“The Discipline of Humility” - John Rice

One of the greatest gifts we can give one another is to withhold judgment of them. Our human nature seems to call for constant comparison between ourselves and other people, and in doing so, we often tend to look at someone who is different from us in a negative or at least suspicious light. I think some of us confuse the spiritual gift of discernment with a “gift of suspicion!”

So how do we overcome this tendency to compare and judge? In a word, it’s humility…. humility to recognize that we do not set the standards; God does, and that God’s grace and mercy are always greater than ours. If we can move out from a place of humility, we will be able to listen better to other people and to be curious about what makes them behave the way they do or say the things they say or struggle with the things they struggle with. This is a humility that says something like, “I may know a lot of things, but I don’t know everything there is to know about everything and everyone in the universe. Therefore I will ask questions and not assume I understand everything perfectly. I will try to see things from someone else’s perspective. I will give them room to let God move them, deal with them, heal them, correct them. I will respect their journey and concentrate on my own journey, over which I do have some bit of control.”

Of course, if a friend, spouse, child or colleague is asking for counsel or advice, we give them our best shot, based on what we know. If at all possible though, the better route is just to ask them a lot of clarifying questions about their concern and to pray with them, letting them resolve the issue themselves. This is the heart of spiritual direction, which honors each person’s ability to hear God for themselves.

-John Rice

Encouraging words:

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.”

— Proverbs 11:2

“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.”

— Proverbs 22:4

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

— Philippians 2:3-8

“Transparent Accountability” - Laura Rice

Many years ago I asked a respected leader and teacher what he believed was the key to ministry. He surprised me by responding with one word: vulnerability. As I became further acquainted with him, I saw that this meant a transparent accountability. In a community of people he believed this should happen among those who were both committed to each other and to personal obedience and growth before the Lord…sharing needs and struggles with each other, before God, and letting Him examine our hearts. As Psalm 26:2-3 says; “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and mind; for your love is ever before me and I walk continually in your truth.”

Dusty spoke last Sunday of the tension we all share as members of the body of Christ: we must be both needed and needy. In this, there is a humble position before God and others and a willingness to give from our strengths. Let yourself be known and God will meet you in your giving and receiving.

Laura Rice

Encouraging Words

“Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.”

— Psalm 26:2-3

“Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion. kindness, humility. gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against each other. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

— Colossians 3:12-15

"Celebrating Prayer" - Randi Nelson

Framed and hung on my office wall is a calligraphy print (by Greta Schrumm) done in many different fonts, colors and letter sizes. It says:

To pray is to

Laugh Whistle Dance on happy feet

Sing! SHOUT and jump! Higher than ever before.

But it is also to

whisper wonder stumble in dark places

Cry SCREAM or just hold a tired head in tired hands and wait …

PRAYER is our tired reaching out to the ONE

who holds us closer & loves us more than we would ever dare imagine.

What a wonderful reminder that prayer is not a drudging, legalistic activity. In the words of Jennifer Kennedy Dean, “Prayer is not an activity, but a relationship. It’s not something you do, but something you live.” Prayer is a dynamic interactive life with the Holy Spirit. It is breath for believers oxygenating the muscles of our faith. We inhale the Holy Spirit and exhale our joys and sorrows; breathe in the Holy Spirit and breathe out our triumphs and failures.

The calligraphy hung on my wall is also a reminder that I don’t need to know the right words or rituals for God to hear me. James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” The most important thing any one of us has to do is show up.

God has equipped us with everything we need: His word to inspire us in knowing His will; the Holy Spirit to help us when we do not know how to pray; one another to increase our effectiveness and to share the load. Our job is to plug in and open up. As we do we become freed from the drudgery of having (or guilt of not having) a “prayer life” and we begin to live a “praying life”. Oswald Chambers calls it a life of “strong calm sanity”. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Randi Nelson

Encouraging Words:

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

— James 4:8

“… God will supply all your needs according to his riches …”

— Philippians 4:19

“… if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.”

— Matthew 18:19

“… the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.”

— Romans 8:26-27

"The First Day" - John Rice

In the book of Genesis, God, through Moses, tells us only the very bare details of the creation story. On the first day He spoke and brought forth light, on the second, the skies; on the third, the land and seas and plants with their seeds; on the fourth, the sun, moon and stars; on the fifth, fish, marine life and birds; on the sixth, land animals and finally, man and woman. On the seventh day God rested from all His work.

