October 25

Church highlights!

I walked into the Great Adventurer’s class today to count, since our beloved usher, Ivan, was out of town. I stopped in my tracks and started crying when I saw my 5 year old helping to lead worship. She’s really shy, so to see her up there was awesome. Thank God for a church that lets my little girl experience serving and leading RIGHT now. I want her to “own” her church, ministry, and her relationship with Jesus.

Rachel Torres was in the highlight video this week talking about her private disciplines. I love that woman. Her discipline of reading her Bible daily has given her a peaceful spirit, wisdom, and a voice in my life. A habit of being in the Word really makes a difference when you look cummulatively at one’s life.

Marcus did an excellent job with worship today. I love his heart and his loyalty to our church family. He is a partner in ministry and in each of our journeys with Jesus.

Helen was back at church this week after surgery. She was in a wheelchair, but she wanted to be with her church family so bad that she went above and beyond the call of duty. We all need to get that spirit in our hearts!

Last week I verbally filed a complaint with Kris while we were at church. I did it out of frustration and have now apologized. Why am I including this in my highlights? Because I was reminded that our unspoken rule at North Creek is not to complain or dive into issues on Sunday mornings. We all get to come and not walk around in fear that the bomb will be dropped in our lives at any minute. It’s been my favorite part of our church and I treasure it. So, no complaining at church. If you see something that needs to be addressed, email or call the appropriate person on another day. Sunday is about loving our church family and Jesus. Back off! Every church should have that rule.

Go on the journey of faith with someone. Sometimes we write people off too quickly when they struggle. If their marriage is going through a rough patch, if they experience a death, if they are questioning or doubting, go through it with them. The reward of seeing God work in their lives is a great one.

Board meeeting tonight. Great people who love Jesus putting their heads together to make sure this ship sails smoothly. Gotta love ‘em!

Ahhhh…another week ahead of us to make a little dent in the world. Grab ahold of life with great excitement!

The Song in Your Head

I read a great quote today: It’s impossible to listen to a song and sing another one. What destructive thoughts are you holding that keep you from hearing words of life?

What an amazing picture! Whatever is playing over and over again in your head is the only song that you can “play” in your life. Some of us forget what God says about us and the song that plays is one of pity, failure, and our short-comings. I serve a God who bestows power and goes before us in our struggles. That’s quite a different song to be heard!

In this day and age changing the literal song is as simple as pushing a button on the ipod. However, in the spiritual realm, changing your song is done by filling your heart with the Word of God. Open the Bible daily and watch the song in your head begin to change from what the world fills it with to something much more victorious and Christ-like.

Enjoy the journey.

Perspective

Life is completely defined by what you choose to see and how you choose to see it.

Two nights ago I was broiling some bread with cheese on top for dinner. I got distracted and the toast got a dark brown tone. Needless to say, it was not was I was aiming for! I set it on the table and immediately Delaney said, “Yuck! I am not going to eat that!” I turned and casually said, “Huh. That’s too bad. It’s my specialty. It’s burnt cheese toast and it’s yummy.” I then picked up a piece, took a big bite, and smiled as I chewed away.

A few minutes later Delaney picked up her toast, took a bite and said, “This is good! You are the BEST mommy EVER for making this for our family.” Mark laughed under his breath at what had just taken place. I had just changed the perspective of my daughter from toast failure to family blessing in a matter of minutes.

What “failure” in your life do you need to “re-perspective”? Sometimes if you’re not getting the right answer, it’s because you’re not asking the right question. Change your lense and you change your life.

October 18

Church Highlights!

I have a new favorite moment in ministry. One of the teenagers brought her mom to church for the first time. She walked up to introduce me and said, “Mom, this is Stacy. She didn’t have sex until she was married.” Yep. That was my intro. Two things to keep in mind: 1. Worse things have been said about me. 2. She heard and REMEMBERED something from my message about sex and purity last Thursday. I love teenagers…

We had lots of new faces at church today. That’s good! The bad news is that we also have lots of faces at home sick, which is a BUMMER! Tis’ the season, but I don’t like it. I’m praying for each one of you and your fevers…

I really appreciate our volunteers! We run our entire organization off of the backs of volunteers. We have volunteer training tonight from 6:30-7:45 pm. It’s important that we all stay on the same page and that we are growing as leaders. Volunteering can literally make the difference in someone’s eternity and it probably doesn’t even seem like a big deal to you at the time…

Thanks to all who gave to help the teens raise money for Speed the Light. We took an offering of about $400 to help them along the way.

