Chris Vonada's Blog, page 11

Developing A Personal Mission Statement

Image courtesy of Ammon Beckstrom on flickr.com

A personal mission statement. Do you have one for you, and/or for your family? I never did. It came up at church a couple of weeks ago. We were studying Acts Chapter 20, where Paul was on the move in an intentional way, he was moving and grooving on his way back to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost.

When I think of Paul, I envision a real hero. He was a true servant, focused on his mission to spread the Gospel. Here today, on to the next stop tomorrow. Sometimes he would stay for months in one place, other times he was gone in a flash. He did this knowing that he would face prison and hardships in every city. How did he know all of that? The Holy Spirit told him. He went anyway.

And so we were challenged to come up with a personal mission statement. I thought about it for a week or so, and one morning after a discussion in our disciple group here is what I came up with for mine:

Bring Glory to God and Honor Him through Obedience, Passionately Serving, Sharing the Gospel, and Loving Everyone.

How do we come up with a personal mission statement?

Try answering these 4 questions:

Who am I?
What is important to me?
What are my core values?
What legacy do I want to leave behind?

Writing a mission statement for yourself and/or with your family should be exciting. If it seems stressful, relax and take your time. Remember to be honest with yourself. And, remember that this exercise can be a work in progress. Likewise, it may change through time. Think of this mission statement as your guiding light. It’s something that you have to help keep you focused and grounded. Write it down on the tablet of your heart. Carry it around on a business card. Keep it handy so it’s there whenever you need it. And keep putting oil into the lamp.

Do you have a personal mission statement?

What suggestions could you offer to someone trying to develop a personal mission statement?

Learning To Be An Everyday Hero

Ben The Avalanche Rescue Dog.
Photo courtesy of dafuriousd on flickr.com

As I’m wading through my email last week and I ran across this one, from About.com, “The Psychology Of Heroism.” I never realized that being a hero was all that complicated. Doesn’t it usually go something like this: Clark Kent finds a telephone booth, pops the buttons off his broadcloth double Tattersall dress shirt, and whoosh, off he flies into the night sky to save some damsel from an everyday thug.

So I read about it and sure enough, there is substance to this mindset, you know, of being a hero.

Contrary to what this make look like at first glance, there is substance to this notion, and these everyday heroes are a step out of the ordinary. Here’s what they look like:

Heroes are servants, they have compassion and empathy for other people.
When a challenge arises, heroes have confidence in their ability to handle the situation.
Heroes have a strong moral compass. They are willing to sacrifice their own personal comfort for the sake of doing what is right.
Heroes are positive thinkers who take action. They are blessed with the ability to look past fear and danger, and foresee a positive outcome.

Does this sound just like Jesus? Yep, I thought so too!

I found out that we can actually learn heroism, and there are initiatives underway to help teach it. The Heroic Imagination Project is one, a non-profit that teaches people how to effectively take action in challenging situations. HIP believes that heroism is a mindset or set of habits that anyone can achieve.

Through the Psychology of Change, HIP empowers individuals to “transform situations by building skills and awareness around five universal, socially based tendencies that are a part of our shared evolutionary and cultural heritage. They are our default mode for good reasons, as these tendencies are normally helpful and adaptive. Yet, when we find ourselves in challenging or stressful situations, uncritically relying on these tendencies can limit our options, hold us back, and lead to poor decision-making.  They can also divert our attention away from important aspects of what is going on immediately around us – our social environment and the psychological dynamics that govern the various situations we encounter on a daily basis. These powerfully influential dynamics are so pervasive that they affect us all, but can be hard to spot without training, and thus are “hidden in plain view.”  That is the bad news. But there is good news.  Recent research in social and educational psychology has uncovered tools and techniques we can put to good use in understanding and changing our reactions to these social forces.  These tools can help us to loosen the grip of our unconscious tendencies and can free us up to exercise leadership and help us to be a positive influence in such situations and in the lives of the people around us.”

