Unshakable Faith

Daring Faith

A little over a week ago our Covenant Women had a retreat at Glenn Eyrie. So fun to be in the castle to learn more about the King. We had three speakers. The first was Kate Martinez. This is the sketch I did of her sermon. She filled her talk with so many encouraging thoughts. Things I needed.

The first was to let go. Let go of fear, worry, control. God has it handled. He is for us and even the Holy Spirit prays for us. He is searching for our hearts. Friends are in prayer for us, too. We need to allow God to take our failures, trash, tragedies, and even good things, and work it all for the good.

We should drop our defenses and give them up with open hands. The acceptance is what I needed to hear. To accept where you are and not to struggle against the past. To accept what you cannot change over, and over, and over again.

Wonder Woman

This sermon by Julie Slayback was one many could relate to. We are Wonder Woman of the daily. Here is where we learned how deeply loved we are by God. How we don't need to be fighting in big wars or have great ministries. We can be used by God in our everyday life.  We can use our lasso of truth to speak His love to others. The bracelets are the gratitude we express that reflects self destructive thoughts and the words we say to ourselves that cause depression and fear. 

Oh, and don't forget your Wonder Women panties! lol

I especially loved the phrase we are human being, not human doings. Then the best for me was that we are set apart, cared for and loved by God. That every morning and night Julie says these words, "I am a child of God, Deeply loved."

We need each other

Elyse Thornburg spoke on how Christians need each other. When we stand alone in our Christian faith it is like a flamingo standing on one leg. Not as stable, easy to knock down. But two legs together make your stance more steady. This is why we need each other.

Acts 2:46-47 shows us how the early Christians depended on one another. They prayed together. They taught one another. They had fellowship and ate together. Elyse mentioned how small talk is the lubricant to connection. To reach out to those not apart and bring them in with hospitality and caring service.

To finish off she told a story of Casey Franklin that helped a family dealing with illness, and included the importance of sending out others into missions and evangelism.

I am looking forward to next years retreat. This one was smashing!

Rest!

Rest

The young black Lab wiggled with excitement. His whole body wagged along with his tail. His master took him to the center of the dog show ring. He was told to sit. After several commands he obeyed. However, his front feet tapped the ground and he whimpered with enthusiasm. Then the master told the pup to stay, and he walked away. 

The master stopped and turned to the dog, who was beside himself with eagerness. You could see it took everything he had to stay in place. He quivered with tension. The master took a breath and before the sound of  "Come" could be heard, the dog took off at a run. Half-way to the dog's goal the master said, "Down." The pup dropped down but in his great hurry he slid across the ground landing only a few feet from his master. The audience laughed with empathy at the dog who just couldn't contain his love to serve.

This was the story that I remembered when Pastor Greg preached on taking time to rest. How there are times when we refuse to take the time to recoup and be in the moment, because we are so enthusiastic to serve. God whispers for us to rest, but we weigh ourselves down with unneeded guilt about what has to be accomplished. Even when sickness, or a disabling accident forces us to sit still we quiver with anxiety that things aren't happening the way we would do it.

God tells us to sit. Stay. Rest. Get alone with Him. Listen to His quiet voice. Allow a time of rest to revive you and draw you closer to Jesus. Regain strength for the road ahead.

Mathew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Wisdom

Wisdom

WISDOM. I know that sometimes we want others to listen to our wisdom. We want it so bad, and we're so sure we are right, we talk smack. We might even use ridicule or shout our wisdom at them to drive it into their heads. @#%#$%^# After a good argument on Facebook where we have called them liars and fakes, there's a thrill of satisfaction. 

At the close of Pastor Greg's sermon series, this is where Jonah found himself. Then when the Ninevites  repented in a big way, Jonah was maaaaad. "I told you so, God. I knew they would repent. They don't deserve your mercy. They should have been punished for being so dumb." But God had a better plan.

Here's a thought that came directly from a point from one of Pastor Todd's sermons:

True wisdom puts people first. In James it says if you are truly wise, show it by your life and your deeds done in humility that comes from wisdom. True wisdom is shown in love for others.

