"The Sin Question" by Sarah Moorhead

It's an old-fashioned question, one we don't talk about much because it's an unpopular subject. But like it or not, sin still exists and at times we still choose it. We sometimes fool ourselves into thinking that our sin isn't as bad as the sin of others. After all, we're not out killing innocent people like ISIL is doing in the Middle East and we have a right to our superior attitude because of _________ (fill in the blank).

However, I know from experience that sin's promises are empty and hollow. There is no lasting peace or joy or freedom. Every time I've taken that road, at the end I've found only an arid, desolate desert, much like the land of Mordor.

Thankfully, when I cry out to God, He comes swiftly to rescue me, as on eagles' wings. He holds me close and tells me He loves me. No recriminations. No guilt trips. Only love. And with His arms wrapped tight around me, He lovingly whispers, “My dear, sweet child, are you ready to let go of that lie?”

And there in the safety of His embrace, my heart overwhelmed by His love and grace, I see the lie exposed in all its evil and I gladly renounce and repent of my agreement with the Enemy. Only then am I truly free.

Since people have to have their own epiphanies, I will not tell you what to do with your sin. I can only tell you what I've done with mine. All my sin, all the lies I've believed, all the prideful attitudes I've held, all the times I've pitied myself as a victim or a martyr, all the anger, hatred and judgment that I've carried – all of it I've given to Jesus.

In return He has healed my wounded heart. He has taught me truth – even the hard truths about myself. Without guilt, He has shown me the root of my bad attitudes and without fail, no matter how it's dressed up, every time it seems I've fallen for the same lie; the lie that I can be god. It's the same lie that got Lucifer kicked out of Heaven.

Therefore the only safe path for me is humility, gratitude and love. I will always choose Jesus over my sins. I've seen the results of both choices in my life and Jesus is far and away the better – only – choice!

 

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Mark 12:29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”

Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

 

"Through the Glass Dimly" by Terry Sheldon

Have you ever seen God? Or felt his presence? Do you know for sure? These sound like "baiting" questions, I know. But I pose them because I always seem to bump up against not so much the existence of God (seriously, have you ever been to Yosemite Valley?) but our daily relationship to him. How do I relate to someone I can't physically see, hear, and touch? And of course, what do we do with the idea of suffering?

Yep, I am the classic "doubting Thomas" by nature; a skeptic. But I like to think of myself as someone wise whose mind is not for rent to the next bidder. Hopefully my motives for this are sound and good. Those who can relate know the constant struggle, the internal battle to "settle it once and for all.” Be honest, I don't think I am unique.

Again, I don't question the grand scheme of things; I just want to be truly authentic in not just what I believe, but in HOW I believe it. I want to get to know the real God, the real Savior. I want to put my struggles, those flash points of trial and tribulation in proper perspective.
This is the eternal struggle I know, one of the constant themes threading through our collective cultural and religious histories. One thing I think we understand is that many things shape our image of God - good and bad. What we've learned, our experiences, people in authority in our lives, the Bible; all ingredients that make up how we view God and how we view ourselves relating to him. Our perceptions are like glasses to the vision impaired. We see through the glass dimly, as Paul says in Corinthians.

So where does this lead us? Does it feel like you're dropped off at the bus stop, waiting for the next one but not seeing it? It does for me sometimes. And our perceptions that shape us are not just in the past. Present ones do too. Lost your job? Your career faltering? A key relationship in trouble? A health crisis? Do you battle with depression? And the flip side - if we go the other way with this, we can get a false image of God by putting too much on the good times in life, when things seem to be going great. Is that His blessing or do we just deserve it since we worked so hard to achieve it?

I ask a lot of questions, I know. The answer here might just be related to the relational. Yes, we are taught that God is relational, but he seems "out there" too much, right? But when I look at my relationship with the closest person I know (hint: she has red hair), I see someone I know quite well, but I also see mystery, things yet to be discovered; new horizons, new depths of meaning. New possibilities. Maybe that's the way it should be with our God.
As I am writing this, I hear God's voice. His message sounds like "I am here. I've never left you. Be patient. I will never forget you or lose you. Stick close. Seek me. There is so much more out there for us. Be patient, be patient."