So here are the 5 factors, or tendencies that HIP identifies:

- Tendency #1: to react automatically to the things we are not paying close attention to. This tendency states that since we have a limited attention span, we often react automatically out of routine or habit to some situations. We limit our choices in doing this, and also miss key information. To react differently, we have to pay closer attention to our internal and external world.

- Tendency #2: to rely on labels and categories in making judgments about ourselves and others.  T #2 says we often make hasty assumptions about others and the groups we think they belong to, and we use negative labels for ourselves when things don’t go well.

- Tendency #3: to depend on those around us for our own interpretation of what’s going on. This natural social tendency can cause us to miss opportunities to act on behalf of another when we feel less personally responsible or more inclined to misinterpretation.

- Tendency #4: to seek acceptance and avoid rejection. Yikes. We all want to be liked and accepted, right? Maybe following that moral compass is more essential than heading down the wrong path for the sake of fitting in and promoting what is actually a false sense of harmony or unity.

- Tendency #5: to assume that certain aspects of ourselves and others can’t be changed. Ouch, this one is pretty tough for a change agent to read! The assumptions that we make about certain aspects being unchangeable are mostly wrong.

Well, with all that said, HIP leads us to a key change-making strategy: the power of pause. When we hit the pause button, we have time to choose our response, instead of acting on the fly and in autopilot more to a stimuli.

HIP says in the moment of mindfulness we have the opportunity to change our behavior by:

1)  Bringing Yourself Fully into the Present Moment
2) Checking for Automatic Behavior
3)  Considering Alternative Options
4)  Selecting a Preferred Response

That’s it, the power of pause, one path to becoming an everyday hero.

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” – Arthur Ashe

Is there anyone in your community that you see as an everyday hero?

Can you identify with “the power of pause” – where taking a moment to reflect on a situation could change your response to a challenging situation?

Ode To The Wishing Well

Allentown Rose Garden and Wishing Well.
Photo courtesy of Lehigh Valley, Pa. on flickr.com

The wishing well… that fixture from folklore that people approach like a god. Water wells are commonly used to provide potable water for our consumption. The mythical type that we throw money into along with our requests? Yep they’re still around too, typically they have a fountain and are located in the center of shopping malls. We throw coins into them with our kids, making a wish… to? All in good fun.

The idea of wishing to a well or body of water says something about how important water is to our existence. When we toss money in, it may be something seemingly trivial or of little value, like a penny, but we attached a glimmer of hope along with it. We make light of it, sometimes joking about it and what not, but in our heart, at least some of the time, there is something more – call it a feeling, or desire, or just a wish. So while we may have just thrown in a penny, we really gave the water “god” a piece of our heart, and our hope. I guess in that regard, wishing at the well is sort of like what we do when we pray sometimes if we ask God to make something happen. The big difference being that we are worshiping a false god at the wishing well.

Why do I bring all of this up?

Well, I wanted to take a moment to think about the importance of water, because without it there would be no life here on earth. Yea, it’s that fundamental to life on our planet. Both science and the Bible agree on this point: the water came first.

Remember the phrase, “going to the well” – it’s from the 14th century. If you go to the well once too often it means your luck may have been depleted. Yep, you’ve pushed your luck a bit too far. As an athlete in high school, we used to go to the well – pushing hard when we were hungry for results. Pushing too hard can deplete your reserves, or empty the well. The same would be true if you approached that mythical wishing well too often, your luck would plain run out.

“Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” That’s our verse from Proverbs, 4:23. Life flows from our heart, like water flows from the well. This is the deal that links the heart to the well, and life to water. So we can either learn to guard our heart through having a relationship with Jesus and learning from Him, or we can sing an ode to the wishing well.

Visiting the wishing well to satisfy the thirst in our heart is just like coming to Jesus…

“Come, all you who are thirsty,

come to the waters;

and you who have no money,

come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,

and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,

and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me;

hear me, that your soul may live.

I will make an everlasting covenant with you,

my faithful love promised to David.

See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,

a leader and commander of the peoples.

