Not Wasting New Attitude

As New Attitude is fast approaching, I have been attempting to prepare my heart for what the Lord has in store. It is easy for me to get caught up in the busyness of life and the conference that I can neglect being purposeful. Some of the leaders of NA have also been stressing the importance of “Not Wasting” the conference. These are a few of the thoughts I came away with after reading some of their articles.

Ways To Not Be Wasteful:

• Identify one area that you really want to hear from the Lord in or one area that you want to experience God in. Start praying that God will work in that area. Go to the conference in faith that He will meet you.


• Have personal alone time with God. – I can sometimes think that because I’m surrounded by fellow believers, entering into worship and hearing messages from God’s word that it negates me from needing to have my quiet times with the Lord. But from personal experience it only makes those other times sweeter and prepares my heart for what the Lord wants to do in me.


• Take notes so you can apply the messages when you get home.


• Plan for application. But don’t plan on applying everything at once or you will be overwhelmed. Powlison says, “Take one bit of scripture and apply it to one bit of life.”


• Don’t stay up so late to the point where you won’t be able to concentrate on the message the next day. Unlike God…we do need sleep!


• Talk to someone new. – I have found that I best accomplish this in my family group and try to get to know the people I am with as well as I can in our short time together. But with so many people at the conference it should be easy to meet new people.


• 
  
  Build with the people that you know. – Eric Simmons says, “Sure you want to meet new people (we hope you meet lots). But there is something special about building relationships with people from home, people that know you and know what’s going on with your work/school/family.”

These are just few thoughts on how to not waste the conference. As you pray and prepare you heart, the Lord might show you other ways. I am praying that at NA I will be purposeful in striving to do all for the glory of God. I have to remember that going to this conference is a privilege not a right. I hope that the Lord will use it to continue molding me, as well as everyone else, to be more like him.

-Lana-

Observations of the Prophesier

It is a well-documented fact that people have been prophesying in and outside of churches for hundreds of years now. Whether they are accurate or not in many cases remains to be seen. However, I believe the unique distinction of one who has the gift of “prophecy” or “encouragement,” must be classified. You see, there are many different types and deliveries of prophecy and I have taken the time to dissect these differences and categorize them for you into six very distinct and diverse groups:

1. The Persistent One

This prophesier is well known in the church community for their particular dedication to the prophecy mic. Sunday after Sunday, this person can be counted upon to meander down the isle, bible in one hand, notepad in the other, ready and willing to make your teeth feel the Spirit move. From scriptural exhortations, to “I see a picture of…” moments, this individual has no shortage of encouragements. In fact, they wrote the manual.

2. The Goosebumps One

A much rarer sighting, this prophesier has powers not seen in any other category. Though not experienced in every congregation, a visit to the mic by this individual will always guarantee one thing. Goosebumps like you’ve never felt before. More capable than any scary movie and more profound than the “break-an-egg-on-your-head” game, this prophesier pushes the boundaries of little bumps on your arms to a whole new level. On a scale of 1 to 10 it would be an 11.

3. The Short and Sweet One

This particular prophesier is known for their no beating-around-the-bush mentality and record-breaking speed. They have taken the saying, “less is more” to an entirely new level. Verses like “Jesus Wept” and “Praise the Lord” consist of their only vocabulary. Word of caution: don’t sneeze or you’ll miss it.

4. The Dramatic Effect One

One of the most well known of all prophesiers, the “Dramatic Effect One’s” title is indicative of their delivery. Gandalf and the movie-preview-voice guy come in a far distant second to this prophesier. Their most notable characteristics are extreme voice inflection, an ability to bring forth emotion like it’s a super power, and of course… the infamous clap line. These prophesiers are easy to spot even as they make their way to the mic. The “I’m-looking-into-the-face-of-God” composure coupled with the countenance of an angel gives them almost a glowing appearance. As they grasp the mic with two spirit filled hands, make sure both of your feet are firmly planted on the ground because your in for the ride of your life.

