Like you, there are seasons in my life when Jesus seems very near and seasons where I can't seem to find him at all. Sometimes it feels like we're playing a game of hide-and-seek, but he's got all the best hiding places staked out. All relationships ebb and flow.
~ Stasi Eldredge, Captivating
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Living a Healthy Lifestyle - Balance
Balance | Ecclesiastes 3:1-14
God desires us to live a healthy, balanced and full life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)
Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.
What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him.
God has given us seasons for everything.
1. God wants to be first in our lives.
Matthew 6:19-21, 33
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Ways you can do that:
a. Pray throughout your day, seeking God’s wisdom and patience.
b. Read the Bible, even if it is just a little snippet each day.
c. Plug into a small group (like Café Mom ☺)
d. Get plugged into a church, as a family
2. God wants you to live a healthy life.
Colossians 1: 9-11
We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
a. Practice self-discipline (it’s called practicing for a reason ☺)
b. Set healthy goals
c. Find a cheerleader (to cheer you on and even help you in your goals)
3. God loves to see us work hard, play hard and rest hard. Each one has its place in our lives.
If you find the scales aren’t balanced:
a. Find ways to slow down and balance out. During a busy time you may need to plan a time of rest to look forward to.
b. Don’t try to be Super Mom. Instead, be the person God has created you to be, using the gifts and talents He has given you. (Did you find out anything new or surprising in your self interview?)
c. Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Sometimes you need to stop and evaluate. Cut out the extra. Simplify.
Practical ways we can live a healthy and balanced life.
1. Recognize the season you are in.
2. Know your priorities.
3. Take time to rest.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. 3God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.
God desires us to live a healthy, balanced and full life.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 (Contemporary English Version)
Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, for killing and healing, destroying and building, for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace.
What do we gain by all of our hard work? I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him.
God has given us seasons for everything.
1. God wants to be first in our lives.
Matthew 6:19-21, 33
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Ways you can do that:
a. Pray throughout your day, seeking God’s wisdom and patience.
b. Read the Bible, even if it is just a little snippet each day.
c. Plug into a small group (like Café Mom ☺)
d. Get plugged into a church, as a family
2. God wants you to live a healthy life.
Colossians 1: 9-11
We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
a. Practice self-discipline (it’s called practicing for a reason ☺)
b. Set healthy goals
c. Find a cheerleader (to cheer you on and even help you in your goals)
3. God loves to see us work hard, play hard and rest hard. Each one has its place in our lives.
If you find the scales aren’t balanced:
a. Find ways to slow down and balance out. During a busy time you may need to plan a time of rest to look forward to.
b. Don’t try to be Super Mom. Instead, be the person God has created you to be, using the gifts and talents He has given you. (Did you find out anything new or surprising in your self interview?)
c. Don’t be afraid to say “no.” Sometimes you need to stop and evaluate. Cut out the extra. Simplify.
Practical ways we can live a healthy and balanced life.
1. Recognize the season you are in.
2. Know your priorities.
3. Take time to rest.
Genesis 2:2-3
2 By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. 3God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.
vision
Café Mom came as a result of me searching for my place. Jeremy and I set out to plant this church about three years ago. There were several natural areas for me to fall into as a minister’s wife. I’d already chosen to be a stay-at-home mom. We were having our second child. But I couldn’t figure out exactly why I didn’t feel called to lead the children’s ministry. This would have been a natural place for me to squeeze myself into. I love kids – I love my own like crazy. But it didn’t quite fit – it wasn’t my passion. I continued to fill in where I was needed but really longed for something that I was passionate and somehow made for.
I started the realKidz playgroup last year as an outlet for moms (and their kids). A place for us to come to, giving the kids a chance to play and make new friends, while us moms did the same. There is something life-giving in getting together with people that are going through the same thing – sharing stories and struggles. Café Mom has seemed like the next step, in giving moms a place to come and breathe and recharge. Every week we’ll have time to step a way from the kids, sit across from one another, listen and get to know each other and to hopefully become more of what God intended us each to be – uniquely ourselves.
I started the realKidz playgroup last year as an outlet for moms (and their kids). A place for us to come to, giving the kids a chance to play and make new friends, while us moms did the same. There is something life-giving in getting together with people that are going through the same thing – sharing stories and struggles. Café Mom has seemed like the next step, in giving moms a place to come and breathe and recharge. Every week we’ll have time to step a way from the kids, sit across from one another, listen and get to know each other and to hopefully become more of what God intended us each to be – uniquely ourselves.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Free to be Me
Free to be Me
Free to Be Me | Psalm 139
God frees you to be uniquely you.
Psalm 139: 1-18 (Contemporary English Version)
You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm, you protect me from every side. I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.
When David wrote these words, he was rejoicing in a God who saw him as more than any of his roles – more than a shepherd, more than a giant-slayer, more than a poet, a king, or a man on the run. He wrote beautifully of a God who knew him intimately – and who took the time to “search” and “know” him. Certainly, this is no different for moms today. God values all of who he made you to be, and has specific purposes for the way he made you.
In order to find our unique identity, it takes getting real.
1. We Get Real with Ourselves.
In reality, the changes of motherhood don’t make us less of who we are – but more. God refines us to make us more of who he wants us to be.
“God gives important gifts to women that have nothing to do with conceiving, birthing (or adopting), and nurturing children. We have God-given talents, passions, and interests that a mom badge just doesn’t bring to the fore. You need to dig below the mom level to find this out. And when no one does, it gets lonely.” (5)
“Because we have set other things aside for now, our gifts – the things we love and do well – become more important than ever.” (17)
“Look at yourself for a minute; look at who you really are: motherhood doesn’t change you as much as it refines you."
