Dear Matt and Friends at South Whidbey Assembly of God,
Thank you for honoring the Good Cheer staff and volunteers with your spectacular evening of fine food and appreciation. From the moment we walked in, we knew it would be a special evening. The warmth brought out by the festive table decorations was so welcoming. The whole evening was so well planned and the joy of service was evident in all of the folks who volunteered that evening.
The evening held so many special moments from the presentation of the plaque from Norma Smith and Helen Price Johnson to the wonderful food. The coffee bar was a big hit on such a wintery night. We appreciated being able to participate with our program while you took care of all the details for the dinner.
Our staff and volunteers work hard every day to bring a better tomorrow to the South Whidbey community. We try to say thank you every time someone volunteers but we are not always successful. What is great about an evening like you put on for us is twofold. One, we get to say thank you in a very joyful way. Two, our volunteers get to see others who they had no idea were working towards the same goal. Many of our volunteers only know their small part of the whole. Saturday helped to bring our organization together in a way that is challenging on a regular basis.
In light of the tragedy that occurred Friday, Saturday became even more meaningful in that we were reminded to look for the helpers as Mr. Roger’s mother advised him to do. We found these helpers within our own ranks and within the beauty of your congregation. Evenings like Saturday remind us of how compassionate we are as a community.
May this Christmas season reveal more miracles that come from our kind-hearted community. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!
With Gratitude,
Kathy McCabe
Executive Director
Board of Directors
Jay Ryan
President
Board of Directors
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Live for Him who died for you!
It is always perplexing how selfishness and self-centeredness creeps into people’s lives. It is like the saber tooth tiger that Fred Flintstone put out the door every night only to have it jump back in the window or the cat at your house that every time the door opens it tries to get in the house and has to be hssss-ed away. No matter how many times selfishness is put to rest, it comes back to life. Self-centeredness seems to have more lives than the nine lives that a cat supposedly has.
Paul challenged the followers of Jesus in Corinth concerning who we live for. He wrote:
Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us. (2 Corinthians 5:15 CEV)
Jesus died so that we would not live self-centered, selfish lives any longer. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we would live for Him.
Followers of Jesus are sometimes referred to as ‘believers’. That is what a follower of Jesus is but … a follower of Jesus is much more than that. Without faith it is impossible to please God, yet faith without action is dead. (Hebrews 11 and James 2) The action that true faith requires and produces is ‘live for Him’ action.
True faith is seen in the action that Jesus would have taken. True faith is not seen in the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ or ‘WWJD’ movement from a few years ago. The problem with the WWJD movement was it was a bracelet worn on the arm but not action lived towards Jesus, neighbors, enemies or strangers.
‘I believe!’ … is not enough. The Scriptures call for ‘I believe’ and ‘I no longer live for me but I live for Him.’
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NLT)
Live for Him – There is no one else to live for!
Paul challenged the followers of Jesus in Corinth concerning who we live for. He wrote:
Christ did die for all of us. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died and was raised to life for us. (2 Corinthians 5:15 CEV)
Jesus died so that we would not live self-centered, selfish lives any longer. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we would live for Him.
Followers of Jesus are sometimes referred to as ‘believers’. That is what a follower of Jesus is but … a follower of Jesus is much more than that. Without faith it is impossible to please God, yet faith without action is dead. (Hebrews 11 and James 2) The action that true faith requires and produces is ‘live for Him’ action.
True faith is seen in the action that Jesus would have taken. True faith is not seen in the ‘What Would Jesus Do’ or ‘WWJD’ movement from a few years ago. The problem with the WWJD movement was it was a bracelet worn on the arm but not action lived towards Jesus, neighbors, enemies or strangers.
‘I believe!’ … is not enough. The Scriptures call for ‘I believe’ and ‘I no longer live for me but I live for Him.’
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NLT)
Live for Him – There is no one else to live for!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Jesus - Don't you want to know more about Him?
As Christmas approaches, newspapers, magazines and blogs will spend considerable time discussing the facts of the Christmas Story. In November, US News and World Report published a book on The Real Jesus. Fox News says: Jesus was part of a blended family. CNN reports: Pope's book on Jesus debunks Christmas myths.
