Small Mustard Seed

It's been a few weeks since I wrote last - apologies are due. Mark (my husband) had left for Germany for 11 days for work so I wasn't exactly in the mood to spend my small amount of free time writing. Don't get me wrong, I love writing, but lately I've felt a bit unsure. Not of what I believe, not of my desire to share it... I guess so many of the things I want to write about are big, take lots of explaining & could go on & on & on & on. So, it's a little overwhelming to try to sit here & write a fully comprehensible little post. I've always wanted to write books, but again, a little overwhelmed with the idea... I don't have a specific book in mind so that's a ways off in the future (well, I actually have a re-write in mind that I plan on starting soon, but that's a different topic).

I decided I would write just a teensy thought & conversation I had. That's easier... hopefully.

I was driving from Tigard to McMinnville a couple weeks ago & the driver to my right all of a sudden realized (with only about 30 ft left) that his lane was a right turn only lane. I let him over & began thinking about grace. I noticed he had an out of state license plate & an out of state sticker... I decided those qualified him to receive my grace. Then I began thinking (dangerous) & talking about this with my good friend Dar & my husband. I was able to give grace at that moment because I assumed the best of this mysterious driver. But, this didn't seem like a fabulous reason to always give grace... helpful maybe, but that can't be all there is to it. I mean, what if he was just a jerk who wanted to try and get ahead? Would I still have given him grace? And surely God knows how wretched we all are & how selfish all our thoughts really are but He still gives us grace...

That is when I realized 2 things: 1 - God is gracious in such a different way than we are & 2 - I have a long way to go in becoming a truly gracious person.

I don't want to go on too long because this could get complicated & crazy, but I do want to share just a couple thoughts & questions. Why is it so hard to give others grace? To be a gracious person? The casual definition of grace being - giving someone something good which they don't deserve. The driver didn't deserve for me to have a good attitude towards him... but then I think, what would have been so great about keeping my bad attitude towards him? He would have never known!! I would have been angry (sort of "justifiably") but had nothing to do about it or no actions to carry out that were good or beneficial. So why are we so miserably ungracious towards others?

Obviously, we have a great inability to be like God who is incredibly gracious & compassionate. The whole point of the bible expresses his Mercy & Grace in giving us redemption & taking on the wrath we deserve. But seriously, if being gracious to another person has a positive affect on them & ourselves, why don't we make more effort? I think the root of this is the same root for most of our sin - selfishness. We want what we think we deserve - to be treated fairly (who says the world works like that?), to receive the benefits of our hard work (which somehow we found ourselves with the miraculous ability to do), to have love & be loved (umm, not sure we deserve this just for being born), to not be wronged... I'm sure the list could go on.

Anyway, this is just rambling thoughts on our, especially my, limited ability to be gracious. It's been good for me to consider that even my attempts at being gracious are usually either forced because of mental reasoning (which is still better than not being gracious) or miraculous gifts from God - Him changing my heart & desires. It has caused me to see that to truly become more like Him, I cannot just try harder or reason with myself... if it's to be a natural outpouring it needs to come from God making me different than I am today. How? We should start by just asking (daily, hourly, minutely?) & being willing to yield to our own desires. It really stinks to constantly be putting my own desires & to-do's on the back burner... but that's only because I don't realize how important God's call to show His love is. Showing mercy, grace & love to others will always be a higher calling than getting done what I want to get done. This is a hard lesson, but I firmly believe it is also an eternally rewarding one.

Since we've moved, we've been going to a church here in Tigard called Colossae. We have really been enjoying getting to know new folks & have been going to a small group in our community. It's very informal & laid back. There are lots of people in & out each week, but it's been a great way to immediately feel welcome & see what God is doing here, where we are now.


The Bomars are in our community group. Chuch Bomar is the head pastor at Colossae & we've been blessed by his teaching. We've been following the Colossae podcast for a while now, but it's been neat getting to chat with Chuck a little & hearing him talk about life in general face to face. Today, our church started a new series on hearing God speak. He recently wrote a book about this topic & gave an introduction into what studying this topic should mean for us. His sermon today really spoke to me, reminding me of many things & showing me another glimpse of how God is working in my life.


