Crumbs from a full plate...

You need to take time to listen

Rob preached a great message this weekend. Hands down, the most life impacting message I have heard in a while. He used Joseph's life as his text, and talked about how we would be impacted if we lived as Joseph did with a deeply held belief that God is always with me. Here is the main point I heard...    We must interpret our circumstances by who God is; not interpret God by what our circumstances are!

So the question is, what are you pouting about cause you think God isn't fixing your circumstances to suit you?

You can listen to his message here.

Sunday at the Lake

Baby or little boy?

I sat in the baby dedication section today for service. It was an odd feeling really, as I used to be the lead person for baby dedications, to sit among the families with tiny babies trying to guess which ones were going to be dedicated today and which ones were just visiting relatives. Anyway, lots of babies...more than a dozen in the rows right around me.

Beside me sat Guy...who at 10 1/2 is almost as tall as I am. (I know that isn't a huge trophy...) But, watching all those mommas juggle all those babies made me flash back to when little Guy man had to stay in church with us until he was allowed in the nursery at 8 weeks. (church rule in LR, not mine) He was a fussy baby who apparently didn't feel well those first few weeks and was allergic to everything he ate...needless to say church was a trial. But, I remember how it felt to take my baby to church, to hold him and sway while singing, to watch him sleep while listening to the message - I thought it was great to "share" church with him. It was the most wonderful feeling! 

It has gotten better. Today Guy chose to come to church with me over attending class with his age group. He asked what the message was about and decided to attend with me. He sat up straight through most of the message and twice helped me to fill in the blanks in the sermon notes. He isn't much of a singer ever - but he did clap during one song and was intently paying attention and listening. And it hit me watching all those families with babies that it is way cooler to experience worship with a child who gets it, who chooses to be there, who can understand the teaching than with a baby. (even though they are warm and cuddly) For a moment I had a glimpse of the future...and I took time to ask God to please continue drawing my son toward him into deeper and deeper relationship - cause I want to be able to share church with him for a long time. 

How is your attitude?

I missed the first message in the No Perfect People series that FRCC is currently doing for their weekend services. My friend Debbie shared her story about not feeling perfect, or even slightly good about herself and how that led to lots of miserable times including a period of cutting. I did see her video and wanted to cry - the thing is I only know the Debbie on this side and to hear how God had so completely filled and changed her life...it was truly a God thing. (okay, maybe I did actually cry a little to be honest)

Anyway, this morning Meg is still a little under the weather so I decided to listen to that message since it is available on the newly improved website. Pastor Guy made a disclaimer at the beginning that the simple parables of Jesus are often the hardest hitting -and he wasn't kidding.

      9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about^[a] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."                          Luke 18:9-14

The question that the message posed was "what is your prevailing attitude?" Are you glad that you received mercy from God or are you glad that you aren't as bad as someone else?  We tend to want to judge ourselves by someone else without understanding that we are all imperfect people who mess up. This is so my story! I spent several years of my adult life thinking that because I didn't do some of the most obvious things - maybe I hadn't really needed God. But, he began to show me that my sin was great and I was truly incapable of stopping on my own.  The attitudes and motives I had (and have) were ungodly and I am as capable of sin as anyone else. So, I would ask the same question of you - what is  your prevailing attitude toward people?

A Cold Easter

Having grown up in Arkansas, I have always celebrated Easter with a new dress...usually frilly, short sleeved and bright colored! It has only been since moving to WI 6 years ago that I have had to wear my long underwear under the dress and my coat over the top! It has totally spoiled the excitement of showing off!

Good thing Easter is about more than the dress...

It is really easy to live life in the moment and forget to remember the things that are most important. For me taking the time to celebrate Easter is really all about remembering...the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ! As I sat in church today listening to the wonderful music my heart rejoiced...Jesus is alive!

Pastor Guy asked us 3 questions this year: Do I need hope? Do I need help? Do I need forgiveness? He told the story of the man whose friends lowered him thought the roof of a house in order to bring him in front of Jesus. He was in desperate need of hope and help and Jesus was able to provide them...as well as forgiveness. Why did he give the man these things? Because the man needed them.