Fun Facts:
All of our children’s workers have background checks.
Mark and I are both licensed pastors with the Assemblies of God.
The largest check that North Creek has received from an individual at one time is $11,007. No, I do not know why the extra $7. I REALLY wish I knew why…
Our youth pastor has a master’s degree in Bible.
Our current attendance average is 145.
Marcus, our worship leader, owns a company that makes parts for pipe organs.
We have baptized 45 people since we started in Sept. 2006.
We actually like this gig. It’s fun watching people’s eternities being changed.

Volunteer Training

Tomorrow night is volunteer Training at the church from 6:30-7:45 pm. It’s for everyone who volunteers (or wants to) at North Creek. It’s a great time to grow your life and change your perspective! Join us!

What a passage…

Ephesians 4 was my Bible reading last night. What a passage! I feel like Christians could CHANGE THE WORLD if they simply applied this one chapter to every aspect of their lives. We are a people plagued by offenses, gossip, disunity, unforgivenes, hard hearts, and living a life lower than what God would have for us. What would your life look like if none of that was ever a part of your world?

Ephesians 4
Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”[b] 9(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26″In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

No Affair to Remember

Still on my quest to present ways to be pure in your life! I preach tomorrow at youth and feel a HUGE burden to instill in them determination in the area of sexual purity. That burden flows over into the adults at North Creek.

So, here’s my tips for affair-proofing your marriage. They will seem overly simple. That’s because if you draw the right boundary, all of the rest is irrelevant!

1. See my last two posts. Do those.

2. Never be alone with the person of the opposite sex. Ever. No really…never ever. In 12 years of marriage, Mark and I have painstakingly done what it took to avoid being alone with the opposite sex for more than about 2 minutes (the amount of time it takes to get out of that situation). Here’s the main reason…it’s hard to have an inappropriate relationship in public. No matter what other temptation you face in your life, the one thing you can control most effectively is your environment. I am now so trained that it has become second-nature.

One important facet: “Alone with someone of the opposite sex” includes chat rooms, extended IMing, and phone calls that go beyond business issues.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this one tool. No matter how strong or weak I feel, I can always control this facet of my purity. And it is a guardrail that protects me from so many other pitfalls. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that this boundary is ridiculous and impractical. OK, well, then call me the Queen of the Ridiculous because my purity in God’s eyes and my commitment to my husband is more important than my practicality.

Boundaries…try it.

Think About It

This week I am focusing on purity issues in our marriage as a tribute to the purity sermon that I’m preaching at youth.

One of the areas that Mark and I are diligent to remain pure is our thought life. What a tough one! Actions are easy to guage, but how do you control the millions of thoughts that you have every day? Each one of them must come under the authority of Christ. For example, when a woman walks by my husband, he is accountable to the thoughts that he has (and vice versa)…

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

That is a tough standard to live by, but as Mark has preached, you can’t let your thoughts guide your decisions. You’ve got to DECIDE how and what you will think on.

Here’s some tips that I use personally:

1. Don’t go there. I do my best not to ever put a foot in the door of my thought life. If the door to an inappropriate thought even cracks, I close that door quickly. Dwelling on the “what if’s” and allowing an option in my heart does me no good. I have resolved that Mark will be my husband until the day one of us dies, so there’s no point in having any other thoughts in my heart. They aren’t fulfilling a void, but rather creating one.

2. “De-romanticize” those thoughts. Marriage is no fairy tale or romance novel. There is no sweeping off the feet and perfect passion in the real world. The ugly part of the story is morning breath, dirty socks, screaming children, and pre-coffee grumpiness…just like you have in your current marriage. So, when your mind wants to imagine a different life with different circumstances, remind yourself of the things in your reality that are wonderful. Think on those things and stay focused on the covenant that you have made with your spouse.