5. The “You’ll Get’m Next Time” One

Just when you thought that nothing could be more awkward than the time you let one rip in front of all of your mom’s friends, this newbie steps up to the plate and leaves only silence and questioning expressions in his wake. Usually these prophesiers are first-timers who thought they had all the confidence in the world until the music stops and the mic is “hot”. For the first 15 seconds of awkward silence everyone’s thinking “he must be crying”, until he opens his mouth and spews forth 10 seconds of un-intelligible gibberish. Any sane individual would realize their predicament and proceed with a duck and cover strategy at this point, but it appears that this prophesier has been blessed with the inability to perceive uncomfortable situations and pays no heed to the worship leaders desperate “cut-it” motions up on stage. As this individual makes his way back to his seat, avoiding all possible eye contact, we can only feel sorry for the job of transitioning that now faces the worship leader. This is an extremely convenient time for a bathroom break or to go get a pen.

6. The “Reject One”

This poor, poor soul knows full well the meaning of rejection because they’ve never tasted the metallic glory of the prophecy mic to their lips. There is no dignity for this individual. Though they try and hold their head high, everybody and their mother knows as soon as they get back to the pew the church bulletin has suddenly become more profound than the Bible. “Hey I didn’t know it was mike’s birthday last week…”. Most important in all of this is the “Rejector.” i.e. the “the Prophecy Mic Guy”. The Gatekeeper of Knowledge. (I am of the opinion that this individual should be required to wear a long flowing robe, grow out a white beard and have some sort of staff or scepter that he could use to “bop” bad prophesiers over the head in mid-sentence. Yea, that should do it.) His power to deliver crushing disappointment is unsurpassed. However, this individual most not let his true feelings show. When “rejecting” a prophesy, he must be sure that his face is contorted in just the right thoughtful, considerate, “maybe” expression along with a pat on the back or a textbook reply like, “I think the Spirit is transitioning to a time of reflection at the moment”.

*disclaimer: These words do not express the thoughts or beliefs of Grace Covenant Church. They are only my poor attempts to lighten the day with a little humor. I very strongly believe in the gift of prophecy and the Spirits use of it.

-Kyle-

Walking Wounded

“We talk glibly about forgiving when we have never been injured; when we are injured we know that it is not possible, apart from God’s grace, for one human being to forgive another.” Oswald Chambers

In her book “Choosing Forgiveness” Nancy Leigh DeMoss states, “I’ve come to believe that, whether they realize it or not, unforgiveness is, in fact, a very real issue for most people. Almost everyone has someone (or ones) they haven’t forgiven. Whenever I have spoken on this subject, after defining and describing forgiveness form a biblical perspective, I have asked the audience the question: ‘ how many of you would be honest enough to admit that there is a root bitterness in you heart that there are one or more people in your life-past of present that you’ve never forgiven?’”

Colossians 3:13-“Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Mark 11:25-“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that you Father also who is in heaven may forgive your trespasses.”

“Anything against anyone.” "That pretty much covers the bases. Doesn’t it? No offence is too great, no offender is beyond the boundary to which our forgiveness must extend. Our fellowship with God requires it and depends on it. So if we as believers persist in unforgiveness, our hearts are forced to wrestle with the fact that our actions amount to disobedience. The pathway of resentment and retaliation-God calls us to the pure, powerful, choice of forgiveness- and to pursue, wherever possible, the pathway of restoration and reconciliation. The outcome of our lives in not determined by what happens to us but by how we respond to what happens to us.”

This has begun to get me thinking. Here are a few questions that I have asked myself before and have had apply to my own life……

1. Is there a person or circumstance you have blamed for the way your life has turned out?
2. Is there someone who has wronged you that you’re still trying to make pay for there offence?
3. Can you think of a situation where you retaliated or became resentful, rather than forgiving someone who hurt you?

-Candace-

Grace and Gratitude

Romans 11:35-" Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"

The anwer is nobody!!!!

There are many times when our culture thinks otherwise. We're dissapointed with our family, neighbors, work, the waitress, the sales clerk. Ultimately we are disappointed with God. He hasn't given us everything we want! I find myslef being that person way too often!

