Spring Cleaning
In the middle of February until the middle of March I have gone through every closet, dresser, and storage bin in my house, and even tackled the dreaded garage in a massive effort to do spring-cleaning. The dark days of February make me long for spring, so I had to do something to keep my mind off of the last days of winter. I went through items that I have not seen for years that have stayed captive in the dark reaches of our closets. I saw things I haven’t seen since we moved into our house 5 ½ years ago.
I set out over 25 bags of stuff on our porch this morning for the organization that was coming to haul it away. When I came home at lunch, it was all gone. Man, it feels great to have it all gone!
But, what all of this stuff in the closet made me realize was; in the dark lots of things can hide. I think about all the areas in my life that I will neglect and allow to be “in the dark reaches of the closet.” Areas of my thought life, my attitude, my actions, what I watch and take in, those areas that I know God wants to work on in my life. Many times they are the areas that I like keeping in the dark because I think it is way too much effort to bring them to the throne of God. I complain that they will take too much work, and that it is nicer to live life with them tucked away rather than out in the open, where the light it. The areas that I know if I would just allow God to shine His Light in I would experience a new freedom in Him.
I know deep within me that God is not a God of condemnation, but the Almighty who so desires for me to find daily freedom in Him. To continually move forward in my growth in Him and not get stagnate or allow things to hide in the dark.
I am reminded that each day I need to ask God to shine His Light on all areas of my life, and each new day God will give me the ability to lay them at His feet. He alone is the one who can change those areas. So when I expose all the areas of my life to His Light I can feel a new sense of “cleansing,” a new sense of freedom that only Christ can provide.
This kind of exposure isn’t easy, and it is only done with God’s strength and endurance, but then again doing spring-cleaning of a whole house and garage is worse!
Jen
A Brave, New World…
He gave his message a bunch of thought, but God seemed to be silent. As he thought about what to share in the group, nothing stood out. He humbly got right with the Lord during the service, but still God didn’t give that clear direction we all want. Finally, he decided to share a message from a few days ago that was certainly pertinent and relevant. And he waited…
Finally, unexpectantly at 5:50pm on Sunday night God spoke and gave him a message to share from Proverbs 13. The fire in his heart was lit and he was excited in a new way. He arrived and connected with the students, sharing and chatting, being an example of what a leader should be. With attendance taken care of and Mark’s message given, it was off to the group time.
Opening with a time of prayer and confession, he led his group of students and they prayed for each other’s spiritual challenges. After the prayer groups came back together, it was almost time. He made sure each student had a Bible and they turned to Proverbs. He shared a story, authentically revealing how hard it is when your friends aren’t the most godly influences. He asked questions in order to get everyone involved. As different students shared, it was obvious that the topic related to each person there. A short rabbit trail on getting shocked by electronic fences was quickly navigated and then he brought them back on to the main passage. As he showed the value of seeking wisdom from those who are living examples of a faith lived out daily, each person was affirmed, even in the midst of their varying degrees of brokenness and struggle. Finally, a short 35 minutes later he closed in prayer.
Was it the youth pastor who so deftly led these young 6th and 8th grade students? Was it one of the High School age apprentices, cutting their teaching teeth on the group? Not even close. In fact, it was Konner C., a student who was teaching for his first time in our group. Konner is just one of many Junior High students who are stepping out and being the leaders that God has called them to be. Last summer, God called him to start a weekly Bible study at his middle school. As he worked with his parents to prepare each week, the 15-20 students who faithfully came were challenged and encouraged each time. As he modeled a sensitivity to listen to the Holy Spirit, care about the other student peers in the group and unfold the word through reading and discussion, Konner was stepping out into a brave, new world where adults actually disciple their students and give them vision and opportunity to step out and do it. They may risk failure. They may not be the most accurate in their insights. They may lack the confidence. But, if God is for them, who can be against them? Get ready for more of these stories. God is moving and Konner is not the only person you will hear about in the days and weeks to come.
Praising God,
Pastor Mark
Parent Discipling News!
This week I had the opportunity to talk to one of my guys in my small group. Spencer is a great guy who loves the Lord and has a true heart for his friends to find a relationship with Jesus. One of the reasons I was calling was because Spencer wasn’t able to come to our Fusion group the last few weekends since his basketball team was playing in a number of tournaments and had a bunch of travel that unfortunately kept him away. As we chatted about how well his team did (they won their league!), I also asked him how he was doing in staying close to the Lord. His answer thrilled my heart! He said he was doing really well and each day his mom and he and his brother read from the Bible and talk about it over breakfast. To hear that they were doing something as simple as reading the Word and talking about it confirmed in me that discipleship is happening in that family.