Surely you will summon nations you know not,

and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,

because of the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel,

for he has endowed you with splendor.” Isaiah 55: 1-6

When we approach our true God, like we approach the wishing well, we come, listen, seek and call out to Him. He hears our voice and considers what we have to say. And, He always answers us with love. You see, God’s love is the same today as it was yesterday. It will be the same tomorrow, too. The love that God offers us is free. His love doesn’t run out, we can’t approach Him too often. I think that’s the well that I want to go to.

What are the hopes that bring you to sing to the well? How often do you typically go to God in prayer?

“Ode To The Wishing Well” is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, “The Wellspring Of Life.” You can read more about this book and my other titles by clicking this link.

Throwing Down The God Card

Image courtesy of Thomas van de Weerd on flickr.com

My grandparents taught me how to play cards. We played a game called rummy 500. My brother and I would play this and a few other games with them for hours. It was a bonding sort of experience, this card game was for us.

I’ve played some other card games, like most people, but was never much of a gambler. I like pinochle. Trouble is, nobody knows how to play. It’s complicated, taking a long time to learn and play as well. The deck isn’t even a normal deck of cards, it’s a combination of parts of 4 different decks, that’s the 80-card version. Yep, kinda strange alright. I guess I found other fruitful activities and ways to connect with people than playing cards.

Most card games involve holding something in your hand that is of great value, and using that card or combination at the appropriate time to win the hand. For instance, if you get tossed a 2 of diamonds, and it goes with nothing else in your hand, it is probably pretty meaningless… unless you’re a diamond collector. Boom Choco Boom!! (that’s Wal-Mart lingo for a win – I LOVE Wal-Mart because my church is in a former Wal-Mart. Well, we think that’s pretty cool, praise God).

In life we are sometimes dealt “the God card.” What’s that? The God card may be an epiphany ahh haa moment, a blessing or prayer answered, or instructions from Him to do something. In whatever form we receive it, and whatever it is, we now have something that requires an action, communication, a change or shift. It requires us to make a play. The good Lord is showing us His will, or ready to make something happen.

With cards, there is a certain amount of chance or luck, and there is also quite a bit of skill in knowing the odds of different combinations, and memorization of cards that may have already been played, etc. So, that can make it fun and interesting, if you’re into math and probabilities. Being dealt the God card has nothing to do with luck or skill. We can pray about it and see what happens, that’s a good thing. We may also draw close to Him and receive His blessing. There are many more combinations here than there are cards, even in the Pinochle deck!

When we play cards only one person wins a hand, or maybe two people win if you’re playing partners. When we throw down the God card, it’s a win for everyone. This is something that impacts a person’s life, and while it may be good or bad in the temporary sense, often there is a shift that happens immediately afterward that is like shuffling the deck and getting ready for another hand of cards.

Throwing down the God card usually means the future looks completely different that it did before. Everything changes. When you throw down the God card you’re all in. There is no bluffing it with the God card. The information stems from truth and is so meaningful that our outlook and vision changes. Everything changes. It can be extremely personal, or go viral in a hot second.

If you’ve ever been dealt the God card there is no doubt about how to play it. You’ll know exactly what needs to happen and how to proceed. Maybe you’ve been dealt the God card before and didn’t play it… what? Yep, it happens. Why? Well, lets just say that our game plan doesn’t always match up to God’s will. Hey, if you ever get dealt the God card, I would encourage you to play it. Even if you don’t think it’s in your best interest, it is. Could you imagine being dealt a royal flush in poker and folding? It just doesn’t happen, right? Just saying…

Take note: when you throw down the God card, lives change. Mountains move. The earth speaks, and the angels and demons take note. You’re playing a heavy hand that is omnipotent. Things are going to change.

Finally, a word to the wise: if you’re throwing a wild card and calling it a God card, beware. This bluff isn’t going to fly. Tsunami alert! Find the nearest tornado shelter. Batten down the hatches. Katie bar the door, because there’s no tellin’ how that will all shake out.

Whatever happens, you can rest assured that it will be good, and to His glory when we play the God card.

Have you ever been dealt the God card? How did you play it?

Cooling Your Jets In The Conflict Of Two Ages

Cool Your Jets!!