"I Am Chosen" by Laura Rice

Years ago someone wise encouraged me to release another person from
my judgment.  Since that time, I have tried to make it a practice to remove any
judgment I find myself holding over someone else.  It's not my job.  My job is
to forgive and try to live with acceptance and love toward others, as Jesus has
modeled and instructed us to.

Recently I had an insight that this was something I was practicing on
myself.  I was always "taking my measure,” so to speak.  Unfortunately this soon
becomes introspection and a cycle downward.  Once again this is not my job.
God will examine my heart and the Holy Spirit convicts as necessary.  We get
carried away with something far beyond either.

In our Sonship group we are asked to listen for God's voice.  In response
to a question, I heard God tell me to quit measuring myself and letting my
performance define me. God has already told me that I am chosen, acceptable,
forgiven and loved.

The second part of my hearing was that I should measure God instead of
myself.  What a relief to look up to God instead of down and into myself.  God
is good, full of compassion, slow to anger, tender-hearted, faithful, and forgiving.
God will never leave me. God is a good Father and Shepherd, and I am always
in His constant care.

 

Matthew 7:1  Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
                        And with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Psm. 42:5  Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?
                     Put your hope in God, for I will yet praised Him, my Savior and my God.

                    My soul is downcast within me.  Therefore I will remember you.
                     By day the Lord directs His love.  At night His song is with me,a prayer
                      to the God of my life.

"In the Gap" by Ally Mittleider

Wilfredo De Jesus, more commonly known as Pastor Choco, was named Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and is the author of the book, “In The Gap: What happens when God’s People Stand Strong.” Needless to say- Wilfredo De Jesus is a “salty” person. 
He has a very simple vision: to be a church for the hurting that reaches people for Jesus. I can’t help but jump on board with that vision, as it can be applied anywhere at any time. As we have been going through this series of saltiness with Pastor Dusty, I personally have become excited to go through the process that Pastor Choco shared with us at the 2014 Global Leadership Summit. 

The first step is prayer. As we are called to be salt to Eugene, we need to remember to pray! We can pray for our own sake; that we will be moved to weep for the hurt in this city. “Break my heart for what breaks yours,” is a simple Hillsong United lyric that has stuck with me since I heard it, but it’s an important mentality to have. There are gaps in Eugene, but we need to be revealed to what these gaps might be before we can do anything about it. The next step is to plan. Being the planning-type myself, this is one of my favorite steps, as I get to put together a plan to execute. It may seem too business-like to be of the Spirit, but it is all part of the plan God has to use us as salt people in this city. The most important step of this process is to proceed. Do something! Act out the plan that God helped you create. Wilfredo De Jesus said in one of his talks that, “Once you have been revealed a problem- you must act! If you aren’t going to do anything about the answer, why did you ask?” Ouch. But SO true. Taking the next step of action is vital, because faith without action is dead. Period. (James 2:14-26)

This was such an encouragement to me! Ephesians 2:1 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The first line says we are God’s masterpiece. We are His work, and as a work of God we are made to do God’s work. The reason we are here and alive today - the reason our hearts beat – is for this mission. My encouragement is to begin praying for open eyes; that we, as a body of Christ, will see the needs of our city. I pray that He will break our hearts for what breaks His so we can begin to meet people where they are at.

 

James 2:14 - "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?"

James 2:18 - "Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."

10 Year Anniversary!

This fall season marks the 10-year anniversary of our church and is worthy of a special celebration! You are invited to join us on Sunday, November 9th for a special service where we plan to worship, reflect and celebrate all that God has done in the past ten years and look to all that He has ahead in our future. This day will also mark the beginning of our new name change to CitySalt Church. So mark your calendar and be sure to extend a personal invitation to anyone who has been a part of our collective journey as a church and may appreciate celebrating this special occasion. We will gather for a worship service at 10AM followed by food and fun for the whole family until 2PM. We look forward to seeing you there!

New Name Update!

Gratefully we received the necessary 2/3rds majority vote from our membership and have since secured approval by the Foursquare so that SouthHills Church will now begin the transition to CitySalt Church.

Not only is this name a fresh and unique expression for a congregation, it carries a timely reminder of our calling to be an expression of Christ when gathered together or scattered throughout our community as we live, work and play. As we walk through this transition, we trust it will inspire and challenge us to press in and discover all that Jesus intended when he called his followers the “Salt of the Earth” as recorded in Matthew 5:13.