You don’t have to have a Bible degree to do what they were doing. You just have to do it. You also don’t need to have all the answers. In fact, when you don’t have all the answers, you can model to your kids how to find the answers. And if you don’t know how to find the answers, you can model a humble spirit and suggest ways to connect with people who could help you find the answers. All good and necessary things if we are to be godly parent disciplers.
Additionally, as I was asking Spencer what I could be praying for in his life, he asked me to pray for his friend who he was reaching out to. He wanted to have a sleepover with a Bible study so he could help his friend get a bit closer to God. His example challenges me! His example of God working in his life is a huge reason why I love working with these amazing kids and their fantastic families!
Praising God for each of you!
Pastor Mark
Finding Switzerland
I must admit I am a shopper. I do not even have to buy anything in the stores I enter; I just enjoy walking around and checking things out. The person who I love to shop with the most is my mom. Probably because we talk about life, like the same stores, and enjoy each other’s company while we shop. My mom does not live in this state so when she comes for a visit we are off to shop. It has always been what we love to do together since the time I was in junior high. In fact, when we struggled to get along in my junior high years we always had our neutral ground, shopping! It was the activity we enjoyed doing together that made us smile, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. And as we perused the store’s racks of clothes, I found myself truly opening up and sharing was going on in my life with my mom. Now, it was not because she bought me things, in fact many times she didn’t, but it was our “Switzerland” in the midst of a rocky relationship while I was in junior high.
I had the opportunity to be able to do the teaching this Sunday on our current series, The Good Fight. The Good Fight is all about fighting FOR a relationship with parents rather then fighting WITH parents. I know from past experiences that the years in junior high can also be the years that the relationship between parents and child can be a rocky road, and the fighting can be continuous. So when I shared with the students about honoring their parents and not always seeking to be right all the time, I also shared with them how to start building that relationship with their parents.
One area I challenged the students to begin to fight for a relationship with their parents was by finding a “Switzerland”. A Switzerland is a neutral activity that both the parents and student enjoy doing together. This neutral place is where the relationship can be built rather then torn down, a place that the relationship can be deepened.
Finding a Switzerland takes time, but from my experiences it has helped foster a deep and meaningful relationship with my mom.
Enjoy finding a Switzerland.
Jen
Imitate Me, Part 2
I always thought my parents were sinless. Now don’t get me wrong. I knew intellectually that they had sinned, but they kept their individual sins hidden from me and never talked about how those sins impacted their life. Reflecting on that got me thinking. Do I do the same thing? Am I appropriately transparent to my kids about my failings and struggles? Or, do I fall into the same trap?
I am convinced that I need to admit my relational failings with my kids. When I blow up and go off on my daughter, I need to allow that experience to both humble me and motivate me to ask for forgiveness. When I don’t, I subconsciously let my kids think that behaving poorly is okay in the family setting. Would I yell at my boss and figure it’s fine because he will understand I was just having a bad day? No, I need to go back to him and make it right, just like I need to go to my daughter and make it right too.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” By imitating that truth in our families, we start to change the course of potential discipleship with our kids. By our humble, confessing attitudes, we communicate to our children that we live the truth of the Bible, not only in public, but also in the privacy of our homes. Transparency may be hard, but the rewards we gain will have lasting results.
Pastor Mark
Peak Counselors Needed!
I wanted to get the word out that we are looking to fill our counseling needs for the Peak this summer. The Peak is a highlight for every one on our staff. We believe it’s the best ministry week of our year! In fact, being a counselor at the Peak is like a year’s worth of small group meetings in one week. We always try to fill our counseling needs during the spring so we can do a good job in training before the summer hits.
Of course, we are looking for the right kind of people to be part of this team. We want men and women who love God and have a heart to love Jr High kids. We are looking for flexible individuals who want to invest in the hearts and lives of a group of students who are really moldable. You don’t have to be a star athlete, but being able to be active is important.
Finally, we would love to hear from you if you have any questions about getting involved. Jen does all of our staff recruiting for the Peak so if you are interested in being considered, just email Jen Gulbrandson at jen.gulbrandson@rollinghills.org. You can also call Jen at 503-638-5900 at the church office.
678live's Blog 