We had a revival at our church recently and one of the pastors who shared was Right Reverend Bishop Dr. Van Gayton. He’s stopped by before, an amazing man who is gifted in his ability to share the gospel. You can tell he’s also one of those people who is connected to the Holy Spirit. I mean, it’s like really obvious. When he says the Spirit told him something, I listen without wondering.

Our revival lasted 21 days, culminating in nightly worship during the last 5 days. Bishop Van Gayton spoke about the Holy Spirit, and explained a nugget more clearly than I’ve ever heard it before, he called it “the conflict of two ages.” I didn’t take a lot of notes as I was mesmerized by his teaching, but here’s my take on it, and why understanding this concept is so vitally important.

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of life? I have, and I don’t have all of the answers. I’m ok with that as my faith has grown stronger than the questions. I do feel like understanding the conflict of two ages is an important piece in the puzzle. The meaning of life… like I’m referring to this life or the time that we live in now. Why do we live here in a fallen world?

Recall the duality and social ills at the time of the French Revolution in Charles Dickens’ “A Tale Of Two Cities”…

“It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom,

it was the age of foolishness,

it was the epoch of belief,

it was the epoch of incredulity,

it was the season of Light,

it was the season of darkness,

it was the spring of hope,

it was the winter of dispair,

we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going directly the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

I’ve been reading this book. Probably no coincidence, right? SparkNotes says of the novel, “With A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens asserts his belief in the possibility of resurrection and transformation, both on a personal level and on a societal level.” I always thought of this time we live in as a tug of war between good and evil. I guess that is sort of what Dickens is saying here too.

Why is the conflict of our times happening?

Well, I believe it’s because God doesn’t want a bunch of puppets on strings. It’s here that we have the OPPORTUNITY to become connected to God through Jesus and with the backing of the Holy Spirit. We live in an age between when Jesus, wholly God, came and walked as a man, and the time when we (hopefully) enter the Life of the ages, the eternal life. Remember, He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. In saying that, we can think of Him as the Way to the Life of the ages. If you believe in Jesus, heaven and eternity, our life here, in this life, is but a wink. Trusting in Jesus will take you to the Father. We can and do live the Life of the ages now, too, through our connection to the Holy Spirit.

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Why is this so important? Why are we here in this age?

What our God and Jesus accomplished at the Cross opened the door for us. It is our calling to live life here in this age according to the order of an age to come, to live the Life of the ages here in the present life. It’s all about the fellowship of sufferings of Jesus. Simply put, His life has to become our own. This is EVERYTHING the Christian life is all about. Thankfully we have a comforter in this effort and world, the Holy Spirit.

Are you with me so far? Good, I’m glad if you are.

Here’s the really hard part to deal with: Jesus made it perfectly clear that living this way, that living our lives here in this world, for and like Him, was going to cause us great trouble. It’s going to mean trouble because if you do this, you will be in direct conflict with this world. Yikes.

Jesus said, “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 this world.” John 16:33

So cool your jets and take heart in knowing the ultimate victory has already been won. That happened at the Cross. Good and evil stood ready for Jesus, they strove for control and worship. Jesus worshiped and bowed His head to our Heavenly Father in the desert, and on the Cross until the very end. Game over. And some wonder why the Gospel is so important? Well, I know I can take peace even in the most troubling of times. That’s Good News!

Once we realize that life, for us, is always in terms of the bigger picture of things we find the peace, joy and happiness that our souls yearn for. That, to me, is how I’m learning to deal with living in the conflict of two ages. We’re in the place we are for a very specific reason: To give us an opportunity to live in fellowship with Jesus, and for the opportunity to have eternal life.

Yep, you could say it was an epiphany moment…

How do you find comfort living in the crazy world we live in? Have you heard of this “conflict of two ages” before? If so, what is your understanding of it?

