Oneness | Oneness with God

I fall out of alignment often. I get busy and am running all day, crashing at night and getting up to start the marathon again the next day. I fill my mind with the ever changing to-do list to make sure nothing falls apart, that bills get paid, meals get cooked, kids get to activities, that I am caught up at work and that the next family project is on track. Currently we are planning an extended trip to visit family, so there is always a new to-do list, no matter how many tasks I get checked off.

In these seasons, I am sometimes able to stay in tune with the more important things in life. I can take a minute (even if it is literally just one minute) to sit quietly with the Lord and make sure that my heart and my mind are in the right place. I want to be sure that I am aligned with the Lord and He is guiding my choices, my words, my interactions with others and that His light is present in my presence. Other times I fall off track.

The difference is subtle at first. It’s like I’m running on momentum, but the more I wander off on my own, the more lost I get. I start to get flustered and miss things. It’s like “Peace” has left the building.

The wonderful thing is that I can realign and reconnect. God has not left me, I have just been too preoccupied to notice and recognize His presence. So I realign in prayer and in silent acknowledgment of God and total acceptance of His work in my life. I imagine that we are like a pair in a team-building activity where God guides me blindly through an obstacle course.

THIS FEELS SO RIGHT.

I have yet to find the best way to describe how being aligned with God feels to me, but my best attempt is to say it is a feeling that I am in the most comfortable and correct place, extending beyond the concepts of time and space. To-do lists can be left undone, as long as it’s what is meant to be. Chaos can surround me and I don’t let it pull me in. Peace and grace are strong pillars of my being and I am moving along a predestined track at just the right speed, to be at just the right place whenever God wants me there. May God guide and move me, not the worldly chaos.

1 Corinthians 2:9-13
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.

Oneness | Solitude vs. Isolation

When I think of the Trinity, I am filled with hope. It represents harmony, a sense of belonging, and abiding love. There was a period of time in my early life in which I experienced the opposite, isolation.

I was born into a blended family with two half-brothers who are 9 and 11 years older than me. As an extrovert, I initially thrived in our family of 5. I loved the activities that my brothers brought into our home: the many projects associated with their pursuit of earning Boy Scout Badges, their high school fundraising dance held at our house with a live band, and their Senior Proms.

After high school, each brother moved far away to college, and my life drastically changed. Fun activities and new people no longer swirled through our home like a fresh, invigorating breeze. I mourned the absence of each brother as they left home, and in turn grieved the loss of fun that they added to our family. I changed from being the youngest child to an only child, and I did not like it.

At the same time, it seemed like my 7-year-old behavior suddenly received an increased amount of scrutiny and disciplinary action. I still do not fully understand why, but I was not allowed to invite friends over. And it became difficult to be allowed to go out to a friend’s house. I found myself spending more and more time by myself, and not by my choice. The important truth was that I hated the unending quiet. I found myself stuck in my head, thinking over and over about how to navigate this difficult new environment. This was the start of my battle against isolation, and I know God did not create me to live that way. As an adult, I sought out the sanctuary of church communities. I learned that isolation is a lie and is an enemy to resist with the effective weapon of community!

I recently heard an analogy, author unknown, that describes our relationship with God with this word picture: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each seated at a separate side of a small square table, conversing and enjoying each other’s company. The analogy describes them as welcoming you to join them for blessed fellowship at the open fourth side. This is a life-giving, and for me, life-saving invitation!

Even God did not want to be alone. God chose to live in the community that is the Trinity, rather than live alone. And I live in community with the Trinity by figuratively sitting my life at the fourth side of our table each day. That’s my idea of a wonderful time! A group to belong in and contribute to. That thought makes all the difference in my life: to be invited and claimed by God.

Song of Solomon 2:16 NKJV
“My beloved is mine, and I am His.”

As a post-middle-aged adult living by myself for the last several years, I once again have an overabundance of quiet. And as an extrovert, I have to work hard to not allow that alone time to deteriorate into the toxic climate of isolation. I’m most comfortable being around people. Social interaction, such as a lively conversation, recharges my battery and invigorates me. Too much alone time stresses and drains me, causing my anxiety level to rise. I know I need to place myself in communal activities to keep a healthy and positive attitude. God designed the acts of helping others to also boomerang the blessings back to us, in so many ways.

Romans 12:1-2 MSG
“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life, - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, and develops well-formed maturity in you.”

I realized that a lot of my thought time was spent in worrying about what might go wrong. By focusing on God and what He says, I can have healthy and holy solitude. This solitude helps me to follow God’s program for my life, which is already in progress. As I wait upon the Lord and cooperate with His plan, my needless worries can fade away. I share my burdens with God and spend my time meditating on His gift of hope to me, and what a life-changing gift that is!

Philippians 4:8-9 MSG
“Summing it all up friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into His most excellent harmonies.”

During a time of sweet solitude, God revealed to me that I had already witnessed a perfect example of how loving and intimate my relationship with Him can be. I remembered that on a beautiful sunny day last summer, I was walking in my neighborhood on a long, straight street with multiple bus stops. I thought nothing of a bus as it passed me, until I saw the following series of events.

Across the street, I noticed a young mother and her very young child, about a block away, walking towards me. As I observed them walking, I heard the whoosh of the bus’s brakes behind me and after a short pause, I heard the engine roar as it accelerated and continued on its route. The child’s voice soon cried out in joy and waved her arms at something behind me, also on the opposite side of the street. Brimming with curiosity, I quickly turned on my heel to see an older woman walking away from the bus stop and towards them. I noticed the older woman smile as the little girl happily shouted “Grandma, Grandma!”

The family was close enough to each other now, that the Grandma stopped, and knelt down on the sidewalk with her arms flung open wide. The child’s happy squeal was followed by the rapid sound of small shoes hitting the sidewalk as the little girl ran. With happy anticipation, I watched the girl reach her much desired destination and fling herself into her Grandma’s open arms. The ensuing hugs, kisses, and affirmations of love put a lump in my throat. In the midst of this moment, God figuratively tapped me on the shoulder and told me I can receive this kind of love from Him whenever I want. My heart swelled with hope as I felt His love surround me, and I realized my current life situation and my future were so much brighter than I have been willing to believe.

I leave you with this thought: whenever you feel discouraged or alone and in need of a hug, remember the word picture I just described. Imagine Jesus standing in front of you with a smile on His face and His arms open wide. I encourage you to feel yourself running towards Him, and then feel the most loving and affirming embrace you have ever felt. This is one of the many gifts God wants to give to us daily. Will you take some time to bless yourself with His abundant love today?

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About the Author

Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Oneness | It Takes a Village

Being a parent has underscored for me just how deeply fragmented our sense of community is in American culture. When I was pregnant with my first child, I thought I had ample community support. My husband and I were very connected with our church, we had family nearby, we had work, and we had other long-lasting friends around the city. Our work and social calendars were full, and surely the people and events that filled our days would continue to be there for us after our child was born.

Unfortunately this turned out not to be the case, at least for the most part. Thankfully we did have friends drop off dinners for us for the first week after our daughter’s birth. But then it seemed friends quickly started to fall away. Maybe it was just that I was too exhausted to reach out, combined with people assuming I was unavailable for socializing (a fair assumption).

I also got laid off from my job, so I didn’t even have the structure of work to go back to. We still had our church, but its service met on Sunday evenings, a difficult time for a fussy infant, so our church attendance became sporadic. I was faced with long, isolated hours alone with a preverbal baby. This took a toll on my mental health, which was already declining from extreme sleep deprivation and postpartum hormones. In truth, I likely had PTSD from a difficult labor and first few weeks postpartum. I didn’t have health insurance and was over the income limit for Medicaid, so I couldn’t seek medical or mental health care for myself.

There were a few things that saved me during that difficult time. One was having help on the weekends. Between my mom and my mother-in-law, usually one of them was there each weekend to spend a night or two and do some night-time bottle-feedings so I could sleep.

I also figured out some outings my daughter and I could go on during the day. By the time she was 5-months-old, I’d cobbled together a weekly schedule that included library storytime, mom + baby yoga, baby sign language, and even a mom + baby writing group. I had a zoo membership and we’d frequently go for long walks through the zoo. My husband and I started inviting various friends over for dinner about once a week, and we had a group of friends that I arranged monthly weekend breakfasts with. I arranged playdates with other moms at our church. Still, I spent most of my time alone with my baby, and I was very lonely.

I’d mastered the art of getting out of the house with a baby, but I was too exhausted to really connect with people during those outings. I needed a community that I didn’t have to try so hard for. No one – especially an exhausted young mom with a postpartum mood disorder — can be the constant host and initiator. Relationships need to be reciprocal.

In Matthew 15:12-13, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We are called as Christians to be good friends. Being a good friend should be a high priority, but it often gets buried in our busy schedules and various commitments.

A friend who lived nearby during this time told my husband and I later that we should have asked for more help. I suppose this is true. I accept responsibility for that and I have no blame for anyone. But I was too busy surviving each day to ask for help. Besides, asking for help was not something that naturally came to my mind. And I couldn’t even think of what to ask for. We’d been gifted many of the material things we needed, and I was grateful, but it didn’t fill the hole where community should have been.

Ultimately, my husband and I decided to move to Eugene. Living in Portland wasn’t working out for us economically, and I didn’t have the emotional support system I needed. We needed to be nearer my parents, as well as to find more affordable housing. One thing that I’ve really appreciated about having my parents around is that they assume we need help with our kids. I sometimes let them know when I have a need, but they usually offer before I ask. They’ve provided us with an immense amount of free childcare, and even let me share one of their cars for a few years until we could afford to buy a second vehicle.

