extras

{via imdb.com}

extras. for the purpose of this post, "extras" should be taken in the movie sense of the word. an extra in a movie does not play a pivotal role. movies focus on the main character[s], not on the extras. ie: braveheart [above] focuses on william wallace, not on all the other guys with spears and sticks.

the main character pushes the story forward. THAT is who we follow, THAT is whose cause we care about. THAT is who matters at the end.

in life YOU are not the main character. God is. plain and simple.

i don't mean to sound cruel, or to treat you like you didn't know that already. it's just that i needed a reminder, and i didn't want to mince my words.

don't get me wrong. i'm not saying that the extras don't play an important role. some of us may even be minor characters, but we're not the main character. none of us trumps God in that role. at the end of the day, it's not about us.

and that is what we've been fighting against since eden. we wanted to be like God. and God is in control. he is sovereign. he is omnipotent, and omniscient. and we want that. we have been fighting for power and control ever since.

i'm the extra in the film who takes everyone to go see the film in theaters because i want to show them "my" movie. and as i drone on and on about how great my half-a-second screen shot was everyone else is trying to watch the movie. they're trying to see what happens in the story.

and i can't shut up about me.

do the extras matter? YES, of course. what would a movie be like without the extras? crowded streets would turn into barren wastelands. planes and trains wouldn't function. the villain would have no one to pick on, and the hero would have no one to save.
you get my point.

extras add to the story, but they do not drive the story.

and it helps me to think about life that way. yes, i have unique gifts and skills and talents, and yes, i'm absolutely called to use them. i DO have a role to play. but the story isn't about me.

i need this reminder a lot. and this metaphor is one of the best i've heard. do you have any go-to metaphors you use as reminders?

i'd love to hear them!

xo,

katie

Just Jesus!

It's late Monday morning, I begin my journey to Swaziland tomorrow and I have put writing this blog post off until the last possible minute.  I didn't forget...  I'm not overwhelmed, the packing is almost done...  but just honestly, I'm not feeling very 'spiritual.'  Wow, now I'm about to be really honest...  My quiet times have been sparse, my prayer life weak and dry and my mind wanders far too much on Sundays! 

I've been in a similar place before, but this time something is different...  I'm not feeling guilty about it...  I'm not worried that God is displeased with me and therefore I should make a renewed effort to be more disciplined.  I'm just waiting and praying a very simple prayer (I'll share that in a minute.)  One of our very wise pastors once said to me, "Sometimes God tears something down so that He can rebuild it again."  I'm pretty certain that's what is happening now!

My understanding of God for so many years was pretty (really ALOT) legalistic.  I knew I couldn't earn my way to heaven, but after salvation, I lived like I had to do a lot to insure God's acceptance and pleasure with me.  But a while back, a very wise friend (thankfully I have lots of wise people in my life) said, "Quit obsessing on sin and start obsessing on Jesus."

So I have stepped back from my list of 'to-do's and to-don'ts' and just started asking God to give me a desire to know Jesus more, and to only want Him.  And I'm finding with each passing day, that prayer is being answered.  Funny, as God grows the desire for more of Jesus, the desire for time in His Word, prayer and worship grows with it!  Now it's becoming a want to, not just something to be checked off my list of 'good Christian practices.'

So how are you?   How's your relationship with Jesus?  As Jesus prayed for us, before His death, He said, "And this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent."  John 17:3  Jesus knew that all we need in this life is found in a relationship with Him and His Father...  Everything good and righteous and holy will be an overflow of that relationship...  So quit obsessing on sin (and your 'to do' list) and start obsessing on Jesus!

Keeping On

I've been thinking about perseverance lately, mostly because I've been reading the book of Hebrews. On Sunday, we heard a encouragement about God's preservation in the perseverance of the saints. When I look back over the 40+ years I've know Christ, I can only marvel at God's grace in helping me to keep on following him.

Some people learn about God's faithfulness at a very young age - and demonstrate remarkable endurance. I'm thinking of the 2012 Gold Medal Olympic gymnast, Gabby Douglas. She suffered loneliness, pain, rejection, and yes, eventual victory.
She worked hard for the sake of becoming the best at her sport. She practiced memorizing scripture and drawing strength from God's word, as well as working hard to train as an athlete.

In the 12th chapter of Hebrews we are told to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross . . . "

Gabby Douglas, a very hard working Christian, trailblazer and athlete, received the prize of a gold medal. She gives God the glory for her success. Jesus' prize was all of us - his people. Since he suffered and died for us, what a privilege it is to keep on walking with him.  ~ Barbara

Thorn In My Flesh

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12, "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

I am not sure I understand this passage, but I do understand having a thorn in the flesh that I cannot remove. And God allows for that in His goodness. Despite the pain. Despite the confusion and struggle against its presence.