Photo courtesy of “scanlime” on flickr.com

When Words Sting by Jon Stolpe

Please join me in welcoming Jon Stolpe today. I don’t read a whole lot of blogs now, but I do subscribe to Jons and look forward to reading it every morning. Jon is a very gifted writer who is passionate about small groups, missions, family, marriage, parenting, and Philadelphia sports.  Jon is also a writer and blogs daily at Jon Stolpe Stretched. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wonderful wife, Leanne, and their two kids.  Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook or his blog.

When Words Sting

“If I get a 1,000 compliments and one insult, guess which one I listen to? The insult, of course. I have an unbelievable ability to ignore a swarm of positive words and camp out on the one negative.” Jon Acuff

It’s probably happened to all of us at one time or another – someone says something to us that absolutely stings.

Maybe they call you names. Maybe they are just rude. Maybe they insult you.

Words can hurt!

Words can sting!

Words can leave a gash on our hearts!

So how can we respond when this happens? How can we move past the pain of words?

Here are a five suggestions to get you thinking:

1. Stop the cycle. It’s easy to respond back with another insult or another name. Resist the urge for verbal revenge. It only keeps things going. It only makes things worse. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.

2. Respond in love. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) When we respond with a gentle answer, we are actually sucking the sting out of the words, and we’re showing others a better way to respond. Our responsibility as Christ followers is to point people to Christ. People will know we are Christians by our love and NOT by our anger.

3. Surround yourself with people who will build you up. Let’s face it. The world can be a cruel place. People are rushing around trying to get ahead of the next person even if it means walking over someone. Find people who have your back. Meet with them regularly. Encourage one another. Spur each other on.

4. Learn. I’m not perfect. In fact, I have plenty of flaws – and so do you. When someone insults you, look inside. Are they pointing out one of your flaws? Is there any truth to what they are saying about you? If there is some truth to what they said about you, take the opportunity to change. Don’t waste the opportunity to become a better person.

5. Move on. Once you’ve taken the steps above, you need to move on. Dwelling on stinging words will only drag you down and make you a bitter person. This may mean the end of a relationship, or it may require new boundaries related to a relationship that has brought you pain. You have to keep your chin up, your feet moving, and your face smiling.

How do you deal with words that sting? What step do you need to take today to get past wounds that have been caused by words?

Finding The Sweet Spot In Being Average

Troops of the Eight Nations Alliance, circa 1900. Is the dude in the middle most average?

Six months ago I changed churches and decided to strive to be another face in the crowd. I just wanted to be average. Why? Well, after standing at the front door and dashing across the stage for 4 years I was yearning for a place where I could just be an average Joe. If you aim to blend in at church, a big one may work, or a small boutique with people who are all very similar. Or, possibly one that is overflowing with truth and grace. I love the new digs. I believe that God lead me to the right place, and at exactly the right time. I found new areas at the church where I can serve God that are more focused on using the gifts that He gave me. In many ways, I found the sweet spot in being average.

In school, we strove to do our best. Nobody wanted to be a mediocre student, earning all “C’s”. We all wanted to be great! Being great requires action, not just intention. Action… focus… and capacity. There were some subjects, like math, that I did well in, and others that were terribly difficult for me. Just dreadful.

Speaking of math, the Isaac Newton’s of the world have a definition for average too – the result of adding several quantities together and then dividing this total by the number of quantities. We also think of this number as the mean. Yep, the mean… but this is a good sort of mean. You see, in math, in order to reach the sweet spot of average, we have to put the individual numbers into a pile, or a group. Being in a group feels good, it’s where we find fellowship. And unity. And to achieving all that God created us for. It’s a big part of being great.

“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Can I be great and be average at the same time? For sure! The sweet spot is this: I can and should strive to achieve… go for the “A” every time. However, I am doing it for His glory, not mine.

Ok, so I’m not dime a dozen and neither are you. We’re all unique and rare as God made each of us in a very special way; the lady who is average height, the runner who finishes in the middle of the pack, the manager who is in the mid-range of the pay scale, and the dude who’s appearance is, well, just average. We are all average in some way, but perfectly flawless and unique in God’s making. If I identify my gifts and talents, I can excel and contribute most in those areas. Then, I can connect with other people who are also being great but in different ways, and our combined effort adds up to being awesome. Holy guacamole!!