I wish that all parents had supportive grandparents living nearby. Many do, and many do not. I can tell you with certainty that humans were meant to raise their children in community, with supportive family and friends nearby. It absolutely does take a village to raise a child. Community in our culture is fragmented, but we can work to change that. How? I invite you to build community by:

• Being an initiator. Invite a friend or acquaintance to join you for coffee, dinner etc.

• Reciprocating. Do you have a friend who often reaches out to you or invites you to do things? It’s your turn to invite them back.

• Saying hello to your neighbors.

• Expanding your circle. Be intentional making new friends.

• Volunteering at church. Church cannot happen without the support of volunteers. Volunteer to help lessen the burden and prevent others from burning out!

• Asking for help. Yes, sometimes we all need to show our vulnerable side and allow others to help us. People don’t know that you have a need unless you ask.

What are your ideas for building community? Let us know in the comments below.

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About the Author

Ursula and her husband Spencer have two young children, and their family enjoys playing hide-and-seek and dancing in the living room. She works as a communications and events coordinator with the University of Oregon.

You can read more from Ursula at motherbearblog.com.

Oneness | We Were Never Meant to Do It Alone

The Back Story
I was born into a Christian family. A Catholic Christian family. A devout, Catholic Christian family. I was in church every Sunday and Holy Day from infancy on. I attended parochial school from 1st grade through high school. I was taught that there is a God who is a loving Father, and His Son Jesus became a man, lived with us and died for our sins so that we could be God’s children and live with Him forever. He did all these things through the power of His Holy Spirit. Of course there is a lot more to that story, but it is enough to make my point. I don’t ever remember a time in my life when I didn’t believe myself to be a Christian.

I had a good childhood, loving parents, and close family. Frankly, I remember feeling pretty happy and safe. My parents taught me right from wrong. From my perception, it was black and white, no grey area and my parents were the ones to make the important decisions. Follow the rules, go to confession regularly and I am golden! God loved me and all was right with the world.

Things started to change for me in high school. I started to notice that my parents were more interested in my opinion about things. They wanted to know what I thought I should do in a particular circumstance. They didn’t seem to want to hand me all the answers. Hmmm. This was different and didn’t feel quite as safe. I liked having clear rules and safe boundaries.

Even though I was taught about a good God and loving Savior, we live in a broken world and the things of God got twisted for me along the way. There is more to that story too, but suffice it to say that the idea of a loving God had developed in my imagination to a God who loved me as long as I didn’t screw up. Now my parents were asking me, their first born, the responsible one, to start making decisions on my own. What if I screwed up?

In my 16th year, I entered into a dark depression. Fear of failing, screwing up, or falling short of God’s expectations dominated my thoughts. I once left it up to my parents to keep me on God’s good side and now they were handing the mantle to me.. Which was unexpected, and honestly unwanted. I no longer felt safe. The next 3 years were a very dark time for me, full of fear.

But thanks be to our truly loving God, who did not leave me in that condition!

Through a series of events, I was introduced in my 19th year to a new way of interacting with this God I so wanted to please. I was introduced to a relationship with God. The Lord showed himself to me in a whole new way and he began to heal my perception of Him. Did it happen overnight? No. The struggle with depression, lack of confidence and trusting in Him did not end overnight, but it was the beginning! In my 20’s I gained ground and grew in understanding and hope in my friendship with Jesus and the season of depression passed. Worship, prayer and relationships with friends and mentors on the same journey, literally “gave me a new lease on life.” And the journey continues…

Fast Forward
Twenty-some years later still on that journey, I had what I can only call “an epiphany!”

Epiphany: Merriam-Webster Dictionary
1 capitalized: January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles...
2 : an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being
3a(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something

I was now attending South Hills Church, later to become CitySalt. Since the beginning of the church there has been time set aside by leadership for anyone who wants to gather to pray corporately for our church body. Pastor John led the call then too. On one such evening, besides John, I was the only other person who came to pray. There was nothing significant about the date. I don’t remember anything particular about events or circumstances going on at this point in my life. We were just doing what we do, gathering to pray. In God-like fashion, He showed up and everything changed for me.

John 17: 22-23
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one…”
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one…”
Light bulb: We were never meant to do this alone!

We were never meant to need to figure things out in order to impress God. We were never meant to clean up our act before we could present ourselves pure before Him.

I was never meant to hide from Him what I don’t understand. Or clean up my christian ‘speak’ so that I present myself to Him in a way He could tolerate. I am not left on my own to “get my act together.” I am not discarded to flounder in my mistakes. It is okay to talk to Him about things I struggle with and ask for help. He already knows anyway.

I am made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)

“that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one,”
We: the Father, Son, Holy Spirit and me are in this together!!!

The earth moved for me in that moment of realization. God is in this with me! I was never meant to go it alone.

If you had this figured out in Christianity 101, I commend you and you needn’t read any further, but this was life changing for me! Never before had I thought of being partnered with God for my own salvation. I think that after all these years, I still thought of the Father as someone to impress--still feeling as though my life literally depended on impressing Him. “Thank you Jesus for coming and dying on the cross, but I’ll take it from here,” was my position. He had done His part and the rest was up to me.

I don’t believe that anymore. By sending Jesus to die on the cross, by Jesus coming, by leaving the Holy Spirit with us, God, the Trinity, has more at stake in this game then I do. He laid it all on the line. He wants us to get it right this time and is willing to give everything to help us to get there, despite our sin.

John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

I don’t comprehend how this all works out and what it all means, but I can talk to Him about it:-) I want to know Him more and continue the journey together. He designed it that way, from how I see it. Father, help me to understand, forgive my misunderstanding.

We are made in the image of God. God is Three. God is One. We are invited to “be one” in Him.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

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About the Author

Darla loves God and is the Media Communication Coordinator for CitySalt Church. She is a graphic designer and an entrepreneur. Always learning. Eternally grateful for her wonderful and supporting husband Mark and faithful friends who are are pillars of encouragement in all her endeavors.

Mark and Darla have no children but have the privilege of loving a gaggle of ever expanding nieces and nephews.

Oneness | Coming Together to Be Something

Disclaimer: I had to research and reflect and check myself a lot for this topic because I really didn’t know much about it, and have strong feelings about what little I did know, so please bear with me. I’m about to throw a lot of Scripture references at you because I read as many as I could in order to get a better picture of what oneness looks like. Any Bible verses I write are in NIV translation.

The Bible shows the importance of unity in God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments.

Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.

2 Timothy 2:23
Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.

Matthew 12:25 is a response by Jesus to refute the idea that he was doing the devil’s work, but I think His words show the need for unity as well:
“...Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Now I don’t think that these verses mean that we have to passively agree with everything that every Christian does. There are times to stand up for what is right when a person or group of believers is in the wrong. But there are also times to focus more on what we have in common, what is important in our faith, than being divided over small differences. There is a lot that can be done when we work together. And even more so, God’s love and power to change lives and the world is at its fullest when we come together in not just unity but in oneness.

With careful study of scripture, we can see that there is a distinction between the concept of unity versus oneness.

Ephesians 4:2-6, we see both mentioned:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all.

With further digging into the difference between unity and oneness, I came across the idea that unity is the coming together of different people to do something, while oneness is the coming together of people to be something.*

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 shows us a picture of coming together to be, as we all have different purposes and gifts but we can still act with one spirit:
Just as a body, though one, has many parts [like a hand or foot or eye], but all its parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body…

Acts 4:32-35 shows a practical example, one that I struggle with.
All the believers were one in heart and mind… No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

When I was teaching overseas at my second school, the foreign staff was made up of believers, most of who lived on a compound together. We did each have our own space (our own bedroom with stuff we brought or bought). But there was a strong spirit of unity and even a bit of oneness there. We were there for the same reasons, and prayed together a lot. We shared almost all our meals and free time together. We also shared many of our belongings, not really worrying about what was “ours.” And we had different talents and skills and personalities that came together to function as one body and have an effect on our little world there. That time in my life is very precious to me. Even times of great stress and fear due to living in a conflict zone were sweet times that we came together in one heart and mind. We grieved together and celebrated together and loved each other deeply, despite our differences.

My hope is that the church everywhere gets to experience this unity and oneness. Where we are of one heart and mind and body, as God the Father, Son, and Spirit are. And where we are one with God as well.

*http://richardfbolaji.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-difference-between-unity-and-oneness_59.html

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About the Author

Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

Community Prayer Guide | January 2020

Each month we receive an updated Community Prayer Guide from One Hope ministry network that helps the church draw near to God and pray for various areas of our city life together. We invite you to take time to join hundreds of people who are praying each month for 10 strategic areas that shape our community's culture.

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Community Prayer Guide January 2020

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17

Church
Pray for Jesus-followers to actively share personal testimonies & the Gospel with friends, family & coworkers.
Pray for God’s people to have a positive and faith filled vision toward our community.
Pray for young leaders to be raised up in churches and harmoniously integrated into leadership teams.
Pray for the Pastors’ Prayer Summit: God’s love, power and renewal as 50 leaders gather for 3 days.

Education
Pray for more mentors to engage with every school: equitably distributed, and to be committed for the entire year. As more presentations to churches and groups go out, that people would respond to mentoring and investing in vulnerable students.
Pray for Jesus-followers to prayerfully give their input to the student success survey, and for great wisdom to guide all decisions made for allocating these funds to bring fruitful, measurable results for students.
Pray for fresh strength, vision, and power from the Holy Spirit for Jesus-followers in education to effectively shape the environment God has given them leadership and stewardship in.

Government
Pray for God to guide the implementation & leadership selection of the comprehensive city/county strategic plan to house the unhoused. Pray for our community to have shared commitment and accountability in fulfilling the plan.
Pray for God to guide the process and selection of the new city managers of Eugene and Springfield.
Pray for God to guide local elections in May that include county commissioners, city counselors & sheriff.
Pray for government leaders to have the Lord’s wisdom that is: “first of all pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17

Business
Pray for the leadership of local Chambers of Commerce to be peacemakers who have wisdom & clear vision.
Pray for all Jesus-following business leaders to live & lead like Jesus, to be fruitful witnesses and to discover each other and build good friendships. Pray for healthy business mentorships to increase.
Pray for local governments to create helpful and supportive policies for the growth of businesses.
Pray for ethical & flourishing wealth development that provides for God’s purposes in our community.

