Isn't There More?

How many of us couldn't wait to reach adulthood?  Wishing to put childhood behind us and move on to bigger and better things, experiences, freedom!  Childhood wasn't easy...or fun.  Sure there are bright spots that stand out to me but in reality, I don't have a very sunny filter on my growing up years.  They were hard.

I didn't know Jesus nor did my family.  The scales were heavily tilted in the direction of dysfunction and I was an only child.  I can't imagine what life would have felt like to have a comrade by my side, fighting through the insanity, with me, for me, part of me.

My transition into adulthood, mercifully accompanied my decision to give my life, what was left of it, to Jesus.  He had his work cut out for Him.  I was a confused, untrusting, hurting soul and His patience with me was long.

Fast forward to many years spent with Him, knee deep into raising a family and all the crazy, busy, upside down that can be.  With a full measure of laughter, tears, easy breezy and gut wrenching alleys this assignment of marriage and parenthood took us down, it was beautiful.  It was ashes sprinkled on new ground. 

My childhood and adulthood, are polar opposites.  By design.  The goal was to re-write my story with a happy ending and a whole lot of functional on each page leading up to the last chapter.  God is good.   His grace showed up in my failures, His strength was there in my weakness.  He had proven that He was faithful and that by following Him all the days of my life, there was more, so much more than there ever could be without Him.
I had found the "more" I was searching for.


 Then life got real hard.  The kind of hard that breaks.  The kind of hard that sends you reeling so far from what you know that you're not sure where you will land.  It was in this place of disillusionment that my heart again questioned, "Isn't there more?"  More promise?  More joy? 

God answered.  He said to me in the kindest of voices that life is hard.  There isn't a magic formula.  Faith is confidence in what we hope for.  Assurance in what we do not see.  We won't always understand.  Do not have idols.  People, dreams, efforts can be idols, even if it's the happily ever after you've always fought for.  Fight the good fight of faith.  He taught me that it's a fight.  Sometimes life is a fight.  But it's worth fighting for.  Even when it gets real hard.  Pray Always.  Keep praying.  He proved that darkness brings Him into sharper focus, that we grow in pain and we walk in sync with Him best when He is carrying us.

He showed me that "He" is the more.   When we feel overtaken by fear, loss, confusion, He is our Comrade, fighting through the insanity, with us, for us, part of us.  We can choose to go it alone or go with Him.  He offers us eternal life with Him.  He gives hope.  He shouts joy at sorrow and wraps comfort around hurt. 

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 

He wants to walk this journey with us.  He longs to be our "more to this life"  He is there at the top of the mountain where the sun is the warmest.  He is there in the deepest valley where our bones catch a chill.  I choose Him.  I choose Him to write His goodness on every page of my life.  I choose Him even when my heart is broken.  I choose Him in the smiles and the tears.

Because He chose me, I can choose Him.  Because I choose Him, there is more to this life...


"When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
Colossians 3:4


Blessings,
Debbie Kirk

At-Home Study

Pray: ask God to reveal Himself to you through the scriptures, to help you receive the message He has specifically for you today.

Read: each passage twice in 2-3 different translations.
 

{Day1} John 14:1-14

{Day 2} Luke 4:42-5:11

{Day 3} John 6:26-40

{Day 4} Romans 6:15-23

{Day 5} 2 Corinthians 5:11-21



Observe: What is happening? What catches your attention? What is the message of this passage?What thoughts or feelings does it provoke?

Reflect: Why do these things catch your attention? Why do you feel or think certain things from reading it?

Apply: What does this say about God? What does it say about people? What does it say about God's plan for us? What does this mean for you? How can you apply what God is saying to you?

What's Up?

Fall Study Details

Church-wide this Fall we are making a strategic focus to encourage many people from inside our community as well as outside our walls to participate in the Alpha experience utilizing our Adult and Student Ministries (through Men’s, Women’s, Youth and Coed venues)! Alpha will be the basis of our study in Women Unplugged this fall and we are excited to see how God works in and through us as we experience this together.

• We feel God is inviting us church-wide to experience more of His power and presence in our lives
• We trust that many people will discover more about a personal relationship with Jesus
• God will strengthen the faith of and equip those who participate to more fully invest in the lives of unchurched people

If you are not familiar with Alpha, it is a series of interactive sessions designed to discuss the Christian faith in an informal, fun, and friendly environment. Each week, Alpha focuses on a different faith question; exploring the big issues and unpacking the foundations of Christianity while creating a safe place for participants to ask questions.

Here on the Blog

This year the blog will be used to share testimonies of faith and experiencing the power of God from women within our community. Every week there will be one blog post featuring one of these stories along with 5 scripture passages and questions to read and dive into. We'd love to include YOUR story. Interested? Our contact info can be found here.