The most powerful part of the message for me was when he said "God isn't a genie and you can't rub your Bible for good luck." Wow, that isn't what I want to hear. I want to believe that if I believe in God and live my life for Jesus - things will be peachy. I want to think that if I follow all the rules, bad stuff will stay far away from my family. Unfortunately that isn't true. In fact, Jesus tells us that we will have trouble - but don't worry, he has overcome the world. And that is the point of Easter...even more than a pretty new dress!

 

   

Romance! In church?

For all of those who prefer that your pastor never talk about sex or make you giggle in church...this past week was the message to miss. But, for the rest of us it was a wonderful message! To finish out the series Better or Worse on marriage, Pastor Guy taught about Nurturing Romance...one of the 6 essentials of a good marriage. (The others were Honor God, Hurry Home, Cultivate Communication, Celebrate Differences and Finish Together)

The tag line for this whole series was "good marriages don't just happen!"  And that is so true! A good marriage takes work, and it has been wonderful to hear how to accomplish some of that work.

So, anyway...first we saw clips of major romantic scenes from several movies. This was contrasted with a long flannel nightgown - much more the normal in most non-newlywed marriages.  Guy taught us about the 3 words used in the Old Testament for love and the different meanings they have.

Aha vah  means commitment love

Ra yah means friendship love

Dodh means physical or sexual intimacy

Each of these types of love is necessary for a proper "one flesh" relationship.  The Hebrew concept of one-flesh is developing and ongoing cultivation of a unique and special relationship...the weaving together of soul and life. When you look at a marriage from that angle you realize how much is intended to take place in the relationship. And Guy made the point that when you try to have one without the others (like sex without a commitment) it isn't God's best. And if it isn't God's best - we have to assume it isn't our best either.

So, the challenge is to have room in our lives for the developing of all of these types of love...especially the friendship and the intimacy. Those are developed over time and require us to be intentional in our marriages to make room for them.  He suggested date night and regular intimacy. Here are my practical suggestions for moms...

1. Take time every day to talk with your husband about something not related to the kids...ask about his job, watch the news and comment on it, read an article and ask his opinion about it...start a conversation!
2. Don't wait for your husband to plan a date - arrange the childcare yourself. Trade time with a friend, spend less at the grocery store and use it to hire a teenager, or make friends with grandma.
3. Figure out a way to have fun with your husband. Use a jogging stroller to Rollerblade or jog with your husband. Use a backpack to work in the yard together. Put your kids to bed a little earlier and watch TV together.
4. Put a lock on your bedroom door! Teach your children to knock when the door is closed and have them sleep in their own rooms. Create a place where your husband knows he is the priority.
5. Take time every day to remind yourself of the reasons you love the man you are married to and make a deliberate decision to not think of the ways he has disappointed you! Philippians 4:8 is a great verse to apply to your marriage - focus on the good!

Above all else...decide that you are 110% committed to your marriage and act like it! You will have your child 18 years - you will have your husband a lifetime!

Where do you serve?

Service, for a mom, can be an ugly word. During the years of young children we get stretched extremely thin by the very real and legitimate needs of our children and husbands. Housework, sleepless nights, whiny companions and the tyranny of daily child training can begin to wear a mother down until she feels like she has nothing to give.  And as children get older, it seems the emotional cost of helping them mature is equally hard and time consuming. All together it seems like a really good reason to declare "I'm doing my giving at home."

But, in fact...it can be service to others that brings a breath of refreshment. Bill Hybels in his book the Volunteer Revolution asks and answers the question "What do you have to offer? More than you probably think. You have the gifts and talents you were born with. The passions that inspire you. The blessings of education. The skills you've honed as you've worked at home or in the marketplace. The life experiences that have matured you. The pain that has deepened you. The love of neighbor that spills from God's heart into yours."

The truth is that even in the midst of crazy years, each of us must find opportunities and places to serve others. The look of the ministry isn't that important...what is important is that we use our skills and abilities to further God's kingdom.  And as the focus shifts to someone or something beyond ourselves...we are the ones who are blessed. So, ask yourself "where can I serve?"