Arts
Pray for funding for music programs in public schools.
Pray for more Jesus-followers to be involved with the Very Little Theater and for the Lord’s blessing.
Pray for the OSAA Dance Competition: for Christian coaches to build good relationships with students.
Pray for the New Zone Art Gallery: for God’s Spirit to minister to people as they view the displays.

Family
Pray for God’s Spirit to lead fathers to turn their hearts to their children and that the children turn their hearts to their fathers.
Pray for those struggling with drug addiction: for God to intervene, that they would be delivered of their dependency and find peace in Jesus, and have stability in jobs and housing.
Pray for an increase of local resources to strengthen marriages: i.e. conferences, ministries & counselors.

Health Care
Pray for God’s hand in the treatment of mental illness: pray for resources, collaboration and compassionate hearts to treat those who are suffering.
Pray for unity among local health care providers: encouragement with each other & greater collaboration.
Pray for Christian HCPs to view their work as a calling empowered by God to bring healing, to share their Faith and to build into local culture a Biblical worldview.
Pray for the local medical community and residents to place a higher value on protecting the unborn.

Police and Fire Departments
Pray for the families of our First Responders: healthy marriages, peace, & joyful times together.
Pray for a Mental Health Crisis Center to be established (a necessity according to first responders & civic leaders). Pray for our local police, sheriff and fire departments to be fully staffed by men & women of noble character.
Pray for the leadership teams of our First Responder Agencies to have God’s guidance, wisdom and blessing.
Pray for the wisdom, peace and safety of those serving in our police and fire departments.

Media
Pray for God’s Spirit to move upon all of the staff at The Register Guard.
Pray for community-building and Jesus-glorifying stories to be reported through local T.V. stations.
Pray for local media leaders to have clear vision, blessing and protection, & report all sides of the stories.
Pray that God will use all local media to bring hope and direction to those struggling with depression & suicide.

Sports
Pray for God to bless and guide the YMCA leadership teams as they serve kids and families.
Pray for God’s wisdom and shalom to be upon the “decision makers” of all local athletics.
Pray for God to raise up strong, Christ-following athletes as role models and ambassadors.
Pray for safety, protection and peace over every public sporting event.

Find answers to prayer on our website: onehopenetwork.org/testimonies.

Oneness | The Trinity: A Surprisingly Practical Doctrine for These Times

The night before Jesus was crucified, killed in part because of political and religious corruption, he prayed that his beloved disciples, his friends, would “become completely one.”

John 17:20-24
“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Knowing he was about to suffer tremendously and die, Jesus prayed for his followers to be unified, in the same way that Jesus is unified with the One he called “Father.”

So, how does it work? How does it work that Jesus is God and that God is the Holy Spirit? My high school youth director said to think of it like water, ice, and steam: the same chemical in different forms. But ice and water and steam can all exist separately from one another, where Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are one single divine nature. It’s all a little much, a little complicated, especially in a world in which animated pictures have become a stand-in for communication and many of us (raises hand) think that reading the headline gives us all the information we need.

But in addition to Jesus praying that we would act like this unified divine being, we’re also made in the image of a Trinitarian God, so it’s probably something we ought to pay attention to. Because we’re not just going through the motions, it’s the very nature of who we are.

God is many things, but at the core, God is love. Out of love, God created the world. Out of love, God sent Jesus to redeem us. Out of love, God offers the opportunity for reconciliation, rather than condemnation. God’s love is so expansive that worlds, planets, stars, the sun, the moon, all of life flows out of, into, and through God. God’s love is life creating, life sustaining, and life saving. Our first job as followers of Christ is to love God. Our second, to love one another. Jesus says that “everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I think it’s important to note that God doesn’t love human creatures exclusively. The scriptures are full of references and stories about God’s love for all creation. Psalm 104, for instance, praises God for the majesty and care of creation, describing in loving detail how God gives every animal a drink of water, provides shelter for birds, gladdens human hearts, and provides plants for humans and animals alike to eat. The earth is full of God’s creatures, and God loves this very good world. St. Francis of Assisi is one of our spiritual parents who reminded us of this again and again.

But we’re the only creatures made in God’s image, so what does that mean for us?

The Trinitarian nature of God is intimacy and relationship. German theologian Jürgen Moltmann says that the Trinitarian nature of God demonstrates “the process of most perfect and intense empathy….The Persons of the Trinity make one another shine through that glory, mutually and together. They glow into perfect form through one another and awake to perfected beauty in one another” (The Trinity and the Kingdom). This is the Imago Dei in us. This is the way of being to which we can aspire. And no part of our life is exempt. Every relationship, every interaction, is and ought to be indwelled with this spirit.

This is a radical way to look at the world: motivated and sustained by the love of Christ, we share the good news that old ways of living, being, and relating have been replaced by the reconciliation of all creation to the Creator. Our calling, then, is reconciliation, returning and leading others to a life in Christ that is communal, just, and interdependent by its very nature.

And when we get this representation wrong, we really get it wrong. Every violent abuse of power and every bullying act is a mutilation of God’s image. It violates the stewardship with which we have been entrusted by the Creator who lovingly crafted and righteously cares for this world.

One way in which the early church Fathers described the Trinity was the word perichoresis, a Greek word meaning things like: to make room for, to go forward, to contain, rotation, around. It describes an intimate indwelling, a deep and fluctuating connection, mutual submission, shared love and breath and purpose and experience. A communal dance of connection between God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Our most trusted and intimate relationships are a dim reflection of the Holy Trinity, and yet we are called to pursue that same oneness. Just before He prays, Jesus tells his disciples to love one another, to abide in Jesus: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’” John 15:9-13

What does it mean to pursue intimacy in an age of emojis? What does it mean to live in mutual submission to one another in a country where independence and individual freedom is the highest prize? What does it mean to dwell with one another in our economy? The questions of the Trinity aren’t simply mysterious and theoretical, they’re deeply practical ones with long-reaching, beautiful potential. Brazilian theologian Leonoardo Boff says:

“We need to go beyond the understanding of Trinity as logical mystery and see it as saving mystery. The Trinity has to do with the lives of each of us, our daily experiences, our struggles to follow our conscience, our love and joy, our bearing the sufferings of the world and the tragedies of human existence; it also has to do with the struggle against social injustice, with efforts at building a more human form of society, with the sacrifices and martyrdoms that these endeavors so often bring. If we fail to include the Trinity in our personal and social odyssey, we shall have failed to show the saving mystery, failed in evangelization...We are not condemned to live alone, cut off from one another: we are called to live together and to enter into the communion of the Trinity. Society is not ultimately set in its unjust and unequal relationships, but summoned to transform itself in the light of the open and egalitarian relationships that obtain in the community of the Trinity, the goal of social and historical progress. If the Trinity is good news, then it is so particularly for the oppressed and those condemned to solitude.” Trinity and Society

How can I contribute to a world that presses into the Kingdom? How can we, as a church, resist the impulse to build walls, cut connections, decide who is “in” and who is “out”? How can we submit to one another, abide in and with one another, and become truly “one”?

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About the Author

Sarah is the author of Vegangelical: How Caring for Animals Can Shape Your Faith (Zondervan, 2016) and Animals Are Not Ours (No, Really, They’re Not): An Evangelical Animal Liberation Theology (Cascade Books, 2016). She spends her days working for CreatureKind, helping Christians put their faith into action. She lives in Eugene with her husband, son, and animal companions and enjoys action movies, black coffee, the daily crossword, and dreaming of her next international journey.

The Advent of Revolution | We Get to Choose

I grew up in a church. I believe it was Episcopalian. I remember being fascinated by the ceremony: the standing and singing hymns; the reading for the Book of Common Prayer; the kneeling to pray to God; going to the altar to receive the sacrament of bread and wine.

I also remember often drowsing in my pew and my mother nudging me awake. I remember getting up early on a Sunday and going with just my mother as my brother and father had stopped going to church. Eventually, I convinced my mother that I didn't want to go either and so I stopped and eventually she did, too. This was not out of some sense of despair or betrayal by the church or God, it was simply one less chore or time when I didn't have to get up early.

I realize now that what I lacked was a connection to the church and the parishioners. I was missing the point of Jesus' message: We are all in this together. We can support one another and are invited to do so by God Himself by allowing Jesus into our hearts. Let me say that again: allowing Jesus into our hearts. God, as a loving and caring parent, gives us the choice, as my mom did, to not do things. To not go to church. To not invite Jesus into our heart.

When I met my wife in college, years later, I met a caring, inviting, sweet soul who wanted to share with me her love of Jesus and all the gifts that came with. I chose to attend church with her and take another look at the religion that I had drifted away from in my youth. I went to church and spoke to pastors. I picked up a new bible. I read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. I realized that there is a God who loves me and forgives me and invites me to join Him in Heaven. He has sent his Son Jesus to make this invitation personal, and He has sent His Holy Spirit to reside in me and guide me on my journey through this life. And He let me know that His invitation is open: that it is my choice.

My personal revelation (as well as revolution) came upon the realization that God loves me and, like John, I try to embrace that I am "the disciple that Jesus loved." That He has chosen me so that I can now choose Him--that I might learn more from Him and grow in my heart according to His ways and His love toward His people.

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About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.

Community Prayer Guide | December 2019

Each month we receive an updated Community Prayer Guide from One Hope ministry network that helps the church draw near to God and pray for various areas of our city life together. We invite you to take time to join hundreds of people who are praying each month for 10 strategic areas that shape our community's culture.