Practically, you will see us begin to rollout a series of changes as we lead up to our 10 Year Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, November 9th. Until that time, we will continue to “do business” as SouthHills Church. As we walk through this season of change, we invite you to continue to worship, give, serve and pray for your pastors and leaders while making room in your heart for all God has in store for our church.

 

"The True Gospel" by Sarah Moorhead

You may already know that there are many gospels.  Just as every religion and cult has its own version of Jesus and/or God, they each have their own gospel.  “Health and Wealth,” “God wants you happy,” and “Name it and claim it,” are just a few.  There are also some gospels that are not attached to any certain religion.  “Save the Planet,” is one example.

But the one that trips up a lot of Christians - the one that distracts them the most - is what’s called the “Social Justice Gospel.”  On the face of it, it sounds noble, honorable and right. You could spend your whole life fighting for the rights of ___________ (fill in the blank).

But what did Jesus say?  “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”  The context in which he said this is at a dinner in Bethany, recorded in Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-7.

Jesus and his disciples are having a meal.  During the meal, a woman opens a jar of very expensive perfume and pours it on the head of Jesus.  Seeing this, the disciples, led by Judas, become indignant.  They protest that instead of wasting the perfume, it should have been sold and the money given to the poor.  Jesus rebukes them, as he often did, and helps them get their priorities straight.

He was right. The human condition has not changed. Because of that, we will always have poor people. We will always have those who suffer and those who inflict the suffering. Without Jesus, the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked.

So, what’s the answer?  We have a great many laws based on the Ten Commandments, and yet people still lie and steal and kill.  We still treat each other unfairly.  The answer is not to pass yet another law.  It's impossible to legislate righteousness.

The only answer to any injustice is Jesus.  We must go back to basics.  We must return to the true gospel.  In humility and love we must preach the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ.  Once a person is saved, the Holy Spirit can begin to bring about real change.  Salvation through Jesus is the only path to true social justice.

 

Matthew 28:18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 16:15-18 "He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."

"Trying to Love" by Kayla Erickson

Do you ever wish you could love people better? As a recovering perfectionist this is a hard one for me. Some days it’s easy to be polite and show an interest in peoples’ lives, and other days I need every scrap of will just to be civil. But I get the feeling that’s not the spectrum Jesus is talking about when he says to love one another. I’m sure he understands that we all have our off days; He was a man after all. But when the Bible says that Christians would be known for their love of one another, it seems to imply that deeply loving our spiritual siblings would be a natural (or rather supernatural) consequence of becoming a Christian.  

I've learned two things about myself regarding this recently. (Yes, recently - it turns out trying to be perfect all the time tends to slow the growth of self-knowledge. Who knew?) First, it’s hard to be nice when you’re in pain. Second, it’s hard not to judge people when you can’t forgive yourself. The piece of God that has come into sharp focus in light of these realizations is His compassion. I finally began to understand that it wasn't God’s intention for me to keep working hard to love people until I finally got good at it (though love certainly requires practice). It was his desire to heal my soul through his presence; to show me that he cared deeply about the trials and sufferings of my life; to tenderly rebuild me to wholeness. And my part was to stop “should”-ing myself. The true curse of a perfectionists’ life is “should.” I should love them better.  I shouldn't have said that. I should help out more. I should be a better _____. That is the spirit of condemnation, friend. And every failure is a little death. 

Should I do those things? Probably. But that’s the wrong question. The right question is why should I do those things? Because it’s a good thing to do? Nope. Bad reason. That rabbit trail leads to the clanging cymbals Dusty was referring to from 1 Cor. 13 on Sunday. That path leads to either self-glorification or self-condemnation… usually a liberal dose of both. So then why?  Because when Jesus makes us alive (and remakes us alive every time the world breaks us again), it punches holes in our thick walls of self preservation and we start to really see each other. More and more, there is enough in us to care beyond our own pain and inconveniences and start seeing how we might be able to show kindness to our sisters and brothers. We start to see that it is a grand privilege that God allows us to share the stumbles and burdens and joys of our journey together. We learn to lean into God’s compassion for others’ needs as well as our own, and forgive ourselves and others the way God forgives us.

