Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray-
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Here was the familiar stanza relating my personal freedom from bondage to sin. “MY chains fell off, my heart was free…” what an awesome testimony of the freedom that I have in Christ. No wonder that the chorus echoes with the following lines.

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

So, what was new for me this time in singing this song? The overwhelming reality of all those who are in bondage. Whether the millions who are in physical bondage or the many, many who are in spiritual bondage. My heart was broken once again by the knowledge of how cheaply I own my freedom, and yet how in many ways I am stingy and selfish with it. Perhaps, I wondered, if the chorus would correctly echo the lines of the stanza that indicate rising, going forth and following Christ, by asking not just how God died for me, but how He died for all.  Why is it that I can allow, and even chose, to ignore the bondage of those around me.

When Pastor Mark then shared from John 1:16-18 regarding Jesus being full of truth and grace, I realized that too often I hide behind the truth and become hardened to the needs of others because they aren’t living as they should.

Lord help me to live my life full of truth and full of grace so that I might participate in setting free others.

Walt Mueller explains in his article, Inside Your Teen’s Mind, the development of
adolescents. He explains the stages they are going through and how parents can challenge their teens in their thinking.

The middle school ages are difficult to navigate through, both for the child and for the parents. This life stage is made even more difficult by the student’s changing brain development. From ages 7 to 11, the students look at life very concretely. Mueller explains, life is thought of in black and white and wrong and right. This is the concrete operations stage because everything is taken literally. Around ages 11 and 12, the child’s thinking begins to change into the formal operations stage and it lasts roughly to age 15. Mueller says the students now have “the ability to use more advanced logic to explore and solve complex hypothetical problems about the world on [their] own, and assess consequences of different courses of action”. The students are now in a time of change, physically, spiritually, and mentally. They are at a stage where concrete answers no longer satisfy their questions and they need to seek out solutions on their own. Their questions are now turned into how, when, where, and of course, why.

When the children were three and they asked why, their parents’ answers were sufficient. However, when a 12 year old asks the question why, their parents’ answers are far from sufficient. They no longer want to except the simple answer but want to dig deeper and understand the reasoning behind it. Mueller offers advice to parents on how to challenge their children while still giving them room to experience their questions and find their own answers. It is important to remember that these teenagers are entering a time of change and this change will last for a while. Their brains are not done forming and growing until age 25. Until then, remember to embrace their questions, challenge their thinking, and let them seek out their own
answers.

For more information, please read Walt Mueller’s article, Inside Your Teen’s Mind.

Although not new for me, the greatest summarizing reminder I gained while intentionally stepping off of life’s rollercoaster of activity to focus on my marriage was this: God created marriage to mirror His love to the world.

How humbling. When lived in the context of His laws, marriage is a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for His people. God wants to use me, although broken, to communicate who He is to the world.

I’ve been letting that ruminate in my heart the last few days, and today I read Isaiah 26 where this verse caught my attention:

Yes, Lord, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

(Isaiah 26:8)

Here God is, reminding me again. He spells is out clearly in His Word. We have the opportunity to demonstrate who God is to a lost and hurting world, in the context of marriage and in all areas of our lives.

In parenting, when I speak words of gentle discipline and genuine, consistent affirmation.
In encouragement, when I believe in a child who struggles academically and wants to give up.
In relationship, when I choose to forgive as God forgave me.
And in service, when I choose to go beyond recognizing the “least of these” and give of my time, my resources, and, sometimes, my own comfort to meet a need.

We (Christians) will be known by our love. And as followers of Christ, we make Him known though our loving actions toward fellow believers and to those still outside of a
relationship with Jesus. We carry His powerful name and make it renown (defined as widespread reputation, especially of a good kind).

Lord, let it be the desire of my heart to make You known. And let that desire empower me to action.

It is interesting how my involvement in the modern day abolitionist movement has changed my sensitivity to things that would have just flown past me before.  Some examples would include that being a chocoholic, I now buy all of my chocolate from fair trade sources, and don’t eat chocolate offered to me by others if I know that it is from a non-fair trade source.  In watching movies, I am now seeing them through new eyes…whether the obvious ones like Taken, or those that seemed to be more subtle, like in Star Wars, where I had never thought about Anakin Skywalker and his mother being slaves.  Today was another example.  While sitting in SAU’s Christmas chapel today, we sang O Holy Night.  Now, this is not an obscure Christmas carol.  I have probably sung it every year, but it was this year, after my awakening to the issues of slavery, that this verse held new meaning for me.

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Jesus Christ is the Great Abolitionist.  Obviously He came to set us free from bondage to our sins and Satan’s hold, but He also calls us to break the chains of our brother, and see oppression cease.  How will you seek to worship Jesus Christ, the Savior, as we celebrate His birth, and be part of making His Kingdom of Peace a growing reality for our brothers and sisters around the world and right here in Jackson County?