What must it have been like for Adam and Eve to come conscious to this amazing world that they were ushered into? They had absolutely no background information to relate anything to. They would probably have experienced the universe as a newborn baby does, full of wonder, full of questions. There was at that point no brokenness, no fracturing of the universe as would happen after sin entered the picture. How beautiful and life-giving it would have all been!

So what do you think their first full day on the planet would have been like? We can only imagine that since we have no record of their thoughts and feelings. But one thing we do know…. God took the day off to spend it with them! He set aside the seventh day, after He had finished all His work, as a day of rest, a day to give Himself entirely and without distraction to His children. He would have been showing them around, answering their questions, taking pleasure in their amazement and appreciation of the magnificence of all they saw, smelled, heard, felt and tasted around them for the first time. Imagine your first whiff of a gardenia blossom or wet fir tree, your first taste of food, your first look at a mountain or rainbow, your first touch of another human being. Adam and Eve not only would have shared those experiences with each other, but also with God their Father who was right there next to them. What a great day that must have been.

In designing the Sabbath, God invites us every single week back into that kind of time with Him and with our loved ones. He knows the dignity of work, that we need to work and to be productive. That’s part of being made in His image. He designed us to move out into the world and to be salt and light to those around us. But He never wants that without our first delighting in His presence and drawing strength from His eternal love and the pleasure He takes in us. May we prioritize this time with Him as much as He has done so with us!

-John Rice

Encouraging Words:

“Then Jesus said to them,
“The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.””

— Mark 2:27

““Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
Then the Lord will be your delight.
I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
I, the Lord, have spoken!””

— Isaiah 58:13-14

"Deep Water People" by Dusty Johnson

I have always admired what I call, “deep water people.”

What I mean by this expression is a person whose journey through life taken them through some difficult years, but seems stronger as a result. Often it seems human suffering has a way of plunging a person into the deep end of the pool with God. If a person is ready and willing, somehow God transforms them into people of profound faith and great substance. I don’t believe there is a pill, shortcut or synthetic substitute to deep transformation; but pain often proceeds our greatest seasons of growth and maturity.

Somehow, I believe the phrase “deep calls unto deep” (Psalm 42:7) seems to express the idea of our Creator-Redeemer’s ability to address the deep and mysterious places in our lives. It seems as though our loving God looks for opportunities to move us beyond our superficial existence by transforming the interior places of our lives and bringing a sense of calm to the chaos. But make no mistake, in order for Him to make sense of our deep places, we must actively choose to plumb those depths and let Him in. It is this reason I believe our upcoming teaching series called, Discipline and Grace is an important topic for us to consider.  This eight-week series will focus on various spiritual disciplines we have often heard about, but may not be very familiar with.

Spiritual disciplines are personal practices that help us be attentive to deeper life issues. They can also help us develop better awareness of God’s activity in and around us as we strengthen our “spiritual muscles” through the regular exercising of our faith. In this way, we can become people better prepared for going to deeper places with the Lord. This is a personal practice (exercising the fundamentals of our faith) and is essentially opening ourselves to listen and obey the promptings of the Spirit so that we can know Him and walk with Him through any painful or difficult season.

And so, as we look at spiritual disciplines, here’s a question to consider? Is your spiritual growth dependent on personal discipline (personal effort) or does is rest on solely on God’s grace (unmerited gift)? I think the tension between these two ends of the spectrum is well expressed by the following excerpt from Richard Foster’ book Celebration of Discipline…

“Picture a narrow ledge with a sheer drop off on either side. The chasm to the right is the way of moral bankruptcy through human striving for righteousness. The chasm to the left is the way of moral bankruptcy through the absence of human striving. On the ledge is the path represented by the disciplines of the spiritual life. The path is drought with severe difficulties, but also incredible joys. The path does not produce the change or transformation, but puts us on the path where change can occur. This is the path of disciplined grace.”

As we take time to explore the benefits of practicing the spiritual disciplines, may we also look out for the unexpected gifts of grace that will free us, grow us and help us to live more fully as  “deep water” disciples of Christ.

Headin’ to the high dive!