The people, places, exact dates and details will be dissected and discussed. Every Christmas and Easter Jesus gets time and attention in very public ways in the media and discussions. Some see this as an attack on Jesus and Christianity – maybe it is. I think there is another interesting side to all the talk about Jesus.
I find it interesting that after more than 2000 years Jesus is the only figure in history that gets regular press. Who else gets the press that Jesus gets? Who even comes in a close second?
In the Encyclopedia Britannica, Jesus gets over 21,000 words dedicated to him. There are over 17,000 books about Jesus in the Library of Congress. No subject has even half that number of books dedicated to it in the Library of Congress.
In 1978 Michael H. Hart wrote a book entitled: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. The book sold 500,000 copies and has been translated into 15 languages. The book was very controversial because it listed Muhammad as the most influential person in history. Jesus was actually listed as number three by him. In the introduction of the book he defended his choice of Muhammad saying: “… my ranking of Muhammad higher than Jesus, is in large part because of my belief that Muhammad had a much greater influence on the foundation of the Moslem religion than Jesus had on the formulation of the Christian religion. This does not imply, of course, that I think that Muhammad was greater than Jesus.” (Emphasis mine.)
Notice the last line by Michael Hart: “This does not imply, of course, that I think that Muhammad was greater than Jesus.” Since, for most people, the obvious choice for the most influential person of all time would be Jesus, he has to take time to defend why he would list Muhammad as number one. He has to defend the reason for Jesus not being listed as number one. It is interesting that his book is translated into 15 languages and the Bible has been translated into over 2,200 languages.
Who is there in all of history that compares with Jesus who was called Immanuel God with us! Don’t you want to know more about Jesus?
The people, places, exact dates and details will be dissected and discussed. Every Christmas and Easter Jesus gets time and attention in very public ways in the media and discussions. Some see this as an attack on Jesus and Christianity – maybe it is. I think there is another interesting side to all the talk about Jesus.
I find it interesting that after more than 2000 years Jesus is the only figure in history that gets regular press. Who else gets the press that Jesus gets? Who even comes in a close second?
In the Encyclopedia Britannica, Jesus gets over 21,000 words dedicated to him. There are over 17,000 books about Jesus in the Library of Congress. No subject has even half that number of books dedicated to it in the Library of Congress.
In 1978 Michael H. Hart wrote a book entitled: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. The book sold 500,000 copies and has been translated into 15 languages. The book was very controversial because it listed Muhammad as the most influential person in history. Jesus was actually listed as number three by him. In the introduction of the book he defended his choice of Muhammad saying: “… my ranking of Muhammad higher than Jesus, is in large part because of my belief that Muhammad had a much greater influence on the foundation of the Moslem religion than Jesus had on the formulation of the Christian religion. This does not imply, of course, that I think that Muhammad was greater than Jesus.” (Emphasis mine.)
Notice the last line by Michael Hart: “This does not imply, of course, that I think that Muhammad was greater than Jesus.” Since, for most people, the obvious choice for the most influential person of all time would be Jesus, he has to take time to defend why he would list Muhammad as number one. He has to defend the reason for Jesus not being listed as number one. It is interesting that his book is translated into 15 languages and the Bible has been translated into over 2,200 languages.
Who is there in all of history that compares with Jesus who was called Immanuel God with us! Don’t you want to know more about Jesus?
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Innocent Bystanders
When good things in life happen unexpectedly, people sometimes describe what occurred by saying “I was just in the right place at the right time.” When bad things happen unexpectedly, people sometimes describe what occurred by saying “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” In both cases, these people could be referred to as ‘innocent bystanders.’
Either person was just ‘standing-by’ when something happened. They were innocent. The one to whom something ‘good’ happened didn’t do anything to cause the ‘good’. The one to whom the ‘bad’ happened didn’t do anything to cause the ‘bad.’
History is filled with people who we could call ‘Innocent Bystanders.’ Noah was an innocent bystander. He is minding his own business, tending to his family and tending to life, when out of the blue God calls him to spend 100 years building an ark. People made fun of him and he surely took brunt of the ridicule of his neighbors. He was just standing by doing life when he was brought into world history.
