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Awake to the Rest

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me-watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythm of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. -Matthew 11:28-30 (msg)

I grew up hearing the New International Version that states, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I misconstrued this to mean that with Jesus nothing should ever go wrong. Even as a child I had addict tendencies, the ‘all or nothing’ mentality. When something bad happened, my dad leaving us or friends talking behind my back, I would hear this scripture and think to myself, “Well, God must not be for me, he must be against me, cause this ain’t easy or light.” The extremist personality I grew up with pushed me further and further from God and His grace was neither accepted or even noticed by me.

The message version is much easier for an extremist like me to grasp. To get away with Jesus could mean a variety of options. I am someone who needs time alone to be recharged. A walk with my dog and nothing else, not even headphones, an afternoon cleaning while listening to a sermon, these things give me rest. Getting in the habit of resting in Jesus truly does allow us to recover our lives, even when we didn’t ever know we had lost them. I honestly don’t know if I ever had my full life before I found salvation in Jesus. I had thirty years of wasted potential. A lot of dreams, a lot of almosts resulting to nothing really achieved. Addiction wastes a lot of time.

No matter where we came from or what we have done, there is much hope. This passage says our job is to walk, work and watch. Walk a life with Jesus, pay attention to the blessings, work not for the sake of achieving salvation but in celebration of the salvation already granted you. Good things are already upon you, and you can accept the potential within you.

What potential does God want to wake in you?

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Wagon Training

Since we are living by the spirit, let us follow the spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. -Galatians 5:25

We are original. Each one of us from our genetic make-up to our life experiences, there is no two humans alike. God made us that way on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose. He did not mean for us to covet what someone else has, this is why the entertainment industry can be harmful if not seen through the filter of our identity in Christ. To share in human creativity in all its various mediums is a good thing. Artwork in its many forms is an expression of our thoughts, feelings and experiences. There is much to be said in the beauty of paintings, poems, tattoos and movie scripts. We can understand each other better, we can relate and identify and feel a common bond in our culture and learn from others when we are open to different interpretations of life. But too often we allow the distraction of these things to detract from our purpose, closing us off from God’s plan for our life.

Think of a wagon wheel. We are the center axle. From each spoke extends a part of our lives. Family from one, spouses, work from another, school, kids, friends, church, God, they all have their own area on the wagon wheel revolving around us as the axle. This is the way most of us relate to people, places and situations in our lives.

Let’s say we have a habit of praying and reading the bible with our morning coffee. Great. That gets finished and then we move onto the next thing, tackling the kids, getting them off to school, heading to work, making dinner with the spouse, round and round we go, day after day after day. If this is all you want your life to be the goal is simple. However, life is never that easy. We are usually not that comfortable. Accidents happen, betrayal occurs, and pretty soon we live a life that is spiraling out of control, the kids are skipping school, dinner is McDonald’s and you and the spouse are arguing non-stop. But think about this…

The reason your life is out of control is you were never meant to be IN control.

What would happen if we put God as the axle? He would be in every aspect of our day, not just when we squeezed him in with our cuppa joe. He could direct our relationships, guide our steps, help us raise our kids and have a great marriage.

God is interested in every part of our lives, not just the spiritual part. As we live by the Holy Spirit’s power, we need to submit every aspect of our lives to God-emotional, physical, social, intellectual, vocational. Paul says that because we’re saved, we should live like it! The Holy Spirit is the source of your new life, so keep in step with his leading. Don’t let anything or anyone else determine your values and standards in any area of your life.

Who is the axle of your wagon wheel?

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Good News Gotten

Every time we say yes to opportunities we step out in faith. Today at Evergreen we learned how to suspend our disbelief at what God can and will do in our lives in the second week of Pastor Seth’s series, Living a Better Story. God loves us so much that he gave us free will and I don’t know about you, but my will often runs riot and wreaks havoc in my life. I tend to make things much tougher and the road much longer than what God intended for me. Ego, low self-esteem, fear and even my comfortability keep me tied to my worldly desires and more concerned with controlling and directing my little part than even daring to think outside of myself and BELIEVE God when he says the many promises we read in the BIBLE. I’m really glad that God gets it. He knows it takes most of us a long time to get it through our thick skulls.

We serve an awesome God. I am continually amazed by what He presents to us in the form of promises, challenges and guidance. Say yes when God commands, share your hope when you got it, borrow others’ faith when you don’t. And see what better story you can have.

For The Lord is God, and He created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am The Lord,” he says, “and there is no other. I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, The Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right.” -Isaiah 45:18-19

Now, that’s some good news.

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Are you meant to Stay as Self?

Most people throughout history had to overcome self-seeking defects.

What does it mean to be self-seeking? If we break the word down, it is where or how have I sought self. I have let so many people and situations define how I feel about myself. I have sought after a definition of myself in others. If you like me, then maybe I’m likable. If you don’t like me, then you’re probably really smart, because you can see below the surface. One bad evaluation out of a hundred is the one that I focus on. Always the pessimist. Always self-deprecating.

Everywhere you look, society wants us to define ourselves with each other. But this is not how God wants us to view ourselves.