Dusty Johnson

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Here is a list of the spiritual disciplines we will look at in the series over the next few weeks:

1. The Discipline of Solitude and Rest - The personal practice of learning to be alone and at peace with God, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God’s constant abiding and rejuvenating presence.

2. The Discipline of Prayer and Contemplation - The personal practice of listening and considering God’s involvement, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God’s guidance and instruction for life.

3. The Discipline of Fellowship and Community - The personal practice of being needed and being needy, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift that you are both a distinct, yet interdependent contributor in the Body of Christ.

4. The Discipline of Giving and Serving - The personal practice of active and undeserved generosity, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God’s abundant mercy and grace shown through the cross.

5. The Discipline of Simplicity and Sacrifice - The personal practice of de-cluttering life and detaching from lesser things, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God’s provision and invitation to Kingdom living.

6. The Discipline of Knowledge and Understanding - The personal practice of seeking God’s truth and being a constant learner, while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God’s timely discernment and precise wisdom when you need it most.

7. The Discipline of Worship and Praise - The personal practice of expressing honor, devotion and exaltation to God while being held in tension by the sovereign gift of God being the Creator, redeemer and patient pursuing Heavenly Father who expresses perfect love toward his wayward-prone kids.

Encouraging Words

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.

“The beginning point of any discipline is delight” -Graham Cooke

“We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners all or life”- Thomas Merton

“The beginning point of any discipline is delight” - Graham Cooke

Christmas Clichés

Two years ago, the unexpected death of a close friend suddenly stripped the holiday season of trivialities that often consume my attention and energy. As I literally walked with his widow (she was my walking partner!) through those awful, and yet sublime weeks that followed, often repeated phrases that had become cliché in the usual craziness of holiday rituals began to ring with meaning:

Peace on Earth
In the darkness of nighttime and torrents of tears God aches to pull us to himself; those who do turn to that embrace find real, inexplicable peace on earth … not just a hoped for peace in heaven. My widowed friend often wrestled with grief, fear and regret. But when those things threatened to paralyze, she would stand, cup her hands and lift her anxieties to her Abba (Father). His presence would wrap her up and give her the courage to move ahead. People marveled at the dignity and peace they saw in her.

Good will Toward Men
Her late husband had fully believed in the goodwill of God towards him which empowered him to practice goodwill towards others. Both husband and wife had spent years mentoring emotionally needy families and especially attention starved children. The love and care that blanked his family after his passing provided powerful evidence of what happens when we recognize and receive God’s goodwill toward us.

A Child is Born; A Son is Given
It all starts in the tenderness of God who longs to be gracious toward us. His will is that none should perish from ignorance of His love and so he gave the world his Son … Deity incarnate; a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses through whom we may also receive mercy and find grace to help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). Jesus leads us away from rigid rules toward reassuring, empowering relationship with our embracing creator. We can love because He first loved us (1John 4:19).

My prayer is that we hear old clichés ringing with sublime silver bells of Truth this Christmas!
-Randi Nelson

Hebrews 4:14-16 – Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Ephesians 2:13-14a – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace …

1 John 4:19 – We love because he first loved us.

We Three Kings of Orient Are

Last Sunday, as we peeled some of the layers of interpretations and traditions from the song, “We Three Kings of Orient Are” my spiritual imagination was freed to re-appreciate “the gifts that keep on giving” (as Pastor Dusty put it) in my own relationship with The King:

Gold: The beauty and high value we ascribe to gold in both art and commerce represents my Material Self. It encompasses everything I prize most highly: time, wealth, vocational industry, hobbies and even Bible study. It reminds me that my industry can be idolatrous (Isaiah 2:8 – … they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made) often marked by slavish dissatisfaction. But God has the antidote: Colossians 3:23 … whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men …. Gold reminds me that when I place my treasures before him I am less likely to get caught up in superficial or self-aggrandizing activities.

Frankincense: Treasured most for its fragrance, frankincense has an ethereal quality. Like my Spiritual Self it can’t be held or quantified in a material sense. It is the realm where attitudes, values and true motives for my industry hide out. This is where my life can become a fragrance of Christ to God (2 Corinthians 2:15) or a stench of deceit and manipulations. This is the realm in which the paradox of Matthew 10:39 plays out: Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. When I give God the “life-line” of notions that keep me self-justified, He returns to me truly abundant life in the Spirit.