Amos was a shepherd and a fig farmer when God spoke to him and called him to be a prophet. He was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, minding his own business when God called him and for the next 10 years he was thrust into the center of history. 3500 years later people all around the world read an Old Testament book called Amos. The book of Amos is the record of an Innocent Bystander who was drug into history.
The story that has been told and retold at Christmas time for 100’s of years is filled with Innocent Bystanders. Over the next few weeks we are going to take a look at Innocent Bystanders from the Christmas story and then draw some lessons about how each of us, at one time or another, are ‘minding our own business’ when life jumps out from behind a bush, takes us by surprise, and we travel down a road that we were not expecting.
How will we respond to life’s curveballs? What are the fears we must overcome? What are the faith lessons that we will come face to face with? There are countless questions, lessons and applications found in the Christmas story.
This Christmas, bring your family and friends with you to uncover life from the stories of ‘Innocent Bystanders.’
Either person was just ‘standing-by’ when something happened. They were innocent. The one to whom something ‘good’ happened didn’t do anything to cause the ‘good’. The one to whom the ‘bad’ happened didn’t do anything to cause the ‘bad.’
History is filled with people who we could call ‘Innocent Bystanders.’ Noah was an innocent bystander. He is minding his own business, tending to his family and tending to life, when out of the blue God calls him to spend 100 years building an ark. People made fun of him and he surely took brunt of the ridicule of his neighbors. He was just standing by doing life when he was brought into world history.
Amos was a shepherd and a fig farmer when God spoke to him and called him to be a prophet. He was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, minding his own business when God called him and for the next 10 years he was thrust into the center of history. 3500 years later people all around the world read an Old Testament book called Amos. The book of Amos is the record of an Innocent Bystander who was drug into history.
The story that has been told and retold at Christmas time for 100’s of years is filled with Innocent Bystanders. Over the next few weeks we are going to take a look at Innocent Bystanders from the Christmas story and then draw some lessons about how each of us, at one time or another, are ‘minding our own business’ when life jumps out from behind a bush, takes us by surprise, and we travel down a road that we were not expecting.
How will we respond to life’s curveballs? What are the fears we must overcome? What are the faith lessons that we will come face to face with? There are countless questions, lessons and applications found in the Christmas story.
This Christmas, bring your family and friends with you to uncover life from the stories of ‘Innocent Bystanders.’
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Anticipation
This time of year can be described by one word – Anticipation. Almost everyone experiences anticipation in some way.
To some people anticipation is a good thing. They start playing the Christmas music, decorating the tree, and hanging the lights. The days get counted down. Each day is crossed off on the calendar. Each card written, present purchased and wrapped helps build the anticipation of the festivities of Christmas. For many teachers and students anticipation describes the days leading up to ‘Christmas Break.’
For some, anticipation is not so good. Every part of the build up to Christmas serves to remind them of something. The anticipation of Christmas time might be a tainted by a memory, a broken relationship, some sort of rejection, another year going by without seeing a loved one. Every part of the buildup brings anxiety, dread, fear, regret, disappointment and depression.
Years ago, Carly Simon sang the words – ‘Anticipation is making me wait, is keeping me waiting.’ The coming of Jesus into the world can be described by that one word - Anticipation.
When Jesus came into the world God’s people had been anticipating a deliverer for hundreds of years. Moses had described a deliverer; the prophets had foretold the coming of a ‘Messiah.’ History tells us that during the span of Jesus’ life there were at least 18 different ‘messiah’ candidates who claimed they would lead a deliverance from Rome for the people of God.
The anticipation was so powerful that Luke describes a couple of elderly people who spent night and day in the temple waiting, praying and looking for the Messiah. Simeon, a devout elderly man, had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died. Ana, described as a prophetess, was waiting, praying and looking for the Messiah.
Anticipation was a state that the people of God lived in. It was so strong that many followed some of these ‘messiah’ candidates. 2000 followers of one of these men were executed on crosses that lined the roads around Galilee, the region that Jesus lived in. He would have walked the roads lined with corpses on crosses. Anticipation was in the air.