But there is a cost. We have to give up our own righteousness. Is Jesus’ righteousness really more important to me than my own?  Easy to say, hard to live.

[1Co 13:1-4 ESV] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

[Rom 8:1-6 ESV] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

"Making Room to Revival" by Randi Nelson

As sincere Christians we recognize corruption as a natural state in the affairs of mankind and that righteousness is a salty antidote. We know righteousness is the mark of one who lives “in the Spirit”. We know we often must choose between what comes naturally and what is against the grain of our natural selves. Yet, in our desire to bring a savory (pleasing by reason of effective seasoning; morally good) flavor to our world, we often find ourselves marching down a frustrating path of strife, legalism and failure.

For some time I’ve been grappling within myself over a relationship that needs “revival”. I’ve prayed and spent many thought-filled hours on the issues. Yet a barrier remains. My “saltiness” has been overpowering and my sweetness impotent. Lord, Lord, what do I do?
In “Keys to the Deeper Life,” A. W. Tozer uses Joshua 7-8, what is often referred to as “the defeat at Ai,” to illustrate this very situation. The army had experienced a resounding and bewildering defeat. The people cried, tore their clothes and prayed fervently. But God rebuked their efforts and told them to prepare to face their sin. Tozer points out that revival cannot take place until there is reform.

Am I ready to reform? Honestly, my initial answer was, “no”; I was adamantly entrenched in my own viewpoint. Then, gradually, I realized that however much I may yearn for revival and however desirous reform may be, I am just not able to reform my own heart. I might go through the motions and do all the right things (tear my clothes, pray, seek revival), but true righteousness is not something I can attain or achieve, no matter how motivated. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” The Apostle Paul said it this way: 

“… I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me …. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:21-24)

And so I’ve been stuck until a few days ago when it finally hit me: while righteousness is not something I can attain, it is something (someONE) I can make room for - a tweak of semantics with a powerful punch. Making room for the thoughtfulness of the Holy Spirit sends my own thought-filled mind to the backseat. Making room for Jesus to walk beside me allows his righteousness to shape the path out of my entrenched unrighteousness.  Making room for God to salt my heart, rather than grasping at the shaker myself, releases the balance of healing antidote I need. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v.25); the reforming of my heart is at hand; I have hope for revival.

Encouraging Words
Romans 7:24-25 – Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Matthew 11:29-30 – Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

"Interdependent Living" by Joseph Scheyer

As much as some of us value independence and cherish those times of solitude, the fact of the matter is, we need each other.  God designed us to be in fellowship with one another and not to walk through the trials of this world in solitary. It is not that God cannot communicate with us in when we are alone; in fact, our times of solitude are often the times when God speaks most clearly. It is, however, as we find in 1 John 1:7. “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”  In other words… walking with God leads us toward true fellowship with each other. 

The world’s economy equates strength and independence with the ability to take charge of our lives. It is good to be able to take care of ourselves; to feed and clothe and provide shelter for ourselves. It is also good to be able to make decisions independently and to have the personal strength to stand behind those choices. However, if we rely only on ourselves, our thinking can get off track and our decisions skewed. As Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” We need that annoying neighbor or relative to learn patience and compassion and how to deal with adversity. We also need that special friend to experience acceptance and accountability, and then we need that soul mate to understand what love really means. Our vertical experience with the Love of God is not really complete without that horizontal experience with each other. 

I am convinced that God designed us not for independence but for interdependence. When you get right down to it, it is the people that we are able to touch and the people that we allow to touch us that determine the level of fulfillment that we walk with each day. The more we allow others to see who we are (intimacy = into me see), the more we are able to connect with each other and understand the true nature of God within us. Dealing with others can be messy and it takes effort to develop relationships, but I have to believe that it is God’s plan for us to learn and grow with each other. After all, our joys and triumphs are empty when experienced alone and there is little doubt that sharing our burdens makes them bearable. 

Some time ago Dusty brought in a guest pastor by the name of Dan Russell.  Dan was a former champion wrestler who gave insight into the importance of our fellowship and left us with the acronym HELP:  Hang - Eat - Laugh - Pray … Together.  What a beautiful and elegant way to describe some basic tools to reinforce God’s design for us and bring fulfillment to the body. I look forward to the threads of our lives woven together in Christ. 

