As the World Turns

Last night was confirmation to me that the world continues to turn, things continue to succeed, and life goes on without me. Of course I knew this to be true already and have continued to grow and change myself. I am entering a new season of ministry and anointing in my life that I feel to be a direct result of following the call and am experiencing new levels in my personal and spiritual life that I never would have been blessed with if I had become complacent.

We returned to New Life Church in Marietta, Ohio last night as "guest" speakers. How strange it is to be a guest in your own home. I grew up in Marietta and have been part of New Life Church since my birth. I continue to be part of New Life from a distance and have a definite interest in its success and growth. This blog is not really insightful or humorous, just more reflective of a life well lived and an era of new beginnings. Having been a bittersweet week for me, I enjoyed rekindling old friendships and seeing familiar faces in my home last night. This week marks the anniversary of my fathers death and the passing of another one of his birthday's without his presence on this earth. Because of this fact, visiting my "home" church was especially interesting for me last night. The years that I didn't live in Marietta in the past, coming home was natural. My dad was the pastor of the church and I was able to visit my parents. Now, I no longer have any blood relatives in Marietta, Ohio, however, the family ties that I have here go deeper than blood. I am thrilled to see the great things that God is doing in Marietta and at New Life and look forward to hearing the great reports. I can be happy with the fact that I know that through the work, pastoral dedication, and sacrifice of my parents and our work and organization as the pastors there, a foundation and structure exists in the hearts and lives of souls in the mid-Ohio valley and seeds have been planted in other lives that will germinate and grow. The law of the harvest is that some plant, some water, but it is God that brings the increase. No human structure or person can do what only God can do.

As God continues to perform miracles in our lives and blesses our church plant in Cleveland, Ohio, it is a success story that those at New Life can rejoice in. God called us and sent us and it is exciting to do his bidding. It is just too bad that the house we lived in in Marietta is no longer saved. The new owners are flying a Purdue flag and we all know you have to be a Buckeye's fan to go to heaven=)

Politics and the Church

With all eyes on the Democrat National Convention this week in Denver and the impending Vice Presidential selection announcement from John McCain, I have been thinking a lot this week about politics and the church. Unlike other Christian writers and commentators, I have not been thinking about politics in terms of who I feel is right or wrong for a christian to vote for, but rather about the lessons that politics can teach the American church about what Americans are desiring and striving for. Whether or not you feel that the church is an appropriate platform to voice political views and endorse candidates, we are all affected by the countries choice of leadership. In a monumental race where history has been made with both an African-American presidential nominee for a major party and a woman almost being nominated, I feel that it is time for the church to take a serious look at the platforms of both political parties and what it can teach us about making our churches a place with a message that will attract the American people. Regardless of which side of politics that you stand on, the speeches and strategy employed by both parties can teach us all a lesson.

Just a few nights ago, Michelle Obama gave a speech highlighting her role as mother, wife, and advocate. It seems that in both parties political strategies, family values and perceived family strength is a huge factor that Americans are looking for. Even political families that have been torn apart by infidelity and scandal continue the public image of strength and unity. Women stand beside their politician husbands that have been caught in prostitution scandal, affairs, and philandering. In the real world, many women would not publicly go to support a husband caught purchasing prostitutes. However, in the political world, we have an image to live up to in the American dream. People desire a strong family bond in the 21st century. It is still the ideal for children to live in a home with both a father and a mother. Regardless of which side that you stand on, both republicans and democrats agree in speeches that being a devoted parent and partner is realizing the American dream. The church should create a place where families can be strengthened, taught, supported, and ministered too. If both major political parties feel that it is necessary to at least attempt to have an image of the strong family unit, it must be a pretty important political strategy. How much more should the church strategize to not only have the image of strong families, but be the place where families grow together, stay together, pray together, and reach out to our communities together? The church should be the place where we not only have the image of strong families, but where faithful, devoted families actually exist.