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Community Prayer Guide December 2019

“This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”
2 Timothy 1:9b-10

Church
Pray for God’s leading and power on all local Christmas outreaches and celebrations.
Pray for God to draw people to local churches to receive the gospel & be integrated in God’s family.
Pray for the Church - all Jesus-following people in Lane County: “… pray that (we), being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that (we) may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17b-19

Education
Pray for peace and stability for families over the holidays while students are at home.
Pray for God’s direction and wisdom as every school district makes decisions in allocating funds from the Student Success Fund. Pray for allocations that bring fruitful measurable results for all students.
Pray for relationships between parents and school staff to be trusting and unified as a team, working together for a child's best interest.

Government
Pray for God to guide the process and selection of the new city managers of Eugene and Springfield.
Pray for God to guide local elections in May that include county commissioners, city counselors & sheriff.
Pray for government leaders to have the Lord’s wisdom that is: “first of all pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17
Pray for God to guide the implementation & leadership selection of the comprehensive city/county strategic plan to house the unhoused. Pray for community understanding and participation in the plan.

Business
Pray for the leadership of local Chambers of Commerce to be peacemakers who have wisdom & clear vision.
Pray for all Jesus-following business leaders to live & lead like Jesus, to be fruitful witnesses and to discover each other and build good friendships.
Pray for local governments to create helpful and supportive policies for the growth of businesses.
Pray for ethical & flourishing wealth development that provides for God’s purposes in our community.

Arts
Pray for local schools’ Christmas and New Year’s performances: for the Lord to be present & touch lives.
Pray for God’s Spirit to reach people at the Oregon Contemporary Theater and the Jazz Station.
Pray for local writers to be inspired with fresh vision and new projects in the coming year.
Pray for the Lord’s anointing on all artistic Christmas performances and celebrations in our community.

Family
Pray for all family holiday celebrations: God’s peace, healing and reconciliation.
Pray for listening skills to increase: for parents to “hear” children and for children to “hear” parents.
Pray for men to be engaged and humble spiritual leaders in their families, work places and churches.
Pray for those struggling with drug addiction: for God to intervene, that they would be delivered of their dependency and find peace in Jesus, and have stability in jobs and housing.
Pray for an increase of local resources to strengthen marriages: i.e. conferences, ministries & counselors.

Health Care
Pray for greater community collaboration to create more access to healthcare for poor & homeless people.
Pray for local Health Care Providers to have strength, wisdom & compassion to bring God’s healing to people with addiction.
Pray for the state of Oregon to prioritize & lower barriers for addiction treatment & continued healthcare.
Pray for guidance for Serenity Lane’s leadership as they double their detox facility and serve more people.
Pray for the Oregon Drug Policy Commissioner: God’s wisdom & to befriend Christ-centered ministry.

Police and Fire Departments
Pray for the families of our First Responders: healthy marriages, peace, & joyful holiday times together.
Pray for a Mental Health Crisis Center to be established (a necessity according to first responders & civic leaders).
Pray for our local police, sheriff and fire departments to be fully staffed by men & women of noble character.
Pray for the leadership teams of our First Responder Agencies to have God’s guidance, wisdom and blessing.
Pray for the wisdom, peace and safety of those serving in our police and fire departments.

Media
Pray for God’s Spirit to move upon all of the staff at Eugene Weekly during the Christmas season.
Pray for community-building and Jesus-glorifying stories to be reported through local T.V. stations.
Pray for local media leaders to have clear vision, blessing and protection, & report all sides of the stories.
Pray that God will use all local media to bring hope and direction to those struggling with depression & suicide.

Sports
Pray for Christ-following athletes to be strong and fruitful in their personal lives, friendships and witness.
Pray for God to bless and guide the creation of the new “Civic Park” sports fields and indoor gyms.
Pray for God’s wisdom and shalom to be upon the “decision makers” of all local athletics.
Pray for God to raise up strong, Christ-following athletes as role models and ambassadors.
Pray for safety, protection and peace over every public sporting event.

Find answers to prayer on our website: onehopenetwork.org/testimonies.

The Advent of Revolution | The Revolution of Kindness Starts with You (and Me)

I believe that we are facing a crisis of hope both locally and globally. Eugene has the highest per-capita homelessness rate in the nation. Oregon schools are facing an unprecedented spike in behavior problems. American life expectancy has been declining since 2014. And the kids’ music video “Baby Shark” has been viewed on YouTube more than 4 billion times. (If you haven’t seen it...you’re really not missing anything).

Hope can be hard to come by. I feel overwhelmed when I think about some of the huge problems our world is facing. I’m distressed about the human rights crisis at our southern border, and the horrible living conditions in developing countries that are at the root of it. I am distressed by climate change, and the knowledge that it will only create more refugees.

I am also upset that the church isn’t doing more to address these issues. I am not pointing the finger at CitySalt or any individual church in particular. I am instead pointing the finger at the larger church body of American Christians — and even at myself.

In this Advent season, my heart turns to the story of the Holy Family, young parents who were forced to flee their homeland to escape political persecution. A young family of refugees. I am not attempting to make a political statement, but just this: that all people deserve kindness. Remember that Jesus himself was a refugee, and that He always stood with those who were most marginalized and outcast by society. I hope that when we think of refugees, street people, those experiencing disability, and other marginalized groups, we can remember that those are exactly the people that Jesus liked to spend time with.

Last year, during a church gathering at my house, I could hear my daughter loudly singing from the backyard, “The Revolution starts now in my own backyard, in my own hometown.” It was a song taught to her by her first-grade teacher, a gentle man who plays guitar and sings folk songs to the kids. He told the students that we needed a revolution of love and peace.

There’s a movement afoot in Eugene to become a City of Kindness. Coordinator Doug Carnine was quoted in The Register-Guard saying, “We want to uplift people through kindness.”

In the face of the massive-scale problems our world is facing, is kindness enough? How much difference can it make? Isn’t it just a drop in the bucket?

The mayor of Anaheim, California is a leader of the cities of kindness initiative. More than one million acts of kindness were reported over eight years in Anaheim, and the city has seen a reduction in homelessness, gang membership, bullying and violence in schools, and crime.

I believe that practicing kindness has the potential to make a bigger impact than we might think. Kindness is the practical expression of Jesus’ mandate to “love your neighbor as yourself,” as well as a powerful antidote to the hope crisis we are facing. One act of kindness may be a drop in the bucket, but many acts of kindness by many individuals can add up to something big. A bucket of kindness that overflows. We can embody the spirit of Christ by bringing His light into dark places. We can bring real change, resilience, and hope.

What are some practical ways to show kindness?

1. Pray for the person you have in mind. If you have a hard time feeling love for that person, pray that God would help you see them through God’s eyes.

2. Donate gently used items to St. Vincent’s or another favorite charity.

3. Donate money to your favorite nonprofit, such as Food for Lane County.

4. Help make burritos with CitySalt for homeless youth on December 10 at The Box.

5. Invite your neighbor over for dinner.

6. Write a note of appreciation.

7. Forgive someone.

What are your ideas for acts of kindness? Share in the comments section below.

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About the Author

Ursula and her husband Spencer have two young children, and their family enjoys playing hide-and-seek and dancing in the living room. She works as a communications and events coordinator with the University of Oregon.

You can read more from Ursula at motherbearblog.com.

The Advent of Revolution | Grandeur in The Little Things

“When I look at the clues that indicate the nature of Jesus – born in a barn, questionable parents, spotty ancestry, common name, misdirected announcement, unattractive looks, reared in a bad neighborhood, owning nothing, surrounding himself with unattractive co-workers, and dying a shameful death – I find his whole approach unable to fit into the methods that automatically come to mind when I think about “winning the world.” His whole approach could easily be described as nonthreatening or nonmanipulative. He seemed to lead with weakness in each step of life. He had nothing in the world and everything in God and the Spirit.”

― Gayle D. Erwin, The Jesus Style

In 2010, my husband and I decided we were going to leave Oregon and spend a month and a half in Costa Rica. We felt like it was a God-guided choice and we would find wonderful things awaiting us: a mission and place to serve, a community to be connected, a growing and developing faith and relationship with the Lord. At least that’s how I imagined it. Our church community prayed for us, God opened opportunity and gave us visions and certainty, and soon we set off to find whatever it was that God had waiting for us.

We arrived and one of the first people I met and connected with happen to be the local pastor’s wife. Hallelujah! God had great things for us! My mind started spinning and I asked her about her church, searching for God’s place for me in it. The big magic would seem to end there. My husband was hesitant to jump into anything. He was even hesitant to attend church. In my fervor to grow in my faith, I honored my husband as best I could with as little arguing as I could and focused on prayer and the Word. Fast forward a year and I was attending church once in a while, mostly just with the kids. But I was helping the pastor’s wife build a preschool/kinder as a teacher's assistant. This wasn’t the big fireworks project either. It ended after one year, but it was a year that I embraced God’s guidance. I was reading my bible nightly and my coworkers (2 ladies) were a light in my life. We would meet to discuss school and take 30 minutes of each meeting to study the Word together. It sounds simple and “regular.” Isn’t that just what all “good Christians” do? But it was wonderful and together with the quiet time at night where I was reading the Word on my own, it was a season of deep and personal connection to the Lord that guides my path to this day.

