual exercises and disciplines and are regularly ‘putting on the gear’ and going out and get sweaty, dirty and sore. Their faith is alive, growing and healthy. They pray, give, study, read, meditate, serve, love, worship and so on.
There are others who aren’t really living out their faith but instead they watch others who are participating in the life of faith. Sure they show up. Sure they cheer. Sure they know the plays, know the rules, know the players and what the game is supposed to look like but they don’t actually ‘gear up’ and participate.
The interesting thing about sports is it is a whole lot easier to be an ‘arm chair quarterback’ when living a spectator life then it is when living a participant life. Participants understand enough about what it takes to play the game, understand that there are countless obstacles and have had bad days and even bad seasons that all temper them and keeps their ‘arm chair quarterbacking’ to a minimum.
Here’s the simple question: Are you a participant or a spectator?
The other way is as a ‘spectator.’ Instead of actually practicing, gearing up, and getting sweaty, dirty and sore they watch from the sidelines while others play the sport. In every arena of sports down through history there have always been more spectators than there have been participants.
It seems to me that in the modern American church both of these types of involvement happen. It never has been the plan of God that there would be two types of people in the church – participants and spectators - but both types exist.
There are those who are actually living their faith. They practice the spiritual exercises and disciplines and are regularly ‘putting on the gear’ and going out and get sweaty, dirty and sore. Their faith is alive, growing and healthy. They pray, give, study, read, meditate, serve, love, worship and so on.
There are others who aren’t really living out their faith but instead they watch others who are participating in the life of faith. Sure they show up. Sure they cheer. Sure they know the plays, know the rules, know the players and what the game is supposed to look like but they don’t actually ‘gear up’ and participate.
The interesting thing about sports is it is a whole lot easier to be an ‘arm chair quarterback’ when living a spectator life then it is when living a participant life. Participants understand enough about what it takes to play the game, understand that there are countless obstacles and have had bad days and even bad seasons that all temper them and keeps their ‘arm chair quarterbacking’ to a minimum.
Here’s the simple question: Are you a participant or a spectator?
Friday, January 7, 2011
REST
Over the next four weeks we are going to look at the subject of REST. R – Rest. E – Exercises S – Sabbath. T – Thanksgiving. We live in a hurried, out of control world and it is almost impossible to avoid getting on the treadmill with everyone else.
You have probably said and heard others say things like: Where did the time go? Time keeps going faster and faster. There aren't enough hours in the week to get everything done. A New York Times article said: “Somewhere between trigonometry and colonoscopy, someone must have hit the fast-forward button.”
Do these ideas ring true for you? Have you said some of these things? Have you thought some of these things?
As the treadmill speeds up, we all try to control more and more things in our life. There is danger in living like that. One danger is we deceive ourselves into thinking that we can really control things. Another danger is the stress that is created when what we are trying to control slips out of our control.
Writer and teacher John Ortberg has written about the human propensity to strive to control life. He wrote: “As a general rule, the harder you work to control things, the more you lose control.”
What if REST is part of the answer to create a whole different way of living? What if REST is part of getting off the treadmill and traveling through life another way?
I hope that you ‘tune-in’ for these weeks of teaching on REST.
You have probably said and heard others say things like: Where did the time go? Time keeps going faster and faster. There aren't enough hours in the week to get everything done. A New York Times article said: “Somewhere between trigonometry and colonoscopy, someone must have hit the fast-forward button.”
Do these ideas ring true for you? Have you said some of these things? Have you thought some of these things?
As the treadmill speeds up, we all try to control more and more things in our life. There is danger in living like that. One danger is we deceive ourselves into thinking that we can really control things. Another danger is the stress that is created when what we are trying to control slips out of our control.
Writer and teacher John Ortberg has written about the human propensity to strive to control life. He wrote: “As a general rule, the harder you work to control things, the more you lose control.”
What if REST is part of the answer to create a whole different way of living? What if REST is part of getting off the treadmill and traveling through life another way?
I hope that you ‘tune-in’ for these weeks of teaching on REST.
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