The sweet spot in being average is knowing that it’s not all about me. I’m comfortable with that. Jesus is on the stage, the center of attention. Yep, the wayward carpenter. There’s a lot that goes on behind the curtain that is critical to every successful performance. Does that mean that I’m shooting for “C’s”? Nope.

“Stop looking for the path of least resistance and start running down the path of greatest glory to God and good to others, because that’s what Jesus, the Real Man, did.” Mark Driscoll

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t make the grade. It’s all good. My skills and gifts are completely different from yours, and the next guys. No biggie. We’re all in this together, right? Shoot to be great at everything you do! For His glory. That’s the sweet spot in being average.

In what area would you say that you are “most average”?

God, Politics, America and Morality: Why I Remain So Encouraged

Looking Ahead…

Last week I was interviewed by fellow blogger TC Avey. She asked some tough questions about God, politics, America and morality. Here’s how I fielded them:

Q: How do you think God views America and us today?

I think God knows all and is omnipotent. He has a master plan for us and for the future. I think it is very difficult for us to comprehend from His perspective, to understand much of what is happening or what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation is loaded with symbolism and inference. There is so much in the Bible historically and that which is outlined in our future in Revelation that we can see in our world today. I’m able to find peace in our world today knowing that His plan is perfect, and that I have the opportunity to spend eternity with Jesus. I’m very much the one in control of that, and that is what matters most.

Q: What do you think God would have to say regarding America’s churches and morals?

I believe we live in a challenging time historically; it’s difficult to view sometimes through the lens of life. However, I don’t think of 2013 as a part of a new “Dark Ages” – when there was intellectual, cultural or economic “darkness” in Europe after the decline of the Roman Empire, or a period of spiritual darkness, although there are statistics that show more and more people are turning from Christianity.

Being a total optimist, I see so many good opportunities in our world today, and for our future. When a guy like Paul can encourage others from the walls of prison I’m thinking that it’s good to look at the up side of things.

Sometimes I have to wonder what some folks are thinking as I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff at church and/or involving “church people.” Then I read the Bible and see so many parallels to our churches today, both good and bad. So I’ve been thinking, is there really anything wrong with the world today? Think about it this way: All of humanity is “burdened” by one complicated gift from God – free will. Free will goes side by side with every war and dispute of political or religious nature. Consider all of humanity in a tug-of-war between good and evil. If you’re a believer you already know the outcome. That, to me, is extremely good news! The really excellent thing about free will is that we are able to control some of our influence and have an impact. And, in many respects, through free will we are given the choice for our future, eternally speaking. I like that.

Q: America seems to be at a cross roads both spiritually and politically, how should Christians be responding to those who think we are too active in politics?

I decided a while ago to stay away from writing about politics, although I certainly have opinion like I believe everyone should. I find it fascinating to research concepts like anarchy and equality, and how these concepts are defined by various points of view. Indeed, I chose to answer this question TC intentionally with one thought, there is an excellent book that I recommend to EVERYBODY, “How Do You Kill 11 Million People” by Andy Andrews. Pretty chilling how a leader got a bunch of people unknowingly on railroad trains to the gas chambers. Also very thought provoking about how we’re choosing our political leaders without really knowing them. Looks can be very deceiving at times. Great book, read it.

So many issues that we face today come down to politics and/or religion. Many people feel very strongly about both of these topics. Consider abortion, religious freedom, and gun control, also gay and equal rights, just to name a few. Now it’s easier than ever to express your opinion on a topic of interest. If you are in with social networking you’re exposed to it, and it’s very easy to let the evil one into your mind where dissention, dissatisfaction and pessimism soon begin to erode our dialogue. Some good things to think about, for sure.

Q: Has God been speaking to you about our nation? If so, what has He been showing you?

