Friday Questions

Should one give money to church in order to spread the word of Jesus, or should money be given to charities/missions who do the work of Jesus and therefore invite the recipients to learn of Him through love?

Does a tithe have to go only to a (my) church or can some go to an organization that lives Jesus amongst people who may not be believers?

This is what I've been thinking about lately.  It's not much of a post, but I have to share my heart--confused as it is.

Church

I loved the church that helped me find my way back to God seven years ago.  (Turns out, He was right here.  All the time.)

I love the church we attend now.

At both, I was called to serve.  At the first, I served in many capacities, including speaking from stage.   At my current church, I've had a tougher time finding where I fit.  I only do one "little" serve.

Over the past two weekends,  I spend some rich quiet time reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  It was an easy read, but a challenging book.  What I took from it is the idea that I have to serve everywhere.  Everywhere. 

Brad tells me I serve with this blog, and his speaking those words touched my heart.  You are my church. My students know I am a believer, it's hard for me to hide things from them, and so, they are my church. My friends at work will come to me with prayer requests from time to time, so they are my church.  But now, I'm praying for ways for God to use me in my community, to serve others--and there are so many with less--right here in Aurora, Illinois.

The first message of the new year at The Compass was delivered by a pastor who doesn't normally do the teaching.  It has stayed with me.  He asked us, challenged us, "Whose ending are you going to change?"  I have been told I have the gift of evangelism.  This church doesn't baptize like my old church did, but I can still teach about God.  I can still do good works in His name.

After I hit "publish post," I am going to write to a friend who is also quite invested in God and helping others.  He works for the mayor of this city.  I'm going to make Him an offer.  I think it might be what God wants me to do...I'm not sure...but I know I'm being prompted.

Church, I want it to be who I am.

Getting Into the Story

     Yesterday, I wrote about my decision to not do the 90 Day Bible reading challenge because of an alternate plan our pastor shared with us this weekend.  For me, it's much more doable.
     So here's the plan, and seriously, if I can find a way to use this with/adapt it for my kids come fall, I'm going to!  (Secular reading of course.)  This is such a solid way to learn.

Sunday:  Read one entire Gospel (I chose Luke) to get the big story, choose one story from that whole.

Truth, I got bogged down in this, started thinking of other things, and since I'd  found my story to tell early on, I quit about 2/3 through.  I chose a story, The Parable of the Sower from Luke chapter 8.

Monday:  Read the story to yourself three times, consider different translations

I read The Message, NIV and NLT.
NLT's was my favorite.

Tuesday:  Read the story out loud three times.  Read with feeling as if you were there.

That's tonight, right after posting this.

Wednesday:  Tell the story three times, use pictures to help remember the important parts. 
Pictures will help with this one.

(path, rock, thorns, soil)

Thursday:  Find an audience and tell your story.

Okay, so I'm married to a minister, not too intimidating.  Truth?  He asked me on Monday to tell him what I remembered, and he was very encouraging.

Ask them three questions:

1. Who do you think the story was about?

2.  What happened to the main character(s)?

3.  How did that person(s) change?

Now there are more, and better questions, but I'll just start with these three for now.

Friday:  Soak (just think of the story.)

Saturday:  Analyze and pray.  

This is my third night into this and the story is sticking with me.  It's not about verse memorization, it's about the story, and in this story I see myself.

7/1/2011: Because this post has received so many comments, and, more, because this experience has been so impactful on  me, I am linking up here:

Mama Made it Look Easy

66 Books, 44 Writers, ONE story

God with Us.

     One of my newest blog friends Daenel, has written about Reading the Bible in 90 days.  I've really appreciated her insights and her candor.  In private emails she has encouraged me to participate.  I have considered it.

     I kept meaning to talk with Brad about it.  He has a doctor's degree in ministry, but I still thought this would be something we could do together.  Sitting in church on Saturday night, waiting for the service to begin, I leaned over and asked him what he thought.  It was a quick talk as the musicians took the stage, but he basically said it was too much reading in too short a time.  (I had been mentally sectioning the Book into 90 even pieces, and I was tending to agree with him.)

