AUTHENTIC FRIENDSHIPS

Rick Warren, the author of Purpose Driven Life,posted the following article that you might find interesting:
But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin. If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:7-8 NCV)

In Christian fellowship people should experience authenticity.
Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It’s genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing.

It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking and superficial politeness, but shallow conversation.

People wear masks, keep their guards up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship.
It’s only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible says, “If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other.… If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves” (1 John 1:7–8, NCV).

The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are.

Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection and being hurt again.
Why would anyone take such a risk?

Because it’s the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed” ( James 5:16a, Msg).

THE STORY OF THE EAGLE

The eagle has the longest life-span among birds. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its 40’s, its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. Its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly.

Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons. When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers. And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years.

Why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Message in a Bottle

I have been going through a really big point of upheaval in my life. It started with a great opportunity.  I went about it like I always do: focused, determined on my training and working out like nothing else even mattered or was important. I wanted to be ready for this opportunity that was in front of me. To be honest, I poured everything I had into being ready, to give it 110%. Well, it didn't work out exactly how I had envisioned. In fact, it didn't work out in any way I had thought it would. This has caused some really painful and deep feelings of failure.

      One of the things that I have noticed is that my willingness and effort to reach out to people has dropped dramatically and that I feel less connected to God. Most of this is probably due to me just feeling like I let people down and trying to deal with everything. Let’s be honest, we have all gone through times when we just put ourselves on an island, breaking away from people and throwing away our connections. I really put my self on a deserted desert island just because I wasn't happy with the situation that had developed. It’s been getting worse the last few days, but like always this timely placed message and hint appeared, from someone -- not sure who: 

      "I am like a caravan, lost in the desert searching for water." (Job 6:18 CEV) Do you ever have that feeling that something is missing in your life, but you don't know what it is? Maybe there's a longing in your heart, and you feel disconnected from God.  If you feel like God is a million miles away, guess who moved? God didn't move; you did.

      When you live on earth, you will sense a disconnection from God, where you feel he is far away. This disconnect leaves a hole in your heart that nothing else can fill. A lot of people look for ways to fill that hole, but they look in the wrong places. Why? Because they don't know they should be looking for God. In today's verse, Job described it as being like someone lost in the desert searching for water.

      You want something to fill the emptiness, to satisfy the unmet desire. You try to quench that unquenchable thirst. But the longer you continue to look in the wrong places, the more darkness will increase in your life until you get to a place like the one the Bible describes: "They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself"(Ephesians 4:18 MSG).

      I was sailing toward that big island and pushing people away with short answers and harsh responses, but just this little passage seemed to help bring me back. Well actually I kinda’ started sending up smoke signals for a start. But it’s a start. Writing this has already done wonders to make me feel like the loneliness is my own creation. Now, to just get off this island: maybe a rowboat or a helicopter. (CA)

More Than a Little Light

While I(CA)was in Bismarck playing (professional basketball), we would have chapel before games. During one chapel, a visiting pastor had a very colorful way of describing our life with the Lord. He said, "The path to God is like a dark street, and we want to try and stay in the street lights." The thing that has hung with me the most is his description of the street light’s glow. He said that as you go from bright spot to bright spot there is black and gray and that, just like walking in and out of a light’s glow, you’re gonna have trouble with your faith. Sometimes you will be closer to the light and sometimes, farther away. Even though you are closer to its shine, the important thing is that you’re working to always be close to the light. "Working" not trying, or attempting, but working at having a relationship with our Lord. I guess my little inner kid comes out and there is no way I want to be in pitch black with out any light!

He's in Heaven, Duh!

Belated Happy Easter!

I, personally, had a very amazing Easter! During the Easter season, I read more scripture than usual; learned a lot; and was able to unravel some things that I didn’t understand fully. Consequently, I found so much more joy in the holiday. I was even more aware of an amazing thing that happened Sunday morning.

While at church on Easter Sunday our pastor gave a sermon about "Where's Jesus!" More designed around the old "Where's Waldo". Now this to me was an amazing reminder of where Jesus is but I found something even better! A family sat in front of me with a young daughter maybe 5 or 6. When our pastor asked the question, "where is Jesus?”, the question was quickly and confidently answered with "In heaven, DUH!" The little girl was so positive and had no doubt that she was completely and utterly correct! I really feel like my faith should be so strong that I know where Jesus is, with out a question and no hesitation!

Easter: Fresh Start

Happy holy week! So I (CA) do a lot of reading and I got this devotional sent to me today and for whatever reason it was calming and just gave me a great feeling of comfort knowing the future, past and present are accounted for so take a look.

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life, and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven (1 Peter 1:3–4 MSG).

"Jesus is in the business of giving people a fresh start."