Chuck shared a tid-bit about a season in his life where he really wished that Jesus was right next to him in person. He said at the time, he really felt like it would be better for Jesus to be right there. Immediately, I knew where Chuck was headed. And what do you know, 3 minutes later we are in John 14 looking at these verses...


²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." 


And John 16:7 at this verse...


"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."


Jesus Himself says that it is far better for the Holy Spirit to come & dwell in us, than for Jesus to stay & walk beside us in person. I was thinking about how or why this is & was lead to a few things.


Jesus walked beside people in skin, face to face, speaking in similar ways we do to each other. Just by using His words, He could not convince people to believe. He did miracles & wonders right in front of people who continued to look for better ways to find contentment or peace. But now, with God's Spirit in us, He can change our hearts, guide our thoughts & help lead us to peace that no one can take us to with only words. Jesus (without God's Spirit), in His flesh, could not convince people of their sin or make them understand how deadly it is to continue living for self... but God's Spirit, living in us, can move & give us a heart of flesh in exchange for our hearts of stone. 


Thinking on these things, God revealed to me how wonderful it is to have Him working inside me, & not just walking along with me. Sure, Jesus in the flesh could answer my questions instantly. I could walk up & find Him with physically anytime I need. The Spirit isn't quite so easily felt, though is just as easily accessible. The Spirit though, doesn't always give immediate answers. But look here to that little phrase "he will teach you all things & bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." 


Chuck explained to us that God's Spirit doesn't just give us answers for future events or decisions, but reminds us of what we've already been taught about how to live for God's purposes. Check out this verse in 2 Peter 1:3...


His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.


And this in Ephesians 2:10...


For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


When times of crisis come, our natural reaction is to ask God what to do, to beg Him to just tell us what decisions to make & where to go from here. But these verses above tell us that God has plans, things He's created us to do & that His Spirit will remind us of how we are to be, how to follow God. These verses remind us that we have exactly what we need to follow God, to make good decisions to honor Him. 


One big, life-changing concept we learn early in our walks as Christians (at least in our brains, though it is a life-long process of learning to live this out), is to die to ourselves. Here are a few verses that help explain this...


"Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." 
Matthew 10:39


"Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves."
Philippians 2:3


³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ ³⁹ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. ⁴¹ If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
Matthew 5:38-42


All of these verses (and many more) express this idea that we should put others before ourselves, no matter what. Later in Philippians 2, Paul shows how even Jesus considered sacrificing his life for us as more important that keeping His esteemed position in Heaven with God. 


This  teaching of putting others before ourselves is just one example, one topic that the Holy Spirit can remind us of that can help us in trouble times of indecision. Serving others first, helping the poor, being wise with our money & being gentle with our children are all things we learn from the bible. These are all things God's Spirit will help us to remember in times of need, times where we can walk in the good works He has set out for us.


Chuck's encouragement today, as well as mine, is that we don't get caught up in finding out what it is we should DO in certain situations, but how we should approach living in communion with God. If we seek Him to have influence in our lives & seek to earnestly live a life of service, He will make those decisions less daunting. His Spirit brings us peace & reminds us of the best way to live. We truly can rest in this assurance, that His Spirit is always with us & that it truly is better to have His Spirit inside our hearts & minds, guiding our feelings, emotions & desires than to be living with Jesus in the flesh. 


Chuck's book comes out in a couple weeks, but we got a couple copies today. I'm excited to read more about this, seeing from Chuck's perspective the ways God works in speaking to us through His Spirit. If you want a copy, you can order online here or talk to me & I can get you a copy for cheap! I hope that as you seek to know God better, you can rest in the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide you in righteousness, reminding you of all the things God has taught you in His word. 

I've never had a problem believing that there is such a thing as absolute truth. I didn't really realize this was even a issue until I was in college. I mean, math seems to put that pretty bluntly right?? 2 + 2 = 4... that's pretty straightforward. Recently, I read the book "The God Who Is There" by Francis Schaeffer & my eyes were opened to worlds of philosophy & theology that I never realized existed! One of the main topics of discussion in the book revolved around the basis for people's worldview (he didn't say this explicitly, but this is the intention I believe). Prior to the late 1800's in Europe & the early 1900's in America, people generally believed that there was (or could be) one main truth to put their confidence in that would explain everything in life - a circle of truth. After those time periods, many philosophers began to talk about this idea as being false & encourage others to think that this was not true. Long story short, this train of thought made its way through art, music, culture & eventually to theology as well. Today, it has almost become a truth itself!