BECAUSE ACCORDING TO GOD PEOPLE ARE:

• worth losing an argument for
• worth letting a wrong person win.
• worth yielding when you are right
• worth making peace with

ACCORDING TO JESUS PEOPLE ARE WORTH DYING FOR!

No!

NO!

"Your doing it wrong!" "That's bad for you."  "No!" "Uh, uh." "Follow the rules."  "Don't do that."

Yeah, sure, that will change anyone's mind. 

When God first called Jonah, he told him to preach against Nineveh, When Jonah turned his running away into I will obey, God's command had been reworded. Now Jonah was to proclaim to Nineveh. 

Did God's change of wording have to do with His dealing with Jonah? I wonder? Perhaps, God knowing how Jonah would react to the redemption of the wicked, presented a harsher sermon to preach. 

When Jonah relented and followed his mission, God relented in how the news would be presented. God could have wanted Jonah to see the difference. 

There is a difference in how we present God to those who do not know Him yet. By charging ahead with condemnation over lifestyles and rules to follow we only show the law. What Jesus came to abolish. When we present God's love, compassion, and power to give hope we proclaim to others a lifeline. 

I'm not saying there is no sin to repent from. I'm not saying we can't guide new Christians in their journey closer to God. But when reaching out to people who are on the other side of a relationship with God, we can paint with colors of love, compassion, and a listening heart. 

Dark, Frantic, and Broken

Dark, Frantic, and Broken

"Seaweed was wrapped around my head." I don't remember this being a part of the story. For some reason this time it struck me with a clear picture of humiliation and being dragged into the depths of despair.  Of his being plunged to his darkest hours. How did Jonah get to this point?

Have we all, at some point, rebelled to the point of such despondency?

Jonah would not let go of his anger, resentment, and pride long enough to obey God. He needed to repent of his holier-than-thou attitude and simply give a group of people a chance to turn to God. It hurt so much to release these people of their guilt that he ran until he was swallowed by a fish. Even then, though he turned to God, he didn't say he would go. Not until later in the story did he make his way back to Nineveh. 

So easy to be judgmental of Jonah, isn't it. But I have been in this place where, until I really took in  the tumultuous waves and darkness around me, did I bring myself back to where God needed me to be.  A turn of thought or a change of perspective can rescue a heart from brokenness and frantic fear. When God allows us to go off on our own He reminds us how dark it can be without him. The struggle we find ourselves in is not the hard part, it's facing these  consequences without the help of God.

God needed Jonah to repent. He needed Nineveh to repent. When an archer aims their arrow at a target and misses, the term that is used to help them get back on target is to repent. Repent to one side or the other. Repent farther out or closer in. 

The story of Jonah is about repentance and of mercy. 

Who is Your Nineveh?

Who is Your Nineveh?

Bomb them all! Send them all back! One death deserves another. Don't take my money and give it to them. I'm not racist, you're a racist!  They don't deserve forgiveness. Why bother?

That is what Jonah would have said about Nineveh. You see these evil ones killed and tortured more people than ISIS. They sinned against God in more ways than a satanist cult. Nahum 3:2 says, "Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims!"

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. He refused. He ran away from God. Tried to anyway. God loved Jonah and wanted to use him. He sent a fish to swallow him and bring him back to his senses.

Jonah could think of so many reasons why he should not go and preach repentance. The Ninevites  didn't deserve forgiveness, his time, or a second chance. He knew God would forgive them if they turned themselves around. To Jonah this did not seem fair to all the good people that had been hurt by these savages.

Jonah did finally preach to Nineveh. The biggest miracle here is not being swallowed by a big fish and living to tell about it, but that these people did repent. All of them, children, parents, they even put sack clothes on their livestock. 

Do you have a Nineveh? Someone that you've written off? Maybe a whole group of people you've heard bad things about and God whispers, "Drop the stone walls and open your heart." It could be someone on the other side of your politics, or a noisy neighbor you can't get along with. Can you let down your guard enough to share a conversation? 

Though this theme is not exactly where Pastor Greg lead us that day in his sermon, here is where I went with it. 