Fear Factor...Death

Pastor Guy wrapped up the series on Fear this weekend by talking about death. When he started this series he asked people to rank the things they were most afraid of, and this was understandably the biggest fear of people. He explained that the reasons people fear death is the process of dying, the loss associated with it and their own uncertainty of eternity. While people are unsure about what will actually happen after death - a study that he sited said that 89% of people believe that there is a heaven and 85% of people believe that they will go there when they die.

One of the coolest parts of the message to me was seeing a video clip of FRCC's former youth pastor Ed Horn talking about facing death while battling cancer. He called it "the commencement" of a believer. And while he mentioned hating to leave behind those he loved - he obviously was prepared to die. That is cool! And what is really cool is that it is possible to have total assurance of what will happen for eternity from the bible...it doesn't have to be a mystery.

1 Thessalonian 4:13 -18 is a great description of death for the believer...

"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Ice Cream buys a lot!

I have found that for the promise of ice cream, my children will happily sit in service and take notes during the sermon. Yes, I realize that this is a total bribe...but, the habit it is helping to instill in their lives is worth it. If they pay enough attention to what is said to be able to fill in the blanks on the sermon sheet - they are certainly listening. I actually got called out of service during the message because my youngest daughter got sick in class...but, using their filled in note sheets Abby and Sam were able to fill me in quite nicely.

Pastor Rob finished up the Just Walk Across the Room series this weekend by talking about Grander Vision Living. He started with 2 Corinthians 4:18 which reads "There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever." That's a great perspective...we have to value the eternal over the temporary...because that is really all that will last. 1 Timothy 6:7 sums it up, saying "we bring nothing in this world, and we take nothing out of it." Pretty sobering way to look at what we spend our time on huh.

As a mom, it makes me feel a little better about my dirty house and my messy van...as long as I am forsaking them for time spent investing in my family. But, if they are neglected so that I can "eat bon bons and read novels"...well, that's just lazy. And while I do have my lazy days, I have to be careful to make sure I am making people a priority...and investing in the eternal.

Telling God's Story

I loved attending the last service this week! The main reason is that Rob was so loose in his presentation...and that was really the point of the weekend message. We need to be comfortable in telling 2 specific stories in our life ...God's story and our own story.  This was a week when the middle school sat together in service and they talked back to Rob during his message...which was really cool. As much as I liked my pastor growing up - I don't ever remembering him designing things with audience participation in mind.

But watching Rob deliver his message for the third time and seeing how easy going he was with the middle schoolers shooting out answers to the questions he asked was a great example of what happens when we are intentional and practice our presentation.  Although he prepared and planned for the Saturday service, by 11 am Sunday he was telling a familiar thing...and it showed!

That is exactly how we should be with God's story. Rob used the bridge illustration

to describe how the Bible tells us to cross the separation that exists between us and God.  1 Peter 3:18 was the verse used to describe the trip across the divide "for Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God..."  Another more familiar verse that also tells of what happened on the cross and how it affects us is John 3:16, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." That is God's story and it becomes a part of my story when I believe it and acknowledge that work in my life.  As Roman's 10:9 describes the process..."confess with your mouth and believe in your heart..."

Rob challenged us to be able to tell God's story well...to practice it and make it a part of our communication. We should be ready at all times to tell others about what we believe and the hope that we have in Christ.

I Believe

This weekend the Brooks and Dunn song "I Believe" was featured during the last weekend of the Creed message series. Since I was raised in the south and had my first date at an Oak Ridge Boys concert...any country music is nostalgic for me. But this particular song really nailed the point of the weekend.

For the last few weeks, we have been studying  the  Apostles Creed...and living what we believe. This weekend the message was on the last lines of the creed "I believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting."  Pastor Rob started by  telling us that we must live knowing there is more to life than meets the eye!

Most people wonder what happens when they die and often take one of two approaches to the future...shortsightedness or presumption. Both of these methods allow us to either ignore or create our own futures. They do not however take into account the information that we do have about things.  Acts 24:15 tells us that there will be a resurrection for both the wicked and the righteous. That means that everyone will spend eternity in one of two places.