Myrrh: The bitter, earthy nature of myrrh parallels the failures of my Mortal Self. But its medicinal properties also indicate the sweetness of remedy: God sent Jesus as the oil of gladness instead of mourning (Isaiah 61:13). I can hide (withhold) my mortality in shame (as Adam and Eve did), or I can believe in His mercy, be honest (vulnerable) and give myself to God’s perfect love – the love that casts out fear (1John 4:18). When I give him my fear, my anxiety, my failure, He exchanges it for peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I will not hear this Christmas song the same way again … How about you?

Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 

-Randi Nelson

Mary Did You Know?

In the first chapter of the gospel of Luke, we find the good news of a divine interruption of to the ordinary through humble participation of a young, devoted Jewish girl named Mary. Through it we get a glimpse into the immaculate conception of the Christ child we know as Jesus. Most likely Mary would have known plenty about the expectation of a coming Messiah, but did Mary really know all that would unfold with this child?

When I think of Mary’s willingness to believe God and participate in this divine interruption to her life, I am inspired. Though the life of faith is full ups and downs, it consist of both the mundane and mysterious. Faith invites us to step into the unknown by yielding to an occupation of the Divine. It requires that we believe, submit and lean into the discomfort of learning new ways to navigate life that seem counterintuitive to our normal sense of control. Yet like Mary, it may well take us in a direction that leads to discovery of greater purpose and a sense of destiny for our lives.

Practicing the fundamentals of both routine and risky expressions of our faith are necessary for developing a heart of worship and honor to God. Like practicing scales on the piano, or free throw shots on the basketball court, it is no different with our faith.This kind of living creates the muscle memory needed to see, hear, and experience potential “God moments.”

This Christmas season, may you be inspired by Mary’s humility, devotion, and willingness to recognize and embrace a divine interruption. Her life was changed forever and it altered human history. I pray you would be strengthened to trust God for your future, and be encouraged to believe God for the seemingly impossible things He can do when we simply trust and obey.

Unto Him,

Pastor Dusty

Listen to the song “Mary Did You Know?” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbysUxwQqNQ

Luke 1:36-38 “And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.”And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.

Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Romans 5:1-2 NLT 5 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh-YES

A friend just posted the following on her Facebook page… “The two hour school delay just turned into a snow day… And the children rejoiced!!!” I, too, absolutely love snow days in the Willamette Valley.

I love the anticipation of it coming, and the memories of when it came before.  Yet most of all I love when the light and serene flakes begin to form the beautiful white blanket over everything ugly, barren and rotten from the autumn past.  For me, waking up to an early morning of fresh powder seems to reach an innocent and child-like part of me that brings an unexpected peace and joy every time it snows.

Today is just such a morning.  After a week of bust hustle and bustle, waking to the snow on the valley floor was a welcomed sight for a weary soul. Almost a surprise and bonus sabbath day. For a few hours that early morning, everything heavy and stressful seems to slow to a simple and peaceful crawl.  For me it is a wonderful and welcomed reminder of the strong and abiding presence of the Lord.

Unfortunately the snow doesn’t last forever. Eventually the thick white blanket often turns to a crispy layer of dirty slush and can become more of an annoying hazard than a special treat. But though the snow and feelings of bliss may not linger long, I do take comfort in the fact that God’s presence will never leave or forsake us. His love and abiding presence will not melt or fade away. No matter what burdens we carry, stresses we feel or season we just came through, the Lord’s mercies are new every morning.  His daily provision of grace and mercy is big enough to not only cover our worst mistakes, heaviest burdens and challenging circumstances, but as we turn our eyes to Jesus, He swallows up the shame, pain and stress… they can disappear in the light of His glory and grace.

I’m grateful for the angel’s announcement recorded in Matthew 1:23 that God made his way into our human experience through the coming of Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”  As we look to and remember this great provision of peace and hope, may we receive Him as a gift that meets our child-like needs, as we respond with child-like faith as we turn our eyes upon Jesus.

May grace and child-like peace accompany you today!

Much Love,

Pastor Dusty

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen H. Lemmel, 1922

O soul, are you weary and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior,

And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

Hillsong Version of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”

http://youtu.be/czxd5oa-gi0

Isaiah 1:18 NLT

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

  I will make them as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

  I will make them as white as wool.