Love you enemies. Pray for those that persecute you. (disagree, or call you names.) Love your neighbor, like you love yourself. (Not just the kind ones, either. Or the ones that voted like you.) Press on in genuine love, mercy, and seek justice.  Yes, always, seek justice by being slow to judge and quick to listen when prejudices are uncovered or the hurt are crying for help. 

Downside up

Downside up

Have you ever felt like you're stepping over ceiling fans and tripping around chandeliers? The rest of the world is relaxing on couches and having dinner with table and chairs planted firmly on ground. Your drink tends to fall up as you sit by the crown molding.

Do you live upside down, or the downside up? Either way can make you disoriented. Christians live in this tumultuous world, led by our Messiah. Pastor Todd Spieker preached on this topic. He named ways Christ lived with gravity pulling up. Many of these I had never thought of before.  

I can see that we must step out from the crowd and choose helping the marginalized and poor instead of  being afraid of them. It makes more sense to be concerned they are taking advantage of us. "After all, how can we help anyone if we give too much away?" they say.  

Here are the ups and the downs Todd spoke of, and a few of mine. In case the words are hard to read on my sermon sketch. 

Crown of gold vs Crown of thorns

Lifted up on throne vs Lifted up on cross

About me vs Not about me

First best vs Last best

Love self vs Selfless

Greed and hate vs Generosity and love

Kingdom disciples make more disciples. Disciple apprentices teach us to love God and others.

Look for more of Todd's sermons on SoundCloud under BethelCov.

3=1

God is the Trinity

3=1? This is mind bending and difficult to understand. Finishing up on The Attributes of God series, Pastor Greg tackled the trinity.

The part of the sermon that struck me the most was that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. For some reason this hit me in a new way. It made so much sense in terms of understanding the trinity. In my sketch I tried to show Jesus coming out of the invisible God. The Holy Spirit, and God the Father billow behind Him as He steps out for us to see Him. 

Quotes from the Bible reveal Jesus has no beginning. He is the Word that was God and with God. All things were created by Him. 

Greg then talked about the old example about water. It can be ice, steam, and liquid. Three in one.

This gives us a bit of understanding but to me it does not reveal the full explanation. Because ice, steam, and liquid do not exist all at the same time. This is where God differs. It is as if you drew three circles but not beside each other, or even intertwined with one another. It would be more like if after you drew the first circle, you place your pencil right on top of the line you had just drawn. The molecules actually mingle together. The third line is drawn on top of the other two. All untied as one, but three circles at the same time. 

Below is the part of the picture that shows this for me. It is the names of God one on top of the other intertwined, three in one.

God is Our Shepherd

 

God is our Shepherd

"I just wanna to be a sheep." That's a funny camp song. Why would I want to be sheep? They're timid and fearful. Sheep will foolishly follow whoever is in front of them. They can be helpless and easily distracted. Oh, wait, maybe I am a sheep.

Jesus takes unworthy sheep and protects us. With a hook He pulls us from trouble. A rod is used to guide us along the right path. He leads by the quiet waters to give drink. A sheep's nose is just above his mouths and could drown at rough streams. Jesus gives us a place of peace to rest, green grass to eat. He anoints the scratches and wounds with healing oil. 

I guess if we have a shepherd that takes as good of us as Jesus, then . . . I want to be His sheep.   

God is our Refuge

God is our Refuge

Refuge. Not a place to live in, but a place to run to.  For King David this meant running from death threats and raging emotional turmoil. For Mary and Joseph it meant a humble cave where animals were kept. 

Here is what the thesaurus says for refuge: peace, safety, asylum, haven, hideaway, hideout, hiding place, protection,  resort, retreat, sanctuary, security, shelter, stronghold.

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When I think about those that need refuge I imagine war torn countries, and children in the midst of famine. But that is not all. I see mom's inundated with activities, schedules, and the strain of holding safe the hearts of their children. Also, men that struggle to be great dad's and be good at their jobs. Students navigating grades, social life and activities. 

Maybe the refuge is from worry and self-doubt. The effort to keep going in life when the road ahead seems blank and empty. 

Yes, we all need a refuge from time to time. Pastor Greg's sermon was on how God is our refuge. 