Anticipation is also a word that could describe followers of Jesus down through 2000 years as they await His return. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, the church leader in Ephesus, about a ‘crown of righteousness’ that will be given to those who anticipate, to those who have ‘longed for his appearing.’ (2 Timothy 4:8 NIV) The crown is available to everyone. The crown will only be given to those who ‘anticipate’ His return.
Anticipation, it is in the air. Are you anticipating His return? Are you living like it?
To some people anticipation is a good thing. They start playing the Christmas music, decorating the tree, and hanging the lights. The days get counted down. Each day is crossed off on the calendar. Each card written, present purchased and wrapped helps build the anticipation of the festivities of Christmas. For many teachers and students anticipation describes the days leading up to ‘Christmas Break.’
For some, anticipation is not so good. Every part of the build up to Christmas serves to remind them of something. The anticipation of Christmas time might be a tainted by a memory, a broken relationship, some sort of rejection, another year going by without seeing a loved one. Every part of the buildup brings anxiety, dread, fear, regret, disappointment and depression.
Years ago, Carly Simon sang the words – ‘Anticipation is making me wait, is keeping me waiting.’ The coming of Jesus into the world can be described by that one word - Anticipation.
When Jesus came into the world God’s people had been anticipating a deliverer for hundreds of years. Moses had described a deliverer; the prophets had foretold the coming of a ‘Messiah.’ History tells us that during the span of Jesus’ life there were at least 18 different ‘messiah’ candidates who claimed they would lead a deliverance from Rome for the people of God.
The anticipation was so powerful that Luke describes a couple of elderly people who spent night and day in the temple waiting, praying and looking for the Messiah. Simeon, a devout elderly man, had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died. Ana, described as a prophetess, was waiting, praying and looking for the Messiah.
Anticipation was a state that the people of God lived in. It was so strong that many followed some of these ‘messiah’ candidates. 2000 followers of one of these men were executed on crosses that lined the roads around Galilee, the region that Jesus lived in. He would have walked the roads lined with corpses on crosses. Anticipation was in the air.
Anticipation is also a word that could describe followers of Jesus down through 2000 years as they await His return. The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, the church leader in Ephesus, about a ‘crown of righteousness’ that will be given to those who anticipate, to those who have ‘longed for his appearing.’ (2 Timothy 4:8 NIV) The crown is available to everyone. The crown will only be given to those who ‘anticipate’ His return.
Anticipation, it is in the air. Are you anticipating His return? Are you living like it?
Friday, November 16, 2012
Soul Dis-integration is like a 'Dirty Bomb'
I have been thinking a lot this week about the damage that can be done by someone whose soul has disintegrated. The lead news all week has been about extramarital affairs, deception and entanglements. I don’t know all the intricate details of this unfortunate situation but it is not the first time in history and certainly won’t be the last time that these kinds of events take place.
The question has been asked more than once, in a number of different ways, ‘How could this happen?’ or ‘How could someone so smart and so experienced and with so much to lose do something like this?’ Those are great questions to ask, but they are tough questions to answer.
From the perspective of someone who works with people and their souls, it is clear from experience that people make these kinds of choices not from a soul that is ‘integrated’ but from a soul that is in some way ‘disintegrated.’ A soul where the mind has been disintegrated from the emotions, will, relationships and consequences will make poor choices and even catastrophic choices.
In a very real way we’ve witnessed the effects of a ‘dirty bomb’ going off and the destruction that it can bring. A ‘dirty bomb’ combines radioactive material with conventional explosives in order to contaminate the area around the explosion. A dirty bomb is not immediately life threatening. The effects of the contamination are real. They leave areas unable to be lived in, worked in and traveled in. They leave people who have been contaminated with long lasting health issues that can ultimately be fatal. The emotional and psychological effects can leave people socially paralyzed for a long time.