The interesting thing about this idea (an open box of thought - no one truth explaining existence & purpose) is that it creates a gap you cannot cross. Schaeffer calls it the line of despair. He believed that if you never come to believe in the one saving truth, you either die in despair, or at some point make an irrational jump over that line into believing that life has purpose & significant meaning for you. Seems crazy right? Well, many of the early artists who began running along this train of thought committed suicide out of despair for life. Intense studying of their lives will show they believed so deeply that life was meaningless, no one truth to explain their existence, that they could not bear to live either falsely believing in purpose without a reason behind it or live on in meaningless any longer. Many other artists who believed that there was no truth in life, at some point, decided themselves that their life had meaning - through good deeds, living for mother nature or creating some other theory of life that (while not deeply true in all realms) gave them enough confidence to be happy with living their lives. This was not based on truth, religion, theories or study - merely based on thoughts coming from their own mind & experience... which is dangerous. Why? There's a lot more to the earth & galaxies that exist beyond what lies in each of our minds - when we decide something is true simply because we feel it, we make our feelings to be lord over what actually exists outside of us. Tiny example - you cannot will a plant to grow or an animal to live simply because you believe or desire it to.

It is sad to me though. I think if I did not believe in one truth that explains existence, I would want to kill myself. In my mind, it does not give much hope or happiness to trust in something that is not sure, that does not benefit mankind more than just momentarily, or that does not change unfortunate circumstances that most people live in more than momentarily. How does a person believe there is not truth in the world & continue to live happily? Schaeffer believed that this question is at the heart of evangelism (in short, sharing Jesus with others). A person will not trust Jesus as their savior if they don't believe they need Him. And if they don't think one truth can explain existence, purpose & meaning, what reason do they have to need anything aside from themselves?

Schaeffer also believed that this is precisely why we need to share Jesus with others in a logical way. Not just to get people to have better lives, but because there IS a truth in life that explains everything. All of us live between two ends of a spectrum - believing something fully & rationally, or believing what our minds tell us. Even as a Christian, we are always somewhere between these two ends of the spectrum. To effectively share Jesus, we need to connect with people & get them thinking about the two ends of their spectrum. Are they living closer to what they really think is true or closer to what they just want to believe? Either way, does the way they are living rationally make sense with what they believe? Does what they believe hold up when you look at other people living around the globe? You have to think before you can believe (contrary to religious foofery - you have to at least think about something before you can trust in it). Jesus is not just some foofy idea that makes life feel better. He was a physically real person, who did real things & who can still do real things on earth.

This has been very challenging for me to think about. Yes, there is a leap of faith required to trust God's eternal plan when circumstances don't work out for us. But it's not illogical. After all, if we believe God created the world, what reason is there to doubt that He can manage it? What reason is there to doubt He can fix anything He desires? I hope that as I speak to friends who do not believe in truth, I can lovingly help them make rational sense of the way they are living - not to bring them to despair & leave, but to bring them to the real despair that exists when living apart from the grace of God. There is true despair in being separated from all goodness (which only exists in God) - if we do not tell people that truth of despair in living apart from God, we cannot lead them to the redeeming truth in Jesus paying off the debt that brings us despair. Jesus is the solution to all despair, and He is real, He is logical & He is the truth that will one day bring all the world back to order.

I hope that if you do not believe what I am writing, that you will at least consider your beliefs. Consider the implications of not believing in one central truth. Consider the consequences of living out what you really think the meaning of life (or no meaning) is. And please, ask me anything you want. I cannot promise to give you answers that are perfect, but I can certainly try my best to lead you in logical thought to better understand this world that God created & loves.

If you are really intrigued, read this book!