My thorn in the flesh is mental illness. During the first seven years of my marriage (including the early years of my children's lives), I was clinically depressed. It was awful. I am still dealing with the consequences of that struggle. But God brought about healing, thanks to Bible study, scripturally-based counseling, and medicine. I have not been depressed in many years, and I am grateful. Praise God!

The thorn still stuck in me is obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have dealt with OCD since childhood; I just didn't know it. I am one of the most organized people you could meet. I rarely forget things. I think of and take care of details very well. But in recent years I have realized that the degree to which I do these things is not healthy. My mind was constantly "on." I would check and re-check paperwork. I poured myself into ministry compulsively, intensely, with abandon - and often neglect of my family. My attempt to be in control left me exhausted. But it's what I knew AND it's what I was often commended for. Can something be a gift and a curse at the same time? If so, that's what obsessive-compulsive disorder has been for me.

These days I am doing better. I continue to go to counseling, and I refuse to feel ashamed about that, as some people might. I even started medicine. It makes me incredibly tired, which I don't like. But I am a LOT calmer. I can let things go. My energy is increasingly spent on relationships, not tasks. I'm organized, but not obsessively so. I feel lighter. This side of heaven, I may be stuck with this thorn. But God's grace is sufficient. And I'm looking forward to Heaven where, "we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) I will be perfect in Christ. Even now He is perfecting me.

What's the thorn in your flesh? How do you handle it? Where do you find encouragement despite the anguish? How has God shown Himself to be your healer and ever-present help? I'd love to know!

- Kathryn

salty

a week or two ago i was having a conversation, and asked how someone was doing. the response was that he was "very salty" right now. and he had reason to be - everyone around him had what he wanted, and what he wanted wasn't there for him.

and it got me thinking. and it got me praying.

now, i'd be lying if i told you that i'm a huge prayer warrior. all too often my prayers are sad leftovers at the end of the day before i drift off to sleep. however, this particular situation had me praying hard.


christians often think of saltiness as a good thing because we usually think about it in the context of salt and light. but that's not what i'm referring to, and for some reason that descriptor stuck with me. it's the biting form of salty. the type of salty where you get so much salt rubbed in your wound that you start spitting out ocean water.

it's coarse. harsh. overpowering.

it's something we often attribute to people instead of situations. but the thing is, we don't know what other people are going through.

sometimes, sure. but most of the people we interact with - directly or indirectly - on a daily basis have no idea what the status of our heart is. nor do we know the status of their heart or life or what situation they are living in.

and i often live so much at the center of my own world, that i refuse to think they may have a very good reason for the saltiness.

she may be like me just over a year ago - the sight of my baby boy may only remind her of something she desperately wants that constantly eludes her. the sight of my wedding ring may remind him how much he wants to be married, and have a family of his own. or it may remind her of the husband who left, or passed away.

you never know what triggers something for someone. and it's easy to assume the worst about other people. it's basically our default setting. repay rudeness with rudeness. repay attitude with attitude. repay offensiveness with offensiveness. repay salty with salty.

what jesus asks us to do goes against every fiber of our humanness --
turn the other cheek.
repay evil with good.
love those who persecute you.

love people anyway. love the unloveable. pray to see the world through the eyes of christ.
the simplicity is striking, and yet so difficult.

how would it change your daily perspective to see people as christ does? would it change your perspective?

yes, we live in a hurting and broken world. yes, that pain is real and it is deep.
but take heart, he has overcome the world!

xo,

katie

Out With The Clutter!

For the last few months, we have been in the midst of a sort of 'fruit basket turnover' related to where our children sleep, within our home.  When our oldest left for college last fall, we thought it was time to let the girls have their own room and the boys could share a room, when they both were home.
 

As the project is winding down (thank goodness), we have 3 newly painted/decorated rooms, 3 others that have been thoroughly cleaned and 9 years of collected clutter cleared out.  The result is some pretty cool new spaces in our home, each reflecting the personality of its occupant(s).



 (Abby's Room)

(Mackenzie's Room)

(Boy's Room)

As we have finished each room, I have enjoyed sitting in the room for a while and soaking in the newness.  Each room feels like a new beginning, even the rooms that only received a deep cleaning and de-cluttering feel new again.
 

But as I sat savoring our hard work and enjoying the newness, I realized that our verse this month, Lamentations 3:22-23, offers us the same experience, spiritually speaking...  "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

I don't have to let spiritual clutter build up in my life...  grudges, unforgiveness, bitterness, guilt, shame, sin...  I can bring it all to the throne every single morning and because of God's great love, He will cleanse my heart and breathe new life (and joy...  AWESOME sermon Rick!)...  into my soul! 

Just like clutter and dirt in a home hides its true beauty and the personality of those living there, spiritual clutter hides the beauty of Christ in us.  Instead of letting days, weeks, months or even years go by, let's take time each morning to de-clutter our hearts and receive the compassion and mercy that God so graciously offers us. Great is His faithfulness!!

Blessings,

Sharla

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