While it is good to know how to be comfortable with those times of solitude, what we take from this life and more directly, what we are able to contribute, is almost always a product of the lives that we are able to touch (and that we allow to touch us). God’s Love for us is unconditional but the quality of our Love for each other is what adds fulfillment to the human part of our journey in God’s Kingdom. 

Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Acts 2:42 “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

"Everyday Prayers" by Betty Fletcher

I’m not a world-class pray-er. Maybe you aren’t either.
Sometimes I write my prayers out. It helps. You should try it.
When I write my prayers out, I find meaning in my day that I might not notice otherwise. Today I ran across a little evening prayer from a trip to the beach last winter:

O God. That’s the cry of my heart today. Just…O God. I hear the gale outside. I see your power in the wind and the rain. I walked against the blast for a mile, and then turned and set sail for home. What a feeling…to be given strength to reach a goal and then to be carried home, almost to fly! Direct, if you will, that same power into my soul as I sleep. 
Thank you for a day of being. If you give me tomorrow, let me wake with your song in my heart. Give me grace to open my spirit to yours. Thank you for taking care of me today—surprising me a little and helping me not to be frustrated or careless with those few hours. Thank you for letting me come to you again and again. Thank you.
O God, I love you. As lumpy and uneven as my love is, I love you. I’m sorry I don’t love people as well or as freely as you do. Why is that so hard? Forgive me. Help me.
You’ve scrubbed my world clean again. And you’ve scrubbed my soul too. Thank you.

See, just a little lesson learned, some odds and ends, a cry for help with a persistent problem, and a bunch of thank-yous. What would your prayer look like? Try writing one out this week. I’d love to see it.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." (Ephesians 6:18)

"Salting for Good Taste" by Terry Sheldon

As we are deep into saltiness right now, I wanted to sprinkle on top of what Dusty spoke about - adding flavor to our city. As it was pointed out, light seems to be the more "glamorous" from Jesus's salt and light proclamation. Light is bold, dynamic, and really gets our attention, whether from the exquisite beauty of a sunset creation or the ominous warning of that oncoming train we best take heed of. 

But salt is, well, just SALT. It's like blue-collar’s younger brother, not flashy but quietly essential, and content with toiling in the background. As Dusty spoke, I was struck with how being salty in this city seemed to be a "good fit" for us Christians. What do I mean by this? Read on. 

Salt is a noun. Jesus didn't begin by saying "go sprinkle people with salt". He said we ARE salt. Yes the implication is that salt will be useful and used, as are we in the cities and situations of our daily lives, but he started the conversation by speaking to our identity - by naming us. Rubbing shoulders with Eugene, we will by default sprinkle on people. It's up to us to learn the nuances - to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and follow his lead with when, where, and how much salt our situations need. 

In cooking, salt contributes to taste, but it is not THE taste. If you taste the salt, you've used too much. Here are the ways not to use salt: First, it would be foolish to salt most food in the very beginning. You need to wait until the elements and flavors come together under heat, and start to meld. The spiritual implication is this - you can't influence someone for the gospel without first being in relationship with them. 

Secondly, you don't salt at the end because the crystals will just sit on top of the food. You'll taste its salty harshness, plus you've missed the opportunity to allow the salt to do what it does best - become an agent of change that brings together and enhances the diverse flavors of the raw foods. Salt dynamically changes things, and along with the heat, causes the ingredients to - together - become more than the sum of their parts. The implications? We don't drop in, dump on people, then expect change. Cooking takes an investment of time. It's a process. 

So how do you salt? Usually, it's as you are most the way through the heating process, after the ingredients have melded together. You salt a little, and taste. Salt a little more, and taste. Just like Goldylocks, not too little, not too much - JUST RIGHT. Perfect salting takes great care - and LOVE. 

All of this seemed like a good fit to me because all too often when we think of evangelizing our world, we think of being pushy and loud, debating politics, and winning arguments. For most of us, that's not comfortable, and I'm not at all convinced we should be behaving that way even if our personality allows it. But I think any of us can just be salt, under the loving care of our Supreme Chef. We are to sip with people at our round tables and quietly do our job, adding his good flavor to the food our city desperately needs.