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!

  His mercies never cease.

23 Great is his faithfulness;

  his mercies begin afresh each morning.

From A to P

It wasn’t any one big thing; it was just a lot of little things: lots of travel, a particularly overwhelming experience and not enough sleep. My interior had sustained a stealth attack.  A web of infinitesimally fine fractures was making me anxious, unable to move back into the flow of “normal”. I felt fragile, as though I might be “undone” at any moment.

But then the worship team began leading us in the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul”.  As I sang I thought, “Wow. It’s true; at the bottom of it all, my soul is taken care of.” Though my world may shake and the externals may fracture, nothing can alter the eternal security of my soul. Whatever comes my way, at the essence of my being it is well. If God is with me, who or what can truly prevail against me?

Yet, in those moments, I also realized that I needed to not just recognize the “truth”; I also needed to confess it to release the full force of its effect on those interior cracks. Confession is so much more than admitting my failures. Confession includes proclaiming Who God is and declaring the effect of those truths on my whole being.  In Psalm 42 the psalmist repeats, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”

 That Sunday morning, as I spoke to my soul, “It is well”, the glue of his glorious truth seeped into those anxious fractures. I felt “peace like a river” morphing my previous fragility into stability. I left church as “more than a conqueror through him who [loves me]” (Romans 8: 37).

Praising my Savior and my God from A(nxiety) to P(eace)!

Randi Nelson

Romans 8:31-39– What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What Part of The Body Are You?

During our “Ears That Hear” class this week I took chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians to read and meditate on. It is here Paul gives us an amazing illustration of what the Church was designed to look like. With Jesus as the head, each one of us fulfills a vital role as some part of the body, each part critical for the welfare of the whole Body. One part may play a bigger, more visible role than another, but no part is more significant in God’s eyes than another. We all have a place. We all have a function. We all have significance.

So what can hinder a church from looking and acting the way God originally designed it to look? One thing is when we feel our part is not as important as others’. This way of thinking discourages us and may even snuff out our contribution. Another problem is thinking that our part is more important than others. The pride in this case prevents us from honoring the contributions of others and sets up an elitism that is contrary to God’s ways. And perhaps the biggest hindrance of all is the thought that we just go to church to get something we want, kind of like going to a theater performance so we can be entertained or uplifted. Certainly church is a place where we can and should be encouraged, inspired, taught, reassured and prayed for. But in God’s design each person in the Church contributes to the health of the Body in whatever way He calls us to. Maybe we’re called to pray for others, maybe to be a warm welcomer to those that come, maybe to worship with a group, maybe to bring food, maybe to teach, maybe to help with children, maybe to share the prophetic gifts you’ve been given, maybe to engage in outreach in the city, maybe even to just be a faithful presence as part of the family.

There are too many ways to contribute to the Church than I could ever mention. This, by the way, is not meant to be a recruiting letter for volunteers at SouthHills Church! It’s intended to open our eyes to God’s design for us as part of His Body. There is something extremely life-giving and growth-promoting in sharing our gifts with others, in letting God use us for the sake of others. Living this way, we get glimpses of that miraculous unity that Jesus talks so much about. And we can better hope to fulfill that promise that they will know we are Christians by our love.

1 Cor 12

Jn 17: 21-23
22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Jn 13: 34-35
34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Seeking Thin Places

Recently someone introduced me to the phrase known as “a thin place.” This person used it to describe a special place of retreat where she often goes to refresh her soul by spending deliberate time in the presence of God.  Curiously, I learned that many Christians came to know this phrase originating from a story in Ireland around 500 AD.  A Celtic Monk named St. Columba stood on a hill overlooking his community on the Island of Iona and was moved to pray.  He would later liken his experience to that of a thin place – a place where heaven and earth seem to be only thinly separated.

Like St. Columba, I believe there are special places on the planet where earth seems thin and heaven seems thick. Being a Christian camp and retreat director for over 10 years, I completely understand the idea of retreating to special places in order to “fast from the familiar and simply draw near to God.”  Often camps and retreats become special places where God feels extraordinarily close and we can experience supernatural peace, healing, understanding, wisdom and often direction for life.  But I never heard it described as a thin place.

