We Remember

The Lord instructed Joshua to build a memorial so the children of Israel might look back and be reminded of their miraculous entry into the Promised Land. The memorial was a reminder to look back, not to go back. So often, we get those two things confused.

Consider gravestones. They are markers, memorials, for the purpose of looking back and honoring a life. But you can’t live there at that marker; there’s no room there for the living. Nor can you dig up that past and carry it with you.

On this Memorial Day, we pause to look back and honor all of the American service men and women who have given their lives for the cause of liberty. We acknowledge their sacrifice, understanding that we owe a debt of gratitude to them. But at the same time, we celebrate those who remain. In celebrating the living heroes in our midst, we draw from their wisdom and experience.

Likewise, we recognize that we have a great heritage of faith here at Gateway, the foundation of which has been laid by those who have gone before us. We look back and honor the saints who laid down their lives so that we can possess the territory God has called us to. It is what they died for, but it is what we live for.

So we look back; we don’t go back. There is no room back there for the living. We build the Kingdom from here, not stuck where they were, but moving forward. We honor those saints who are part of our great cloud of witnesses, but we run our race, pressing on towards our prize. And how do we press? Through praise! Yes, we acknowledge the victories of the past, but we don’t hang around the memorial stones and live there. We praise God for what He is doing in our lives today! We praise Him for His goodness and mercy, for His glory and presence. We praise Him because He is good to us…all the time!

So, we give honor to whom honor is due. We pause to remember the lives that they gave. And through praise, we lay hold the victory that has already been appropriated to us and we keep pressing on!

~Linda

Be Reasonable

In western culture, we develop a mindset that is all about capitalism.  Hey I like capitalism, it definitely has its benefits.  But here’s the problem… we develop a “you owe me” mentality.  We give a little bit of our time and the assumption is that we are “owed” for it.

Not necessarily that we are owed money, but that we are owed respect or honor.

Paul said in the New Testament that we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice which is our REASONABLE SERVICE!

So here’s the question… what’s reasonable?

I mean, if you are “giving your life away” to serve in your local church, is it reasonable for them to correct “little things”?  Is it reasonable for them to demand excellence? Is it reasonable for them to ask you to change?  Is it reasonable for them to expect you to generate leadership and then correct it if it isn’t what they want?  What is your reasonable service?

I guess that brings us to what Paul means by offering our life as a living sacrifice. Sounds to me like he’s saying it’s perfectly normal for you to die or live a life of “death” and self sacrifice… I mean Jesus did do the same thing for you!

It’s easy to think you’ll serve God, until He asks you to serve His structure and His leadership team.  Then it’s hard because you think you are “owed”: then you think it’s unreasonable… only you forget the debt that you owe.

So I’ll end with this … BE REASONABLE!

 

True Commitment

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. – 2 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV)

Growing up the daughter of a US Army Colonel shaped my life and gave me a perspective different from many of my peers. I understood from an early age that the true measure of a person was their level of commitment to their cause. Those who fulfilled their obligations were rewarded with honor; those who did not were branded as traitors. There was never any question in my mind which choice was most desirable.

Enlisting in the Armed Forces is tantamount to giving someone else complete control over your life. Soldiers understand that commitment to the Army means commitment to following all senior ranking officers in that army. Soldiers are told where to live, what to do, what to wear, how to move, how to speak to others, when to eat, when to relax. Should our nation go to war, commitment may also involve the ultimate sacrifice. Living the life of a soldier is a 24-hour a day, 365 days a year commitment for as long as the soldier remains in service.

Most Christians are not nearly as committed to the cause of Christ as the average soldier is to the Armed Forces. We say we want the power of God, but we are not willing to pay the price for that power. We go to church when it’s convenient; we pray when we need something; we give if we have leftovers; we join a church conditionally. As long as our needs are met and we are not expected to do any more than what is convenient, we will stay. If someone treats us like a soldier, we leave, refusing to take marching orders or submit ourselves to anyone else’s authority.

Where are the soldiers in the Body of Christ? Our nation is currently enmeshed in war at every level. Troops are engaged in combat abroad, politicians are warring in Washington, and everyday citizens are fighting to survive. These things are all natural manifestations of the condition of The Church of America. These battles must be won in the spirit, but cannot be won with a ragamuffin band of soldiers unsupported by all those who have deserted the fight. We kid ourselves in the Church, saying we are willing to fight the devil and harelip hell, but only those living the life of a soldier 24-hours a day, 365 days a year are qualified to do so.

We join with our Heavenly Father to salute all Veterans who have served our nation so bravely in our Armed Forces. We thank you, from the depths of our hearts, for being men and women who understand sacrifice. We join with you in supporting those noble men and women who are currently serving, and we honor and recognize their commitment. But more than that, we commit our own hearts today to follow your lead, to lay down our lives, and to serve as good soldiers in God’s Heavenly Army.

“I do hereby call upon all of our citizens to observe November 11 as Veterans Day. On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States

Memorial Day

The Lord instructed Joshua to build a memorial so the children of Israel might look back and be reminded of their miraculous entry into the Promised Land. The memorial was a reminder to look back, not to go back. So often, we get those two things confused.

Consider gravestones. They are markers, memorials, for the purpose of looking back and honoring a life. But you can’t live there at that marker; there’s no room there for the living. Nor can you dig up that past and carry it with you.

On this Memorial Day weekend, we pause to look back and honor all of the American service men and women who have given their lives for the cause of liberty. We acknowledge their sacrifice, understanding that we owe a debt of gratitude to them. But at the same time, we celebrate those who remain. In celebrating the living heroes in our midst, we draw from their wisdom and experience.