I immediately began to visualize what my refuge would look like if it was a real place. The strong walls contained the verses Greg mentioned in his sermon. The phrases written in the stones include strong tower, salvation, secret place, help in the time of trouble, a place of rest, hope, no fear, deliverer. 

This is where I go by prayer and meditation on verses. But often I find my refuge in things I love to do and God is with me there, too.

In my imaginary place of security I've drawn books, paint and canvas, comfy pillows, and even kids. I've drawn in my young friend that sits with me during the service. He loves to create along with me. Children's refreshing hearts and amazing capacity to love, give me joy. Nature comes through the window, because this brings me peace. Flicka and Zathras, my two labradoodles, bring comfort and laughter into my sanctuary.  

At the top of the walls scary worries try to crawl over. My young friend tells me to draw a snake, too. They are scary. God keeps them out with his sturdy rock castle, so I can rest.

As much as I would like to stay in this cozy cocoon, I have a calling to venture into the fray. Thanks for the refreshing stay, Lord. Now give me the vision and strength to serve you in the world.

Safe

Safe?

Safety. A place where nothing bad can happen. A sweet place with nothing bitter or sour. Can we stand without every falling? Taking away anything that could cause fear, so courage is never needed.

A part of who God is, is our protector. But does He do this by keeping us away from  anything that could hurt us?

In Greg Ralston's sermon he reminds us of what the Bible tells us about God as our protector. A protector made me think of a lion. In the lion's mane I've written quotes from the sermon. "God fights for us" "God fights when we align with Him." "God always has His people." Through scripture and personnel stories, Greg made his point. 

In my life God has stepped between myself and tragedy. True physical death could have been the result. But I have to remember that his protection is not about never facing giants. Sometimes His  protection is about helping us crawl through the mud, climb rugged towers, and fight in the storm.

It reminded me of the beaver's quote from Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn't safe. But he is good. He is king, I tell you." 

How do you see God?

The Look of God

Do you see God as an old man with a long white beard or do you see a familiar painting of Jesus? Maybe you imagine a swirl of colors in a cloud. I found that I don't see any kind of person when I pray or connect with God. 

I "experience" God. I've been filled with dark panic and fear then prayed, the complete peace that followed is how I see God.  Having a specific prayer being answered in a totally miraculous way is seeing God. He gives me rest, has protected me, directed me, and opened doors that no one would have thought could open. I feel His hand on my back and have been brought to tears over the love He has given me for others.  

How do you see God?

This first sketch is from a sermon series by Greg Ralston  about how you see God.   

A Time

A Time

What season are you in? Sometimes one season just rolls into the next. Others are hard longed for, a waiting for a joy and a release to come. Then there are the ones that are difficult to let go of.

Literal Fall is coming for me right now. I always hate it when one season ends, until the next one arrives giving me hope. Summer has it's freedom. Bringing vacations that for me calls my children home and takes me to them. Fall cuts that short, yet the colors in the leaves and the soft fall breezes

can bring a different kind of comfort.

This sketch is of a season tree. The tree holds symbols of the seasons of life, sorrow, joy, love and tears. But in everything we can give thanks, and we can dance in praise to God. 

This sermon came from the  verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Further encouragement comes from Psalm 30.

Life happens, but God is always with us. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 New International Version (NIV)
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Begin Again

Drawing by Tyler Wisemen 

Hi, again. I've discovered that my sermon sketches have an unexpected benefit. It is the perfect activity for a introvert. Not only does it give me a great reason not to get up during greeting time at church, (because I'm sketching) it keeps me from having to seek new people to talk to after the service. Not because I don't make the effort but because they come to me. New people, even those who just haven't noticed my drawing before, come to me. I can't even get out of my seat before someone has come over to talk. 

I have also developed another kid crew following that love to sit with me during the service, before they go to kid classes. This little group asks me to make a sketch for them that they add to or color in. It has stretched my abilities in having to to draw race cars, fighter planes and Optimus Prime.  All this has  encouraged me to continue posting my drawings. 

The drawing above came from a teen friend that talked with me after the service. He wanted to show me a his sketch from a few weeks ago. I think this drawing tells its story with no needed explanations.  More guest artists may be on the way.  :-)