Over the years, I have come to find some of my own “thin places.”  Places where I would retreat to His presence and refresh my soul.  In the early years of my teenage faith I recall a think place at the top of Kelly Butte in Springfield on Sunday evenings before youth group.  I would sit on a curb overlooking the city as Michael W. Smith would quietly serenade me from the cassette player of my VW Bug.  Years later it became a spot on the South bank of the Willamette River near Skinner’s Butte Park. It was there I could seek refuge from the chaos of my work day by using my lunch break to read my Bible or sit quietly before returning to work.  Still years later my thin place morphed into a gravel pullout next to a country barn just off an I-5 exit ramp before Salem.  It was there in the fog of an early morning commute that I would let praise and worship bubble out of my heart and into a recorder that later became original songs I played on my guitar.

Though the settings, activities, and places have changed, one thing remains the same: The need to minimize the noise of the world and maximize the presence of Jesus. A “thin place” may be a location, but I have also come to understand a thin place to be a condition of my heart that longs to seek, and a willingness of my soul that wants to be found. Often it is through the intentional seeking of the Lord where my soul can mature on the inside, so I can be better equipped for life circumstances on the outside. As we become “thin,” I believe we are more receptive to God’s voice and leading by maturing our inner world to better handle the complicated life circumstances of our outer world.

As you continue your journey as a devoted, loving, generous and contagious disciple of Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to not be afraid of times when you feel thin. Rather, what if desperate times or seasons of weakness could become a time for greater invasion of His Spirit? What if thin places have more to do with the condition and intensions of our souls and the direction of our focus? What if the difficulties and challenges we face actually help us to foster a greater realization of His Divine presence? Simply put, what if our times of weakness can become thin places where we purposefully look for His strength?

I pray that thin places can be times where you can declare the reality of Jesus with John the Baptizer, “He must increase and I must decrease.” Be creative, try something new, or go somewhere unique where you can get quiet and alone with God.  As you do, I trust that He will meet you with “peace that passes all understanding,” and give you new perspective as you move through the present stresses in your life.

Thin-fully Yours,

Pastor Dusty

Scriptures:

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

28 Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

29 He gives power to the weak

and strength to the powerless.

30 Even youths will become weak and tired,

and young men will fall in exhaustion.

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

Kinks, Boxes and Scar Tissue

Recently I have been teaching on the topic of Worthiness that also includes addressing an arch enemy known as Shame.  Dr. Brene’ Brown, an expert researcher on the topic of shame, says, “Shame is lethal.  Shame is deadly. And we are swimming in it deep.”  Shame has a way of undermining our own sense of worthiness and can leave a person convinced that they are unworthy of love and belonging.  This is of course not the message we see in the words of Jesus.  So rediscovering our own sense of worthiness before God is a major battle ground for many.

Recently, while participating in the corporate praise and worship service at a pastor’s conference, I kept seeing a picture in my mind of a garden hose or outdoor spigot where the water flow was somehow restricted down to a trickle.  As I stopped to consider what this meant, my mind flashed between a flow that was once gushing freely, but is now limited to drips and drops.  While this was going on, the band was leading a song with the lyric, “Awake, awake, awake my soul…” At the same time, I could see (in my mind) that there were some people who had an obvious frustration and did not feel alive in their souls, unlike the lyric being sung.

As I prayed about his picture, I was reminded of the passage in Luke chapter 6 where Jesus talks about the “the measure we use on others becoming the measure used on us.” The restriction in the flow seemed to be the direct result of unforgiveness, bitterness and/or judgments that had now become “kinks” in the hose, or obstructions causing a limited flow of kingdom resources to dry and arid places. The invitation was to forgive, let go and release judgments made of others.  It seemed the restrictions formed as a result of the way we weighed and measured others had now become a restrictions to us.  Because of critical or cynical ways of assessing others, we have boxed up and limited their potential.

In a similar way, the joints in a human body can experience restricted mobility and limited function when past injuries have not healed properly and scar tissue forms. The evidence of scar tissue does indicate healing after an injury, but often the thick extra tissue in the joint can becomes a hindrance to experiencing full range of motion. This scar tissue causes stiffness and limitation if it continues to stay immobile.  The result is a restricted range of motion that limits the potential of the joint and other body functions. We have to get moving again!