     Then Pastor Dale came out to deliver his second message in the series, "GPS:  Navigating the Bible."  In his introduction, he encouraged us to look at the Bible as a STORY not as text. I'm sure, like Brad, he had to take all sorts of classes analyzing the Bible. He said people can spend too much time doing so, and that gets in the way of the story.  He said that it's okay to read the Bible in 100 days, but setting such a goal can also get in the way of the story.

     Huh.  Without knowing what I had been mulling over, he answered my question with a, "That's not for you," message too.  Brad later said, "How did that feel to hear kind of a 'no' twice and so close together?" It felt clear, that's for certain.

     Now, neither of these ministers pooh-poohed the efforts of people who immerse themselves in intense Bible reading.  So I remain excited to hear what Dani gains from it this time around.  Pastor Dale shared what I found, as a teacher, to be a great reading plan for getting into the Bible a story at a time.  I promised to do it, and on Sunday night I got my start...tonight I'm working on it some more.  And I'm liking it.  And I'm feeling so good being back in the Word.

     I'll share the outline here tomorrow.

Blue Chip Player

      I've been told the Bible tells us that we are each God's masterpiece.
      I know from personal experience it's hard to believe that.  A masterpiece?  I've written before that I see my flaws and imperfections much more clearly and easily than any good about me.  I'm speaking about my physical self, my thoughts, my actions...There is just so much I see that's wrong.
      A few years ago, at my former church, they handed these to each attender.

     The message that Sunday morning was that each of us is a  "Blue Chip Player," desired by God to play on His team. 
     For this post,  I went to Wikipedia to find this definition, "Blue chip" players have proven themselves to be amongst the best at their respective positions in their sports and are more sought after than other players. They are typically perceived as "can't miss" prospects who are desired by most organizations. Blue chip athletes are likely to have an immediate impact on teams that acquire them and have proven skills rather than speculative or untapped potential."
     When it comes to being on God's team, doesn't this fit?  When I first became a Christ Follower, I served like mad.  It was a breathtaking experience.  And now I feel a little unmoored.  You know I'm still hoping to find a place in my church, a place to serve where I'm called to be.  If I can't do it inside the church than outside will do.  I keep this chip in a little dish in the bathroom where I store my rings at night.  I see it each day, but today I thought about it.
      What a good reminder for prayer...

Question of the Week...Your Church

  I love going to church.  I wake on Saturdays, or in this week's case Sunday, with so much to look forward to.  I was definitely more involved at Community, too involved at some points for me the non-joiner, and though I'm not involved in serving at our current church, I still love going.  We both fit there, and that fit is so important.     My favorite things about our church, The Compass, are the superb teaching and the worship.
     At Community, I appreciated the fellowship (we had so many friends) and the teaching most.
     So I have to ask, drum roll for this week's question...

What do you love about your church?

What allows you to feel a fit there?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Saturday, Brad worked with clients into the early evening, and I was feeling a little puny from giving blood.  So we decided to go to church on Sunday instead of our usual Saturday night date in the front row at The Compass.  On Sunday, as it turned out, he had to work again and I was left to go to church without him.  There was a small part of me that thought, "Don't go."  But that part was quickly overruled. Then I checked the week's Lenten challenge/experience, "Godless" where I was challenged to omit worship experiences of any kind for the week.  Then I for sure NEEDED to go.

     Take that mere thought of missing out on one service and wanting very much to go, and multiply it by a billion, and know--that's what it must feel like to live in a country where worshiping God is illegal.

    Thank you Lord, for allowing me to openly spend time with you--on Saturday, Sunday and every day!

     I do understand that I would be just "as Christian" if I couldn't go to church, perhaps my faith would run deeper, but I'm not going to skip out on a worship service on a dare, something this precious must be celebrated!

  

The Motions

At my former church, Community, I served in many capacities.  I'm not going to list my "resume" here, but I had a good time and learned a good deal about church, and, more importantly God, in every role I took on.  My favorite thing to do, or where Brad would say where I was in my element, was teaching the baptism class.  Oh my, there were such moments in those classes.

For a short while, we attended what I call our interim church, and I went on a mission trip with them.