A friend came down to Costa Rica with her family for a while during this time and joined us in a book club, reading David Platt’s book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. How fitting. We were rebelling against the American Dream just by being in Costa Rica and living in a different culture. My husband and I had moved out of our apartment and arrived in Costa Rica with only what could fit in our suitcases. Over a year later we still needed nothing more and I began to realize the big fancy mission project or Mother Teresa worthy life wasn’t necessary either. I was building my personal relationship with the Lord in a way I never would have, had I depended on a community of people, other people to give me answers, showy events or acts to brag about. God was telling me WAIT in such a powerful whisper that it slowed me down and opened my ears and my heart to listen. God was saying SURRENDER to what is - don’t chase after the picture I painted in my head, however righteous that picture was. God was saying LOVE in a way that is difficult and only feels good when you’re through it. God said GRACE, for experiences and people that I longed to live up to the greatness I envisioned. God moved my heart ever so slightly in the smallest and most powerful ways, highlighting the little things that make all the difference. And He still does. And I still only need what can fit in a few suitcases… what matters is what I carry in my heart.

I came across the book The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin. I carried it with me. I sort of read it a few times, or more. I’ve slowly been getting back through the chapters and it challenges me in such simple, deep, and at times difficult ways. I continue to struggle with my desire for greatness (lingering remnants of the American Dream) when I think about my goals and my vision for my life. But if it is to follow Jesus, I must wait, surrender, love and have grace, over and over and over again. These are daily reminders I need for the little things, the choices we make regularly. One of my coworkers in that school and a bible study friend shared with us one day how she prays about everything. A casual disclosure in a short chat over snack time with the kids that stuck with me for all these years. When she makes her grocery list and again when she is walking around the store, she prays about what to buy, that it’s the right choice financially and for the health and well being of her family. Small prayers and small actions that are God-focused are truly the grandest of all things. A quote on my desk right now shares this sentiment:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world” ― Anne Frank

This reminds me that even to make a big difference, small prayers and small actions that are God focused are truly the grandest of all things. How wonderful that small choices bring us closer to God and our waiting on the Lord can be a simple act of remaining connected and realigning when we stumble. In November, it is a great thing to remember to be grateful. Then comes December and what a great thing to celebrate Jesus. But let’s not make it a “season.” And let’s not get lost in the lights, but turn deep into our hearts as we wait on the Lord, drawing closer to Him in patient, loving and graceful surrender. His arrival is not our party to plan for, but our gift to be ready to receive.

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.

The Advent of Revolution | Royalty and Hope

Matthew 1:21
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

When I was a kid, the advent season meant two things to me: candles and chocolate. The candles were at church, and we lit one for each Sunday leading up to Christmas. Each had a different spiritual meaning about the coming of Christ. At home, my brother and I each got a paper calendar with 25 little windows to open, and each one hid a small piece of chocolate behind it. Each piece of chocolate meant we were one day closer to International Day of Presents. I mean Christmas. Yeah, as a kid I was probably more excited about presents than the fact that Jesus came to Earth to save the world, but at least I learned the concept of hope and expectant waiting from it!

I found out on the internet that traditionally the advent season was represented by two colors: purple, which symbolized royalty, and blue, which symbolized hope. This made me think of Lord of the Rings. Hear me out, if you have time (this one’s a long one, and yes, I know; I’m nerdy!).

In the story, Aragorn was the heir to the throne of Gondor, the strongest kingdom in the mythical world of Middle Earth. He had spent his very long life in a faraway land, in the very not-royal profession of ranger. Middle Earth was in grave danger of being overrun by the Dark Lord Sauron, and the people held out hope that the missing heir of Isildur, whoever he was, could defeat him. When he finally goes to Gondor, he doesn’t claim his throne by subduing the people or expecting them to revere him just because of his birthright. Instead, he risks his life to protect the ringbearer (a hobbit, not exactly an impressive person in Middle Earth peoples’ eyes) and to save the people. His coming united them and brought them hope that evil would be vanquished so all the people of Middle Earth, not just the citizens of Gondor, could live in peace. Because of this, all the peoples (including humans, elves, dwarves, and of course, hobbits!) recognized his lordship, and rejoicing, crowned him king of the land. And they lived in peace after that. Well, at least they did after the hobbits returned to the Shire and defeated Saruman, but that’s a topic for another day.

I’ve never really thought of Lord of the Rings as a Christmas story before, but let’s reflect on the parallels. Jesus was (and is!) the Son of God, having lived in the spiritual realm forever, and then was born on earth, grew up in Nazareth, far from the royal city of Jerusalem. He was a carpenter, which was a respectable occupation, but not one a prince would normally have. This being said, His earthly parents were well aware of His destiny: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus [which means ‘The Lord Saves’], because he will save his people from their sins.” When He finally started His public ministry, He didn’t do so by declaring Himself the Messiah the Jewish people had been waiting for (according to the prophecies in the Old Testament) and taking his throne by force like they expected. Instead, He went around the land teaching and healing everyday people, even the “lowliest” of them, showing them compassion and love and validating their worth. He preached a message of hope so people would change their hearts in expectation of the true kingdom “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). He acted as an example of a servant leader, washing the feet of His disciples. Then He not only risked His life; He sacrificed it so anyone can be saved! And He rose from the dead, showing that death had been conquered! (Yeah, Christmas doesn’t really mean much without Easter.) His coming brought hope and peace, not just for the people of Israel, but for the whole world. And this hope changed lives. People’s hearts were changed, filled with love and peace. The kingdom of heaven gained new citizens every day. What a revolutionary leader! Definitely not the typical royal coming to power.

The best news is, this is still happening! Advent represents commemorating the coming of Christ to Earth the first time, as well as the hope in His coming again to save the world completely. But it also represents the coming of His light and love into our hearts anytime we will it. The idea of “Peace on Earth” is difficult to believe sometimes, especially when we look at the news around the world. But if we place Jesus on the throne of our own lives, allow His loving sacrifice to vanquish death inside our hearts, and look to Him for hope, He will cause a revolution that brings peace to our hearts. This hope is offered to all: people of every gender, ethnicity, ability, and race (even hobbits! Okay, they’re not real, but if they were, I’m quite sure that the kingdom of heaven would include them, too).

So the next time you see the colors purple and blue together, or read/watch The Lord of the Rings story, think of royalty and hope. Jesus, the Soon and Coming King, brings the hope of Heaven to our hearts. Amen!

P.S. I believe that Tolkien wrote his character of Aragorn as a loosely-based symbol of Christ, kind of like the semi-allegorical Aslan in C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. (Yes, the two authors were friends, and yes, Tolkien was a Christian, a devout member of the Catholic church). Lest anyone think I’m brilliant in making this parallel, I was definitely influenced in my thinking of him this way thanks to a book I read many years ago, Finding God in the Lord of the Rings by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware. Feel free to check it out. It’s been years, so I did not necessarily draw the same parallels as the authors did, but the main idea is inspired by them.

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About the Author

Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to join the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

The Advent of Revolution | Patiently Impatient and other Paradoxes of an Enfleshed God

Over the course of about a decade, I’ve come to appreciate Advent in a way that has surprised me. While I was raised in a Christian home, we didn’t pay much attention to the church calendar. We even tended to skip services on Christmas and Easter because they were so much more crowded than normal Sundays. I remember that, as a child, some of my secular friends had Advent calendars in their homes, and that I felt resentful that they got a bit of chocolate every day, a reward for the coming of a Savior they didn’t even believe in. A little bit petty, to be sure.

Eventually, I came to believe that Advent is about being patiently impatient. Actively waiting for a promised peace and wholeness that is already, but not yet. For Christians, Advent marks a time of pre-revolution, the anticipation of the coming Kingdom of God in which all people will turn to God instead of turning on one another (Isaiah 2); a time in which the rod of the oppressor is broken, the people rejoice, and tools of war are burned (Isaiah 9); a time in which all creatures will live in harmony with one another (Isaiah 11); a time in which death will be no more (Isaiah 25). The Creator of the world took on human flesh, came to the Earth as a human infant, showed us how to live and love and obey, was executed as an enemy of the government and religious powers, returned to life as an eternal victor, and told his followers that he’d be back and while we were waiting, we should spend our time on earth sharing the Good News far and wide.

There were three chapters in my journey from Advent agnostic to Advent enthusiast.

First chapter: Jesus was born in a particular time, in a particular place. Palestinians, including Jesus’ family, were under the thumb of the Roman empire. Their movement and economy was restricted, they were under the constant threat of violence. The Jewish people anticipated the coming of a Messiah who would overthrow their oppressors. Instead, they got Jesus, a Messiah who befriended Romans, tax collectors, and other undesirables and who was a constant thorn in the side of the religious establishment. In 2012, I visited Bethlehem. I sat and touched the spot in the Church of the Nativity where Mary is said to have birthed Jesus in the midst of political tyranny. A few hours later and just footsteps away, I sat in the living room of another Palestinian mother, who described nursing her own newborn on the floor of her family’s home as rockets and gunfire were exchanged between the Israeli army and a group of armed Palestinian hostage-holders inside that same church. Mothers and their infants, across centuries, searching for peace.

Second chapter: in all the nativity plays and movies I’ve seen, Jesus’ mother Mary is portrayed as a kittenish, frightened girl. Timid, barely speaking. But when I read Mary’s song of praise after meeting my Palestinian mother-friend, I hear a young woman secure in the promise and protection of her Creator:

“And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.’”
Luke 1:46-55

This young mother wasn’t wringing her hands in fear. And though these holy promises wouldn’t be realized in her lifetime, her confidence was secure--a hope in the midst of tragedy and uncertainty. As a young, unwed minority, Mary may not have had much political power, but she used her voice to proclaim the truth she knew would come to pass. There’s a celtic hymn based on Mary’s song of praise that I’ve written about before, the Canticle of the Turning. It’s a perfect song for Mary: a gentle tune with a particularly powerful message: “The world is about to turn.”

Third chapter: we were part of a church in Philadelphia that observed the liturgical calendar, and that included welcoming Advent in through a church-wide theme. One particularly chilly year, shortly after a spate of high-profile extra-judicial killings of unarmed people of color had made headlines, there was a discussion about the year’s Advent theme. Someone suggested we talk about getting small and quiet as we waited for the coming of the Lord. And I remember a friend of mine, a black woman who worked as an attorney fighting some egregious injustices in the city, said, “Advent is about a coming revolution, it’s not about being quiet.”