Another monstrous political platform is the economy. Again, it doesn't matter what side of the political coin you are on, a strong or struggling economy affects us all. while we have different views on how to strengthen the economy either through big government, tax cuts, tax hikes, or smaller government, every American desires for this country to be prosperous and for children to have the opportunity for education and success. The Bible has a lot to say on economics. The church should be a place where God's economic laws are taught and where the principals of stewardship are preached on and practiced. If every person in America is concerned with the price of gas, the price of food, and the employment rate, shouldn't the church be a place where people can find answers to these dilemmas? Churches shouldn't be afraid to talk about finances and the economy. The Bible speaks numerous times on money and how it should be handled.

And finally with all of the different things that this presidential election is riding on, global warming seems to be a huge issue. People are pushing for a "green" nation and a "green" economy. Whether you believe in global warming to the degree that it is being pushed on us or not, God commissioned humanity to take care of the earth, the animals, and the environment. When God gave humans dominion over the earth in the garden of Eden it was with the stipulation that we would care for the earth. Churches ought to be the leaders in community service activities that promote recycling, caring for the environment, and seeking new ways to be energy efficient. Not only would churches saving money on their utility bills if they watch their electricity usage and take small steps to preserve the environment, but they would become stand outs in the community.

Everyone desires to be part of a system that cares for family, finances, and the earth. These are the reasons that people come out in droves to support their candidate of choice. Even though churches are not political vehicles, we can learn a lot about the aspirations of our local citizens and the dreams of people through political strategy. Don't cater to every "wind of doctrine" or new political view that comes around and root your church in Biblical teachings and principals. However, don't get so "spiritual" that you fail to meet people where they are. The Bible says to be all things to all men.

Lessons Learned from the Laundromat

As a new inductee into the laundromat "hall of shame", I have spent many hot, boring hours making observations about the people that use laundromats and how they interact. Since I do have a degree in psychology and love to "people watch", the potential drudgery that is a coin operated washing machine has turned into somewhat of a social experiment for me. Here is a very non spiritual blog about human nature.

Lesson #1: People do not know how to handle money..........

I already knew this lesson based on the current state of our economy, the high bankruptcy rate, and the excessive credit card debts that Americans have. However, my lack of faith in peoples ability to budget correctly has been confirmed. Unless a laundromat is a necessity (i.e. you live in a tiny little space with 4 people and it is impossible to have a washer and dryer, you live in a college dorm, you have items too big or too numerous to wash at home, or you are temporarily in hock with a broken appliance), laundromats save you absolutely no money whatsoever. It typically costs us around$20 every time we go to a laundromat to wash and dry our clothes. Maybe it would save you some money if you were a single person, but I figured even if you didn't have the straight up cash to purchase the washer and dryer, most appliance stores and furniture stores have 90 plus days same as cash and other payment plans. Even if you only went to a laundromat twice a month at $20 a pop, you could put $40 a month into a payment for a washer and dryer. Sam's Club has a good quality washer and dryer for $300 each. It would take you 15 months at $40 a month to pay both a washer and dryer off if all the money you had was your laundromat money. This saves you bunches of money considering the life of your machinery is at least 10 years and 10 years in a laundromat at $40 a month would cost you $4,800. Also, it is not economical to spend $2 on a tiny one time use box of off brand detergent. Buy your detergent at Wal-Mart and bring it with you.

Lesson #2: People would prefer to pretend like they are blind rather than acknowledge that other people exist

A majority of the people that visit the laundromats that I have frequented must have an extreme fear of others because they literally won't even look at you. Is it any wonder that so many Americans are on Prozac? People might possibly be happier if they acknowledged other humans and had interactions that brought them out of their comfort zone. I have had very few things said to me in the laundromats that I have a visited with the exception of one warning from an employee that it was too late for someone like me to be out walking the streets with laundry. Hey, at least one person cared. For the most part though, people live their lives full of complete indifference and mysterious unconcern.

