Insert Mouth Guard

Unity.

It's a challenge between husbands and wives, between mother and daughter-in-laws, among siblings, in the UNITED Nations, between co-workers, in the halls of Congress...

And even in church pews.

Sometimes it's just plain hard to get along. To accept and be gracious toward another regardless of whether we see eye-to-eye.

As you likely know, our church family will be voting on a proposed by-law change next Wednesday night. It is possibly the most important FBC-related vote in recent history so I encourage you to learn more about it and ATTEND the VOTE. However, I think we also to look beyond what happens next week. No matter the outcome, God is still sovereign. And, no matter what happens, we are still called to extend grace and seek unity.

Honestly, it's natural for there to be feelings of resentment and distrust on both sides. It's been amazing to hear of the cordial, no, GRACE-FILLED, conversations that have taken place. Praise God for that blessing and for our staff's leadership! But, I do believe many privately struggle with how to feel about the situation and the people involved.

Whatever side you're on, our church body is going to need some healing. And to achieve that, we're all going to have to make some choices. We, as many churches before us, can let this issue divide us and harbor resentment toward those on the opposing side. Or, we can do the harder thing and recognize that sometimes families face tough issues. We can disagree, but we still need to forgive and extend grace. Any gossip must stop, any judgement must end. God does not give us an option on this.

In 1 Corinthians 12, we read, "The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor." The body needs all it's parts in all its states. His Word goes on to say, "But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

No division.

Unity.

Unbroken. Complete. Undivided. One.

1 Peter 5:8 warns us, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Satan is prowling like a lion looking to devour. He is watching this unfold with hunger in his eyes, ready to pounce, eagerly licking his chops because he knows this is a very dangerous snare for believers. He lurks for the opportunity to weaken us in our witness and our walk.

I pray that grace-filled conversations will continue to happen and, where there is temptation to speak ill-will, that God will guard our words. Psalm 141:3 reads, "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Pray for God to insert a God-sized mouth guard in these coming days so we can strive for unity and protect the body of Christ whom God so richly loves.

And, finally, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Pray that not only will we have control over our words, but that the heart of God would be in us.

May God be glorified!

Defend Their Cause

Some nights when I was a little girl, I would sneak in my parents' bed after they'd tucked me in for the night. There was something reassuring and safe about being in that king size brass bed that was so popular in the 80's. Many times, I would still be awake when my parents discovered me. Even at eight years old, I remember making myself go as limp as possible to feign deep sleep when my Dad carried me to my bed. I'm sure my Dad caught on as I was too young to fake my breathing pattern, but he indulged me anyway. I suspect he knew that the whole ritual - being snug in their bed and then being gently carried back - made me feel safe and cared for.

Fast forward 21 years. I am a Mom now and I had a very sick little boy. My son could get very little relief between bouts of vomiting. As we laid on the floor, me massaging his weak, fever -racked body and praying over him, I had a distinct feeling of deep sadness wash over me. There was a sudden realization that, though Noah was sicker than a dog, he at least had someone to watch over him. I thought of all the children around the world who have no one to rub their back, hold a cool wash towel to their forehead or whisper words of comfort and love over them.

November is Adoption Awareness Month. There are an estimated 143 million orphans around the planet. Some estimates go above 200 million. That's 140+ million children who may never know what it feels like to be carried by a loving Daddy. That's 140+ million kiddos who will catch a bug, some from lack of access to clean water, and they won't have a Mommy to rub their back and console them. There are that many children who will never know the taste of a Thanksgiving turkey or know what it's like to sit around a dinner table and give thanks with a family. Their family.

"Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." I love that quote by Dr. Bob Pierce, founder of World Vision.

So, what stirs the heart of God? Isaiah said, "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." No wonder God made him a prophet. He spoke some rich stuff.

For a God who spoke so much into the Scriptures about defending the cause of the fatherless, it seems we believers ought to open our hearts and pay attention. Lest we develop a religion that is holey, gaps conveniently left where it would be too inconvenient to act, instead of a faith that is holy.

We have so many options - supporting an orphan or child with one parent through World Vision or Compassion International. All for the cost of eating out once a month. One meal at a nice restaurant or providing food, safety and an education for a child.

Then there are children in need of a foster home. There are refugee children escaping volatile situations in their countries who arrive in the U.S. in need of a home and a family. You can pray about becoming involved with the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Program either as a foster parent or a mentor. There are refugee children in the area in need of a mentor as I type this.

And, most obvious, is actually adopting. To bring home a child that needs a Daddy to carry her. One that will know the tenderness of a Mom's hands and care. To show a child what it feels like to laugh around a table and eat turkey with a family. Their family.

As our church often discusses core and non-core, it is evident that caring for orphans is one significant calling of and command to all believers. Am I saying you're a rotten Christian if you don't adopt? No. Am I saying all believers need to take up the cause of orphans and it comes in many forms?

Yes.

All believers.

So, I'm asking, what can and WILL you and your family do to show the love of Jesus to a fatherless and motherless child?

Disobedience vs. Obedience. Holey vs. Holy

Choose Obedience. Choose Holy.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James...God spoke good things through him, too!

Do Hard Things: A Book Review

Alex and Brett Harris are twin teenage brothers that recently wrote a book called “Do Hard Things.” They founded the website TheRebelution.com. That’s right, rebelution. A made up word they invented by combining rebellion and revolution to form a new word for an entirely new concept: rebelling against rebellion. More precisely, they define rebelution as ‘a teenage rebellion against low expectation.”

You may have heard them recently on Focus on the Family discussing their book. The message is simple, but far too often overlooked in society today: rebel against low expectations. This book is targeted squarely at teens, though I can not deny that the message impacts other generations, especially a mother with two young girls headed for the teenage years faster than I thought. I was inspired and energized by what God is doing with this book. It made me think, ‘how can I do hard things as a Christian, wife, mom and teacher to teenagers.'

In their book these teenagers challenge other teens to try to do five kinds of hard things. They are: to go outside your comfort zone, to go beyond what is expected or required, to rebel against the idea that things are too big for one person, to do things that don’t earn an immediate payoff, and to challenge the cultural norm.

These five simple but power-packed ideas can shape the next generation to do great things for God. This book is written in teenage vernacular with the ‘like you knows’ and small paragraphs easy for any teen to read and digest. I love the fact these Godly authors are challenging a whole generation of young people to use their lives to do the hard things God calls them to do when society begs to avoid hard and protect their comfort. I pray that the teen years are only the beginning, only the foundation, of lives lived to the glory of God.
If you have a teen, know a teen or will be having a teen, I encourage you to pick up a copy of “Do Hard Things.” May the world be forever changed by doing hard things for the glory of God.

Have a great day,
Lesley