Sunday, May 26, 2013

Spiritual Vacation

Ready for summer? I am! Can't wait to sleep in, sit outside at dusk, watch fireworks, swim, and rest from the frenzied school year. Oh, and go on vacation.

But I want to be sure I don't go on a "spiritual vacation" this summer. It's easy to make our relationship with Christ a lower priority when we are out of our routine. So how do we stay connected to the Lord this summer?

* Keep reading your Bible (listening to God) and praying (talking with God).

* Come to church every Sunday you're in town.

* Visit a church service when you're out of town.

* Make a lunch date with a friend and talk about spiritual things.

* Come to the Vine Life Summer Salad Socials on June 18 and July 17.

Yes, REST - in the peace of Christ and in the finished work of your Savior. But don't go on a spiritual vacation. Make summer a unique time of spiritual refreshment!
 
"Better is one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
 
For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor;
no good thing does he withhold
from those whose walk is blameless.
 
O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."

(Psalm 84:10-12)
 
 
- Kathryn Truden



Monday, May 20, 2013

High School Reunion

I'm getting ready to attend my 50th high school reunion in Newport Beach, California. I'll be traveling there with my best friend from those years, Diane, who now lives in Tryon, NC.  Recently she sent me a photo of us on a camping trip to the Colorado River. The photo includes Diane, her mother, brother and her brother's friend. In case there is any doubt, I'm the one in the center, standing up.

Diane and I loved drama, discussing esoteric philosophies and giggling about our respective boyfriends. We spend many hours driving around in her parents' push-button transmission Dodge station wagon. Our lifestyle was similar to "Leave It to Beaver" with a lot more angst. I did nothing worthy of God's grace during those years. In fact, most of my youthful behavior was in direct contradiction to God's plan for my life.

In 2 Timothy 3:14, Paul tells Timothy to "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it." Often, in the process of surrendering my life to Christ, I remembered the religious education teacher I had in 5th grade, who told me the story of Jesus. She demonstrated kindness, certainty and patience in a way I could never forget.

All of us who have children or are involved in sharing our faith with them, have the opportunity to model Christian grace to them. We can be that person they remember when the time comes to turn to God. Without "knowing" my teacher in 5th grade, I might never have been "convinced" of the truth of the Gospel. I might still be the rebellious teenager I was 50 years ago.

~ Barbara

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

be my everything

ever since sunday i've been convicted time and time again by rick's sermon, and the song we sang at the end of the service.

be my everything.

i find myself praying that simple prayer, and yet at the same time hoping that i don't ever need God to be my everything. hoping that i don't ever get to the point where i have nothing else left. it's convicting, and it's hard.

right now, i don't think i could be that pastor in iran. i don't know if i could withstand daily torture, and know that God is my everything, and i need nothing else.

it haunts me.

true, we don't wish that for anyone. it's atrocious that these acts are happening in the first place, but that story haunts me. it haunts me because of what's being done to him, but it also haunts me because i could barely make it through a few years of infertility with my faith intact, and i did not make it through unscathed.

we all have struggles. we all have hurt and deep pain.

but Jesus is there in the hurt, in the weeping, in the deep pain.
he is there in the midst of the struggle.

he was with me for those mother's days when i wondered if i would ever be a mother. yes, i still struggled, but he was there with me, holding me up.
he was there with me, celebrating my first mother's day and keane's baptism.

in the joy, and in the pain. God is still the great I AM.

Lord, be my everything.
because you are everything.


xo,
katie

Monday, May 6, 2013

Hungry Anyone?

I LOVE the new Focus Class format at the 10:30 hour.  If you missed this past week, we discussed the sermon we just heard!  Our pastors always provide us with such a feast of God's Word, I love having time to savor it with my church family and really take the time to let it go from my head to my heart!  It's kind of like a 'spiritual potluck'...  Our pastors provide the main course and each of us bring our own life experiences and insights as the side dishes to make it a very satisfying spiritual meal!

But as I considered that, it reminded me of something that has been on my heart lately... 
I am mom to 4 children, my husband travels quite a bit and it has been a crazy busy spring season for my little jewelry business that I wear all the hats for...  designer, manufacturer, purchasing agent, sales person, marketer, web designer, accountant...you get the picture. 

It's funny, but used to (in my younger days), I could work all day, skip meals and be no worse for the wear.  But lately, if I skip a meal, my blood sugar plummets, I lose all of my energy and my mind feels so foggy. 

But it has struck me that the same is true when I continually skip my spiritual nourishment (which I've been doing far too often lately in all of the busyness).  I'm not a legalist about quiet times and I don't think I have to have a feast in God's Word every day; but, I do think I need to be like the Israelites and go out and collect my daily 'manna' to stay well nourished and well connected to my source of life and joy, Jesus.

Exodus 16:31 tells us what the manna was like...  "it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey."  Wafers and honey...  Yum, what a great way to start the day.  It seems that it was easy to gather, nourishing and sweet to the taste. Maybe that's what we need to consider each morning as we gather God's Word for our day.

What if we took one verse and meditated on it all day?  Or chose a verse for the week, praying through it each morning and asking God to teach us more about that verse throughout the week?  Maybe seeking to learn one new thing about the verse each day?  Or, like many, use a short devotion, written about a verse, as our manna...  There are so many ways to 'gather our manna' each morning.  But we must be intentional or we'll go hungry, lose perspective and become spiritually foggy.     

Our Sunday feast is such a blessing.  But as savory and satisfying as that spiritual meal is each week, I still need to spiritually feed myself throughout the week...  It is an essential part of living the life of a disciple and experiencing the abundant life that Jesus paid such a high price to give us.

I would love it if you would share how you collect your daily manna that sustains you through the day!  And if you have a special devotion that has meant alot to you, please share that also!  One of my favorites is The Satisfied Heart, by Ruth Myers.  What's yours?

Sharla