In effect the kinks, boxes and scar tissue have become curses, limitations or restrictions to the generous life flow of God’s Spirit to and through us, and repair is needed. This kind of repair and healing requires an exercising of two fundamentals of our faith:  confession and repentance.  Confession is simply acknowledging, before God (and sometimes a trusted friend), the places we have been ignorant or wrong. Repenting is allowing God to help us with a change of heart, mind and attitude that leads to a different way of living.

So here are some questions I would like you to prayerfully consider…

Are there people you need to forgive? People who have knowingly or unknowingly caused you injury?

Are you aware of any injuries sustained, bitterness held, words spoken or conclusions made about people that may have become kinks, scar tissue and boxes that now restrict the flow of God’s Spirit in and through your life?

Are there judgments you have made about other people? Maybe you are holding onto a snapshot of their life and assuming that it represents the sum of their life’s motion picture? This judgment may be causing a restriction of the flow of God’s generosity because of ways you are measuring others, and when you make mistakes of your own, your conscience convicts you as well.

If we hold onto any of the above, we will limit the work of God in us, because we are blocking the flow His Spirit through us.  He encourages us to free up our own souls and to let God restore a flow, release the limitations or to see a mobility and free range of motion fully realized.  I encourage you to press through the discomfort and confess, forgive, repent and let go and may a new measure of God’s generosity restore your potential for receiving and extending the God’s kingdom life to others.

Unto Him,

Pastor Dusty

Listen to Pastor Dusty’s message, “Worthiness Extended”

No, No, No and Yes, Yes, Yes

Recently Pastor Dusty spoke about the striking contrast between the three times Peter denied knowing Jesus and the three times the Lord offered Peter a chance to reaffirm his love for Him. The two charcoal fires of the New Testament….

In my devotions this week I came across another set of three “no’s” in the New Testament, this time in John 1:19-27. These “no’s” are very different from Peter’s; in fact, these “no’s” are crucial to our health and well-being because they help clarify our identity. Let me explain.

The priests and religious leaders came to John the Baptist to ask him who he was. Was he the promised Messiah? Was he Elijah, who was supposed to return before the Messiah came? Was he the Prophet spoken of in Deuteronomy? There is every reason to believe that the religious leaders of those days were suspicious and jealous of John, just as they would later be of Jesus, since he attracted great crowds to hear his preaching and he was causing quite a stir in Israel. John may have started a fire that the religious leaders wanted to stamp out quickly. John’s sermons were not flattering to the Pharisees and priests of the time. He might incite rebellion.

But John, a man used to speaking many words to the crowds who came to hear him, answered three times with a simple “no” to the Pharisees’ questions. When they finally pressed him to give them more of an answer, he proceeded not to talk about himself, but to proclaim the greatness of the coming Messiah Jesus.

The reason I think this is so profound for us is that John, who truly was a great man, was humble enough to know his true identity: who he was and who he wasn’t. How tempted we might be under pressure to toot our own horns and defend ourselves with a list of our accolades. John did none of that. He essentially said that his true identity only made sense in the shadow of the Almighty. Anything else was most likely a false self, a distorted ego representation of himself which never brings glory to the Father.

One of the greatest temptations we face from the Enemy of our souls is the puffing up of our pride. We often fall to this temptation to cover our shame and sense of worthlessness and insignificance. How freeing it is to respond to the Enemy with a “no, no, no!!!” and to look to Jesus with a “yes, yes, yes”, celebrating our smallness in the shadow of His greatness.

Practicing The Prophetic

This summer I had the privilege to participate in a mini women’s retreat held at Julie and Dusty’s home. Nicole Cade, a Foursquare pastor and friend of Julie’s, taught on prophecy. After the evening teaching we broke into groups and practiced praying and listening for words of prophecy. It was an encouraging time and since we were “practicing,” I felt no pressure to be “perfect”.
Following the retreat I read a story in the Bible as suggested by Nicole. In Numbers 22 & 23, the story of Balaam reveals that a prophet can speak only as the Lord speaks. In John 14;10, even Jesus says He spoke by the Father’s authority. I also reread the story of Ezekiel prophesying over the dry bones in Ezekiel 37 where God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones and God gave them life again.