As we enter Easter week, I want to make sure you thoroughly understand that Jesus is in the business of giving people a fresh start. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done; it doesn’t matter where you’ve been; it doesn’t matter how bad you think you’ve blown it: Jesus will give you a fresh start.  The apostle Peter says several things happen once you give your life to Jesus:

• You open up your life to God and get to know him.

• You’re given a brand new life, which gives you everything to live for.

• You get a future in heaven.   You can say it this way:

You get your past forgiven, you get a purpose for livin’, and you get a home in heaven. What a deal! You’re past, present, and future are taken care of as you put your trust in Jesus. A fresh start!

“Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:30 MSG).

You Want Me To Do What, God?

“The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.”

I received this quote in a chain e-mail, and through the last few weeks it has really been at the forefront of my mind. It seems so simple when you first read it, but it encompasses so much of our faith. Not to mention that it has some very strong points that greatly impact our relationship with God in our everyday lives.

The first thing that I notice about the statement is the fact that faith is so important in just taking that first step. There are several stories in the Bible that illustrate this very well. One of the most notable is the story of Moses and his fear of speaking. Yet, God told him to speak to the Pharaoh about releasing the Israelites from Egypt. Then there’s Jonah who would have rather been swallowed by a big fish than follow God’s command to tell an entire city that they were doomed. In both cases they had to act according to God’s will, but were not confident that God would protect them. Faith is trusting God’s will and being willing to take that first step. That leads right into accepting God's grace and having faith that He will protect us in whatever He has chosen for us. Throughout the Bible, New Testament and Old, He continually tells us that we are His beloved. All we have to do is accept Him and trust Him. His love is infinite.  Our trust leads to a deeper relationship, which leads to mutual love, etc.; and the circle goes on.

 

In the last few weeks, this quote has brought me much comfort.  I know that, as I deepen my relationship with the Lord, His grace is there and His helping hand will guide me and catch me if I stumble. (CA)

Oops. I Almost Missed Zaccheaus

It’s begun! Lent is officially here, and with that we try to get closer to God and walk in His light. Usually, by giving up something that we indulge in or are addicted to, we try and close the gap between Him and us. Now, this has had me (CA) really searching the last couple of days high and low to find something that I could meaningfully remove from my routine to try and walk a little more like Jesus. With no answer, I used lifelines; asking others for some great idea that would strike an epiphany. Even with great council I still couldn’t come up with one. I did what usually works best: said a little prayer and went on with the day! Well, joyfully, my answer came. It wasn’t exactly under the circumstances I had expected.

I awoke to a start this morning. No alarm, no phone, but the honking of the team van. I was suppose to have been ready and packed for an 11 day road trip. Sad to say, I was neither. I literally was throwing everything off the floor out of the draws and closet into my travel bag, hoping I got all the necessities. But as the van pulled away from the house it hit me like a ton of bricks-- IPOD!! Then, on my first flight, I realized how much I listen to it and how much I zone out the world and the people around me when I use it. This has become even more apparent as I watch my teammates’ interaction, or lack of, since we began our trip.

How effective would Jesus have been if he had just walked around zoning people out? Pretty sure he would have missed Zacchaeus in the tree! So with the iPod gone, I'm working on being more open to the people around me during Lent. Didn't actually come up with it on my own, but I think He led me right into this one. So what is everybody else giving up?

Customer Service

Recently I (CA) have been living out of travel bags and suitcases, having been on the road constantly since the middle of January. I have been stuck in a couple of really bad storms, including the snow and ice that hit Dallas right before Super Bowl. In addition I’ve tolerated some of the most horrific layovers and delays and flights that you could imagine, including leaving Bismarck, flying to Detroit, then flying to Salt Lake City. Now I'm sure I took geography and passed but that's going east to get west! In spite of all of this inconvenience, I have worked tirelessly to try and stay positive, keep a smile on my face and be easy going. In the past I have been known to get upset with the airlines from time to time; definitely losing my temper. Nobody is perfect, but I'm working on it. I know that change isn't easy and that it takes time and a lot of effort to make changes become habits. But I have noticed that my efforts aren't going in vain. Customer service representatives seem much nicer and a lot more helpful; quite possibly due to the fact that I'm not growling at them (even if it was their fault).

Influence! Random, I know, but what influence are you having on the people around you: positive and up-lifting or negative and painful? Are you leading by example or setting a bad example? Are you leading people in the right direction or breeding hate and anger? Throughout Psalms and the New Testament, the Bible talks about loving one another, along with loving thy neighbor. Jesus tells us to be accepting of people, not judging them. How many of us can honestly say we have been perfect in this endeavor?  Consider using patience with that one very annoying co-worker or being nice to the person you meet at the supermarket that bangs your chart or the person at the exchange counter at the mall that won't refund the full-price. It’s such a small thing. Yet, among the more important Christian teachings, kindness seems to be one of the most overlooked.  We fall so short on this one. It’s so simple; and really, how much effort does it take?