Lesson#3: People are embarrassed of underwear

Shockingly enough, in a world of thongs and butt cracks hanging out of low riders, people at laundromats do their best to hide their underwear when putting them in the washer, transferring to the dryer, and folding. I find this quite interesting considering the fact that people have no modesty of shame in most public places. I daily see breasts, butt cheeks, and thighs that I have no desire to look at because people wear clothes that don't fit. But for some reason, people would rather die than have their tightey whiteys exposed at a laundromat.

Lesson #4:Cleanliness is not a Virtue

Believe it or not, in a place where you are trying to get all of your stuff clean and rid your life of stains, dirt, and baby poop smears, cleanliness has little or no value. I would think of a laundromat as sort of a temple to worship the soap God. In fact, it is quite the opposite. It is very scary to imagine the sorts of creatures and fuzz that live in the washers and dryers of a public laundry facility. I deeply inspect every machine before I let it touch my clothes. Beyond that though, the floors are sticky and filthy and you better not even walk near the bathroom. You may be accosted by a sea monster or some other species that lurks in the sink and toilet. Definitely don't wear the same shoes in your house that you wore in the laundromat. I have encountered every type of sticky goo plastered on the laundromat floors, stools, benches, and tables.

Lesson #5: Capitalism is King

There is power in the concept of capitalism. As enticing as it sounds to make sure that everyone has an opportunity for equal financial status, the laundromat has shown me that competition and supply/demand still work as a basis for financial growth. The amount of money I have spent at any given laundromat has varied considerably from the North East to the Mid-West. The towns with only one laundromat cost excessively more than the towns where free enterprise reign. If you offer a good product and a good price, they will come. We don't need too many regulations on that, we just need entrepreneurs to stir the American spirit. I have used the same machine in two different places and in one place it cost 8 quarters to run and in another place the identical machine was 15 quarters. While this would make some people upset, it only serves to remind me of the freedoms that we have as Americans to succeed or be duped. It is up to you which end you sit on.

Lesson Learned: It is amazing what sitting and watching clothes spin around will due to your psyche. Go outside more often =)

Update on our Life

This is just a check in for those that really don't want a daily dose of Jessica's spiritual ramblings but just want to keep up on us. We are currently in the West Virginia district and will be leaving here for the good old Buckeye State. The sad thing is that we may not be back in Ohio and this area for a significant amount of time once we are done with our deputation travels here. Gentry is clapping his hands, saying Dada 5 million times a day, blowing raspberries, and just generally being all around adorable. Reese is, as always, rambunctious and intelligent. He keeps us all in line and entertains Gentry. I will hopefully be posting more pictures of our family and our travels at our website sometime in the near future. I've got lots of them but it takes forever to upload them if I don't have them put on a disk. We will do that soon, hopefully.

We finally have this trucking thing down and we have learned to live with all of our new found friends, the RV insects. Although we have sprayed continuously for ants and other various bugs, it is apparent that since we are basically living in a box, we are a haven and easy port for Gods most glorious of creatures =) I woke up with a kiss the other day and it wasn't my husband. It was my new man, the lightening bug. Of course all of our misadventures will probably not be over until we finally sell the 5th wheel and get a normal house. Until then, I'll enjoy the laughs as they come and not worry about things out of my control.

Can you rely on God too much? Is religion really a crutch?

After a conversation with somebody today that professes to be a Christian about politics, I couldn't get the thought out of my head that we rely on God too much. We are always taught to bring every little thing to God, his eye is on the sparrow and we know that he watches us, and that he knows every need before we ask. While not disputing these Biblical truths, I do have to make the statement that religion can be a crutch to many people. A crutch is simply a device used to uplift people in times of brokenness and weakness. If you sprain your ankle and it is weak, you turn to a crutch to aid you in your mobility. Oftentimes though, you can get used to walking on this crutch and you no longer desire to walk on your own.
God gave everyone of us gifts to use in his kingdom and a mind to use in our own everyday choices and decisions. This person I was talking to about politics stated that she isn't going to vote but she is really praying for the hand of God in the election. Is it fair to rely on God to pick the right president when we aren't even willing to put legs to our prayer and do our part to vote? Is it fair to blame God when we pray about things and then do nothing to help bring our prayers into fruition? For example, can we complain to God about our financial situation if we aren't willing to get a job, transfer jobs, or budget?