"Sugar and Salt" by John Rice

One of the most challenging teachings I've ever listened to took place in an even more challenging setting. A group of us were huddled together on a cold and rainy day in one of the barracks of the former concentration camp, Auschwitz, in Poland. The teacher, a Messianic Jew who was directing this tour for us through Poland and Israel, was asking us if we thought the Holocaust could have been prevented. A big question, for sure, and the answer we agreed upon was that it could only have been prevented if enough people had stood up to the Nazis all along the way.

The teacher began to describe how the Church, for the most part, had stood silently by or even participated with the Nazis as innocent people were rounded up and taken away from their towns and neighborhoods. Certainly there were protesters, some very heroic individuals who risked their lives, or lost them, because of their opposition to the regime. But how could the Church turn such a blind eye to what was happening? There are lots of possible answers, fear being the most obvious.

Our teacher began to explain the difference between sugar and salt. A surprising and confusing tangent it seemed! She said that although sugar tastes so good and is used to celebrate all kinds of special occasions, in reality it is a substance with less-than-positive after effects. Sugar is one of the main culprits in causing obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It is also credited with tooth decay. If placed in a wound, it draws bacteria to it and accelerates infection.
There are very few real benefits to sugar other than that it tastes good.

Salt, on the other hand, will sting if put in a wound. It hurts, but at the same time it has healing properties. Salt is used with food to bring out the flavor, as well as to preserve the food so that it lasts longer. The only negative effect salt has is if it is eaten in too great a quantity. But then, that can be said of just about anything.

Our group, huddled together in Auschwitz, got the point being made. The modern Church, in Europe as well as America, has bought into the lie that we are to be sugar in the world; we settle for being nice and cooperative and hope that those around us will notice and appreciate us and maybe join us. But Jesus never called us to be sugar, He called us to be salt. Salt and light. Of course we are to be kind and loving and patient as Jesus and Paul tell us. But we also want to affect the world by being who God calls us to be. In being salt, we might have to stand against corruption or evil. In being light, we might have to expose darkness. These things don't necessarily make us popular and they may even carry some risk. But these are the things that flavor the world with Jesus' presence and power. Being salt brings out the flavor of the goodness of God. Being salt heals the wounds of people around us. Being salt may even be responsible for saving lives.

"Unwavering Faith" by Joseph Scheyer

We were blessed to hear a great sermon on Sunday from Quinton Williams (or Q as he is often called). Q started things out by describing a family outing where the intention was to witness one of our most scenic natural wonders at Multnomah Falls. This journey then detoured to a scene of remarkable feats of human ingenuity interacting with nature in the kite surfers on the Columbia at Hood River. I very much appreciated his opening the sermon this way because it seems sometimes easy to lose that sense of wonder at what God is creating all around us. I use the present tense here because it feels to me as if God’s creation is ongoing. The beauty of a towering waterfall or the majesty of a mountain easily sparks that sense of wonder but I think we may often overlook those wonders that occur each day around us in less spectacular (but just as wondrous) ways.
 
The earth itself and its variety of persistent life is indeed a miracle of major proportions. Our ability to create sounds with our vocal cords (or to type out sentences with our fingers) so that others can understand the thoughts that rumble around in our brains is absolutely wondrous. The fact that we are walking around on this orb of rock and water, with our opposable thumbs and hair growing in surprising places, is perhaps the biggest miracle of all. Photosynthesis, the carbon cycle, Coriolis forces… the electromagnetic spectrum… I could go on and on but the point is that I pray I never lose that sense of wonder at what God hath wrought here on this remarkable surface of our existence.
 
Ahem… ok, back to the sermon. 
 
Q got us back on the message track by describing some of his story growing up in Alabama as a football player with aspirations of taking that endeavor to the next level. He decided instead to follow God’s direction... much to the puzzlement of his friends and family. It was pointed out that we all have our stories and that it is not uncommon for the journey of our story to reach that place where our wheels spin and we feel stuck. Faith is our greatest tool in that battle to gain the traction we need to transform our stories in a way that will expand God’s presence in our lives and in the world around us.
 