Advent is about revolution coming in the form of a helpless infant human who would grow into a young man, executed by the state. Advent is about the assurance of peace in the midst of war. Advent is about the hope of reconciliation in a world that has had only a small glimpse of conciliation. Advent is about patiently waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God, while actively witnessing and working towards the promises of the Good News of that Kingdom.

I’ve had a hard time having hope recently. I’ve had a hard time feeling my faith. But perhaps this Advent can be one in which I press into paradox, being sure of what I don’t know and certain of what I can’t see.

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About the Author

Sarah is the author of Vegangelical: How Caring for Animals Can Shape Your Faith (Zondervan, 2016) and Animals Are Not Ours (No, Really, They’re Not): An Evangelical Animal Liberation Theology (Cascade Books, 2016). She spends her days working for CreatureKind, helping Christians put their faith into action. She lives in Eugene with her husband, son, and animal companions and enjoys action movies, black coffee, the daily crossword, and dreaming of her next international journey.

The Advent of Revolution | Revolution of Love

Jesus started a revolution, but not in any kind of political sense. He came to challenge the way we relate and respond to God and how we live with each other. Our motivations and methods were all wrong.

Any kind of rebellion, religious or otherwise, was a hot button for this non-conformist growing up (under the surface anyway). Family and religious adherence, of course, was the thing. There really wasn't much grey area between "compliant" and "rebellious".

We live in a world of rules, I was told, and much of my early Christian experience was about the 10 Commandments, where rebelliousness brought consequences. And all too often compliance was a social currency, where the guilt was heavy and the reward for good behavior was at best, a dose of relief.

I was a child in the 1960s and 70s. Out my cultural window, so many kids older than me were actively and even violently rebelling from long-held social norms and because of that, breaking from their parents too.

In my teen years, even my Christian experience was starting to simmer on the social stove. My family's church was conservative and stale. Then a new church sprang up across town in a converted school, and although it was filled with beards and long hair, Faith Center had a dynamic pastor and an energetic, fresh culture of love and grace. And they embraced the Holy Spirit.

As with the outside cultural revolution, this spiritual movement was birthed and travelled by young people. Me and my sister’s exodus started by attending a bible study in a packed out home nearby: 25+ wide-eyed hippies loving Jesus. Seeing young people passionate about God perplexed my parents. And they were curious, so instead of fighting any of this gentle rebellion, a funny thing happened. My conservative parents were swept into it as well.

Soon the Sheldon family six were literally sneaking away from our old church to this new one - double services on Sunday morning. It was surprising to me and doing this as a family made me a bit peeved because my parents were infringing on our teenage cool. This was not their crowd and not their rebellion. It was ours!

That experience started a lifetime shift in me from rules to grace, from theology to love. I started to see and experience the relational aspect of my Heavenly Father and eventually saw WHY that was essential. Sure, the Law is important, scripture makes that clear. But Moses brought the tablets down as a last resort for a rampantly corrupt and marooned generation. The God/Man/Woman relationship was horribly broken and the way back was unclear.

Yes, consequences are motivators and so is guilt and fear. But to what end? All of it has little to do with relationship, the whole reason for redemption in the first place - and the ultimate endgame. If we build our lives on those negative motivators, we don't sustain long term compliance. And we are left STILL alone.

Jesus didn’t pass an edict, but like a caring physician, he made a house call. He was revolutionary, but mostly, relational! He personally showed, in word and deed, the Father’s never-ending love. But he didn’t just make himself a martyr - it was not merely symbolic. He walked and talked and fished and certainly joked and cried and sang and hugged his family, friends and even strangers along the way.

Now in our modern day, he teaches us how to love and to be loved - the ONLY formula for emotional healing, correcting destructive behavior and reconnecting our vital relationships. Desiring long-lasting, loving connections is a universal human trait. Without that, we truly are powerless to change.

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Salt and Light | A Gentler Light; A Sprinkle of Salt

As the earth orbits the sun and the season turns to Autumn, I hear the gentle ping of rain on the chimney cover and revel in the cloudy days and stormy weather. Not so much for the lack of light but the reduction of it, resulting in less allergies, sun burns, sweat and glaring reflections that hurt my eyes. I enjoy the winter weather as it matches my temperament of quiet introspection, sitting in my living room reading a book and listening to the rain outside. Less light has always felt more safe and comfortable to me, but not the absolute lack of light. I need a lamp to light the pages of my book or my way in a dark hallway as the storm rages outside. Or a candle when the electricity goes out. And, like Jesus was to his followers, I feel I am called to bring that softer light into a room or a conversation when things turn dark.

This is reflective of the role I play in bringing the light of Jesus into the world. I am not the one to shine out through the darkness like an angel calling to the shepherds to "be not afraid!" Rather, I bring a smaller, gentler light to share with those who might also be intimidated by harsher, more brilliant illumination. Though I may not shine brilliantly like a star, I hope that I can bring that gentler light into the lives of the people I encounter and treat them with the love and dignity that I am called to by Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit.

I work in customer service and I have been told that I am good at it. My supervisor has said that I am polite and helpful to the customers and give them the best service that I can, even when delivering bad news. I think that this is more of a gift from the Father than from any spirit of mine as I know myself to sometimes be impatient and frustrated. But my nature, as created by God, has also called me to treat my fellow travelers with dignity, respect and the love that God has granted me. In this small way, I can pass on some modicum of the salt and gentle light the He has asked me to share with those that I encounter.

Genesis 1:4
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

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About the Author

Mark lives in Oregon with his lovely wife, Darla and enjoys reading, writing, playing games and working to make the world a better place. He currently serves CitySalt church as a sound engineer and on the church council.

Salt and Light | We Are Light

Matthew 5:14
“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.”

I love this verse, especially how it is translated in The Message. We are here to be light, and we get to bring out the God-colors in the world! Isn’t it awesome? It reminds me of a superhero power -- like X-ray vision, but better. Instead of just seeing through things, like what is on the other side of a wall, we get to see what God sees! Whoa! And not only do we get to see what God sees, but we actually get to impact the world around us – to bring out the God-colors. That sounds amazing.

We are here to be light. What does that mean?

Light helps us to see. When the sun comes up, when you flip a switch, when you turn on your cell phone flashlight – the light clarifies and brings into focus the world around us. Light also plays a part in our eyesight beyond just brightening things up. Did you know eyeglasses correct vision because light changes speed when it passes from air to a lens, which causes the rays to bend? I just found that out. It hits close to home because at the age of 45, I recently realized that it was getting hard to see things. The time on my phone. The print on a menu. Instructions on the back of a box. All these things were getting fuzzy. I couldn’t really read the small print and noticed I was starting to have to guess what the words actually said. I went to the eye doctor and got new lenses. Now I can see the small print! But I have to choose to put my lenses on. If I forget or leave them at home, I am stuck with a limited experience.

My lenses are helpful. They help me to make sense of what I’m seeing, and help me make decisions about what to do. You know where I’m going here. There is an even better pair of lenses that exists. Having God’s perspective, His light, gives us His lens to look through and gives us the ability to share His light with the world around us.

Isn’t that cool? And God models this for us best. He sees us through a special pair of lenses. He looks at us through Jesus! We forget that don’t we? We think He sees us as “sinners,” as lowly beings that He merely tolerates, as the person who messed up yet again, or even little piles of poo with some white paint on top. But He says that is not so! He says we are new creations, and when He looks at us He sees Jesus! (2 Cor 5:17) In Jesus, we are reconciled with God and counted as righteous before Him! (1 Cor 5:17-21.) He didn’t die on the cross because He had to, but because He so loved us and valued us that He chose to pay the ultimate price to redeem us. Can we believe that? Can we ask Him for His lens to look at ourselves, to see ourselves in His light?

Not only do we get to see ourselves how God sees us, but we get to join Him in His perspective of the people around us. Here’s an example: we do an activity with kids in Sunday School class that includes having the kids think of someone they have a hard time getting along with (which often ends up being a sibling.) We talk about how frustrating that person is, how they ALWAYS do the thing that bothers us, and how even the way they breathe drives us crazy! Then we ask God to show us how He sees them. And wow! Kids start sharing about how talented, kind, and funny their siblings are. Then it gets even more interesting because God shows them how their brother’s annoying habit of always coming in their room is because their brother wants to be around them. Or that the reason their sister ignores them is because she has hurt in her heart, and Holy Spirit invites us to pray for her. These are examples of how God’s light, seeing through His lens, changes the way we see the world around us. And then we get an invitation to partner with God to shift the world around us - to bring out the God-colors!

Another example is using light to expose lies. Bill Johnson says that if there is any area of our life where we have no hope, we are believing a lie. (Jer 29:11, 1 Pet 1:3, Rom 5, Matt 19:26.) God’s light shines and shows us where we are lacking hope and helps us identify what lies we are believing. Then we get to bring God’s Truth into the situation, and hope shines brightly! We get to live that way, and we get to be this for others – shining light into both our own lives as well as the world around us, exposing the lies and releasing hope.

So how do we bring out the God-colors in the world? We are here to be light! And God doesn’t ask us to be or do anything that He isn’t prepared to enable us to do. In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light.” The original translation of those words are, “Light, exist.” God supplies the light. In fact, did you know Jesus said He was the light of the world, (John 8:12 and John 9:5) and then later goes on to say we are the light of the world (Matt 5:14)? And when we are saved, we are in Jesus and Jesus is in us and we get to shine, bringing out the God-colors in the world! What an honor and a privilege.