Later that month, my husband, Mark, and I planned to join his mom, dad, and family in southern Oregon for a reunion. I had been looking forward to it all summer. At this time the fires broke out in southern Oregon causing bad air quality throughout the region. People were warned to stay inside. Some in Mark’s family have asthma and it looked like the reunion may be canceled. People were disappointed, myself included. News and weather reports brought no hope of things clearing up in time.

I began to have a strong impression that God was telling me that He would allow me to prophesy over the geographical area for clear and healthy air. I knew that I could only do it if God was doing it, and I believed He was. So I did. I spoke clear, healthy air over the area. I had the opportunity to tell family in an email that I was praying and believing God for the provision of good air. Everyone decided to take the chance and meet and hang out indoors if necessary.

The day before we left the air was a bit better. When we got there, there was a bit of haze but so much clearer with only an occasional smell of smoke. It evened rained at one point. The air cleared so much that we had NO issues for the entire four days, and were able to do everything we had planned outdoors. Someone in the family remarked at how well everything had turned out, and to think-we had almost canceled! I really felt that God was glorified and my faith was strengthened through this experience.

God is good!

Darla Beardsley

Worthiness

Last week a pastor friend of mine defined his ministry as “comforting the afflicted, and afflicting the comfortable.” Though most of us would prefer more comfort and avoid any disruption to it, recognize the value in leading people to places of discomfort with the intent of growing our capacity for greater relationship with God and others.

This past Sunday I kicked off a series of messages intended to explore the topic of WORTHINESS.  A definition for Worthiness can be expressed as “a belief that you are worthy of love and belonging.” Wrestling with our sense of worthiness is all too common.  Human beings are born with a deep-seated desire for life and vitality that connects us to a greater sense of purpose and existence. Unfortunately we are also all too familiar with various sources of pain and brokenness that leave us feeling less loved and less connected.

As part of our service, I showed a riveting video from a 2010 TEDtalk called The Power of Vulnerability by Dr. Brené Brown. In the days following this talk to nearly 500 people in Houston, Texas, the video went viral and has now been viewed over 1.5 million times (see link below). As a researcher and psychologist, Brown shares how her study of people has led her to discover an uncomfortable and vulnerable nemesis known as shame. She goes on to express the debilitating influence shame plays in hindering a person’s ability to see themselves as worthy of love and belonging. Yet, for us to unlock our own sense of worthiness, we must come to terms with our limitations and imperfections.  She goes on to share how vulnerability can be a powerful tool that can open us to a greater measure of acceptance and connection.

“I think shame is lethal. I think shame is deadly.

And I think we are swimming in it deep.”

- Dr. Brene’ Brown

In a moment of personal vulnerability on stage, she shares how this discovery caused a “spiritual awakening.” This lead her to pursuing a year of professional counseling that helped her get a grip on the importance of vulnerability and its role in becoming a wholehearted and thriving person.

I believe Dr. Brown’s discovery has a wonderful way of unearthing the beautiful message of worthiness found in the life and teaching of Jesus. Viewing the gospel through the lens of God’s relentless affirmation of His love, acceptance, and forgiveness is message everybody should hear loud and clear. It’s good news and it’s for every man, woman, and child.  This truth is both comforting and afflicting.

As we continue to explore the topic of Worthiness, I pray that God would help us better understand the disabling power of shame and the enabling power of vulnerability that can set us free!

Good is the News!

Pastor Dusty

Though Troubles Come

Why is it we are often surprised or discouraged by life’s challenges or difficulties? Isn’t it amazing how we can be enjoying a blissful “high” one moment only to be reduced to a sniveling “low” the next as we wrestle with doubt or worry over some unforeseen circumstance? Pure craziness!!
Maybe not unlike you, I am relieved to know that Jesus solved the conflict between God and me, and has given me the gift of the Holy Spirit to navigate life. Unfortunately, this does not include immunity for all future trouble or conflict in this earthly experience. For our benefit God allows pain, trouble and discomfort to aid in the building and strengthening of the person who is surrendered to His leading. While reading James chapter one this week, I was challenged to cultivate a new attitude toward these trials, and to let God mature me and help me become stronger and more complete in my faith.

This week I pray that you too will find a reservoir of help to guide you through your difficult or challenging times. May you become “mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1:4b – The Message)

Looking to Him,

Pastor Dusty Johnson