All my life, I have characterized myself as an idealistic person. I have grand ideas of how smoothly things in life would run, as long as it all happened in particular ways at particular times. This has really been a great hinderance! It often makes me react in terrible ways to circumstances that are beyond my control. I think in the last few years I've become a bit more grounded in reality (not considering myself a realist by any stretch of the imagination) & am beginning to see how damaging some of the ideals I hold have been in many areas of my life. Our ideals for life as a Christian can put us fitted perfectly in the shoes of the pharisees of Jesus' time. Really? REALLY?? Let me explain.


I've often heard conversations about Christians being hypocritical. And through many examples in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) we see how the pharisees were hypocritical in their assumptions of how Jesus should act & the way they acted. For instance read this passage in Luke 13:10-17...


¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” ¹³ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. ¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman,a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” ¹⁷ As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.


This is just one example showing how our ideals for how religion should play out can blind us to the amazing work Jesus is doing. Were the pharisees wrong in obeying their laws? No. But they prohibited love in the name of the law. Their desire to abide by the rules was more important to them than loving a person unselfishly. 


I guess this has been popping up a lot in my life lately, especially as we've been in transition with lots of decisions. We'll also have some schooling decisions coming up next year too. I realized that I keep looking at the behaviors in my life from the outward appearance. Am I doing the right things? Not, am I following after God's heart & seeking to participate in His work.


 I've always been wary of being a hypocrite - trying not to sin in areas that I'm certain are wrong & making sure I'm not doing things that are obviously contrary to my faith. But for the first time in my life, I realized how like the Pharisees that really is. We get very concerned with having things go according to how we believe Christians should have things go, that we forget to really look at the inside. When situations don't play out the way I desire, my initial reaction is anger that my plans or my ideal circumstance did not play out. 


I encourage you to take a look at your life, your ideals & your reactions to challenging circumstances. When things don't go according to plan, do you get upset? When a family you know deals with a situation in a way that is not your typical idea of how Christians should handle things, do you assume the worst? Or even not the best? I've been challenging my ideals & discovering that they are not rooted in humility, love or compassion. And they are often the opposite of hoping in eternity. It has been so healthy for me - cleaning up the inside - or rather, it's been necessary to allow God to clean up my inside! And I'm sure you wouldn't regret the time spent on it either. It's painful, long & hard work, but it cannot be replaced by slapping on a bunch of ideals to live by. 


Hope you're encouraged with this as I have been! Let me know your thoughts :)

That's life, right? From our perspective, there are often lots of delays on our trip to the perfect life. Well, a lot of my delay in writing on here is based on my lack of discipline & fear of not being approved. Anyway, I've been having idea after idea for what to write on here lately, & I truly hope to not disappoint any faithful readers (however few they may be). It will be a great challenge for me to be consistent - the only things I'm consistent with in my life are things I HAVE to do... like feed kids, do laundry, etc. All this to say, God is working in my life & I want to share with you what He shares with me. Nothing crazily monumental, just daily stuff that helps give me peace, confidence & grows my love for Him & others. I need not be overwhelmed with the commitment, but trust that every little bit He gives me is worth passing long - even if it's not all 100% thought out or as scholarly as I would wish it to be. I hope to share amy first real post within the next few days & I hope it will be a blessing!! Wish me luck :)

I have been encountering a ton of this on facebook lately and thought it was time for me to come clean.

I cannot stand the way us Christians (particularly women) feel it's okay to post complaints on facebook in well disguised forms. If we believe God is always at work, we should not complain - the bible commands it! Philippians 2:14-15 - it ruins our testimony!!! And facebook is a prime place for others to gain opinions from.

I'm trying to be gracious, and assume that many who are complaining do not realize what they are saying. Here are some examples of what I think qualify as complaints:

- "Dear (insert whatever, whoever), you are making me miserable, please stop! Me."
- "Today has been awful - thinking positive and hoping tomorrow is better."
- "Why does life always have to be this way?" Or, anything referring to situations continually being bad or simply not what they prefer.
- Pretty much any post with an "ugh", "sigh", "err" or a generally negative tone.

Maybe the second one there has some of you thinking I'm being a little harsh. But let me explain. Simply hoping for better circumstances or saying "but Praise God" doesn't allow you to complain about other things! Just by saying "but God's in control" does not make it okay to spill all your discontents or vices. Does that make sense?