We're excited about doing this together!

Pruning 101

 God gets my attention with the beauty and phenomenon of nature.  It’s a pathway He uses most often when I need insight or redirecting.  How timely that we are in full swing spring!  The sprouts, blooms and meddling little weeds that are taking over our landscape at break neck speed are practically assaulting me with their metaphors.

 

My word for the year is slow.  This makes me chuckle.  I set out with best intentions and solid reasons as to why I needed the word slow in my life this year but I'm finding that slow has turned to brisk which turned to swift and on to turbo.  Then enters spring and all of its beautifully wild expansion and before you know it, it’s time to prune.  A snip here and there as I shape my mums, dead head my geraniums, and keep weeds from invading my lovelies in order to ensure balance and space for them to reach their full potential.  This reality in nature makes it apparent that my schedule needs pruning as well.  Even some good and beautiful things might need to go.

 

I’m not a big fan of pruning although I know way down into my soul that it is good and necessary.  It means saying NO, making reductions and downsizing even when everything in me screams YES, you can do it, or better yet, you should do it!  This is hard for me.  Pruning takes effort and resolve which will lead to healthier lives and relationships but the commitment and willingness it takes can keep me from ever picking up the pruning shears.  It’s here where God grabbed my attention.

 

I noticed this interesting, gnarly tree that I believed to be a Wisteria.   It called to me to stop the car and take a picture of it.  I need a bumper sticker that says, “I brake for nature pics,” it’s becoming a problem.  I couldn’t quite decide if the tree was ugly, beautiful or just needed redirecting.  Most of the tree looked full and fruitful, with blossoms overflowing but many of its branches were growing haphazardly in all directions. 

 In my fascination, I researched “Wisteria” and found that this was actually a tree with a wisteria vine growing up and within its branches.  The words that followed were the words God wanted me to hear if I would listen.  “Don’t let those beautiful blooms fool you.  In spite of its beauty and fragrance, wisteria is a fast growing vine that can quickly take over plants (including trees) as well as any buildings (like your home) if given the chance.  It can quickly and easily choke out surrounding plants and structures within its path.   For this reason, it must be kept under control with regular pruning, otherwise, your only option may be getting rid of wisteria all together.”

This is why there was no uniformity, no harmony between the host tree and the wisteria vine that fought for control.  They looked like they were battling each other for space and air.  When my pace of life and my peace of mind begin battling for space and air, God stops me in my tracks with a simple tree.   When some of my relationships, even the good ones, need pruning, He uses an overflow of whimsical flowers to catch my eye. 

His love for us is so bountiful that He has woven truth and instruction into every created thing.   If we pay attention, believing that God wants to speak to us in small and mighty ways, the earth becomes our classroom.
 

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.  Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?  In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”   Job 12:7-10

If you are sensing that your pace and your peace are at odds with each other, join me in picking up the shears and through prayer and reflection, begin pruning and opening up space for your soul to grow.

 

Debbie K.

 

 

 

 

Be Still

I feel the Holy Spirit most when I am outside breathing in the surroundings of nature, assuming the bugs aren’t biting too badly of course.

On this particular day I was wandering around familiar woods by a lake house I have visited since I was a teenager, camera in hand, as always. And by camera, I mean my phone.
I walked and prayed. Prayed and walked. Nothing in particular, really. Kind of the usual. Some gratitude. Some help for others in need. And a plea for God to really speak to me in some over the top, Hollywood way, where Morgan Freeman’s voice echoes through the woods.
I sit. Waiting. Nothing. Still nothing. Still sitting. Still. Perfectly Still.

“Be still and know that I am God”—Psalms 46:10

And I see it. It’s subtle, but its there. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It’s no booming voice. It’s not a clear message. There’s room for interpretation. Maybe it was a combination of the setting sun and the reflection of the water, but I was mesmerized by these twisted, wrapping branches. I started taking some pictures of it and felt its importance to my day. God knew I would understand best through my camera (phone) lens.

I can relate to the tangles of these branches. I’m in a busy season of life. Geez, maybe they’re all busy seasons. It’s easy to lose myself in all of this adulting. I’m doing my best each day to be a fun wife, teach a classroom of kids, and raise 3 humans of my own. I try to squeeze in time with family and friends. Hobbies are sporadic and dreams seem distant. And I am always too tired for laundry mountain.

In this moment of stillness,
In this moment of nature.
In a click of the lens,


I heard a simple message. Wrap tightly around what makes you stronger.
What makes you stronger? What can you let go? Who or what are you holding onto? Do you need to let anything go? How are your tangles? Are you wrapping yourself around the love of Jesus? Are you allowing Him to wrap his arms around your life as you grow?