“They spread scary rumors among the people of Israel. They said, “We scouted out the land from one end to the other- it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants. Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.” – Numbers 13:31-33

I visualize these guys as drama queens. So dysfunctional that living a life of chaos feels natural, even safe. This is why they were in the wildness for an entire generation.

Where did we learn that grasshoppers were bad? Where did we learn bigger is better, faster, stronger? I don’t know about you, but I need daily reminders on where my identity comes from. I need to pull myself out of the mire of pessimism and into the sunlight of the spirit. By focussing on my identity in Christ and not in my work, relationships or even my own feelings, I gain the God-strength needed to overcome the obstacles in my work, my family, or whatever my current circumstances.

“For who is God besides the Lord? And who is rock besides our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” – Psalm 18:31-32

Don’t look at people doing it better, faster, cleaner than you. Compare and Despair.

When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing,or situation-some fact of my life-unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place,thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, HAPPENS IN GOD’S WORLD BY MISTAKE.-A.A. Big Book pg 417

You are exactly where you need to be, the question is are you meant to stay there?

Where are you seeking self?

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Gritting Your Teeth Causes White Knuckles

As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you have the strength to stick it out over the long haul-not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us. – Colossians 1:11-12

When I used to go on diets I ALWAYS white knuckled it. I could cut back days, weeks, months at a time but it was always such a sacrifice to say no to the double-stuffed whatever-you-call-em. I felt angry that I couldn’t be like the skinny people. Felt sorry for myself that I had to order salad instead of red velvet cake. Hated myself for my lack of self-control. It wouldn’t take long before the old excuses set in;

“You’ve been workin’ so hard you deserve a break.” What? I suppose a KitKat break?
“See, but if you work out for 20 minutes at the gym, that should buy you at least enough calories for a cheeseburger, right?” Yeah. Right. Maybe one of them cheeseburger hors d’oeuvres that you pop in your mouth without chewing.
“Oh, this one little piece won’t kill me.” Yeah. But, the 40 after it might.

Thank GOD I don’t white-knuckle it anymore! God took my craving away as soon as I let him have my compulsion to eat more than what is healthy. As soon as I admitted powerlessness over the snickers and pizza rolls, He granted me the glory-strength promised in the scripture above. Not because I am special. Because He is just that awesome. And He can give YOU the strength to endure whatever you are going through too. A broken marriage. Debt up to your elbows. The kids that you would die for are slowly killing you with their poor choices. Nothing is too big or too little for God to grant you strength to overcome.

God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son He loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. -Colossians 1:13-14

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There is no BOLD in obscurity

“‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'” – Jeremiah 29:11

There are three aspects to our self-concept as humans. Since we are not God (thank God!) we often do not know the plans He has for us, much less what would be in our own best interest. The three aspects of self are:

Self-ideal which is our picture for our future.
Self-image which is our present image of self.
Self-worth is our secret reputation we feel about ourselves.

In order to improve our current circumstances we need to take responsibility to ask God for a vision for our life. We cannot control outcomes. Please accept this. But we can ask God to reveal a vision for us to work toward. This is quite simple. Spend time with God asking what He wants for our career, our relationships, where we live, where we play; when we go to Him for every and all things we have an ideal that is from God not from our own ego. Yes, I would like to be a billionaire rock star bombarded by paparazzi and adored by everyone too, but does God want that for your life? If we create our ideals from what we truly believe God is sharing with us, we can go forward with bold faith that no matter how easy or hard it is, it comes from Him and therefore we will succeed at it!

Which brings us to the present self. When we create goals based on God’s design we share them. By verbalizing our goals we can get support, accountability and help from those God has placed in our life. This will then improve our self-image since our present circumstances will be easier to make our ideals reality. This also helps our secret self-worth heal into a more positive image of ourselves. When we can see our worth through God”s eyes, when we create a life that is God-centered it opens the doors to grand possibilities. You don’t need to be a rockstar to make a difference, you just have to have Jesus!

Today, at Evergreen, Pastor Seth Hinrichs shared some of the goals God revealed to him about our church. Message series that get us to the heart of our bad choices. Tangible classes that teach the disciplines so we can teach others about our faith. Hosting round table events for our fellow rural church leaders to collaborate and learn from each other. Launching Evergreen Recovery to further reach the last, the lost and the least and create lasting life change in our community. The list goes on and on!!

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE WORLD. At Evergreen we orbit our personal finances, schedules and talents around the mission of His church.

LET’S BRANG IT CHURCH!!! Fall launch is 7 days away. Invite, bring, give. Not cause of who you are, but because of who He is.

I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found. I, the Lord, speak only what is true and declare only what is right. – Isaiah 45:19

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Grace as Promised

“Do you suffer from burnout?”
“Five signs to tell you are near burnout.”
“How to prevent burnout in your job.”

These phrases are everywhere I look! Ministry blogs, leadership articles, tweets and statuses and whatever have you, the term ‘burnout’ is overwrought with a variety of meaning and circumstances and reasons and justifications. Let’s just be honest…burnout happens when we worship our own activity instead of God. . Point blank. End of story. So what next?