If we really believe that God is good and gracious, and if we are truly seeking His will (not our own) then it really becomes difficult to be an authority on your personal circumstances enough to say that they are bad. God knows what they are, and I'm sure they could be a TON worse - especially if you are living in America. Let me offer some hopefully helpful suggestions.

Most of our attitude (and many of our negative emotions) come from they way we are thinking and what we are thinking about. Philippians 4:8 encourages us "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Consider how your situation is good - some days, I REALLY struggle with this. But, we have a solid eternal hope that will make having a grateful heart and mouth full of praise on these bad days worthwhile. Here are some alternative wordings for facebook posts - to keep you positive, remembering God is taking care of you, and to keep your tongue/fingers on the keyboard from complaining to others.

-"Dear unnamed bad situation today, sorry that I caved in and got upset. I know you are only a circumstance and that the Lord prevails! Me." (the unnamed is important! Don't let yourself cave into the pressure of speaking your grievances!!) Proverbs 12:16 - don't be a fool!!
- "Today was not what I planned - wondering what God is showing me and trying to not miss out on His blessings!"
- "My life is not what I planned. I desire to know that God has been and will to continue planning it and hope to trust Him more as my life goes on."
- Speak praises, stating that God is in control, that His purposes are good, that you desire to know Him, that you desire to trust Him more.

If you have been guilty of complaining (as I am also) I hope that this is not a downer for you, but a reminder that what we speak is who we are! Jesus says in Mark 7:14b-15 "Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." It's what we speak and what we do and how we treat others that determines if we are "defiled." Yes, we have all been defiled, we are all sinners, but we are to walk in freedom from sin now! No longer held to the defilement our flesh offers, but to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and SELF-CONTROL. His Holy Spirit can make it happen!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. It seems that our culture has definitely changed the meaning of "complaining" or "grumbling" but I hope to encourage you to not succumb to it! God has such a gift of contentment and joy to offer us when we commit to not speaking words of disgrace and complaint. And He is more than willing to help us make it happen - it will glorify Him and give us an eternal reward. Plus, I bet you will be smiling a lot more because of it too! Please, either email me, facebook me or leave a comment letting me know your ideas, convictions, questions, whatever! Heck, I'll even take criticisms ;) Thanks for reading!

I had seen this video being posted over and over again on facebook.com but only had the time to view it today. I highly recommend taking a couple minutes and watching it, then really taking some time to think about it. Here it is...




The thing that really got me, was him talking about this life being all there is. I think this is where Americans differ so much from much of the world - for the most part, life is easy for the majority of Americans... we don't need anything else because life is good! But I wonder, does people who actually think that way ever think about other people around the world? Would they tell a person in Ethiopia who was born with AIDS b/c their mother had an injection for polio that was not sterilized after been given to 50+ people that this life is all there is? I certainly hope not. If this life is all there is, why do anything except make your life better? And what kind of despair does this give to those who are completely ill and poverty stricken? I would despair thinking this life was all there was, even with my easy circumstances.

My intention with bringing this up is just to get us thinking. Do you really believe that this life is all there is? Do you believe that God has an eternal plan for you? If so, do you believe it enough to put aside your selfish ambition?? I really don't want to be the type of person who says "I hope in God" yet continually live in a way that is banking on what I can achieve for myself here on earth. If I know God has an eternal purpose that is beyond what I can ever think or imagine, then I must be willing to give up everything I can here to achieve more glory for Christ. Because is there anything else more important to do?

Sorry, I'm not keeping up on this very well. And I have to admit, it's been my own fault. Yes, I have been crazy busy (you can read about it on my other blog) but I also have no excuse if I truly feel this is an area in my life that God has called me to. If He's called me to it, He'll give me the energy and strength to do it!

Still, right now I'm not posting a huge, preachy, scripture-based concept. Just a small thought. One that I am often engrossed with and spend many hours debating about in my head. If we are Christians, how can we be so incredibly all about ourselves so often? Yes, we are to care for our family, but does that mean that is what we spend ALL our time doing? Isn't it good for our children to see us taking time to serve God first and then serve them? After all, we should introduce the idea spoken about in Matthew 5 about putting others before ourselves. Or better yet, can't we take our children with us while serving or include them in areas of service? This "family-centered" lifestyle is very much the "Christian" thing to do in America these days... it's even the non-Christian way of life too... family first. But the bible doesn't ever say family first, it says Jesus' kingdom & work first, then family. I really believe that when you dedicate your time to serving the Lord (which is often at home first) He will bless your endeavors to serve your family. I'm not saying let your kids go hungry while you read your bible... I'm saying think twice and pray often before assuming that spending all your time at home and making your home a nest is the exact thing God wants you to do.