The book of Philippians talks about being anxious for nothing but to let our requests be made known unto God with prayer and supplication. Just a little bit down in the same chapter it talks about being content in whatsoever state that we are in. Whether we want or are full, we are to be content. With this thought in mind, is it fair for me to use the church and the mysterious "will of God" as an excuse to not succeed? Could I just be saying that something is or isn't the will of God to fit into my own personal paradigm? Is this just an excuse for me to have to do nothing to help myself? I can pray every day to lose weight and then consume 2 gallons of ice cream on top of my prayer. I can pray for health and well being and then refuse to receive preventative care at the Doctor and follow basic medical laws.

The goodness and mercy of God is not an excuse or a crutch for Christians. If anything, it should be the reason that we desire to better ourselves. We should desire education, greatness, and success. This all brings glory to God. God doesn't desire for his people to walk with a spiritual limp and a God crutch under their arm. God also wants his people to rely on him, call on him, and seek him for things that require a God intervention. If God has already given you the tools to accomplish a task, do it and do it well. Don't wait for God to provide the miraculous for a situation that you can do on your own.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might"

Find something to do with your life. Do seek God in decisions, but search for things on your own. This passage of scripture speaks of hard work and diligence. Of course earthly pursuits are secondary to the work of God and will of God, but they are still something that are required to survive in the 21st century. Ruth chapter 2 talks about God rewarding your work and making your wages full. God will help those that help themselves.

Make it Hurt So Good

At some point in the 1980's John Mellencamp sang a song entitled "Hurt so good". I've often thought that this is one of those pointless, bizarre songs that echos in our heads because we hear it playing on Muzak and in elevators. Strangely enough, today I was contemplating the spiritual connotations of this song. I have read the lyrics to it and frankly have no idea as to what the song is about. I'm assuming it is about the pangs of sorrow that we have all felt in a love relationship but that love is worth taking the risk,however to the pure all things are pure and maybe it means something entirely different.I began to think about how in our lives we do absolutely everything that we can to avoid pain. There are prevention groups and clubs for every ailment and mental disease. I had a full time job as a "prevention specialist" and many others in the medical and mental health field hold this same title. Are we trying so hard to put ourselves into a bubble that we are missing out on valuable life experiences. Studies are now showing that our excessive use of anti-bacterial hand gel to prevent disease and infection has done nothing but breed strands of super bacterias that we have no anti-biotics to treat.

Eventually we are all faced with situations in life that we would much rather avoid. Jesus Christ prayed for the cup to pass from him as the time was coming for him to die on the cross. However, just a few short scriptures later we find, "And they gave Him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but He received it not."— Mark 15:23 Jesus chose to not have anything to block the pain and suffering of the sins of the world that he felt via the nails in his hands in feet. He chose to feel every ounce of the misery and grief from both the physical pain and the emotional/spiritual pain of bearing our burdens.

This train of thought has inspired me to challenge everyone to not live in a bubble. Don't try to prevent all suffering in your life. Get your hands dirty by helping the hopeless and getting involved in someones life. It is true that the people that disappoint and hurt you the most are the ones that you have poured excessive time into, but you can't let that stop you from affecting your world. Also, instead of always praying for God to intervene on every situation according to your choosing, learn to truly say from the bottom of your heart and mean it, "Thy will be done Lord". Jesus put away the thoughts of comfort and thoughts of himself for the will of God to be accomplished. What would happen if we all did the same? Remember, "sometimes love doesn't feel like it should."

What's age got to do with it?