Once you grasp the truth of why you are feeling burnout, you can see your part, then you can begin to see that it was probably inevitable. Burnout is sometimes the only way for us to fall on our knees and see the difference between our works and God’s grace.

The Big Book of A.A. describes what is called ‘The Promises’.

We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace…we will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Sounds great to me! But two sentences later…”They [the promises] will always materialize if we work for them.” This is a misnomer. Don’t get me wrong- there are action steps we need to take in order to fully accept God’s promises for our lives, in order to accept the abundance he has promised. Evergreen is launching a faith-based recovery ministry on October 30 so we can teach the actions steps but to always remember, God gave us Jesus. We often forget the importance of this sacrifice. We misunderstand the grace given to us in this one act.

Maybe we don’t realize the longing in our deepest desires is a longing for God, the hole we are trying to fill with earthly things is really our desire to know Him, we want to feel unconditional love. So we try to earn God’s grace. Many of us have never witnessed or felt true agape love, it always had conditions set. Attention from parents only if the grades were good (or only when they were bad!) The boy who is sooo cute will like you only if you do what all the other girls do. Friends will value you only if you dress, talk, act a certain way.

The truth of the matter is I can control my actions better than I can control love, this is why I get stuck in self-reliance and not God-reliance. No good activity, no good deeds, no set of rules will ever satisfy the longing for God. But good news! Our works can come from a simple loving response to God’s grace! Although even then it is not of us; Agape love can burst through us but is not of us. This concept can give us peace that we can work in reverence and praise to God, but do not need to work FOR His love and salvation. The longer you spend with God, the easier it is to wrap the brain around God’s grace. Wow, could that be the prevention to burnout we are looking for?

The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.-2Corinthians 13:14 (msg)

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Life requires Conception

A self-concept is our distinctive combination of convictions, assumptions, life experiences, memories, feelings, and dreams for the future that make up the image we see in ourselves. If you are not aware of your concepts, you are at a disadvantage and it diminishes your capacity for growth, contribution and joy.

Last week, Pastor Seth spoke of “All Hat and No Cattle” to mean we need to examine our lives and see whether we are walking a Christian walk or are we just talking Christianeze. To honestly answer the question we need a solid self-conception.

When faced with a problem, is your number one question, “What is my part in the equation?” Do you pray for God to reveal clarity and boundaries and a Christ-like perspective on it? Or do you first look at others, placing blame, justifying actions or diverting focus to something unrelated?

Evergreen is launching it’s faith-based 12 step ministry on October 30. This weekly time for fellowship, worship, teaching and small group is designed to catapult a Christ-like self-conception. It is designed to figure out how to walk the walk, not just talk the talk in living out a fulfilling life. There are so many other opportunities at Evergreen too. LIVING A BETTER STORY is our fall launch series, beginning September 16, and it is just the tip of the iceberg for great life changing messages all year!

Jesus says, “Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” Matthew 7:20

What do your actions say about you?

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What?! An iphone that Breathes?

I said to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”-Psalm 16:2

Throughout scripture the word of God is living and breathing. It is truly a living organism, even when it’s in a bible app on your iphone. The bible is not just a collection of history lessons, heroic tales and pithy comments from Jesus. It is relevant to today’s society and your own personal circumstances and not in a vague newspaper horoscope of the day kind of a way, but in a way that can create a solid relationship between you and God, giving you wisdom, hope and a life with purpose.

I spent the first 20 years of my life trying to find something, anything to fill the MISSING PIECE
Booze, books, food, money, men. Instant gratification that never made me completely full. I always hungered for more, more, more. Fantasizing when my life would get better. Dreaming of the day when dot dot dot. Wishing but not praying. Dreaming instead of doing. God works supernaturally. He works in all time at the same time. When we realize the crux of the matter, when we realize nothing on God’s green earth will ever fully satisfy and when we realize the missing piece is Jesus Christ, life takes on meaning. Purpose. Value. Relationships get stronger, beauty becomes more vibrant, self-worth becomes less about self and more about Him. This gives us power, satisfaction, contentment and the courage to roll on our own because it suddenly becomes clear we are NEVER alone. David introduces us to Jesus centuries before He was born. Couldn’t we suppose the truth that God is speaking to us, about us and through us using His word as the tool? Try it. Get in the Word and see the truths.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. -Psalm 16:9-11/blockquote>

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Destination Mind Shift

Isn’t it funny how we need permission before we can make a mind shift? That it often takes another’s perspective on our situation or advice before we can take action on a problem or fear we have? Joshua 1:9 grants us the permission that may be holding us in the bondage of fear. It simply says, “This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

The mind shift we are afforded when we get another perspective on our situation is why it is so important to pay careful attention to the influences in our life. If we accept the advice of someone who is far from God, we will be steered far from God. If we inundate our senses with experiences that God would not approve of, we are taken further from the beam and thus further from contentment and fulfillment of our life.

The bible is the BEST way to learn who to listen to and what help we can give others. It can help with our finances (Hebrews 13:5) our relationships (1 Cor. 13:4) and our work (2 Chronicles 15:7). It truly is an endless resource to finding that contentment and achievement in all areas of our lives. Are the influences in your life bringing you closer to your destiny or further from it?