When an affair occurs it is like a dirty bomb going off. There isn’t immediate death, but almost everything experiences contamination. One man with a disintegrated soul gets involved with a woman who has a disintegrated soul and eventually the bomb goes off. The wife of the man, the husband of the woman, the children of both families, the co-workers, the subordinates, the authorities over and the world around watch as the contamination spreads.
The only prevention to this ‘dirty bomb’ going off and other ‘dirty bombs’ going off is the integration of the soul.
Lord, integrate my soul! Lord, integrate our souls!
(If you’ve been unable to catch our ‘Soul Care’ series you can get it at swag-online.org or in iTunes.)
The question has been asked more than once, in a number of different ways, ‘How could this happen?’ or ‘How could someone so smart and so experienced and with so much to lose do something like this?’ Those are great questions to ask, but they are tough questions to answer.
From the perspective of someone who works with people and their souls, it is clear from experience that people make these kinds of choices not from a soul that is ‘integrated’ but from a soul that is in some way ‘disintegrated.’ A soul where the mind has been disintegrated from the emotions, will, relationships and consequences will make poor choices and even catastrophic choices.
In a very real way we’ve witnessed the effects of a ‘dirty bomb’ going off and the destruction that it can bring. A ‘dirty bomb’ combines radioactive material with conventional explosives in order to contaminate the area around the explosion. A dirty bomb is not immediately life threatening. The effects of the contamination are real. They leave areas unable to be lived in, worked in and traveled in. They leave people who have been contaminated with long lasting health issues that can ultimately be fatal. The emotional and psychological effects can leave people socially paralyzed for a long time.
When an affair occurs it is like a dirty bomb going off. There isn’t immediate death, but almost everything experiences contamination. One man with a disintegrated soul gets involved with a woman who has a disintegrated soul and eventually the bomb goes off. The wife of the man, the husband of the woman, the children of both families, the co-workers, the subordinates, the authorities over and the world around watch as the contamination spreads.
The only prevention to this ‘dirty bomb’ going off and other ‘dirty bombs’ going off is the integration of the soul.
Lord, integrate my soul! Lord, integrate our souls!
(If you’ve been unable to catch our ‘Soul Care’ series you can get it at swag-online.org or in iTunes.)
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
What direction are you moving in?
God has a direction for every person to travel. The direction is not arbitrary or capricious. God doesn’t do arbitrary or capricious.
The direction of travel He desires for each of us is in some ways general and the same for all of us. He has given us a very clear picture of the overall or basic direction that our travel in life is to take. That direction is the direction of love. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the general direction that God wants each of us to travel.
Everything God does in your life, big or small, is in some way about moving you in the direction of love. He was at work yesterday in your life in ways that will encourage movement in the direction of love for God and love for others. He is at work today in your life in ways that will prod movement in that same direction.
It is always in our best interest and in the best interest of others to travel in the direction of love for God and love for others. This direction might not lead us towards the easiest path. This direction does not include safe travel, smooth travel or quick travel. The direction of love for God and love for others can be a dangerous direction to travel in. The direction of love for God and love for others can lead us to traveling along very windy, bumpy road. The direction of love for God and love for others can be an extremely slow plod. The difficulty of the travel is no indication that the direction is wrong.
Anytime any of us move in a direction that is counter to love for God and love for others, we are moving in the wrong direction. When we are traveling in the wrong direction, there are warning messages that are communicated to us. Our conscience tells us to change direction, others tell us to change direction, and guilt tells us to change directions. The messages warning us to change direction are either built in warning systems or external messages that come for our good and the good of others.
The question to ask is: Is this direction moving me towards greater love for God and greater love for others or is this direction moving me away – moving me towards loving God less and loving others less?
Which direction are you moving in?
The direction of travel He desires for each of us is in some ways general and the same for all of us. He has given us a very clear picture of the overall or basic direction that our travel in life is to take. That direction is the direction of love. Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. This is the general direction that God wants each of us to travel.
Everything God does in your life, big or small, is in some way about moving you in the direction of love. He was at work yesterday in your life in ways that will encourage movement in the direction of love for God and love for others. He is at work today in your life in ways that will prod movement in that same direction.