It’s advent and we have the advent wreath that we go through at home.  The prophets candle of hope, the Bethlehem candle of faith of Mary and Joseph, the angel candle of peace, the shepherd candle of joy and Christ candle of love.  These are reminders of God’s good gifts to us.

For God so loved the world that he gave… John 3:16 I love that. God is a giver, He delights in giving good gifts to His children.  I want to reflect that this Christmas, but how do I give good gifts? 

• Let’s start with the candle of hope—May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13—and remind our children of the hope we have in Jesus, no matter how bleak things look today – we have HOPE!  Our hope is grounded by our faith in Jesus—This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:22-23
• Jesus loves and saves us daily.  What JOY that brings us— Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. Psalm 119:111 Think of the true joy we feel when we are able to give and receive love in grace.  What a gift that is! 
• I am most challenged by the gift of peace that I must choose to give my family.  That old saying, “If momma ain’t happy, no one is,” goes both ways. I want to be God focused and kind so that my family doesn’t hear me yell, “Back off, I spent the entire day shopping to give YOU presents!” 
• And finally, the center candle of love.  How am I showing my kids love during these busy days?  Playing games with them, reading with them, allowing them to bake with me, taking time for hugs, rocking together as we stare at Christmas lights on the tree, having hot cocoa ready after time in the snow.  Love. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son…” Give your kids and (and everyone else!) the best gift of all, give them Jesus everyday.

The story of Jesus’ birth is a story of God’s generosity toward mankind.  For God so loved the world that He gave.  It all seems so simple - Jesus is God’s gift… but to truly stop and think about this gift overwhelms the soul with a sense of awe.  When we were lost and helpless in our sin, God gave.  When we were full of darkness and death, God gave.  When we were defiant, filled with selfishness and disobedience, God gave.  God’s generosity means life.  It is our salvation; the restoration of all things.  This gift of God- this little baby - changes everything.  What is God’s motivation behind such generosity? Love.  God gave because He loved.  I shake my head in wonder every time I think of God’s love for someone like me.  Such love, such generosity, moves us to do the same.  How can I not be generous when I have been given so much? 

This season, remember that Jesus is God’s expression of generosity to us.  Undeserved, with no strings attached.  Take time to reflect on what this means for you and let the beauty of this thought spur you on to be generous.  Every morning may the first question on your mind be, “How can I be generous today?”  For this brings glory to God and is truly the spirit of this season.

I don’t know about you, but I’m fairly aware of more than a few of my own accomplishments. I don’t want to sound proud or haughty, but I did win the 3rd grade spelling bee. The winning word was “highlighted”, which I spelled correctly. Amid the cheers of my classmates (except for Toby, who immediately lost), I was handed a giant Nestle Crunch bar, which I ate that afternoon in great celebration. Sickness naturally followed, since it was such a jumbo sized candy bar, but I didn’t care. I won! They had even announced it on the school’s PA system. Today, every time I eat a Nestle Crunch bar, I revel in my own victory, a distant elementary school memory which I can still taste.

There is nothing better than accomplishing that which others only dream of.

Imagine if I had boasted about this today on, say, my resume. Or if I had insisted on putting up the winner’s certificate in my office so that people knew that were dealing with a consummate spelling professional. What if I had “3rd grade spelling bee champ” printed on my business cards? And what if, for the sake of irony, I insisted on spelling the word “spelling” wrong on said business cards? Would people notice?

That seems to be the goal of our accomplishments: that people notice. We want to be distinguished. We want to be safe in the accolades of others. We imagine a security blanket made up of diplomas, awards, recognitions, and Nestle Crunch wrappers. Oh, it feels so good to be better than some people!

The Apostle Paul had every right to think the same thing. Whereas I won the 3rd grade spelling bee, Paul could boast about his position as a zealous persecutor of the church who observed the law like a professional. He had the family lineage that put him in a good place even before his birth. 8 days later, things got even “better”, as far as religious standing went. He considered himself to be blameless, which means that no one had anything on him that would threaten his confidence. He was like me, standing in front of the student body at Douglas Elementary, proudly holding up a Nestle Crunch bar. “H-I-G-H-L-I-G-H-T-E-D”.

After giving us a brief bio in Philippians 3:4-6, Paul suddenly changes direction and puts all of his accomplishments and standings in a new light. In 3:7, he writes “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” Paul is cancelling his own structure. All that work, all that birthright, all that victory — down the drain!
It must take quite a victory to trump his own. Enter Jesus Christ. His victory is apparent — we refer to this as “Christus Victor”, meaning that Jesus is victorious over sin, makes atonement for us, and gives us His victory over death. Paul is saying that, in light of everything Christ has done, what I have done is pretty much nothing.

