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Your First, Your Best, As Long As You Last

Indeed there are those who are last who will be first and first who will be last. Luke 13:30

EVERGREEN COMMUNITY CHURCH is all about saving the Last, the Lost, the Least. We know what this world is going through and we believe the local church is the HOPE of the world.

Then they asked him, What must we do to do the works God requires? John 6:28

WORSHIP– Do this corporately with a church family. Sing praises to God, allowing your thoughts to be conditioned to see and hear blessings instead of troubles. Also worship privately, my ideal place to worship is outside in nature. To revel in God’s glory while rowing across a sun-kissed lake at sunset is the best feeling in the world, I can do anything with God’s strength in those moments!

STUDY-In order to understand what God is telling you in times of worship, in order to make thoughtful, God-centered decisions, you need to know him. You cannot know Him without studying his word. Through podcasts, reading and writing, you can get a better sense of what you need to do to stay on the beam.

SERVICE-In order to practice the teachings you learn, in order to get better at building relationships and in order to further God’s kingdom, you need to work in God’s house. And believe me, you get way more out of it than the hard work you put into it.

SACRIFICE-I am an extremist. An all-or-nothing kinda gal. So when I intially think of sacrifice I think I must flog myself at every turn, give all my money away and live with the lepers. This is not what God means with sacrifice. It actually means:

Honor God with EVERYTHING you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. Proverbs 3:9-10

Doesn’t seem so sacrificial does it?

God wants the best for His children. He wants us to succeed. He desires a relationship with us. When we put God first, everything else is first-class.

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Living with the Word

How Can You Create The Life Designed For You?

Most of us want to live a useful life, a life with purpose. It feels good to be helpful, needed and successful. However the influences we inundate our minds with can be a distraction against the life God designed specific to you. Here are some habits to easily incorporate into daily living to filter out the distractions.

Use All Of Your Senses

1. Use your EARS…our faith is being built when we hear the message in church on the radio or from a bible study. Combating the negative influences in our world can be as simple as listening to sermon podcasts or worship music during your morning or evening commute. When you attend church, clear your mind from distractions and have an open mind about the word your Pastor is teaching you. Anger and resentment block the word of God from entering your heart. Self-pity and worry block our ears from truly hearing. Bring your drama to the cross and see the Word as Truth.

But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams. Mark 4:20

If you are a volunteer or church staff, it is vital to eliminate any distractions so as to allow the word of God to enter the hearts of attenders. Having a clean space, inviting atmosphere, soothing smells, creative teaching tools…creating a complete sensory experience allows easy reception of God’s spirit for the church attender.

2. Use your EYES. The average person forgets 95% of what they hear within 72 hours. We need our eyes. We need to read the bible, we need to look intently and continuing. This means to read and reflect on the bible. The purpose of the bible is to reflect ourselves like a mirror. Do not merely glance but gaze into that mirror and you will see yourself in the pages.

3. Use your HANDS & MOUTH. Research the bible through bible study. You will retain more and remember better by writing down questions and feelings and scriptures and then talking about it with others. Small groups are a great way to study the word to review and remember.

Merely hearing God’s law is a waste of your time if you don’t do what he commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.

Many people in our culture today think church attendance is enough, that they are fulfilling their role as a Christian simply because they attend church a couple times a month.

Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? James 2:17

As you plan this weekend, accept my challenge; DO NOT MERELY ATTEND BUT EXPERIENCE!

Need a Place to go? Try Evergreen!

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The Good Life

There are two essentials to a good life.

Your faith and God’s power.

The more faith you have, the more of God’s strength you will be able to use. When I get anxious or worried, whether it be caused by finances, time or relationships, I try to stop and examine the crux of my issue. We need to examine each situation from the proper perspective. If we look at our circumstances from a self-seeking perspective, the actions we decide to take will be self-serving instead of God-serving. I don’t know about you, but in a self-seeking perspective, I can justify anything to make it to the greater good of me, I can make myself a hero or a victim, whichever suits my mood best.

By intentionally adopting a God-perspective we can resist temptation. When we want our decisions to be for the betterment of God and what He wants it is simple to make the right choices. Simple but not easy. Our faith partnered with God’s power will sustain our humbleness, reminding us that we have NO power without God, that our life is NOTHING without Him and that our actions need to be for His glory alone.

John 1:3

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

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An Inventory of Honesty

I do not have a very good memory. Oh, I can memorize scripture, I usually remember people’s names and faces, but I often forget God is the one in control and I only play a bit part during my short time on Earth.

This is not to say my work isn’t important and valuable, but it doesn’t need to be grandiose and my work doesn’t need to make me famous (isn’t that just ego’s wishful thinking anyway?)

Because I am so forgetful, I list an inventory at the end of each day. I ask myself the following questions:

Where was I resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid?

Am I keeping something to myself that should be discussed with someone else?

In what cases was I kind and loving?</strong

Is there anything I could’ve done better?

I also have a cheat sheet of liabilities and assets surrounding feelings. If I am feeling envious, I try to switch my thinking and match it with generosity. The world would like to have you think differently. I used to think that when I was envious of someone’s wealth or success, it meant I just needed to work hard to become wealthy or successful too.

But in God’s reality (the only REAL reality!) we are to act generously when envious. This switches the focus to others instead of ourselves. It is only when we let go of ego that we learn humility, and only when we learn humility do we grow in faith. Taking an honest look at our day helps us maintain a humble attitude so our lives can be significant.

“Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.” James 4:10

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Helpful Considerations

In my old pattern of living, I was too proud, too ashamed, too self-conscious to ask for help for anything. If i didn’t know the answer to something I couldn’t quietly figure out on my own, I would lose interest, give up or avoid altogether.

