God always works through a chain of command. Yesterday at Evergreen, Pastor Seth illustrated that when we stand under God’s umbrella of authority, we are also under his umbrella of protection. In looking again at Romans 13:2, “Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.”

Since God works in a chain of command- it means- yes, the president of the United States is our president and in authority-even when we don’t vote for Him. Our boss is still our boss even if we don’t like what they tell us to do or how they communicate that to us, our Pastor is still our Pastor even when he challenges us and it hurts.  Oh and ladies…your husbands are still your husbands even when they are sitting on their arse watching the game while you are cooking dinner, keeping the kids occupied, playing host to the company and all around making sure the house doesn’t fall down around you all!

God does not need to justify to you WHY he put these people in positions of authority. You need to TRUST in HIM that he has your back.

The angel Gabriel said, “I stand in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.” Go Gabriel this week, stand UNDER the presence of authority and remember Psalms 46 “God is our refuge and strength , always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear,even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. For You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” Go out in your week and be victorious!

“He keeps his eye on all who live honestly and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.” -Proverbs 2:8

Whatever you give your attention to expands in your experience. When you watch a theater performance with stage lighting, the director makes sure the lighting technicians showcase a specific area they want the audience to pay attention to. Our awareness is focused on that part of the stage.

This same concept can be used to practice self-discipline. Where in your life do you need to focus your spotlight? Finances? Relationships? Health? All of the above? In order to be successful we can give our attention on the areas we want to improve. Want to fix finances- pay close attention to your spending. To fix your marriage-pay close attention to your spouse. If you want to be healthier-pay close attention to what you put into your body and how active (or inactive) you are.

We can keep from getting overwhelmed by keeping the spotlight tight and bright on one area at a time. We can learn the good habits as easily as the bad-and the payoff is WAY better!

Most of us know the phrase “don’t worry about what you don’t have, be grateful for what you do have.” Yeah…that isn’t working so much for me. Or the phrase, “well, it could be worse!” or the ol’ “there are lots of people way worse off than you!” These phrases may work to make someone else feel better about their situation or circumstance, it SO does not help me. Not only because it allows my compulsive, codependent brain to project worse case scenarios ahead of their time, and makes me compare myself to others and either judge them harshly or myself. But it also devalues my feelings. Sometimes life just sucks and that’s okay. God is still God and he is bigger than the circumstance I have found myself in today.

It was a breezy fall day yesterday and I was all ready to head out of town to visit family. I live on a dirt road and when we take my dog on long road trips we like him to get his exercise beforehand by running alongside our bikes, fourwheeler or jeep as was the case yesterday. Yup, you guessed it. I was driving along (yes, hands on ten and two and no, I wasn’t on the phone) when I felt a thump. Sometimes there are clumps of dirt from the graters left in the road but I thought , “hmm, I don’t remember seeing any clumps.” That’s when I glanced in the rearview and saw my little 25 pound pug/boxer mix lying in my tracks. I had run my baby over.

I’m grateful he is still alive. I’m grateful he still has three good legs and the hope is he will be able to walk again. I’m grateful the town vet could see him immediately. I had a lot of time to think [obsess] while nursing him all night. What did I do wrong to deserve this? Why did it have to happen? What lesson am I supposed to learn from all this? Yes, I know it could’ve been worse. Yes, I know there are SO many others way worse off than I. But see, those phrases just make me feel guilty, like I have no right to be this upset over a small thing on top of all the other feelings I’m processing through. It makes me feel like I did something wrong and this accident is my punishment. Or perhaps a test. See, you can’t have kids-you can’t even keep a dog safe! Logically and rationally I know these statements aren’t true. I am able to deflect the lies by reading scripture,blogs of my mentors and praying.

I read from Jud Wilhite (Pastor of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV) today, “The past provides a concrete expression of Gods unchanging love for us to hold onto.” I don’t need to look at others’ circumstance to compare my own life to; I need to look at my past and remember the promises God has already made come true in my own life. A sound mind, a heart so big I usually keep it guarded, a healthy body and a home enveloped by nature. God didn’t punish me, He isn’t punishing you. Remember His unchanging love.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do EVERYTHING through him who gives me strength.”

We had the absolute pleasure of hearing a “My Story” testimony from Garrett and Sara Estenson this morning at Evergreen Community Church. Garrett discussed the many masks he wore before he surrendered his own will to follow God’s will.
When we accept Christ’s love completely and allow it to have the first and last word in everything we do, we have a far better life than we could ever have on our own. If not, we may seem okay on the outside, but there are many masks we’ve been wearing for so long they are grafted to our skin and people can’t see the scream beneath it.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 it reminds us, “Now we look inside, and what we see is that ANYONE united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new…God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. GOD HAS GIVEN US THE TASK OF TELLING EVERYONE WHAT HE IS DOING.” It is our job to share honestly, remain open with our weaknesses and be willing to surrender to God on a daily basis.
To watch the Estenson’s video click the “vimeo” icon on the link section of this page.