Really, I just look at missionaries and people actively involved with spreading the gospel, attending to the poor and afflicted, and I just don't understand why so many of us American church-goers are not involved in any of it. Do any of us really want to know why? Do we even take 10 minutes a month to think about how this can be happening?

Just food for thought, very important though for any of us claiming to serve Jesus.

I've been reading this book called "Future Grace" by John Piper and I'm loving it. It's all about trusting in God's promises and how this is what drives us to continue serving the Lord. It also goes into some deeper theological issues that I am not ready to handle yet... I'm beginning to understand them better, but not quite ready to write about them or explain them - guess you'll have to keep coming back and reading my blog ;)

So, this book is divided into 31 chapters. He did this to help keep the reader immersed in this subject for a more extended amount of time, instead of letting the reader read, and be done with the entire book in a day or two. I must admit, I've really enjoyed it! It's great to have some continuity in my reading and it's been good to have along with my bible reading... I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy this book for many of my friends and family members... I might even do a giveaway soon!

Anyway, my point is on this subject of contentment. I read in one of the recent chapters about discontentment, or rather, covetousness, being one of the deepest issues a believer has to come to terms with - or rather, an issue they have to allow God to work out in each of us. The root of the issue is this - all covetousness is an unbelief in the future grace of God. At first I thought "Really?" but the more I think about it and the more I read, the more I see this to be true.

If we are discontent, we are wishing that we had more of something the world can offer - more of what someone else has got. We are letting our desire for earthly pleasures and gains rule over our faith in the provisions that God has made for us and will make for us. We are saying "What I could have here on earth is better than what I could have in God." Am I wrong? Here is what Paul says to Timothy about this issue...

"Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."
1 Timothy 6:6-10

Wanting any earthly possession will get us nowhere. And if we are not careful, we can foster this desire for stuff and money and allow it to lead us away from the faith, ruining our eternity. And if you're wondering... no, I do not believe the "once saved, always saved" mentality to be biblical... there are too many warnings about keeping the faith, enduring to the end, not wandering away... but this is one of those heavy, theological issues I will likely deal with later in the year.

What I want to hash out is this issue of discontentment. Discontentment shows us that we really don't believe God's good intentions for His followers. If I believed 100% that all of my circumstances were ultimately going to lead me to the most important thing to ever happen in my life, why would I have any reason to not be filled with joy? If I truly understood, that even in difficulty, God was working out my circumstances to be for my own benefit both here on earth and in eternity, wouldn't I be foolish to be anxious or worried or upset? But isn't this the same promise we are given if we keep the faith and remain true to the Lord? God has given us so many promises - some conditional (another issue I'll tackle later) and some with the only requirement being that we turn to Him. But if you call yourself a Christian, there is not one good reason for you to ever be discontent - I mean it! God has made every provision for you to have a blessed eternity with Him. And not only that, He continues to make earthly provisions for you to be comfortable, have food, clothing, enjoy relationships... there are endless lists.

In light of all this, I would encourage of you Christian readers to take a look at your life and ask God to reveal areas of discontentment. Because while some small areas may not lead to flagrant sin - such as murder or theft or sexual immorality - any area of discontentment has the potential to. And why risk it? Especially when we can be so blessed with a joy and contentment that can make a difference in so many lives around us. Especially since when we are content with where God has us, we will see Him and His purposes more clearly, fueling our passion for Him and filling our hearts so we will never be lacking.

Enjoy a few verses giving us encouragement for the things God has promised to those who follow Him.