This kind of behavior is so blatantly driven by fear. Fear drives us to make rash decisions without thoughtful consideration, counsel or prayer. Fear also neutralizes us to inactivity. Many times for me, fear stems from looking at my worth according to worldly things instead of my worth in Jesus Christ. It is worrying about what others are thinking about me, assuming they are thinking of me at all (in most cases they are not!) Worldly fear is fear that we won’t get what we want, when we want at the exact moment we want it, making life about us and our needs instead of what we can do for others.

We can work for our own gains even when we are serving and helping others. Look at the reasons you help. Is it to better your environment, to truly lighten a load? Or is it to look good? To make yourself feel better by telling others and yourself how selfless and sacrificial you are?

To ask for help is to empower others. To allow others to be challenged and used for a greater purpose. When we fail to ask for help it is a sign of selfishness. By stepping outside of the fear we get to practice humbleness. We don’t have all the answers. We aren’t supposed to have all the answers. We are supposed to ask for help. Who are you going to ask for help from?

“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”- \proverbs 11:25

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Traction of Distraction

Traction is defined as a state of tension by a pulling force. When I am not in alignment with the word of God or the will of God I am in a state of traction; I feel my shoulders tense and my stomach churn with all the monkey chatter of distraction screeching through my head. “Well, I gotta get up early and then I gotta do this and this and then go there and do that thing and rinse wash and repeat the craziness again the next day.” Americans have gotten extremely gifted at distraction…only we call it multi-tasking and pride ourselves on it.

When you seek God first with your whole heart and in all your affairs, the tension melts, the monkey chatter quiets, the safety of being a child of God is noticed and miraculously, supernaturally, things out of our power tend to get done.

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” -Matthew 6:33 (msg)

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Answered Prayer in under 24 hours

I love when people in my church come to me to help them find their right fit when they feel called to give their time and energy to Evergreen. But I can only help them by listening and watching, by paying attention to them, not myself. If I am distracted by the drama in my own head, and ooh, that ego sure does like to make it about me,me,me…I can’t pay attention to the qualities of others to know how to help. With continuous spiritual conditioning it is much easier to think outside of myself and focus on others.

Spiritual conditioning is just like physical exercise. I will not lose weight by working out once a week (and I curse those who don’t need to work out-even after five cheeseburgers!) I also can’t attend church once a week (or month) and learn the disciplines I need to in order to live my faith. I have to work out daily in order to stay in physical shape. I need to pray and read scripture daily to stay in good spiritual health. When I accepted these things about myself, it was much easier to stay motivated to get up earlier than normal to connect with God, much easier to get a workout buddy and stick to a daily workout routine, much easier to combat that darn ego.

The amazing thing is that the bible is FILLED with nuggets of wisdom-all over the place! Yeah, yeah I know…all y’all who grew up churched knew this…but do you still utilize it?

James 3:17 is one of those nuggets for me today. I had prayed for wisdom on leadership this morning. God gave me this scripture…”But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). It is willing to yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubt, wavering, and insincerity).” (AMP)

See? Prayer answered…and in under 24 hours!

Missed church yesterday? Get caught up and watch THIS

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SCORE Big

In the past, I have always been hard-pressed to finish or followthrough on a resolution or goal. Whether it is discouragement, fear or just plain laziness, I often held myself back from performing my best in the new year. I came across the “SCORE” technique by Jim Fannon that may help you if you find yourself in the same trap.

Before you begin a task- ask yourself…

Are you working toward your goals? self-discipline

Are you focussed? Concentration

Are you positive? Optimism

Are you calm? Relaxation

Are you choosing to have fun? Enjoyment

When we can get intentional about our goals and get rid of that defeatist attitude, there is no stopping what God wants for our life!

James 3:13 (NLT) “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.”

To read the full leadership blog click HERE

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What spot are YOU in?

Sunday was Evergreen’s series launch of “I’m A Mess”. The messages Pastor Seth teaches continues to challenge our attenders (and staff!) to not just put on their Sunday best, a fake smile and a muffled heart, but to get real and live their faith. Dang, it just doesn’t get any better! Here is a quick recap from my notes of last Sunday. If you missed the message, “I’m A Mess…But God is Able, check it out by clicking HERE.

Everyone is in one of three spots; you are in a mess, have just come out of a mess, or about to get into a mess. When life is a mess, we get stuck in the wilderness mentalities. The Truths we forget are:

Nothing is too hard for God.

Your troubles are only temporary…

…unless you choose to make them permanent.

Other people are affected by you.

You are not in the fight for the promised land alone.

Do not quit before the breakthrough.

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The Simple Truth

Ezekiel was a prophet whose call was to listen to the word of God and tell some stubborn rebellious people what He said. Not to get them to change their minds, just simply speak the truth.

Ez. 2:6-7 “and you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words…you must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen.”

If you identify as a christian, you are working for an audience of one. Those of you that have accepted your calling, do not be afraid of what people will say about you or how they react to your words. If you are a christian, it is not your job to convert people. |t is your job to share the words of God so that those whose hearts are open & listening can be saved. This means you can continue to invite everyone you know to the church you invest your time, energy, resources into, even when they don’t come and they don’t come and they give you excuse after excuse. Keep trying, invite others simultaneously. You are simply sharing the story of Jesus, no expectations, only heartfelt prayers. This simple task will honor the will of God, that is the simple truth.

Evergreen Community Church is the BEST church nobody knows about. Let’s do something about that. The new series, “I’m A Mess” runs Jan.8-29. Services Sundays 9&11 am. Also online at evergreenpinecity.org. Life is Messy. Learn how to clean it up.