Does this make us puffed up and proud – to be the ones with the light, the privileged ones who can measure it out to the people or areas that need it? No way! The light is LOVE, the light is Jesus, and we need Him just as much as everyone else! If we boast, we boast in Him (1 Cor 1:31.) And we can’t help but shine the light, with honor and joy that we get to share the Good News with everyone.

So many people and circumstances are waiting for the light, and even creation is groaning (Rom 8). We get to bring light to situations - releasing hope and wisdom and God’s miraculous power, bringing heaven’s solutions and answers to earth (Matt 6:10). We get to carry the light to dark situations that seem hopeless. And should you be tempted to doubt, to wonder if God really wants you to play this role, remember - the scripture says Jesus said it’s so!

Thank You, Father, for creating us to be Your sons and daughters. Thank You for shining Your light on us, allowing us to walk in our full identity as Your children. Thank You for creating us to be light, and to bring out the God-colors in the world around us! Show us the places in our own lives where you want to show us Your perspective. And show us the situations, the people, and the places You want us to shine Your light into in the world around us. We love You so. This will be fun! Amen.

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About the Author

Pam is a fun and encouraging team-builder that brings the best to those around her. She loves people and is committed to serving and mentoring kids, women and families with opportunities to grow closer to God and each other.

Pam is currently serving as Children and Family Pastor at Valley Christian Center in Albany. Pam and her husband, Jared, have been married since 2005 and have three boys. Their family will always be a much loved part of our CitySalt family.

Salt and Light | God is the Chef, We are the Salt

How are we to be in this world? What does it mean to be “salt of the Earth”?

Acts 9:15
“But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

When we think of salt-seasoning, we often think of cooking and getting the salt quantity correct. But being salt of the Earth doesn’t work quite the same.

Acts 9:3-4
“Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice…”

When God came to Saul, he appeared suddenly, unexpectedly. God told Saul:

Acts 9:6
“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

When Saul got up he didn’t find lighted arrows in front of him, leading his way with a map and a guide book in his hand. Instead “when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.” Acts 9:8

When you were baptized, did you come out of the water with clear instructions? Did God provide a recipe book or text book on how to be the perfectly balanced instrument? To have the perfect flavoring of salt-seasoning? I often find myself looking for that manual, forgetting that God is leading us, one step at a time and often blind. God is the chef, we are the salt.

In Acts 9:10-15, God calls to His disciple telling him to go and heal Saul, a man who has come to “arrest all that call on (God’s) name”. Would this make sense to any of us? Heal those who persecute you, help those who do you harm? Help those who do harm unto others? Yet this disciple went and healed Saul, both vessels of God’s work, moved by God’s guidance,

Acts 9:20
“At once he (Saul) began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.”

God is the chef, we are the salt.

Some days I feel lost, disconnected, but today I felt like “salt-seasoning” and it lit up my heart.

I aspire to be good, kind, courageous and a positive influence on those around me. While I have many failings, consistent realignment is where I am winning. I often surrender it all to the Lord; all I have and all my hopes and dreams. At the same time I give thanks for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me and all the blessings to come.

I want the Lord to be the architect of my life.

“I continue to be grateful and always aware that I am in charge of my faith and my perspective, but not my life.”

I wrote this in my last post and have carried it with me. I posted it in front of me at work. Today it adjusted my attitude and I found myself, without effort, more positive and hopeful. A coworker thanked me for my words and I realized I had brought peace to her heart in the midst of a chaotic moment. Because I was aligned with the Lord in my heart, He was able to use my calm and surrender to bless others around me. The perfect salt-seasoning to flavor their lives with His love and bring light to both of us. And the only direction I had was to let go and not be in control; blind faith.

I had been thinking and writing down different ways we can be salt today and the Lord laid out a very simple, yet effective and beautiful way to flavor the world: let His light shine through us.

Matthew 5:16
“You are to let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father . . ."

I’m far from a chemist, but metaphorically it makes sense as a writer and a creative that letting light shine through us can bring about the perfect balance of “salt” or flavoring in our words and actions. It makes sense as a lover of metaphor, that likewise, the perfect balance of “salt” sprinkled in our daily lives can make His light shine all around; a cycle I welcome in my life!

Ideally, we hold a beautiful balance of strong faith (be the salt) and amazing wonder (shine His light); an experience to both strive for and consistently come back to.

We are not here to design our own destiny and determine our own “work” and so I will continue to surrender and give thanks that God is in control if we choose to let Him.

“I continue to be grateful and aware that I am in control of my perspective and my faith, but not my life.”

Lord, let me be your salt seasoning. I surrender and open my heart to your light.

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About the Author

Leona is a wife, mother and traveler who is intrigued by how different people live. Her latest project is exploring ways that different walks of life can simplify, in order to live a fulfilling journey.

Community Prayer Guide | October 2019

Each month we receive an updated Community Prayer Guide from One Hope ministry network that helps the church draw near to God and pray for various areas of our city life together. We invite you to take time to join hundreds of people who are praying each month for 10 strategic areas that shape our community's culture.

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Community Prayer Guide October 2019

“When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” Titus 3:4-5

Church
Pray for Jesus’ love to be demonstrated & communicated with clarity & power in all churches and ministries.
Pray for church & ministry leadership teams to be empowered with His Spirit, unified & guided by the Lord.
Pray for your pastors: their closeness to God, health, marriage, children and grace to lead like Jesus.
Pray for new and healthy churches to be started in our community, to reach and disciple more people.

Education
Pray for God’s peace in fall transitions: students, families, and new teachers in new positions.
Pray for new teachers and administrators to apply insightful strategies that best serve students.
Pray for the safety, peace, and “kingdom of God” influence on every campus to expand.
Pray for the health & well-being of teachers and staff: good rhythms of self-care and God’s shalom.

Government
Pray for God to guide the process and selection of the new city managers of Eugene and Springfield.
Pray for the Lord to raise up younger leaders in our community to lead with wisdom, truth and love.
Pray for God’s love, wisdom and guidance to be upon all of our government leaders and their families.
Pray for God to guide the implementation & leadership selection of the TAC Report (Technical Assistance Collaborative), a comprehensive city/county strategic plan to house the unhoused.

Business
Pray for a healthy, good & holistic “value of work” mindset to grow in our community.
Pray for more skilled trade-workers to be sent to our community & for more local trade-training programs.
Pray for local governments to create helpful and supportive policies for the growth of businesses.
Pray for ethical & flourishing wealth development that advances the Lord’s purposes in our community.

Arts
Pray for God’s presence in the Art departments: teachers & students at the U of O and LCC.
Pray for students’ involvement in the Arts, their growth and well-being: music, visual, writing, dance & drama.
Pray for Identity Dance, a Christ honoring group: for Jesus’ light & love as they perform at community events.
Pray for God’s presence upon the Hult Center: Eugene Symphony, Eugene Ballet & for an increase of family friendly productions.

Family
Pray for men to be present and humble spiritual leaders in their families, work places and churches.
Pray for the children in our community to have a clear understanding of their identity in the midst of gender
identity discussions. Pray they would be drawn to truth, protected and for parents to be wise and aware.
Pray for those struggling with drug addiction: for God to intervene, that they would be delivered of their dependency and find peace in Jesus, along with stability in jobs and housing.
Pray for all people to see the inherent value of unborn babies and for God’s power to rest on families & organizations that serve pregnant mothers.

Health Care
Pray for the Oregon Drug Policy Commissioner: God’s wisdom & to embrace Christ-centered ministry. Social Isolation is a current health care problem. Pray for healthy relationships & healing social networks.
Pray for Health Care Providers (HCPs) to have wisdom & compassion to care for the LGBTQ community.
Pray for HCPs to have strength, wisdom & compassion to bring God’s healing to people with addiction.
Pray for the health our Hispanic population: for fearless and barrier-free access to health care.

Police and Fire Departments
Pray for the wisdom, peace and safety of those serving in our police and fire departments.
Pray for the families of our First Responders: healthy marriages, peace, & God’s blessing upon their children.
Pray for a Mental Health Crisis Center to be established (a necessity according to first responders & civic leaders).
Pray for our local police, sheriff and fire departments to be fully staffed by men & women of noble character.
Pray for the leadership teams of our First Responder Agencies: God’s guidance, wisdom and blessing. Pray also for stronger & renewed collaboration among agencies.

Media
Pray for community-building and Jesus-glorifying stories to be reported through the Register Guard.
Pray for the well-being of all local reporters in T.V., Radio, Print and Internet: to report with wisdom & truth.
Pray for local media leaders to have clear vision, grace to report full stories, blessing and protection.
Pray for truthful, fair and accurate reporting in all areas of local media.

Sports
Pray for God’s wisdom and shalom to be upon the “decision makers” of all local athletics.
Pray for God to raise up strong Christ-following athletes as role models and messengers.
Pray for families to have wisdom as they balance sporting activities and faith activities.
Pray for God’s blessing on all local fall sports activities for students.
Pray for safety, protection and peace over every public sporting event.

Find answers to prayer on our website: onehopenetwork.org/testimonies.

Salt and Light | Woven Together

I was in my early forties when I decided to buy my first home, a condo. I tried to patiently endure the long purchasing process and eagerly looked forward to the day when I could sign the papers and the home would be mine. It wasn’t until I started to sign the mortgage documents with my signature and date, that I realized I was buying the condo on my birthday. I laugh-cried at the thought that I had given myself a thirty-year debt as a birthday present.

Once I got over this shock, I focused on moving out of my rental house and into the condo. I was fortunate that my situation gave me a luxurious timeframe of 2 weeks to move.