It is always in our best interest and in the best interest of others to travel in the direction of love for God and love for others. This direction might not lead us towards the easiest path. This direction does not include safe travel, smooth travel or quick travel. The direction of love for God and love for others can be a dangerous direction to travel in. The direction of love for God and love for others can lead us to traveling along very windy, bumpy road. The direction of love for God and love for others can be an extremely slow plod. The difficulty of the travel is no indication that the direction is wrong.
Anytime any of us move in a direction that is counter to love for God and love for others, we are moving in the wrong direction. When we are traveling in the wrong direction, there are warning messages that are communicated to us. Our conscience tells us to change direction, others tell us to change direction, and guilt tells us to change directions. The messages warning us to change direction are either built in warning systems or external messages that come for our good and the good of others.
The question to ask is: Is this direction moving me towards greater love for God and greater love for others or is this direction moving me away – moving me towards loving God less and loving others less?
Which direction are you moving in?
Friday, November 2, 2012
Soul Care is Hard Work
Over the recent weeks we’ve been digging into the idea of Soul Care. We’ve looked at how the soul is the merging of all the various parts of life. The soul is the integration of my mind, emotions, heart, will, conscience, desires, impulses, people, memories, intuition, strengths, weaknesses, successes, failures … The health of a soul can be measured by looking at how well the components of life are working together . Likewise, the lack of health of a soul can be measured by looking at the dis-integration of each of the components of life.
Jesus said: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
What does it mean to ‘lose my soul?’
If my soul is the integration of all the parts of my life then losing my soul is the dis-integration of all the parts.
Soul Care is hard work. Soul Care is looking at every aspect of life and how all the parts are merging . If I’m going to care for my soul, I can’t just look at one or two or three areas. Soul Care is looking at all the areas and the integration or dis-integration. Most people don’t want to look at their soul. Most people don’t want to ask the question that I’ve challenged you to ask. “What is this doing to my soul?”
It is said that Christopher Columbus stated: You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
You and I can never ‘cross’ the soul unless we have the courage to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how our soul has worked or not worked up to this time.
Are you willing to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how your soul has functioned and ‘cross the ocean’ to a new life of a greater integration of your soul?
With this in mind we’ve been asking – What is this doing to my soul?
With this in mind we’ve been praying – Jesus, Integrate my soul!
This week the question changes a little – “What is this doing to THEIR soul?”
The idea: What is my life doing to the soul of people in my circle?
Jesus said: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?
What does it mean to ‘lose my soul?’
If my soul is the integration of all the parts of my life then losing my soul is the dis-integration of all the parts.
Soul Care is hard work. Soul Care is looking at every aspect of life and how all the parts are merging . If I’m going to care for my soul, I can’t just look at one or two or three areas. Soul Care is looking at all the areas and the integration or dis-integration. Most people don’t want to look at their soul. Most people don’t want to ask the question that I’ve challenged you to ask. “What is this doing to my soul?”
It is said that Christopher Columbus stated: You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.
You and I can never ‘cross’ the soul unless we have the courage to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how our soul has worked or not worked up to this time.
Are you willing to lose sight of the ‘shore’ of how your soul has functioned and ‘cross the ocean’ to a new life of a greater integration of your soul?
With this in mind we’ve been asking – What is this doing to my soul?
With this in mind we’ve been praying – Jesus, Integrate my soul!
This week the question changes a little – “What is this doing to THEIR soul?”
The idea: What is my life doing to the soul of people in my circle?
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Pray, Vote, Love
As we enter the last two weeks before the election, I want to remind you to pray every day for the country and the elections. I have talked a couple of different Sundays about some guidelines that would be good for each of us to live by and to pray from. They are taken from Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California.
As a reminder, here they are again:
1. Everyone pray. Pray for the elections, pray for the elected, pray for the country from your backyard to Washington DC.
2. Everyone vote. We are given a privilege that most of the world can only dream of, having a say, having a vote. Don’t take that privilege for granted. Exercise your privilege to vote.
3. Everyone be civil. There is a saying – To disagree with honest men is not to dishonor them. Even when we disagree, let’s be civil.