Again, purity is 100% up to you, so my little tips are irrelevant if you don’t intend to fight for yourself. All of this has to come AFTER a resolve to stay pure.

porNOgraphy

I’m preaching at youth this week on purity, so I will blog a few times this week about ways that Mark and I guard our purity. I really hope that some of our boundaries encourage and bless you. It is a difficult road to remain pure in actions and in your thought life. I’m in this fight with you.

I believe that pornography has been made a cultural norm that is quietly destroying the foundations of marriages inside and outside of the church. If you go to www.biblegateway.com and type in sexual immorality, you’ll get a computer full of verses about how God HATES sexual immorality. Allowing images on your computer or in a magazine to fill a need for sexuality actually shreds the opportunity for intimacy in your current or future marriage. That is why God hates it. He knows that intimacy with Him and with your spouse is the true foundation of maturity.

Pornography is a decision. You can control the urge to have that as a part of your life. You can choose to solve this issue in your life. Mark speaks often to many men in our church that have struggled with this issue and are successfully navigating the temptation to make this a part of their lives. I don’t know all of their names or their stories, but what I do know is this…they all WANT to change and that is their driving force. The other thing that Mark tells me is that many of them are now thriving in this particular area of purity.

Here are three boundaries that Mark and I have made for our marriage:

1. The computer/phone/whatever technology comes next is an open book for the other spouse. We read each other’s emails, we check each other’s histories, we know that our laptops are not private property.

2. We have filters and accountablity software. www.xxxchurch.com emails us any questionable sites that have been landed on every two weeks.

3. I ask Mark all of the time how he is doing in this area and he asks me, too. I am amazed at how many wives and husbands take on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” philosophy of purity in their marriage. I have the opposite opinion. We talk about the opportunity for sexual immorality all of the time. Here’s some dumb questions: Do you think that woman is pretty? Were you tempted today? Do you still have feelings for your ex? Here is some great questions: When you are tempted, are you doing a good job at turning your attention back to me? How is your thought life? Have you looked at pornography since the last time I asked you?

Mark and I are currently doing well at not having pornography as a third wheel in our marriage. I say currently because pornography is an easy trap to fall into and we are on top of it at all times. It is an easily acquired sin in our day and age. As a result of purity in this area, we are also doing well with real intimacy and trust in our lives.

Read this blog with your spouse and begin the conversation about how you can help each other. Get past the hurt and the wounds and get to the real conversation…how can we fight this together?

CHURCH!

I love Sundays…if you read my blog regularily, you already know that!

Here’s my weekly highlights:

Tracy O. and Joel are two men in our church. They are pretty manly guys – both military men, godly, over 35, butch…you know the type. Today Joel leaned on the bar, Tracy came over, leaned next to him and said, “So, what’s your favorite GI Joe?” And then a conversation ensued about their favorite GI Joes. I watched in amazement. It was like two 9 year olds talking about what they got for their birthdays. I laughed at them and then started talking about Barbies with Katie…

One of our new guests at church today left us a note on Facebook: “Just wanted to inform you all, I LOVED church today. First time since moving that I’ve really felt like I belong somewhere. I really felt welcome there. It was awesome! Thank you so much!” Thank you to Chrystal for really making her feel accepted.

Loved Mark’s sermon. It was about DOING what you HEAR on Sunday mornings. Tough message if you take it to heart! Seems so easy, but it means that when we talk about purity, you are now accountable to be pure. When we preach on tithing, you are now accountable to tithe. When we preach on forgiveness, you are now accountable to forgive. All of these (and more) are monumental tasks!

A friend of mine told me yesterday that she’s pregnant! Yes, I cried. I always do.

We went and visited Helen in the hospital after church yesterday. She’s doing well after her surgery! That’s either because of God or her morphine drip…maybe both.

Thanks to Brian for coming over yesterday to cut down the rest of the stump left over from our tree project. It took a big truck to yank that thing from it’s roots. Other than cutting the cable wire while my neighbor was watching the game, we had no problems. He’s a police officer with a gun. Not sure you should be cutting his cable…

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! May your week be blessed and may His favor be with you!