We've been attending The Compass in Naperville for very close to a year now; we plan on staying there.  I'm learning much from Pastor Dale's messages.  The music touches me deeply.  But I haven't done a thing servant wise.  Last August, as a reaction to a push from a pastor I met in Kentucky, I signed up for a small group leadership class (I did lead a women's small group at Community, and then was part of a group.)  But I haven't started a small group--though I did make some attempts.

The keep calling for servants, and at times I feel guilty, so I contacted the person in charge of greeting a month ago and volunteered for that, but I haven't done it yet.

So what's wrong with me?

Last week, Donald Miller posted this.  He didn't allow comments, which makes sense as I'm sure people would be mad, but it made so much sense to me.  It allowed me to feel a little bit okay about shying away from serving, or, at least, for thinking and praying about where I'm best used.

Then, at the concert the other night, Matthew West sang, "The Motions," and I thought, "That's what I'm doing, I'm just volunteering to serve when I haven't heard from God. I'm going through the motions instead of being still and waiting to hear from Him." Definitely feeling the give-in to peer pressure instead of His leading.

So I wait.  Now to be still...

Lent--Q of the W

     I grew up Catholic.  With no disrespect to any of my Catholic friends, or any of my readers who are or were Catholic, my standard line remains:  I stopped practicing because I never got any better.
     Ha ha.
     After weasling out of going to church somewhere late in my teen years, I didn't willingly go again to church--save for weddings and funerals--for decades.  Most of you know the rest of the story, I accepted Christ and became a Christ Follower pretty swiftly, if you forget the fact He was knocking on my door for 30+ years, about six years ago.
     I have learned so much about God, about Jesus in these past six years, and he fills my heart.
     I have looked through traditions to see the Jesus all believers see, we all are loved by the same Jesus.
     One thing that has confounded me these past six years is Lent. It's big out there. So this year I did some research.  Okay, it wasn't deep, but I did learn a bit more than I knew before I Googled it.  I'm thinking about it. The church I attended after first being saved didn't mention it.  This the first Lenten season at our new church, but I haven't heard a reference made to it yet.  I guess this would follow what I learned on Wikipedia.
     Yet, it seems that some Evangelicals--on their own--do mark it.  It also seems non-practicing Catholics fall back on it too.  Many Protestants do too.
     So, what do you think of Lent?  Do you observe it?  Do you fast?  Do you aim to do better things for others?  What's your 40 day plan?  Or, like me, do you not understand?  I'm trying here...And trust, if I decide to disagree, I will only respect your willingness to share.  I'm seeking here.

Words, a day early

     Brad and I are spending the day in the Big City (Chicago) on a rare mid-week date.  The weather is meant to be perfect, our lunchtime is reserved at a posh and scenic spot, so I'm hoping to have some fun photos to share tomorrow.
     So Wednesday is Tuesday this week.
     At church this weekend, our guest teacher Chris Payne shared these words.  I don't know if he "coined" them or if he copied them, so I'll give him the credit:

     "God is God.  I am not.  

Most of my problems come when I forget that."

Do they mean anything to you?

They got me, and they got me good.

Looking Forward to Tonight

  

     All summer, we've been going to Saturday night service at The Compass Church.  Saturday night service is wonderful for us!
     A while ago, a family members told us that she thought Saturday night church didn't really count.  I forget her exact words, but that was the gist of them. I cannot disagree with her more. 
     Our new church, where we hope to stay for a long time, has a Saturday night service, and I love it for many reasons:
1.  We are rarely rushed to get there.
2.  I am always awake.
3.  The distraction of the day ahead isn't present, but I am present.
4.  The worship is longer. Since there is only one Saturday night service, they share more (really good) music.
5.  No matter how fun or hard our Saturday is, we have something special to look forward to.
6.  It's a special kind of "date night" bonding we can't get anywhere else.
7.  We reflect on the message that night, all of Sunday, discuss it and take it into our week with us.
8.   It allows for a stress free Sunday morning--a rarity here and for you too, I would guess.
9.  God is with us, even on a Saturday evening.  

Graphic from the current series, "Let's Talk About It."  

Tonight's message is How to Live a Fulfilled Life.