Monthly Archives: May 2014

Preparing For Peace

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

 

Oude Kerk, Delft

Oude Kerk, Delft

 

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Eph. 6:15

      Last night I began a new series on I Corinthians 13 with our Wednesday night crowd. It’s called Ferocious. I began my final preparations for the class yesterday morning. After an hour of prayer I set up the “classroom in the sanctuary: I set up the dividers and broke out the portable white board ; I created my teaching space and printed out the hand outs and the big classroom sign I had created for the event; Then I set about creating the Spotify music list I wanted playing as people arrived . But preparation for the class actually began a long time ago before I was even asked to teach : There was the actual writing of the blogs from which the class is derived, the life lessons I had to go through so that I could grasp some of the material, and over the last months the organizing of all that material into a cohesive unit that would draw people for seven weeks of classes.

     I got thinking of all this preparation in light of Ephesians 6:15. Paul admonishes “let your feet be  shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Eph. 6:15″. 

    Now there was a time I thought peace was the important part in that verse and it probably still is; But today I am focused on the fact that I’ve been missing that little word “preparation” . The Greek word is “hetoimasia”, which is,”the act of preparing or the condition of a person or thing so far forth as prepared” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

    I have been begging for just a little peace for a while now which means I have been asking God to quiet things down in my life and those lives around me. But like my class I am realizing that peace isn’t something that just happens. In fact Jesus said that life in this world would never offer peace outright“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

    The world can only ever offer trouble. Peace doesn’t come from circumstances it comes from Jesus and I am coming to it that accessing the peace of Jesus involves intentional planning just like my class does. If I am to have peace I must prepare a peaceful heart for myself in the midst of a world that is never going to be overly peaceful. So how am I going to prepare my heart for peace? God has shown me three things I am to do.

1. I am going to pray focused on God rather than on problems:Isaiah 26:3 reads “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

The longer I live as a Christian the more I learn that effective prayer is about praying in the positive and not about praying out the negative.

2. I am going to intentionally schedule quiet time. I had a coaching session yesterday in which I realized I need an intentionally scheduled quiet time away from people AND electronics if I am going to maintain a peaceful attitude throughout the week. I need to schedule some time alone in a garden or by a lake.

3. I am going to begin to schedule with the word “no” in mind.  If I am to prepare for peace I have to start living within the boundaries of God’s expectations for me and I have to stop being guided by the expectations of others.

These are three things I feel I need to do to prepare for peace. What are some of the things you do to create peace around yourself?

Demonstrating Faith

Posted on by under Uncategorized

Look what the Lord has done!

debbestillandlisten's avatarDebBe Still and Listen

Disclaimer: I, Deb Maciorowski, am the Vice President to the Special Touch R.E.A.C.H. New England Chapter and the postings on this site are my own and don’t represent Special Touch Ministry’s positions, strategies or opinions in any way.

I had the pleasure of giving the message at our Special Touch R.E.A.C.H. New England Chapter meeting this past Saturday.  Special Touch Ministry, Inc. is a faith-based organization that helps ease and enrich the lives of people impacted by disability.  The theme of this month’s meeting was steps of faith.  This was the first message I have ever given and I can tell you I was a little bit nervous well actually more than a little bit.  The whole week before  I asked for prayer that God would give me the words He wanted His people to hear.  I thought I would share some of the highlights from Saturday’s message with all…

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Heaven Pt. 146: Nothing Hidden

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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From heaven the Lord looks down

and sees all mankind;

14from his dwelling place he watches

all who live on earth—

15he who forms the hearts of all,

who considers everything they do. Psalm 33:13-15

There are so many things about this world I just don’t “get”.  I don’t “get” why God heals one guy from cancer but lets another die. I don’t “get” why one girl is rescued from human trafficking and another is left to live out her days in bondage. I don’t  “get” why some days I can look temptation square in the eyes and deny it any power at all and on other days it seems like a battle just to stay spiritually alive never mind victorious. It’s a good thing the spinning of the globe doesn’t rely on my understanding, because if it did I am quite sure the world would come to a screeching halt.

The world doesn’t rely on my understanding. Fortunately it doesn’t have to. I may not understand much of anything (and the longer I live as a Christian the more I come to understand that I really understand almost nothing of everything) but God knows everything about everything. He sees all mankind and understands the depths of every man and woman’s heart. He understands and knows our motives and he “gets” how every inner-working interplays with every other inner-working on the planet. He gets the butterfly effect…good golly He is the butterfly effect! So if today there is something you don’t “get” just commit it into the hands of the One who is Wisdom!

Is Work a 4-Letter Word?

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Just what our society needs to hear!

Ken Knowlton's avatarartistdayapart

By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.  (Genesis 3:19)  Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening . (Psalm 104:23)

Despite the 1968 British film Work Is A Four-Letter Word, and the song by the same name sung by the Smiths in the 1980’s, and even the obvious number of letters in the actual word, work should not be looked at as profane, vulgar or offensive.

While the sign above is intended to be comical, it really isn’t.  Why do we look at work as something to avoid at all costs?  People seem to work simply to get to weekends, vacations, and retirement.  I’ve worked as an administrator, teacher, youth pastor, coach, paper-mill worker, tool shipper, cook, appraisal researcher, insurance salesman…

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Spring?

Posted on by under Photography

This post was written in response to the Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: SPRING

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/spring-2/

I actually do feel pretty springish today. It’s not that the traditional things like daffodils or tulips are abounding anywhere (even the first dandelions haven’t budded yet) but this was us two short  weeks ago.

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So the fact that today my world looks like this

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gives me hope that spring has finally arrived!

 

Heaven Pt. 145: the Right Hand From Heaven

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

9 Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call. Psalm 20:6-9 KJV

She smiled at me. Her most disarming smile it was. “Oh! It is so good to see you. I  heard about….I just think that’s the most wonderful idea… all kinds of support I’m sure.”

My blood ran cold and I couldn’t help looking over my shoulder  to see who was getting ready to stick the knife in my back. It was something of the lie that floated behind her smiling eyes. I couldn’t hear her words of encouragement through the static of her actual agenda.

Like me, I’m sure you’ve been to the place of dangerous shadows more than once. Every step on that field is spongy and sure to give way at a moment’s notice. But how we walk in the face of impending danger designates us faithful or otherwise. Do we answer trouble real or perceived with our own strength, our own show of arms or do we remember that success is found only in the name of the Lord our God?

God has promised salvation by the power of His right hand. God has promised to hear our cries from His throne in Heaven…if we make them. And there’s the rub! If we want God’s salvation…if we want God’s saving strength to flow into us we have to seek it. We must pray!

If we pray, God will help. If we try to help ourselves and exclude God from the process God will watch from a distance.

So what do you do when your heart is overwhelmed? What do you do when you are in trouble? Do you just knuckle down and work harder? Do you fight and scheme in your own strength? Or do you go to the God of all power and might and solicit His aid?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Ma. 11:28-30