This truth should bring us to our knees.

How often do we surf on our own capabilities, talents, and triumphs? I know I do. There’s nothing wrong with accomplishing great things. In fact, the best approach is to do something great for the glory of God, which means that we give it our best, operate in our strengths, develop our God-given talents, and then point to Christus Victor, the one who has redeemed us from the pit and whose accomplishment on the cross means eternal life for me, which will go on long after my parchments and attainments have disintegrated.

So… here’s what to do:
1. Constantly increase your familiarity with the accomplishment of Christ on the cross. The best way to do this? Get to know Jesus Himself. Read the Word. Pray. Surround yourself with others who seek the same. And seek to serve the world as Jesus would.
2. Think of your accomplishments as secondary to the great work of Christ. This doesn’t mean that you can’t say “Thank You” when a coworker congratulates you on landing a sale or when a customer expresses delight over the coffee you brought to them. But remember Jesus and what He has done, so as to avoid thinking that you are the one who keeps you going. It’s not you. It’s Him! (See Hebrews 1:3 — He upholds the universe by the word of his power).
3. When we worship together, be intentional about removing the crown that has slowly built up on your own head, and lay it at the feet of Jesus. He must increase, you must decrease.
4. Be constantly thankful to the one whose accomplishment means salvation, and keep on working for the glory of God to do great things!

Listen, I’m a pretty good speller. But I don’t go around telling everyone how awesome I am, partly because I’m afraid they’ll ask me to spell a big word like “hippopotamus or “necessary”. The big reason? If the Apostle Paul models something for us in this passage, it is the fact that we don’t boast about us. We boast about Christ. If I truly understand what He has done, I won’t go around boasting about what little I’ve done. Your security isn’t in what you’ve accomplished, so stop acting like it does. Join me in counting gains as losses as we live each day in the victory of Christ.

And now, may the taste of a Nestle Crunch bar, the sight of a highlighter, and the taste of your own small victories be a strong reminder of what Christ has done, in love, for you.

Of course we notice that talking with Jesus revealed her sins. But have we noticed that Jesus did not shame her in those sins?  Rather He offered hope and freedom from her unhappy and broken life. Notice, too, the woman’s response to such grace and mercy. She ran to share it with others …. probably many of those who had shunned her and misused her.

All of us desire to be known at a deep vulnerable level, for we have been created in God’s image – from love and for love.  Here’s the question ever before us:  How can we see people for who they are in Christ’s eyes?  Do we offer them hope and freedom from unhappy and broken lives through personal, intimate relationship with Jesus? Or, do we judge, condemn and separate ourselves from them?

Have you taken time to reflect on WHY it’s important to create margins for others [Pastor Mark’s message on 9.18.11]? Yes, the simple answer is so we have time, energy, and resources to form relationships with others who don’t yet know the Lord. But, why bother forming more relationships when we’re already maxed out with obligations to current relationships? Really now, is God asking us to extend ourselves even further? Is He asking us to bring in the harvest?

Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. ~ Jesus, John 4:35 NLT I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plant and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For are god’s co-workers; you are god’s field. ~Paul, 1 Corinthians 3: 6-9 TNIV

The real question for me is whether I trust God, who is already at work all around me, to do the work. My task is not to ‘convert’ people, but to be God’s co-worker. I am to love others as myself. I am to be a light in a dark world, salt in a decaying moral culture.

When I view creating margins with these thoughts, I see beyond my energy and time commitments and look more at my heart attitude toward being God’s co-worker.

So… how well have you been creating margins in your life? Does it help in any way to look at your deep belief of your ‘role’ and God’s role in the whole ‘winning others to God’ question?

Have you considered how The Lord’s Prayer is an expression of “Stickman-Living”?
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Let me explain. (adapted from The Jesus Creed) When we let the Lord’s Prayer fill us, transform us, guide us we learn:

1. To approach God as Abba Father. God is our loving, caring, eye-to-eye Father. He not only desires that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, He loves us even more completely and than that – even to the point of being our
Abba Father.
2. What God really wants. God desires to be honored and have His will become reality on earth. A piece of His will is that none should perish. We cannot intentionally reach out in personal & relational ways to those who don’t yet know Jesus in our own strength and conviction; we must be transformed by God’s presence with us.
3. To think of others. …to be aware of their needs, to pray for those needs. As God’s heart increasingly shapes our heart, we then reach out to help meet the needs of the lost and broken in tangible ways.

There it is: one hand firmly on God & His Word – loving Him. As this transforms us, we begin to desire what God desires. This transformation leads us to keep one hand firmly on a hurting world.

When’s the last time you prayed the Lord’s Prayer, in earnestness and humility, letting Him fill you, transform you and guide you?