In Randy Alcorn's book "The Grace and Truth Paradox" he states:

"If only we could see our situation clearly even for a moment. We deserved expulsion; He gave us a diploma. We deserved the electric chair; He gives us a parade. Anything less than overwhelming gratitude should be unthinkable. He owes us nothing! We owe Him everything!When you realize you deserve nothing better than hell, it puts a 'bad day' in perspective, dosen't it? If I grasp that I deserve hell, I'll be filled with gratitude not only for God's huge blessings- including my redemption and home in heaven-but also for His smaller blessings: sun, rain, a beating heart, eyes that see, legs that walk, a mind that thinks. If I don't have these, I'll be overwhelmed with the knowledge that I have plenty I don't deserve. And because Christ allowed Himself to be crushed under the weight of my sin, I'll enjoy forever a clear mind and perfect body."

As I read what was stated above I was very convicted! What a great reminder of the grace that God has so richly poured out on such a wretched sinner as I. How great it is to walk out into the world and answer the question "how are you doing?" and be able to answer with great gratitude that I am doing better then I derserve!!! What a great God we serve!

-Candace-

Stand Still

Yes, it's another Morning and Evening quote. But I think the following entry for July 24th is very applicable to many circumstances and situations. It is my personal favorite right now, and it has been a huge source of encouragement to me because it describes me almost exactly.

Exodus 14:13 Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.

These words contain God's command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he now to do? The Master's word to him is, "Stand still." It will be well for him if at such times he listens only to his Master's word, for other and evil advisers come with their suggestions.

Despair whispers, "Lie down and die; give it all up." But God would have us put on a cheerful courage, and even in our worst times, rejoice in His love and faithfulness.

Cowardice says, "Retreat; go back to the worldling's way of action; you cannot play the Christian's part, it is too difficult. Relinquish your principles." But, however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God. His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course.

What, if for a while thou art called to stand still, yet this is but to renew thy strength for some greater advance in due time. Precipitancy cries, "do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness." We must be doing something at once-we must do it so we think-instead of looking to the Lord, who will not only do something but will do everything.

Presumption boasts, "If the sea be before you, march into it and expect a miracle."

But Faith listens neither to Presumption, nor to Despair, nor to Cowardice, nor to Precipitancy, but it hears God say, "Stand still," and immovable as a rock it stands. "Stand still";-keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, "Go forward."

-Amber-

Unconditional and Lifetime Surrender

Over the last couple of weeks God has been laying the word “surrender” on my heart over and over again. About a week ago I began reading a book titled, “Surrender- the heart God controls” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and have been very convicted by some of her points.

Recently I looked up what the word surrender meant and here are a couple things that I found:


1. To yield something to the possession or power of another
2. To give oneself up
3. To give up, abandon, or relinquish
4. To yield or resign in favor of another


“I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own…. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any things as my own.” Jonathan Edwards

The quotes below from her book have been very convicting to me. Oh how often I find myself doing the exact same thing over and over again….

“One of the challenges of complete surrender to Christ is that we don’t know what lies ahead. Doubtless, some of us might be more inclined to surrender if God would hand us a contract with all the details filled in. We’d like to know what to expect: ‘what will this cost me? What will He ask me to do?’ We want to see all the fine print so we can read it over, think about it, and then decide whether to sign our name on the dotted line.”

She goes on to say…

“That not God’s way. God says instead, ‘Here’s a blank piece of paper. I want you to sign your name on the bottom line, hand it back to Me, and let Me fill in the details. Why? Because I am God; because I have bought you; because I am trustworthy; because you know how much I love you, because you live for My glory not you own independent, self-promoting pleasure.’”

Proverbs 16:9-"The Heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Father I abandon myself into Your sovereign hands; please do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You. I am ready for all, I accept all. I give up my plans and purposes, all my own desires, hopes and ambitions for my future. Thank you once again for the grace You bestow upon my life.


-Candace-

The Final Exam

My aunt sent this to me...