More times than I like to admit, I let fear get in the way of progress. This fear turns into laziness and laziness soon gets justified by negative, selfish thinking. This progression in the wrong direction is detrimental to my physical, emotional and spiritual health. Romans 3:25 says “God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear.” I don’t have to be scared of the outcome of whatever situation I’m worried about-I’m in the clear, God has it covered.
The prefix “sub” means to get under…submission is to COMMIT to the discretion or decision of another. The term surrender goes even further, to surrender is to yield one’s opinion, meaning we allow our thinking to be changed by the one we commit to. When we call ourselves Christians we are striving toward that commitment of not only following His teachings found in the bible, but we need to surrender our thoughts and our will in order to truly see change in our behavior and thus our lives.
When I allow for morning prayer and meditation time to practice this change, I often think of Philippians chapter 4. Paul reminds us to not fret or worry, but pray. “Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”
My job is to do my best at filling my mind with things that are “true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious-the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” I tried this last night. It didn’t work. I was trying to force my thoughts to switch from negative to positive and it was not working! I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t recognize any of the promises from God. This morning I realized I forgot one itty bitty major component. In trying to change my thinking to see the positive in my situation, I wasn’t praying. I was trying to force my own thoughts to go in a direction without submitting to God’s discernment or teachings. I wasn’t praying to listen for direction- therefore felt completely directionless. I have spent too many years wandering, you’d think I’d learn my lesson-WE CANNOT GO IT ALONE. Christ-centered in all things means I study the bible, I make sure to have quiet time with God, I practice what He tells me to do by serving in His house, and I spend time developing relationships of a positive nature. Evergreen is beginning their fall session of small groups, join one today, you don’t have to go it alone.

I had a conversation recently about volunteering in the church and why most churches seem to struggle with the amount of volunteers that give of their time and talents. This is most unfortunate; not only for the organization but for people who attend but do not experience.
David Bayles and Ted Orland discuss idealism of art having a short shelf life in their book “Art and Fear.” Most artists stop creating when they stop becoming students. There are fewer individuals who make careers out of art than the number of people who study art. It could be true too that when we stop creating, we stop learning. When we become judgemental. When we grow up. We get “real” jobs just to pay the bills and provide for our families. Priorities shift and stressors become real. Could this be because we are too focussed on the hamster wheel of economics and less on learning and creating?
Fortunately, for those of us who volunteer at Evergreen, we know the blessings of doing and creating and learning, not for a paycheck but for the experience. A tree-trimmer gets to create murals in the Evergreen Kid’s classrooms, a mechanic gets to design sets to compliment the ministry series topics. An EMT gets to lead worship and thaw the frozen heart of someone far from God. A prison guard gets to control the sound levels of the worship experience.
As volunteers at Evergreen we get to do things we never would in the “real” world. This allows for growth, experience, meeting new people and developing a personal relationship with God to boot. So tell me, are you going to attend, or will you experience?
To volunteer at Evergreen contact the office at 320-629-2092 or just ask any of our volunteers how to start experiencing!

Evergreen has the best creative team I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The fun that happens in the brainstorming bull sessions is contagious. From the research in set design to the creative video elements, Pastor Seth and Pastor Ross take abstract concepts and make them realities with the help of the worship team, set design team and tech team. In the bible, it tells us to be generous in the things God gave us, passing them around so everyone gets a piece of the pie. If it’s words, let it be God’s words, if it’s help, make it hearty. This way God’s glory can shine through our lives in everything we do (1 Peter 4.)
If we did not have creative people giving their energy, time and efforts (not to mention their creative genius talents!) Evergreen would not have the stellar band, the hilarious videos or the relevance to interpret the application of faith that we are so very blessed as a church to have. I encourage you to pray, think and act and start serving in an area you would like to use your talents in. Contact the Evergreen office at 320-629-2092 to start this weekend. I promise you will not regret the promise of a better life because of it!

Yesterday, at Evergreen, Pastor Seth did an extraordinary job of showing the Church exactly how and why mayhem comes into our lives and destroys our promise of a fruitful existence. If we think we can out-perform (I’ll just work harder to get out of debt!) or out-religion it (I’ll serve more instead of pray more) than we may just be a picture of a person who can’t TRUST anyone else’s hands but their own in the middle of mayhem. I LOVE the teachable moments when I actually get to listen and take away so I can apply it!
One of the scriptures Pastor Seth showcased was Jeremiah 17:14. The message version explains it like this, “God, pick up the pieces. Put me back together again. You are my praise!” Only Jesus can save us from our self-created mayhem. The most important take away from the weekend experience was that WE ALL need to come to the foot of the cross, CONTINUALLY, and we will be healed. If we can recognize and accept our faults and then move beyond them into establishing a relationship with God in which we learn how to change our lives, our lives will be victorious.
Take a moment right now and place your life in His hands. Get real. Trust. Restoration is a process for all of us, day by day, one day at a time. This is what it means to be saved.

In order to live a restored life, we need to have new thoughts. If you are waiting for God to change your life but you aren’t trying new things, sorry honey, it ain’t happening. We need to work the NATURAL for God to work the SUPERNATURAL. Try experimenting with serving at church. You have dozens of hidden abilities and gifts you don’t know about because you’ve never tried them. After you’ve served asked yourself what did you enjoy doing the most? When did I most feel alive? Examine your experiments; forgotten experiences are worthless. Then continue to enlarge and develop your skills through practice. Stretch yourself and learn all you can. In Heaven, we are all going to serve God forever. Why not start practicing now?
“All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.” 1Cor. 9:25

“You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry.” Psalm 10:17.
An umbrella of protection is made by prayer. Whether you need protection from judgments, gossip, or your mother in law, prayer will protect you from negativity. When Martin Luther felt stretched with time he would purposely get up early to make sure he had extra prayer and meditation time. He was able to get more done in his day because of this extra prayer time.
The easiest prayer to feel freedom and protection with is this simple fear prayer. “God, please remove my fear of…direct my thinking to what you would have me be and do.” When we focus on prayer and what God wants us to do with “our” time, we don’t give energy to the meaness of the world. We automatically have more time to accomplish the important things (and surprisingly less desire to watch tv!)