After friends and family helped me move the big items, I slowly but steadily moved the smaller things that could fit in my car. One of the last things of mine that remained in the rental house was the washer I bought from a previous roommate. It was built in the 1970’s, when American appliances were made of heavy steel and weighed much more than they do now. I dreaded moving that washer and put off trying to find a third person to help my cousin Don and I move it out of the rental’s garage. Moving day finally arrived but I had been too embarrassed to ask someone to possibly strain their back in order to help me. Don backed up his truck into the open garage, and with the assistance of a flattened cardboard box, we slid the washing machine the length of the garage to the bed of the truck. We discussed the best strategy to lift it and place it on the folded down tailgate. My cousin looked at me suddenly and asked “didn’t you get someone else to help us?” I sheepishly looked away and mumbled no. Don sighed in frustration, as we both bent down and grabbed the washer on either side. We slowly hefted the heavy metal box with its metal motor about 2 feet off the ground, when I stalled. I couldn’t find the extra muscle power to boost it the last few feet onto the tailgate. With our arms and backs straining, we both exchanged a panicked look over the shaking washer, and my cousin shouted “Put it down!” He added “I don’t know how we’re going to do this!” We both breathed heavily for a few moments then stubbornly tried again.

For the second attempt, we exerted about the same amount of effort, but this time the washer only reached about a foot off the ground when I heard a voice from the front yard say “Careful! You need another set of hands!” We simultaneously shifted our attention from the back of the truck to the front sidewalk, and watched a tall, slender man walk from the sidewalk into my garage and examine the washer. I explained to the kind-looking man that I sold the washer and the new owners were waiting for us to deliver it to their house in Springfield. He then walked up to the side of the washer opposite my cousin and diplomatically instructed us. He reminded Don and I how to change our stance and lift using the strength of our legs and abdomen in order to protect our backs. I took the third side and before I knew it, the washer was in the back of the truck and securely tethered in place using straps and the truck’s tie-down hooks. Don and I profusely thanked the kind man who wished us a good day, then got in his car and drove away. The entire process took less than 15 minutes! I went from a gut twisting feeling of hopelessness about our goal, to feeling that we had been visited by one of God’s helper angels. As we drove to Springfield, Don and I discussed how God faithfully, abundantly, and mercifully provided us with the precise help we needed at the exact moment we needed it!

I continue to think about that experience in the nearly 20 years since it happened. I think about how God designed humans to help each other. And He designed humans to honor his creation of community by supporting each other with God’s eternal love as a healthy extended family.

It is a life-giving honor and a profound blessing to help other people as we have been helped by God. To me this true story shows how we, as human beings, are all connected to each other, and are woven together in the larger work of God’s eternal kingdom and family.

Years later, I saw this principle in action again but from a different perspective. I still live in the same condo after 18 years. And earlier this year, I found myself recovering from the disappointment that one of my favorite neighbors, Jenny, decided to sell her unit and downsize into an even smaller apartment. I appreciated that she notified a group of us a full month before she listed her unit, which helped me correct my attitude and be happy for her. Still, I put off saying my final good bye.

By late afternoon of her final day of ownership, I no longer heard or saw her next door and thought I had waited too long. As I sat in my living room regretting that I missed my chance, I heard Jenny’s familiar voice on her back porch. Our back yards were adjacent to each other, so I seized my chance and walked the 30 odd steps to her back door. By this time, she was standing inside with her friend, fiddling with something above the sliding glass door which was open. I called out to her and knocked on the frame of her screen door. She greeted me with a surprised voice and enthusiastically invited me to come in. Before I could speak, Jenny said “You came at the perfect time! Can you help us hang the curtain rod?” This task doesn’t sound like something that needs more than one person to do, but Jenny was under five feet tall and her friend was not much taller. They showed me that the curtain rod was created in three pieces with an extension rod in the middle. Due to their shorter height, neither woman could reach the brackets while holding the curtain rod horizontally. They tried to employ a workaround of holding the curtain rod at a steep angle and sliding it into place between the brackets. Every time they tried this technique the extension rod would telescope into the rod ends and fall out of the brackets with all three pieces on the floor at their feet. It was a stretch, but standing at a height of 5’7” I could easily reach the brackets while holding the curtain rod horizontally. After a few attempts I successfully dropped the curtain rod into the brackets. Both ladies patted me on the back and Jenny expressed relief that her moving-out work was now done and she could give her keys to her real estate agent. I wished Jenny well and said goodbye.

The full circle aspect of this experience suddenly hit me. I remembered the kind man who was especially suited to help us move the washer. He came equipped with his God-given strength, his knowledge of how to lift heavy objects safely, and with his ability to teach in a gentle manner that was non-threatening to my rather frustrated cousin. I never thought of myself as especially tall, but I was the right height to get the job done, and I was in the right place at the right time. Also, I didn’t miss my chance; I still was able to say a final goodbye to my neighbor. God took the occasion to show me that when I listen to His voice and follow His timing, it’s never too late to seize an opportunity He is giving me! That was a deeply encouraging reminder to me. I loved being able to pay forward the gift I received in the past, by helping another person. This is part of God’s perfect original design for this world and His eternal Kingdom!

Romans 12:4-5 (NLV)
Our bodies are made up of many parts. None of these parts have the same use. There are many people who belong to Christ. And yet, we are one body which is Christ’s. We are all different but we depend on each other.

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About the Author

Sara has attended CitySalt Church since 2004, the year it was founded. She studied Journalism, wrote for her college newspaper, and is a member of Oregon Christian Writers. Sara also enjoys singing hymns with friends: “there is a sermon in every hymn waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Salt and Light | Salt Needs to Be Shaken

“It’s about time for me to email him again,” said the sophomore from an evangelical college in Tennessee. Since her arrival at the school, she’s been encouraging students, faculty, staff, and administration to follow God’s original command to humans: to care for the earth. In this case, every couple of weeks, she’s been asking for the school to host a chapel speaker who can talk about creation care. And she’s been turned down every couple of weeks, for a year. “This isn’t something our students are interested in,” replies the chaplain, every time, as if spiritual leadership is about telling people what they want to hear. As if college students today aren’t reading headlines about unprecedented species extinction, historic weather events becoming every-year-occurrences, global food insecurity, and more.

I met this Jesus-following student and a handful of her peers from schools across the U.S. as part of my day job directing CreatureKind, a nonprofit that helps Christians recognize faith-based reasons for caring about the wellbeing of farmed animals, and take action in response. This year, we’re partnering with Young Evangelicals for Climate Action (YECA) and I got to attend their annual cohort retreat, where evening conversations revolved not only around favorite Instagram accounts and the best of bad reality TV, but how college students could reduce their energy use in dorms, the pain caused by immigration raids and family separations, and how to share their testimonies. This year, there was also a lot of conversation about Amazonian Rainforest. Students were concerned that this massive area, often referred to as the world’s lungs, had been enveloped in apocalyptic blazes for weeks, in part because the current Brazilian President has emboldened agri-business to accelerate the pace at which they slash and burn the rainforest landscape to make room for more cattle grazing and cattle-feeding crops.

Why did these college students give up the last week of their summer vacations to attend a training in rural Michigan and engage themselves in emotionally difficult conversations? To a person, they answered a call because their faith compelled them to be there. As members of the body of Christ, as part of the Christian church in the United States, they read and respond to the words of Jesus: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)

This year’s YECA cohort join a rich tradition of missionally-minded people working on behalf of God’s creation. They’re prepared to be salt on their campuses and in their churches, shaking a bit out everywhere it’s needed. Candles in the dark. Lone voices in the wilderness. Because voices need to speak, lights need to shine, and salt needs to be shaken out of its container and onto food to do the job it’s meant to do.

But is working on behalf of creation really salty? Maybe not always. But most of us who spend our time and energy in this space aren’t simply trying to preserve our own future (or present) security. Rather, action for environmental justice is obedience to God (Genesis 2:15). Action for environmental justice is seeking justice for and serving the most vulnerable of God’s people (see Loving the Least of These, a primer from the National Association of Evangelicals). And action for environmental justice is pressing into the promise of the reconciliation of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:18-23).

Seventeen years ago this month, I started my post-college job search. I made a list three pages long of nonprofit organizations that I thought did good work, and at which I thought I could make a difference in the world. I didn’t grow up saying the Lord’s Prayer on a regular basis, but the years have taught me that I was trying to make my life the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.” On earth. As it is in heaven. Of course, nothing I can do will bring about the full reconciliation of creation, that’s the work of Jesus (Colossians 1:15-20). I will never heal the world’s wounds. But my three-page list was a prayer: “Show me how to press into the promise of your Kingdom, on earth.”

My list wasn’t all environmental organizations. I cared about a lot of issues then, and I care about a lot of issues now. I see many of the world’s struggles as deeply interconnected, and it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the world’s wounds. Systems that cause harm to the poor also cause harm to the environment. The devaluing of one kind of life can easily lead to the devaluing of another. The same sickness that causes someone to abuse an animal can cause that same person to abuse a human. And our sins hurt us as much as they hurt others.

One of the YECA leaders closed the retreat with the following prayer as a blessing for the students. A reminder that enormity—and the knowledge that the work will never be done in our lifetime—need not stop us in our tracks. We can and should “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly” in service of Jesus. We need to be salty, and we might even need to turn some tables over in the process, but we can do so in full peace, knowing that we are workers, not the Master Builder.

Archbishop Oscar Romero Prayer: A Step Along the Way

*This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw, drafted for a homily by Card. John Dearden in Nov. 1979 for a celebration of departed priests.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent
enterprise that is God's work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of
saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an
opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master
builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

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About the Author

Sarah is the author of Vegangelical: How Caring for Animals Can Shape Your Faith (Zondervan, 2016) and Animals Are Not Ours (No, Really, They’re Not): An Evangelical Animal Liberation Theology (Cascade Books, 2016). She spends her days working for CreatureKind, helping Christians put their faith into action. She lives in Eugene with her husband, son, and animal companions and enjoys action movies, black coffee, the daily crossword, and dreaming of her next international journey.