"And we know that all things work together for good, for those who love God, for those that are called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Or which of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?"
Matthew 7:7-11

"if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
James 1:5-8 -
This one is a good example of a conditional promise - God will give wisdom to anyone who asks, supposing that he asks in complete faith that God is willing and able to provide.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9

Sometimes, I read something or hear something that really hits me. Today, I read a section from the Book Radical by David Platt. He was explaining that Jesus didn't sweat blood b/c He was afraid of torture and death... this something I hadn't even thought about... many preachers have simply taught that Christ was scared of the physical pain He knew He would be enduring. Anyway, Platt explains that many a martyr have gone to their torturous death with joy and singing, very different from the idea we are given about Jesus before His death. Jesus didn't die just because He loved us and He wasn't fearful of physical death - Jesus knew the truth about what it would be like to endure the massive amount of God's wrath that was due the history of man... that's what made Him sweat blood.

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights of the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain."
Philippians 2:14-16

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:10

These are going to be my cornerstone verses this year. These two concepts - complaining and discontentment - are things I constantly struggle with. But they have no place in my life if I claim to know the Lord. If I say that I believe in the healing power of Christ, and if I believe that Jesus rose from the grave and defeated sin, then I absolutely believe that He can have power in my life over these sins.

Here lies a problem tho, Christians today don't really believe that being discontent or complaining are actually sin! Seriously, I just said that!! Sure, most Christians would say they aren't good, but if you really looked at our lives and witnessed how much most of us Christians complain about daily circumstances or how unhappy we are with all of those circumstances, well, that there is evidence enough that we either take sin lightly, or we don't really think it's sinning.

Let me tell you, my complaining spirit and discontent for the life God has given me have been robbing my joy for most of my life. And I won't have it any longer! God has given us everything! And as an American, God has given me more than 90% of the people currently living on the planet, probably more than 99% of the people who have ever lived in the history of the earth! Sincerely though, knowing Christ and knowing that my future in eternal goodness is sealed in His sacrificial love gives me no reason to complain EVER. I mean it, EVER!!

No matter how much pain, suffering, ridicule, poverty, hunger, anything bad or uncomfortable that I should come to suffer, it will be a small puff of smoke in the long run. My desire for this year is to know this truth so deeply, that it is unshakeable by anything Satan can do. That no matter what unbelieving friends or strangers say or do to me, I desire to still take joy in God's promises. I want to understand the gravity of my ungratefulness and lack of faith to a degree that shames me so much for this way of past living, that I will NEVER go back there. And I know God can do it. It's almost scary to say this, but I believe He will! There is so much joy in saying that! There's also a small ounce of fear, b/c that means this year, I can be sure that Satan will put it to the test.

And I hope that you will too! Please, friends and family who know me, hold me accountable to this! I will also be doing some studying, praying and writing about these concepts more, in the hope that God will use it to solidify my faith in Him, and possibly, to solidify your faith in Him as well. No one in the history of the earth has made the promises and predictions that God has, and every prediction He has made so far had come to fruition! Wow. This gives me a lot to pray about. Please pray with me, for me and for your family. It's time that we come together as Christians and take a stand against sin, especially these sins that undermine our own faith and testimony. Believe that God's future grace can help you overcome any obstacles that comes your way and you will certainly see the evidence of this truth in your life!

Here are just a couple verses to leave you with.

"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."
Ephesians 1:3

"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6

"These all died in faith (speaking of Old Testament followers of God), not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city."
Hebrews 11:13-16

These verses all speak to me in different ways. I hope to do some studying and writing on the idea of being dead to ourselves and this world we live in... I think this has amazing relevance to what God called Abraham and the Israelites to in the Old Testament... to be strangers in a foreign land... trusting God to take them there in His time, in His way.

Hope this new year brings you closer to God and understanding the gravity and surety of His love and promises for you! Stay in touch!

I'm not totally sure what drew me to the Thessalonians today. There are 2 books of Thessalonians in the bible (1st and 2nd - duh), and I was just thinking how I didn't really know anything about them. So, out of curiosity (and I'm sure a bit of divine guidance) I opened the bible app on my iPhone and started reading.

I was really surprised. Paul speaks so highly of these people, not admonishing them in anything really, more just encouraging them and teaching a few things. At first it struck me funny, thinking about what they must have been like. But now, looking at all the wonderful things Paul says about this group of people it's starting to make sense. He states over and over that they genuinely love others around them.  That their love continues to increase!

Then this verse - one I'm familiar with but never really knew where it was - caught my eyes.