At Penn State University, there were four sophomores taking chemistry and all of them had an "A" so far. These four friends were so confident that, the weekend before finals, they decided to visit some friends and have a big party. They had a great time but, after all the hearty partying, they slept all day Sunday and didn't make it back to Penn State until early Monday morning.

Rather than taking the final then, they decided that after the final they would explain to their professor why they missed it. They said that they visited friends but on the way back they had a flat tire. As a result, they missed the final. The professor agreed they could make up the final the next day. The guys were excited and relieved. They studied that night for the exam.

The next day the Professor placed them in separate rooms and gave them a test booklet. They quickly answered the first problem worth 5 points. Cool, they thought! Each one in separate rooms, thinking this was going to be easy.... then they turned the page. On the second page was written....For 95 points: Which tire? _________

-Amber-

Ephesians 4:29: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Corrupt:
debased in character; depraved; perverted; wicked; evil
made inferior by errors or alterations, as a text.
infected; tainted.
decayed; putrid.

to destroy the integrity of; cause to be dishonest, disloyal
to lower morally; pervert
to alter (a language, text, etc.) for the worse; debase.
to mar; spoil
to infect; taint
to make putrid or putrescent

I think after reading the above description of what the word corrupt means, no one would want to be responsible for letting “corrupt” speech come out of them, but sadly we are all guilty of it. I have recently been thinking about “speech” and have been reminded of the importance of words. I know that I can far too often be unconcerned with the words that are coming out of my mouth and guilty of letting corrupt words come out of me. We supposedly use an average of 25,000 words a day. How many of those am I using to glorify God and edify others?

Paul Tripp wrote in his book War of Words: "When we speak, it must be with the realization that God has given our words significance. He has ordained for them to be important...God has given words value. So we must do all we can to assign words the importance Scripture gives them."

Corrupt talk includes all words or communication that deters growth in godliness and hinders the cultivation of godly relationships. It defiles others. It has a decaying, rotting effect on a person's soul.-CJ Mahaney

This verse in Ephesians doesn’t just stop with the instruction to not let corrupt talk come out of our mouths, we are to replace that with something…speech that is good for building up.

1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

What amazing power and potential there is in our speech! When we are purposeful and intentional to use edifying and appropriate words, this is the result: God promises that our words will impart grace to those who hear. Every conversation we have with another person carries this marvelous potential of passing on the grace of God. And we are a people in need of God's grace, are we not? – Janelle Bradshaw

I am praying for God’s help in letting my words, whether many or few, be glorifying to the One who has enabled me to speak and to be a means of grace to all who know me and even those who don’t. When others love and encourage me, may I do the same to them. When others hurt and sin against me, may I seek to build them up and encourage them. When others are lost and need a kind word, may I speak the gospel truth, which is the kindest thing I could ever do for them. May I strive to use all 25,000 of my words as a beautiful building tool and not an instrument of destruction.

-Lana-

The Bald Worship Leader

Prodigal John reports:

After I wrote the post about the "mandatory youth minister goatee" I was flooded with emails about another phenomenon sweeping the nation, the "bald worship leader."

Never one to deny attention to things that are sweeping the nation, I thought I would address it. I'm not bald and I'm not a worship leader either but if I ever lose my hair and a church has a need for a triangle-playing worship leader (only instrument I've got in the bag), here are three rules I am going to live by:

1. Refuse the temptation to be weird hat guy.
When you go bald I think there's a deep urge to really explore all the wonders that the hat world has to offer. But when I see the currently cool Fidel Castro type hat on stage I don't think, "here I am to worship." I think, "here I am to overthrow a capitalist society." From cowboy hats to bandanas and top hats, I think you have to be very careful when it comes to how you clothe your head. (Bret Michaels, we know you are bald. Stop it.)

2. Manage the sweat situation.
If I go bald, I am going to develop the most incredible ninja-like ability to keep my head sweat free. I'll still be rocking out on my triangle, have no fear, but never will you find yourself hypnotized by betting on which bead of sweat will make it down my dome first.