2. We Get Real with Others.
Your longing to belong is a reflection of the image of God. He gave you this longing not only to transform you more into his image, but as a force to draw you to others.
a. We must become vulnerable.
b. We must let down our guard.
c. We must let people get to know the real me.
Have you ever thought that maybe perfection wasn’t God’s intention for us? Yes, he is perfect and he desires only good things for us. And yes, the world has been messed up with sin and brokenness. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe God shows is glory in our imperfection? That maybe it is our very imperfection that draws us to each other and to God. We need each other. We strengthen each other as we build relationships. We are drawn to community, because that’s how God designed us.
“Your longing to belong is a reflection of the image of God. He gave you this longing not only to transform you more into his image, but as a force to draw you to others. Your loneliness can become the ground of fruitful relationships if you recognize it, respond to it, and rely on the One who created you for relationships.” (53)
3. Most of all we need to Get Real with God.
God made you. He made you in his image and he knows you better than anyone else.
a. He wants time with you, and he loves to see you in
action.
b. He gifted you uniquely and has a purpose that is uniquely
yours.
Some practical ways you can get real and show your true identity:
1. Identify your gifts.
2. Find opportunities to put them into action.
3. Describe and present yourself to the world in ways that show a piece of the real you.
Think in terms of “I’m a mom and _____________”
Getting real with yourself, with others and with God may mean taking the next step in a relationship and inviting a fellow mom here. It may mean letting down your guard here at church or in the community. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable – not perfect – but human and just the way God made you. It may mean seeking out that thing that you were made for – something that you are truly passionate about and letting God use you in a truly unique way.
Lesson Material Inspired by:
Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.
by Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira
Further Reading:
Luke 10:38-42 Mary and Martha
Mary does the unthinkable: she brazenly steps out of her place and comes crashing through a stereotype. All in the name of Jesus. In her defiance of expectations and the subsequent critique from her sister and defense from Jesus, she ends up getting ministered to by her Lord – and ultimately ministering to thousands of years of believers.
Mark 14:3-9 Mary of Bethany
The trouble with Mary was that she didn’t fit. God had given her attributes and that didn’t square with first-century expectations of a woman. But the blessing is that Jesus welcomed, and rejoiced in, and defended who she was. He encouraged her right to be different, along with the purpose for her differences. (Rivadeneira)
Free to Be Me | Psalm 139
God frees you to be uniquely you.
Psalm 139: 1-18 (Contemporary English Version)
You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm, you protect me from every side. I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over." But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you. You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body, and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby.
When David wrote these words, he was rejoicing in a God who saw him as more than any of his roles – more than a shepherd, more than a giant-slayer, more than a poet, a king, or a man on the run. He wrote beautifully of a God who knew him intimately – and who took the time to “search” and “know” him. Certainly, this is no different for moms today. God values all of who he made you to be, and has specific purposes for the way he made you.
In order to find our unique identity, it takes getting real.
1. We Get Real with Ourselves.
In reality, the changes of motherhood don’t make us less of who we are – but more. God refines us to make us more of who he wants us to be.
“God gives important gifts to women that have nothing to do with conceiving, birthing (or adopting), and nurturing children. We have God-given talents, passions, and interests that a mom badge just doesn’t bring to the fore. You need to dig below the mom level to find this out. And when no one does, it gets lonely.” (5)
“Because we have set other things aside for now, our gifts – the things we love and do well – become more important than ever.” (17)
“Look at yourself for a minute; look at who you really are: motherhood doesn’t change you as much as it refines you."
2. We Get Real with Others.
Your longing to belong is a reflection of the image of God. He gave you this longing not only to transform you more into his image, but as a force to draw you to others.
a. We must become vulnerable.
b. We must let down our guard.
c. We must let people get to know the real me.
Have you ever thought that maybe perfection wasn’t God’s intention for us? Yes, he is perfect and he desires only good things for us. And yes, the world has been messed up with sin and brokenness. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe God shows is glory in our imperfection? That maybe it is our very imperfection that draws us to each other and to God. We need each other. We strengthen each other as we build relationships. We are drawn to community, because that’s how God designed us.
“Your longing to belong is a reflection of the image of God. He gave you this longing not only to transform you more into his image, but as a force to draw you to others. Your loneliness can become the ground of fruitful relationships if you recognize it, respond to it, and rely on the One who created you for relationships.” (53)
3. Most of all we need to Get Real with God.
God made you. He made you in his image and he knows you better than anyone else.
a. He wants time with you, and he loves to see you in
action.
b. He gifted you uniquely and has a purpose that is uniquely
yours.
Some practical ways you can get real and show your true identity:
1. Identify your gifts.
2. Find opportunities to put them into action.
3. Describe and present yourself to the world in ways that show a piece of the real you.
Think in terms of “I’m a mom and _____________”
Getting real with yourself, with others and with God may mean taking the next step in a relationship and inviting a fellow mom here. It may mean letting down your guard here at church or in the community. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable – not perfect – but human and just the way God made you. It may mean seeking out that thing that you were made for – something that you are truly passionate about and letting God use you in a truly unique way.
Lesson Material Inspired by:
Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.
by Caryn Dahlstrand Rivadeneira
Further Reading:
Luke 10:38-42 Mary and Martha
Mary does the unthinkable: she brazenly steps out of her place and comes crashing through a stereotype. All in the name of Jesus. In her defiance of expectations and the subsequent critique from her sister and defense from Jesus, she ends up getting ministered to by her Lord – and ultimately ministering to thousands of years of believers.
Mark 14:3-9 Mary of Bethany
The trouble with Mary was that she didn’t fit. God had given her attributes and that didn’t square with first-century expectations of a woman. But the blessing is that Jesus welcomed, and rejoiced in, and defended who she was. He encouraged her right to be different, along with the purpose for her differences. (Rivadeneira)
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