Likewise, we recognize that we have a great heritage of faith here at Gateway, the foundation of which has been laid by those who have gone before us. We look back and honor the saints who laid down their lives so that we can possess the territory God has called us to. It is what they died for, but it is what we live for.

So we look back; we don’t go back. There is no room back there for the living. We build the Kingdom from here, not stuck where they were, but moving forward. We honor those saints who are part of our great cloud of witnesses, but we run our race, pressing on towards our prize. And how do we press? Through praise! Yes, we acknowledge the victories of the past, but we don’t hang around the memorial stones and live there. We praise God for what He is doing in our lives today! We praise Him for His goodness and mercy, for His glory and presence. We praise Him because He is good to us…all the time!

So, we give honor to whom honor is due. We pause to remember the lives that they gave. And through praise, we lay hold the victory that has already been appropriated to us and we keep pressing on!

(First published 05.25.09)

Honoring Your Parents…a Mother’s Day Musing

Happy Mother’s Day! As I wait for the coffee to be ready on this beautiful Sunday morning, my mind is mulling over the question one of our teen leaders from church asked me earlier this week: “As the mother of teenagers, how do you teach your children to honor their parents?”

*Sigh*

Well, as the mother of teens, I wonder almost daily if I HAVE taught my children to honor their parents. It certainly does not always appear so. You cannot make one person honor another. You can tell them it’s good for them ’til you’re blue in the face (“Hey, you want to live a long and prosperous life, don’t you???”), but you really have to SHOW them for it to stick. So, how do you do that??

1. Show them that you honor your own parents. Watch the way you talk about your parents in front of your children. Demonstrate unconditional love towards your parents, so your children can watch and learn. Honor your parents’ wishes and dreams…. even if you cannot follow them or fill them, you can honor them by acknowledging them. Walk in love with your parents, forgiving them readily for the mistakes they make and asking forgiveness for your own mistakes. Tell your parents you love them and appreciate them!
2. Show them that you honor each other. All children have two parents. You may be married and raising a child together, or you could be divorced and sharing your child between you and your ex, or you might be single and raising a child without the other parent in the picture. Whatever your situation, give honor to the other parent of your child (if for no other reason than the fact that your child would not exist without that  person).
3. Honor your child. As a parent of two very strong-willed children, I know this is not always easy. In fact, I believe I have fallen down in this area many, many times. But our children must see that we honor and esteem them, not only for the potential we see in them, but also for who they are right now, today! Praise your child for who they are, not just what they do. It is important to acknowledge their efforts and accomplishments, but we all need to know that we are valuable even when those efforts fail.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t add that we all must first honor God. Our daily walk with Him is more real to our kids than to anyone else. They are always watching, after all!! If they see that we honor Him in all we do, they will learn how to honor others.

I don’t know when it is that we know that we know that our children honor us as parents. My theory is that it is sometime after they turn 25. Somewhere around there, children have the epiphany that they really don’t know everything and Mom and Dad actually knew what they were talking about…. most of the time!

While many of us are years away from that magical moment, we must strive to praise and honor every practice step these little ones make towards honoring us…

…every dandelion picked and proudly presented

…every burnt piece of toast served up on a tray to your bedside

…every effort to help around the house without being asked

……… and every SINGLE time you hear those amazing words, “I love you, Mom.”

Stone Upon Stone

 

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.-Ephesians 4:16

I am a stone among countless stones being fitted together by God to create the time and span of all humanity. I have been set in my appointed place, surrounded by other stones. I am in this specific place – in time, in body, in calling – because many others were set in their places first, biologically, emotionally and spiritually. No stone was placed accidentally. Every stone has a purpose.

As living stones, we are sculpted and fitted to create a representation of God’s Kingdom here on this earth. We were chiseled and rolled and scraped and carved into our place. Through the sculpting process, the essence of who we are takes shape. As of this writing (because that’s as far as I know today), I have been sculpted into a father, a husband, a son, a builder, a musician, a worship team member, an outreach leader, a friend…you get the idea? I am all of these things, not because I do them but because they are a result of who I am. But even still, this is not all of “me”. As I grow, mature, and become transformed into the image of Christ, the sculpting process will continue to reveal even more of who I am.

So much of the sculpting process takes place as we are fitted alongside other stones. This fitting causes us to rub and scrape on others, wearing away things in us that prevent us from connecting. I am not a worship leader because I can play the guitar or sing, but because my leadership placed me under people who challenged me to be more than a musician. I am not a father because of biology or a husband because of a ring, but because my parents, spiritual parents and older friends inspired me to become those things. I am an outreach leader because of my team demanding growth on my part. I am a teacher because of all you wonderful people who wrestled with me as a teen and young adult, teaching me and allowing me to teach. I am so very grateful for all of the stones that have rubbed and chiseled away at me for these many years!

See, we are never a stone set apart unto our own. We are joined to other stones. We are never the Cornerstone; that was Jesus Christ. We are never the most important stone or even a better stone than the ones around us. We all stand on the shoulders of someone else, and we must remember this as we grow. We must learn to honor the ones who have gone before: to walk in humility and respect for the ones who have made a place for us to shine. We must always be looking for those stones which we are to propel forward and edify (build-up), creating a place for them to shine, too. It is in the fitting together of stones from our past and stones in our future that we are truly building a body fitly framed together, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Endless affection to the stones I stand upon……

Q: Who are you thankful for in your life? Take this opportunity to thank someone who is a “stone” in your life.