3. Develop an awesome worship leader face.
Someone brought to my attention that in addition to musical skill, a worship leader must possess a face that helps set the tone. It must look engaged but not distant, focused but not unavailable, happy but also a little melodramatic. It's hard to describe, but close your eyes, form a half smile, and imagine you've just taken a bite of your favorite food and happen to be holding an acoustic guitar.

I am sure there are other rules when it comes to being an awesome bald worship leader, but those are mine. Please note: I know there are a lot of amazing female worship leaders. Some of my favorite worship leaders are women. The church that I attend has a bunch, but thus far none of the ones I know have goatees or are bald. So until I think of something funny or someone sends me something about a quirk of female worship leaders, I am sparing them the ridiculousness of posts like this.

-Kyle-

Thoughts from Sinclair Ferguson...

Recently, C.J Mahaney has been posting an interview he conducted with the famous Irish author and preacher, Sinclair Ferguson.  You can read the interview here.  There were many answers that Mr. Ferguson had to C.J's questions that were convicting, but one thing he said really resonated with me.

"There are times when I bump into somebody unexpectedly that I will say, “This is a happy providence.” And then I will stop and think, “Would it have been an unhappy providence if I hadn’t bumped into you?” We have this tendency—especially if you are inclined to this legalism—to measure how God’s love is doing for you these days by the providences that surround your life. Our ability to read providences are a very inaccurate measure of God’s love for us."

This is so applicable to me because I do it so darn often.  It is a form of legalism that I think goes unnoticed and unchecked by many Christians today and serves only to limit the providence of God.  We as sinners cannot determine what is good for us and what is not.  We do not set the boundaries or limitations as to what is done for our benefit, only God does.  Essentially, everything that happens to us is under the sovereignty of God and is therefore for our good.  

It is errant and arrogant for me to say that because I received an 'A' on an exam that God is good or that the 'A' is definitively good.  God is always good.  However, the real test is what I would be thinking if I received an 'F'.  Would I consider that circumstance as 'bad' now?  In my heart is God still good or am I quietly seething about the outcome?

What I am trying to say is that what we think to be a bad thing is almost always a good thing in the end.  Think through some of the events that have happened to you this week that you have deemed to be unsavory.  Was it necessarily a bad providence?  Many times I have to stop and ask God that he would comfort with the truth of Romans 8:28.

These are questions that I think we would all do well to ask ourselves in those situations.  I pray that God would shed the light of his truth upon us and that we would surrender to that.  Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good." 

-Kyle-

Holding Hands... In Church

I found this on a blog that lists things that Christians do or don't do, like or dislike.  This was #108.  I thought it was hilarious 

"Every now and then, a minister will feel inspired to have everyone in the crowd hold hands. Which of course is awesome. But all too often, I find that Christians violate the three simple rules of hand holding. So as a service to the greater Christian population, I'm like the Billy Graham of sarcasm, I thought I would quickly review the three things you should never do when holding hands with strangers:

1. Interlink your fingers

This is way, way, way too intimate to do if you don't know me and happened to be married to me. But some people do it. Instead of doing the "hey pal I know we're holding hands which is weird but oh well" palm in palm grip, they weave their sweaty fingers between yours. As soon as someone does that to me, the 13-year old in me automatically thinks, "this person is trying to make out with me." Don't do this ever.

2. The "you're great squeeze"

For some reason lots of Christians feel the need to punctuate a good hand hold with a tiny gesture. They want closure. But please, avoid the temptation to end the hand holding session with a "Jesus loves you" squeeze. It's nowhere near as intimate as interlinking, but it still feels a little creepy coming from a man in his mid-50s that up to 30 seconds ago I had never seen in my entire life.

3. The linger

When it becomes clear that the hand holding is over, I expect you to let go of my hand like a bank robber fleeing the scene of the crime. Seriously, let's not be the last people pressed together with our hands awkwardly connected. Think of letting go as a race. I want us to win. I want you and I to set new land speed record in letting go. Come on, we can do it. Eye of the tiger. Eye of the freaking tiger.

-Kyle-