I've been thinking a lot recently about age and how many people like to categorize others according to the age demographic that they are in. Many like to limit what they feel they can do both in the secular and spiritual worlds because of a number. In a youth obsessed culture, John McCain has faced much criticism about running for president in his 70's. Why is it that in church culture we don't respect ministers until they reach their mid-fifties and beyond? The church fights enough as it is to stay mainstream and connect to culture yet when we downplay people's roles and ministries because we don't feel they are old enough, we are further ostracizing our self from society. Recently, Luke Ravenstahl became the youngest mayor in US history. He is 26 years old and yet he leads, guides, directs, and casts vision for one of the largest cities in North America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If this same young man were to try to pastor even some of the smallest of churches we would say that we don't want a kid in charge. How bizarre is it that we are still holding onto antiquated ideas when even the word of God says not to despise youth and to remember the creator in the days of your youth. There are numerous Biblical examples of men as young as 8 years old fulfilling the calling of God and leading armies to great victories.

This topic has a particular importance for me because my husband and I became pastors at the young age of 21. We are currently missionaries beginning a church plant in Cleveland, Ohio that will have a global impact. God is no respecter of persons. If he has called and commissioned you, you can do it regardless of your age. Age is only an obstacle to those that are disrespectful and unwilling to participate in God's plan. Many CEO's, managers, governors, and top ranking officials all fall in the age category of 20's and 30's. Why in a world with anti-wrinkle cream, liposuction, and botox is the church still fighting to keep only the oldest members in top ranking positions? This seems out of touch with not only the word of God but with the swing of our culture. Our elders have a lot to provide and give and this is not to be derogatory towards those that are older, however, we must get out of the mindset that you must be a father figure to effectively pastor a church.

I am excited at the trend I see of couples in their 20's starting churches, pastoring churches, and changing cities for God. Why let the secular world have a one up on us? If a 26 year old can be a mayor to millions of people, why are we worried about a 20 something pastor? Get jealousy and pride out of your heart and be sensitive to what the spirit is saying. Youth are to be the example and the leaders!

1 Tim 4:12-16
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.KJV

I blog, therefore I am

Just a little one

Whenever my 3 year old Reese gets in trouble he says, "But mommy it was just a little one". He tries to categorize his offenses from great to small because he feels that if it was just a small offense than the punishment will be "just a little one." Adults really aren't too much more mature in life when it comes to getting caught with "our hand in the candy jar." We too like to justify our inadequacies and failures into categories in order to make ourselves feel better or to look better to others. The sad thing that I have observed and noticed about human nature is that we try much harder to win over the graces and positive opinions of people in our social circles than we try to make God pleased with us. This can manifest itself in many forms. Oftentimes we will follow rules and traditions that we don't agree with just so that others in our church will think we are on the right path. We will do this with a negative and bitter spirit without ever questioning how this affects our walk with God and our example to non-believers. On the other side of the coin, instead of trying to impress our fellow church goers, we will try to be something that we are not at work so that people there will accept us and think we are "one of them".

The Bible says in James 4:17 " Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."(KJV) This scripture really puts the pressure on us to do what is right regardless of what our church family or secular contacts think about us. If I feel that something in my life is a weight or a sin, it is my responsibility to deal with it. Forget about the opinion of others. If you know it is right or wrong, follow your moral conscience because only you will be judged for the actions that you take. Just like Reese likes to minimize his shortcomings, we oftentimes try to hide things in our lives from ourselves and from others. There are no little sins and big sins in the kingdom of God. You are either doing what you know is good and right, or you're not.

All it takes is one little crack in a bowl for all of it's positive contents to leak out. Plug the hole in your life and begin living by the code of conduct that you know to be right and true. Don't worry about the judgements and criticisms of others. Life is summarized by the content of your choices and actions, not by a journalist giving you two thumbs up or down. Stop worrying so much about what people think of you and concentrate on what God thinks of you.