The three most optimistic demographics of our population are the Hispanics, African-Americans and the Millennial, according to a recent survey by The Barn Group. The Hispanics are also the fastest growing demographic in America. What does that say about our future? Well, to me, it paints a picture of change. Granted, some folks are not up for this type of change, however it may be a very healthy one for our people. True, this comes at a time when more and more people are turning from Christianity, but I think if we, as Christians, look at the underlying reasons and stop lying to ourselves and our congregations we will find the root causes of the exodus from our religion. We need look no farther than the folks of Jesus’ time who persecuted Him to realize that the church today has plenty of room for improvement – unfortunately we resemble those people when we only want to accept part of what He was all about, or only on certain days of the week. Do we really want to support concepts like religious freedom when it means we may be in a minority? Likewise, do you feel that many Christians are “loving your neighbors as yourself” and at the same time our churches and their groups often don’t resemble a true slice of community? Good questions that we each individually may want to consider.

I believe the core issue with many in our faith is that we have tremendously complicated what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. I think Christianity is going through a shake down, if you will, where people are finally standing up and saying, you know, what I see over there isn’t really what Jesus is about. I don’t want to be a part of that (whatever that may be), but I do want to know and resemble Jesus.

In many ways, we’re seeing a return to traditions that once were downplayed. The true message of Jesus is displayed on the cross and in the Gospel. I’m so excited when I see at least a portion of our society and some of our churches embracing this. That is what it is really all about. Unfortunately not everyone will get it, and there will always be those who know what it’s all about and chose another path. I think our job is simply to love them anyway.

Many thanks to TC for the opportunity to share my thoughts on these important topics!

TC Avey is a Christian devoted to God, family, friends & nation. An aspiring author and avid reader, she also has a heart for animals. Her blog is Wisdom of a Fool. You can also follow her on Twitter.

The 3 Elements Of A Good Fire

Fall means it’s time to get fired up about revival around church. The masses return from summer break filled with a renewed interest in good, structured activities for the family. So what does a fire have to do with revival, or renewal? We generally think of a fire as a bad thing, unless we’re in the wilderness using it for warmth, or to cook, right? Fires also may have a productive role in forest ecology. Indeed, fires are vital to the continued existence of many plants and animals found in the woods.

Wikipedia says, “Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and conifer forests, have evolved with fire as a necessary contributor to habitat vitality and renewal. Many plant species in naturally fire-affected environments require fire to germinate, establish, or to reproduce. Fire suppression not only eliminates these species, but also the animals that depend upon them. Finally, fire suppression can lead to the build-up of flammable debris and the creation of less frequent but much larger and more destructive wildfires.”

What about the brazen, out-of-control wildfires?

Unfortunately they happen. Much like good and evil in the world today there are wicked bad fires that come on like the temper. Yep, fire can destroy lives and wipe out happy homes. Some fires are bad, but the idea that all fires are bad news is utter fallacy.

The 3 elements of a good fire?

Fuel. Kindling to big wood. Think wisdom here. Oh bananas. Jesus brought the fuel for the fire. It’s pure and simple – truth, love and grace. Of course it has to be seasoned… yep, and fall is just the season to do it! Lots of changes occur in the fall – the weather gets cooler and the days get shorter. The fall is a season of color too! All of the colors of a good fire show up in the autumn foliage. Just think about it… this fire is sounding better already, right?

Oxygen. O2 breathes life into a fire like a sense of community brings people together. This makes me think of the Holy O, or Holy Spirit:

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

Spark – an idea. God has this one. The idea came up in Genesis. God brought human life into existence, making him from dust and then breathing life into his nostrils. The Lord spoke combustion, and the rest is history.

The good fire is about renewal, a positive change. When change occurs, wise people find new avenues to constructive ventures. Stubbornness and lack of hope holds others back from the best that God has to offer. Is the perceptible chill sneaking up the spine?

“A good, warm and inviting fire, fueled with the deep, enduring love of Jesus, fanned by the breath of the Holy Spirit, and ignited by the crisp spark of God’s word on the tip of our tongue…” from my book “All Sorts And Conditions Of People: The 7 Essentials Of Extraordinary Relationships.”

What say ye? On board with the good fire, the fall, and revival?

Do New Christians Experience Church Shock?

Give him time, he’ll get with the flow!