Q took us through two stories of healing through Faith as told in Luke 8:40-56. Miracles created by faith; the first from a father seeking healing for his critically ill daughter which was seemingly interrupted by a woman ostracized by her medical condition. These are stories of contrast unified by the faith to know that the power of His touch could bring about a transformative miracle of healing. Such steps of faith are never easy but the reward is always worth the risk and both Jairus and the woman found that once they made that decision to give their lives to the Lord, they could no longer stay hidden: Two people transformed through faith by the power of Love in the person of Jesus Christ who is the greatest wonder of all.
 
Once we make that critical decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, most of us will do our best to author our stories with works of service and kindness and then humbly place that before the Throne with the expectation that God will bless the decisions we’ve made and sign off on our stories of good deeds and intentions.  Q wrapped the sermon with the compelling notion that true faith means not authoring our own stories. True faith is, instead, placing the blank slate of our lives at His feet with a faith that allows God to author of the story of our lives. What an amazing and beautiful concept… that God would understand how to script our lives to bring fulfillment and the power of love to our existence and to those around us.  Hallelujah.

 

"Forgiven and Forgiving" by Betty Fletcher

I just bought a shirt that says “Happy Camper” on it. I hope to be wearing it as you read this. Earlier this summer I was camping with friends. Every year we have a campfire conversation that centers on spiritual things. This year I asked the question, “How do you forgive?”  But I wasn’t asking the general question. I was asking “How do you forgive”—personally…when you’ve been wronged…when there’s no reason in the world to forgive but every reason in the kingdom to do so. I knew each person had been wounded, mostly by people in the church. So I wanted to know their experiences with the act of forgiving. I’d been blindsided by a situation that had devastated me, and I was struggling.

One woman said she prays every day for the person. Somehow in praying for the person who had wronged her, she reaches a point of surrender. One of the men said that twice he’d gone to the offenders and asked forgiveness for his own resentment.  Another said that the choice to forgive had come a long time before the experience of forgiveness. One by one they shared...

I came away from the evening with new ways of looking at forgiveness.  I realized again that forgiving is hard work, and often more of a process than we might hope. Even more, I was deeply touched and encouraged that each of these people were quietly pursuing forgiveness as an active part of his or her Christian life. I saw how making the choice to forgive had added depth and character to my friends’ lives. And I felt enriched and challenged, stirred up to love and good works (Hebrews 20:24) and ready to forgive again…and again.

 

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV)

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." (Matthew 18:21,22)

"All Things New" by Terry Sheldon

I know some of us don't like change, but there is one type that I think everyone can agree is good - change for the better. There is a spiritual, mental and psychological health available to us all as we allow the Lord to occupy new areas in our battle-weary temples. But sometimes - no, frequently - it seems like one step forward, two steps back, when the most common phrase from the Lord seems to be "Ok, let's try that again". Will I ever change? Glory to glory seems to be an infinite distance to travel. 

According to science, you and I are brand new every 5 years - in terms of our cells, that is. At that basic core level our bodies, in a constant flux of jettisoning old and dividing anew, purges and begins again. So if true, why can't I get out of bed in the morning without feeling like I'd spent the night being drug behind a truck? Surely after my 20,440 or so nights on this earth, prying myself up from the sheets should be old hat, right? 

But all too often, my spirit feels the same as my 6:30 am body - sore and lifeless, and the bad habits I've been working on all these years don't go away just because I sing soulful songs at SouthHills. Why is that? The Apostle Paul said as much in Romans 7 in his classic description of the epic struggle of spirit vs. flesh. His lament: "I do what I don't want to do, and I don't do as I should.” Sound familiar? 

I am no psychologist, but it seems to be an issue of both our willingness and our readiness for change. At first glance these brothers seem like twins, but although similar, they are not the same. They work in tandem and must come together at the same time. Sometimes I am willing to change, but not ready. Other times the reverse is true. I think I am ready - tired of the pain, but not willing to do what it takes to step away. 

It's been said that there is a certain safety in our emotional pain. I think we settle for less because it's common, easy, and known. But the good hard work of spiritual change is the opposite - uncommon, hard, and risky (what if I fail?). Like getting out of a warm and cozy bed, it takes work, but it also takes a readiness. I think our Lord understands this. I hear him whispering "Are you ready now?" and "Are you willing to put in the work?"