Nobody is perfect … Well, there was that one guy that walked on water.

His Time-- Not Ours

As I (CA) am writing this on my phone and editing it and posting it, along with being interrupted by a phone call, which I took, it has become quite apparent to me that our lives are constantly in warp drive/ light speed. I would completely deny and contest it if somebody accused me of it too. But then stop and think, we carry around phones the size of a deck of cards, with more powers than a computer. Wait. Just 50 years ago a rotary phone was new age. My parents had one in our house when I was little. Do you know how long it takes to dial a long distance number with a rotary phone? Days, it takes days!! And then only 50 years before that phone wasn't even an option everything was done with a telegraph, which is even slower. Now we are spoiled. We call and text and email constantly! And we are answered immediately. No waiting or holding on. No, "hey I missed your call and I didn't check the answer machine"!

We may be missing the fact that God doesn't have reception to our smart phones, even though He is on our prayer speed dial and we call on Him all the time. If you didn't know, He takes everybody’s calls. But he has a tendency to answer on His time table, which usually isn't as quick as we get back to one another with a text.

We need to remember the story of Jacob and how he worked for seven years to accomplish his goal.  Then, mid-stream, Jacob was cheated and had to put in more time! Yet, even with the examples from the Bible, we still demand prompt customer service at all hours, night and day. We seem to expect our demands to be answered immediately with a crack of lightning from God.

As we press a little deeper into this year, whose time table are we on when we pray? Ours or the Lords? I'm certain, with all my faith, that He will lead us down the right path. Of course, at the start, it might not look like the super highway we had hoped for. Probably not, but I'm sure God will have us showing up right on time to the party! (Or just 15 minutes late cause that's fashionable and nobody wants to be first to the party.)

P.S. - to all the clock watchers it took you five minutes to read this! And you only missed a couple texts, a call, and 3 emails!

Who's On Your Radar?

As Christians we are taught about spreading the word and the love of Jesus and our Lord. This task seems daunting, complicated, epic, and at least just a little scary! Ok let's be honest, really, really scary and very daunting.

Where do I start? What do I say? What if they blow me off? What if they attack me with things I can't answer? Lots of “what-if's” and a very scary endeavor to say the least. But we are still missing a very important step-- who!

Who are we suppose to spread the word to? Who!?

Now, we all can bet that, with our Christmas and Thanksgiving charity still fresh in our minds, the homeless and less fortunate are a great focus for starting this endeavor. Possibly, poverty stricken areas are the place the word needs to be spread the most. These are probably common ideas and places-- may be right or may be wrong. But are these our first choices of resources for spreading the joy of Christ? Are they first on the list? Perhaps the people closest to you are not in any need of your help discovering the word.

But, I ask, “Who is on your radar?” Who do you think needs your help the most?

Are the people you interact with everyday in need? When your radar goes off, who are the people that you’re overlooking that need help and comfort in the Lord the most? How many people do you talk to at work, grocery store, the mall, friends and family who are looking for help; who are desperate for an outlet to share and grow in their faith and to find comfort in the Lord?

I (CA) am a perfect example. Two years ago you wouldn't have even thought of trying to talk to me about faith or God or love; but with a small helping hand, BANG! Here I am! Actively taking part in my faith and expressing and learning and studying the word! So, I guess I’m asking, how many people do you walk by, talk to, share stuff with, or Facebook with who are a little lost or looking for a friend to step forth to the Lord and take away a little bit of the scary part, the fear?

This blog is our church. It’s our community to help and promote our faith and spirit with each other! This is a chance for us to write and share our faith and grow in spirit to know that we aren't alone and to take the scary part away! So I guess the question is, "WHO IS ON YOUR RADAR!?"

When Bad Things Happen

There aren’t many people in the US or other major countries around the world who haven’t heard about the shootings that happened in Tucson, AZ on January 8, 2011. During an outdoor town hall meeting a young man, who appears to be mentally ill, shot 19 people, killing six. Among those killed was a 9 year-old girl. Among those injured was Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head.

Incidents like this make us ask, “Why does God let bad things happen?” Certainly God doesn’t make bad things happen. If He did, wouldn’t he make them happen to murders, rapists and child abusers?

Fortunately, and sometimes unfortunately, God gave us free will. “Made in His image” doesn’t necessarily mean we look like Him. It means that, unlike animals, we have the ability to reason. We have free will over our actions. God doesn’t make bad things happen, but sometimes people do. What He does is wrap loving arms around us and give us the strength to cope. Matthew 28:20b “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In the forward to his book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Rabbi Kushner writes, “I knew that I would someday write this book. ..... I would write it for all those people who wanted to go on believing, but whose anger at God made it hard for them to hold on to their faith and be comforted by religion.” It’s OK to be mad at God. He has big shoulders. The same shoulders that we lean on when we need comfort.

Prayer: God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

"Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."