Rob described how when we have very little information about a subject...such as Heaven or Hell...we will fill in our own dots about what it will be like. He suggested that our most common dot we want to fill in is that good people will go to heaven and bad people will go to hell. Thats a great idea, but it isn't what the Bible says will happen. 1 John 5:12-13 tells us that those who have a relationship with Christ will spend eternity with Him and those who don't have a relationship won't be with Him.

The service closed with Rob inviting people to sign posters at the front indicating decisions they had made during the Creed series. It was such a great time of really understanding the things we claim to believe and how that should make us live. The whole morning really made me examine how I live and what matters most to me. 

What an Awesome God

Church this week was great! Pastor began the first message called "Creed" looking at the Apostles Creed. Personally I am really excited about better understanding the basis of many of the things I believe. Plus, it is great to be reminded why we do what we do.  If you haven't joined a creed group yet...email Pastor Eric and get started. 6 weeks is a small commitment and you can't imagine the synergy that comes from hearing a message and then processing it with other people.

I thought that the message of how awesome God is was so well presented by the vidoes during the music...my husband had his head down when the words like indiscribable started going across the screen during the song and I poked him '"look at the screen, look at the screen", I said. And after Nicole Gunderson finished singing we could have all gone on home...what  a great message.

I am posting to you from the Peacemaker International training week and annual conference in Minneapolis, MN. What  a great time so far! Not only am I all alone in a great hotel room, but the information is great! I will post things I have learned later this week! Shelley

What is your story?

Pastor Guy left us with two questions at the end of the service today...Do you remember what it was like to be without God and what life change has occurred since?  These are both excellent points to ponder...

I have a hard time with the first one. In fact, I was one of those people who raised their hand to say that I first believed in Jesus as a young child. In that kind of scenerio, it is hard sometimes to see a distinct change...my life wasn't so horrible as a 7 year old. I have often wondered if I am a christian, because I don't have a clear memory of tremendous life change at the point of salvation. And when I hear people tell their wonderful stories about how they were living some big, socially unacceptable sin and then found Jesus... I am jealous.

It is the second question that sums up my salvation. What life change do I see in my life and where is God currently working with me.  2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us "that when someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!"  Because of this new life, I should be able to see a consistant growth in my life, a deeper understanding of what he desires and requires of me. A larger peace as I deal with the daily problems, disappointments and chaos. These are the things that tell me that I have a personal ongoing relationship with God...not merely what happened 27 years ago. What is happening today, and yesterday and tomorrow.

So, share your story! I would love to hear what God is doing in your life. You can comment here, or you can email me at sgallamore@foxriverchristian.org . I want to hear what God is teaching you, or correcting you about  or holding your head above water in. And if you don't understand this whole "life change" thing...email me about that as well. Shelley

Barlow Girl in Church

I think one of the coolest parts of this weekends service at FRCC was the special song that was sung. My daughter Abby turned to me and said "WHY are they singing Barlow Girl in church?" The surprise on her face was cool and even cooler was that we had to hush her as she sang along with every word. And additionally cool was knowing that both saturday and sunday was sung by young moms, using their gifts to bless the rest of us.

The song had a great message about trusting that God is there because of His faithfulness, not because we can see Him.

Such a deep, deep reassurance

You've placed in my life

We cannot separate

'Cause You're part of me

And though You're invisible

I'll trust the unseen

It has been a great message the last 2 weeks as Pastor Guy reminds us that "God relentlessly pursues that which matters to Him and those who matter to Him." I think the coolest part of that is when we realize that we are part of the "those who matter to Him".  My favorite part of Jonah is in chapter 4 when  Jonah gets angry with God for showing compassion to Ninevah. How often that is true, I think I should have lots of grace and mercy, but not those other people...they deserve what they get. But God is not like that...he desires a relationship with each of us...whether we deserve it or not. 

If you haven't taken time to read through Jonah this week...get busy! It is no longer than your average children's book. Shelley