Much love, Shelisa Welde 

You are Lord

 Let's breathe deep this weekend celebrating who we are and who we're not...

poetry by Denise Perkins

Mosaic

I was 14 when my parents split up and I quickly grew sick of the phrase “broken home”. Broken. Unfixable. Shattered. Messy. Ugly. I envisioned a family tree after a horrible storm with branches and leaves thrown amuck. Later on I married a guy from a broken home and we laughed about having 8 parents and 14 siblings between the families. And, we realized something so cool.

Forget the family tree, we had a family mosaic. Nothing really seemed “broken” about it anymore. Our family dynamics had changed and grown into something even bigger and more beautiful. Sure it was still imperfect, but full of more people to know and love. More stories. More laughs. Different adventures. And with that realization, came a slight obsession with mosaics. 

I’ve learned to apply this “mosaic” philosophy to life in general and, spiritually speaking, see Jesus as both the artist and the glue that holds all of life’s pieces together. One piece at a time he is building a work of art in and through each of us that slowly fit together into a masterpiece. It doesn’t make sense yet because we can’t see the bigger picture like He can...and He’s not finished.

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. “ 1Corinthians 13:12

I came across this mess in an abandoned part of town. Many people overlooked it. I couldn’t stop staring at it. How was it that years of random broken glass had made its way into a beautiful, urban, organic mosaic? I wondered about the different bottles, the people, the stories, the laughs, the pain, all together shining in the sun.

What about your life mosaic? Do you need to adjust your focus from 1 broken piece to the bigger picture? Or maybe there’s a missing piece to your mosaic that needs attention? Learning to adjust your focus can change your experience. Zoom in, zoom out. Maybe you are staring at a pile of broken pieces and not sure where to begin to build your mosaic? Start with prayer, a positive piece, and build on.

“God, pick up the pieces of my life. Put me back together again. I give you my praise!” Jeremiah 17:14

Here’s to inner peace with your pieces, 
Shelisa Welde 

Why is Friday Good?

Why is Friday Good?

In the Gospel accounts of the first Good Friday, I’m drawn to the parts about Peter. Maybe it’s because I’ve long identified with him on some level, and I’m sobered by his betrayal of the man who’d changed the trajectory of his life.  It seems shockingly out of character, and I find it uncomfortable to absorb. 

Because Peter wasn’t passive or afraid or a curious bystander when it came to Christ. Quicker than most, he recognized Jesus as the Son of the living God and lived like it mattered. You don’t ask Jesus to call you out of safety into deep, turbulent waters unless you fully believe he can save you when he does.  And Peter did.

But this particular day…  

Jesus is breaking bread and pouring wine.  Revealing truth a bit confounding, he shares with his closest companions the time has come for him to be struck, and them to be scattered.  Fittingly, Peter insists he won’t scatter, even if all else do.

And so emerges a glimpse into his now epic denial: reliance on self. 

Jesus, heart heavy, asks his friends to pray with him.  Peter, long on zeal but short on follow through, fell asleep.  

Three times. 

Alone in his pain, Jesus consoles. “The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”  The master teacher gives Peter the secret to remaining resolute; it’s spirit, not strength; Me, not you.  

…

Later that evening, while waiting outside the court where Jesus was taken after his arrest, Peter warms himself by the fire.  Those huddled alongside him begin to talk.  A keen-eyed teenaged girl finally asks,

“Aren’t you a disciple of that man?” 

Pulling his cloak a bit tighter Peter replies, ’No’.  

“Surely you are?”  

“I tell you, I am not.”  

“But that accent...” 

“I swear on my life, child!  I don’t know the man. Now leave me alone.”  

Three times.  

Rooster crows, Jesus sees, Peter weeps.  

This was his good Friday.

…

Sometime after that, a resurrected Jesus finds Peter early one morning back where their journey began - in a boat, fishing.  Preparing breakfast together around a fire, I wonder if memories resurfaced of the first time they met, or if distance from their darkest hour permeated all? I wonder if Peter’s heart leapt the same as before, or if it beat more knowingly, when Jesus bid him come?

“Peter, do you love me?” Jesus seeks to bridge what fear has torn apart… 

Stoking fire, appearing useful, Peter answers, “Yes, Lord, you know I do.”  

“Peter. Do you love me?” he continues probing at the pangs of buried ache…

Staring hard at burning ember, feeling weight so hard to bear, “Yes, you know I do.” 

“Peter, do you love me?” as his wounded hand extends, easing burden, shielding shame…

Peter lifts his head to look upon his Savior, resting full assured “Lord, you know all things, you know I do.”

Three times, a broken man reclaimed. 

Each time, redemption for the lost and for the ones who’ve lost their way.

This is why Good Friday’s good.

~ elizabeth dougan