Church Shock. Yep, kind of like culture shock. You know, culture shock: that feeling of disorientation from being emplaced in a foreign country for a period of time. Interestingly, culture shock is a fairly common phenomenon that occurs to people without ever leaving their home country. Many people experience a similar event when they transition from home to work every day. Their high-pressure job puts significant strain on their personal relationships outside of work. It can happen when we move between social environments too.

There is a related phenomena, I’m calling it “Church Shock”: that foreign feeling of trying to acclimate to church when we are just getting to know Jesus.

I remember feeling a little like a wretched, black-hearted sinner when I raised my hand as a newbie at the place with the steeple one day when the pastor asked if anyone amongst the crowd was interested in accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Thankfully all heads were bowed and eyes were closed, otherwise everyone would know that I was the odd guy out. I stepped out of my pew seat and was escorted to a small room in the back of the church by an older fellow who I later learned was an elder (yep… older… elder… now that sort of seemed logical!). There I sat, one on one, with a guy who seemed to speak a different language. He had a Bible in hand, another sign that I was out-of-place since I didn’t own one yet. This stranger who already knew Jesus wanted to pray together. I’m glad that he knew what to do as I wouldn’t have had any idea what to say to God and would have felt pretty silly if he asked me to lead the prayer. We held hands, another weird part of being alone with another guy in a small room. Well, you know, I’ve heard some stories of how this might turn out… but much to my surprise everything went pretty well on that day. Glad I’m not a claustrophobic. Or homophobic, for that matter.

I didn’t feel the earth shake or hear a curtain tear or anything like that, but I was certain that God was up to something from there on out. I fell into a groove with going to church on Sundays and learning about the Lord. I got to know some of the people there. Well, sort of, we would say hi and greet each other with a smile on Sundays. That was nice as I felt welcome. Slowly, I felt inspired by some of the sermons. Others left me feeling like a sinner, though, as the pastor would talk about some of the no no’s that are outlined in the Bible. That left me feeling shameful. Fortunately, the pastor or music director would always mention that I didn’t need to feel bad about my past sins, that Jesus came to earth, walked as a human, and died a horrific death for me. Wow, that was hard to grasp for a long time, but eventually that too sunk in and I learned what His grace was all about. Talk about humility…

Next up was Baptism. Yikes, I had seen others publicly profess their faith in Jesus and, at the time, it was embarrassing to me. Getting up in a special loft at the worship service in front of everybody made me feel a little self-conscious. Those who didn’t already realize that I was just a beginner at this church thing are going to know it for sure now! After the big event I found a new friend there at church – acceptance. Folks were excited for me. I felt like Norm on the TV show Cheers, remember… “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” Life was still very much a tug of war between good and evil but I now had a new friend on my side, the Holy Spirit.

I guess about a year passed by before I recognized another “Church Shock” sort of experience. Small group. This was a bit different that the worship service where we all faced forward, sang songs and listened to the pastor deliver a message. In small group we had to talk to each other. I didn’t really mind that part, but on the very first Sunday that I went to small group they asked me to lead the prayer. Gadzooks, that sent me in the opposite direction with anxiety because now everyone in the group was expecting me to come up with something good and I don’t think I did a particularly good job of it. I know now that God loves our prayers and being versed in this isn’t really all that important like we sometimes make it out to be. However, I did stick out from the other people who were the same age as me in the group and had been going to church for 30 years. They kind of let me know it too. I didn’t let that discourage me though, it was just another step along the journey, and I learned that church people are, well, just people too.

Well, more than a decade has passed since then and I’m still having new experiences all the time at church. Some bad, mostly good and less shocking. Church feels comfortable now as I’ve made the adjustment. Verses and books in the Bible make sense. I’m still learning about Jesus and in a growing relationship with Him. I see other people doing the same thing and at different places in the journey. We learn from each other. I’m asked to lead prayers… not so much to find out if I know how to do it as I’m guessing the other people in my group believe that I can contribute something meaningful. That’s a good feeling. Real nice.

Do you have a “Church Shock” experience to share?