4. Everyone remember. The church is about His Kingdom and His mission. The church is a place where absolutely anybody, anywhere, at any spot on the political spectrum is welcome to come and learn about Jesus.
Last of all pray for a spiritual awakening across our land. Regardless of who is elected, political solutions never form the basis for a healthy country. Healthy people and healthy countries (economically, in family relationships, in community relationships, morally, educationally, etc) only happen because of God’s blessing and God’s hand at work. When God removes His hand, even partially, everyone in a nation feels it.
Solomon wrote: The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; He guides it wherever He pleases. (Proverbs 21:1 NLT)
“It is impossible to rightly govern in this world without God and morality.” - George Washington, 1788
Benjamin Franklin said in the Continental Congress, when the Constitution was being written, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men."
We need a spiritual awakening in America!
As a reminder, here they are again:
1. Everyone pray. Pray for the elections, pray for the elected, pray for the country from your backyard to Washington DC.
2. Everyone vote. We are given a privilege that most of the world can only dream of, having a say, having a vote. Don’t take that privilege for granted. Exercise your privilege to vote.
3. Everyone be civil. There is a saying – To disagree with honest men is not to dishonor them. Even when we disagree, let’s be civil.
4. Everyone remember. The church is about His Kingdom and His mission. The church is a place where absolutely anybody, anywhere, at any spot on the political spectrum is welcome to come and learn about Jesus.
Last of all pray for a spiritual awakening across our land. Regardless of who is elected, political solutions never form the basis for a healthy country. Healthy people and healthy countries (economically, in family relationships, in community relationships, morally, educationally, etc) only happen because of God’s blessing and God’s hand at work. When God removes His hand, even partially, everyone in a nation feels it.
Solomon wrote: The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; He guides it wherever He pleases. (Proverbs 21:1 NLT)
“It is impossible to rightly govern in this world without God and morality.” - George Washington, 1788
Benjamin Franklin said in the Continental Congress, when the Constitution was being written, "The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men."
We need a spiritual awakening in America!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Disintegration of the soul
We have been looking at ‘Soul Care’. We are talking about what the soul is, how it functions and eventually we are going to talk about how to care for it. One thought on the soul is that the word ‘soul’ describes the integration of various parts of a person. The soul is the merging of the mind, emotions, will, body, appetites, drives and needs. We can recognize each of these functions and parts of our lives. We know that our mind works or doesn’t work. We are well aware of our emotions, the strength and weakness of our will, body, appetites, drives and needs.
Each of these components can be looked at individually, but they are not in a segregated compartment. They are intertwined with each other. When my mind isn’t working correctly, neither are my emotions. If my body is in pain, my appetites aren’t firing correctly. The components are integrated.
When the Bible speaks of someone ‘losing their soul’, this is not a reference to where someone might spend eternity. Jesus is referring to something that happens to a person’s inner life.
If the soul is the integration of the various components of my being, then losing my soul is the disintegration of the various components of my soul. Losing my soul is the separation of my mind from my emotions, my will from my appetites, my body from my needs and mind. It is the process in which various components of the soul are being slowly and insidiously pulled apart.
What if I get something I want or I’m working for, but my soul starts to come apart?
What if I move forward in certain areas, but come apart at the seams?
What good is it in the end? What have I gained?
What is this doing to my soul?
Each of these components can be looked at individually, but they are not in a segregated compartment. They are intertwined with each other. When my mind isn’t working correctly, neither are my emotions. If my body is in pain, my appetites aren’t firing correctly. The components are integrated.
When the Bible speaks of someone ‘losing their soul’, this is not a reference to where someone might spend eternity. Jesus is referring to something that happens to a person’s inner life.
If the soul is the integration of the various components of my being, then losing my soul is the disintegration of the various components of my soul. Losing my soul is the separation of my mind from my emotions, my will from my appetites, my body from my needs and mind. It is the process in which various components of the soul are being slowly and insidiously pulled apart.
What if I get something I want or I’m working for, but my soul starts to come apart?
What if I move forward in certain areas, but come apart at the seams?
What good is it in the end? What have I gained?
What is this doing to my soul?
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