How to Grow

Last night as I was finishing up Gentry's nightly snuggling/nursing session, I began to think of several passages of scripture in the Bible. The beautiful thing about the word of God is that it speaks in symbolism that we can all understand whether or not you are well versed in the original KJV English or not. I really feel like since becoming a parent that the word of God has come alive to me in a way that it wasn't before. We can all understand the symbolism of God our Father, although many people who have had abusive and absent fathers can't wrap their minds around God the loving Father, having never experienced what it means to have a father. We can relate to stories of Jesus the son because he was tempted in all ways like as we are. We can identify with God the Holy Spirit if we have ever attended a spirit filled church simply by the waves of the presence of God that being in that atmosphere makes us feel. However, being a parent puts you on the other side of the coin. While I have experienced God the Father in my life and identified with that, experienced the presence and power of God through the Holy Ghost, and resonated with God the son Jesus in my own personal life, I feel like I can look at the Christian life through the eyes of God now. God desires a deeply personal relationship with us, much like we desire for our own children to look at us as friend, mentor, and guide. There are many references in the Bible to God being a parent.

Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I see parents everywhere continually overindulging their children with gifts. Everything that the child wants, the parent buys for them. We took Reese to Hershey, Pennsylvania yesterday as we are here on deputation now. The ride at Chocolate World is free and then there are mounds of Hershey merchandise everywhere. Parents all around us were buying their kids hundreds of dollars of candy for the novelty. Of course since Reese is 3, we were able to satisfy him with one Reeese's chocolate candy and Gentry needed nothing. This is a great stage in life! (Of course all the diapers is where our money goes instead of to toys) The point of this is to say that if all of these parents want their kids to be happy and have a good time, how much more is God in heaven desiring to take us on a "family vacation" and buy us what our hearts desire. God desires us to go through vacation seasons in life and abound in blessing just like earthly parents desire that for their children. We can understand better how God thinks when we have our own children. I'm not going to wax eloquent on the pros and cons of indulging your children with material things, the point of this article is just to get us all thinking about how God truly desires us to have what we want. He wants to deflect our tantrums, give us good memories, and allow us to acquire positive souvenirs in this journey of life.
Just like Gentry desires to nurse and cuddle with me, we should desire that intimate relationship with God, our parent. John was referred to as the disciple that Jesus loved.

John 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Do we take the time to nurse our spirit and be close to the heartbeat of God. The beautiful thing about a mother nursing her children is that not only do the children derive sustenance, the mom is also filled with her need of snuggling. Sometimes we just need to bless God with our worship. Oftentimes we are guilty of wanting a powerful worship service so that we can feel good. We can leave church feeling like we just really had a good service because people were worked into a pentecostal frenzy. This is not the true mark of a good worship service. Was God blessed by our worship? Did he "receive our praise"? Was he truly invited and able to "inhabit the praises of his people"?

1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
1Pe 2:3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

One thing we notice as parents is that babies are frantic for milk. Since Gentry is getting so big, nursing no longer provides all the nutrients that he needs. If we want to get any sleep at night, I give him a bottle with formula and cereal in it. When he is done with his nursing at night, he looks up and sees his bottle and gets absolutely frantic. He cannot be appeased until he is finally holding the bottle, eating, and tasting it. This reminds me of our Christian walk. When we first come to God just experiencing church and the worship services seems to satisfy our longing. Unfortunately, many Christians never grow beyond this. They can be in church for 20 years and all they want are the goosebumps and chills that you can get from feeling the holy ghost and presence of God in our worship services. They are satisfied to be at the bosom of God for the 2 hour Sunday service, jump, run around, and pat each other on the back. If you are ever to grow as a Christian, just like if babies are ever to grow, you have to move to more than just snuggling. At some point you need to get into the milk of the word. The Bible says that as babies desire milk, we should desire the word of God. At some point milk isn't enough either and we need meat to sustain us. At this point as Christians we should be fulfilling the great commission "to seek and to save that which is lost".
The point of this blog is to inspire you to move beyond infancy in God. Don't be satisfied to just taste of God and think that a good service is when you run around the church. Dive into the word of God, get the mind of God, and finally, reach those that are lost with the message of God.