"As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good." 2 Thessalonians 3:13

There's actually another verse with this same phrasing...

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

I guess I'm starting to see more of a connection between truly understanding the love God has for us and what His love can do through us, with the commitment to serve others around us. In our church body now, we are growing in numbers in our Sunday service, but decreasing in our numbers of people who are serving! It's truly frustrating. I cannot convince someone to give up more of their time to serve the church and the people here in McMinnville. Our pastor can't, our women's leadership can't, our youth group can't... you get the picture?

Only God can strike a persons heart to serve. And from looking at a VERY general overview of the Thessalonians, it appears that when we truly understand God's intentions, we will desire to serve and show His love more. It can be so tough to serve without "getting a break." I don't even serve as much as pastors or their wives, but I often grow weary with the few duties I've chosen to take on. Obligation can start to set in, feeling like no one else is doing anything or resentment towards those who don't participate can creep in and make me sour. But really, I should retain this confidence: if I can continue serving God and His body with the same love I would give to myself, relying on His strength to support me and His Spirit to move in others, I can continue serving despite the worst circumstances, fully trusting that I will reap a harvest one fine day.

Understanding God's promise of eternal glory is completely inseparable from having joy. There are so many tangents I could go onto from the few verses I am going to share, but today I'll stick with this... if we truly trust God for eternal salvation and our current sustenance, we have no other option than to be utterly joyful. True? It needs to be. The bible says there is nothing of greater value than our eternal salvation.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading kept in Heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:3-9

This is a weighty set of verses. There are so many concepts in here that are IMPORTANT and need more studying on my part and on all believers' parts. Really though, what I want to point out is the concept that our joy is evidence of our salvation. Not in a "If you're happy, people will want what you want." Or the "God fixes things in believers lives and makes us joyful" sense either. But in relation to the 1st commandment God gave the people of Israel: "You shall have no other God's before me." Exodus 20:3.

That may seem strange at first - idolatry and the issue of joy? But trust me, it is pivotal. You see, if you are putting something as higher priority than God, your joy will not be complete. If you desire ANYTHING else more than knowing God, this joy in eternity is not going to cut it. After reading this over and over I continue to be struck by the disastrous state of my own heart. Why is it we so easily find something else to fill God's place in our hearts? Peter tells us that when we genuinely believe in Him and His eternal glory, that we will obtain this glorious joy, which is the outcome of our faith, a kind of faith that brings salvation. Complete and genuine joy is evidence of our faith, and THIS kind of faith is where salvation lies. Is there another kind of faith? Nope, not one that God desires.

And that is what leads me to really ponder how well I know God, how much I really trust Him. If my joy is gone, if I cannot say "I will be with Christ someday and that is better than anything else!" despite ANY circumstance I find myself in, do I really believe God? Do I earnestly trust what He says? Because believing God is more than just "knowing" with my head who He is. James 1:19 says "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder!" Can we honestly say we think there is salvation in just saying "I know who God is and I believe Jesus was His son."? There must be a change of heart and a willingness to set aside all else to pursue Him.

The more I read this passage the more I realize how entangled I am in this world. I love the good things that God has blessed me with more than I love Him. I want better earthly objects more than I want to know Him. I want ease and comfort more than I want to learn His ways or help His people. This is the saddest epidemic in Christianity, that we strive to show others the truth and do not genuinely believe it ourselves. If you believe that God is the ruler of all and that Jesus was His son, who came and lived a perfect life, willingly placing Himself on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, I beg you please... do not let another day go by without seeking Him and submitting your heart and life to Him. Even if you don't want to have joy or to change your ways or give up your rights, God can change the coldest of hearts and the hardest heads to bring a joy that is fulfilled in His promise of a glorious eternity. He never fails, in ANYTHING! You will find joy in knowing that He will give you more than you can imagine in your life with Him and it will far outweigh anything we can obtain here before we die.

Interesting passage. Never even noticed it before. So revealing about our human nature.

I first came across the story of Naaman while reading the book "Counterfeit Gods" by Timothy Keller. He shared this story while explaining our tendency to worship our abilities and accomplishments instead of God. The story is found in 2 Kings 5:1-14.

"1Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel." 5And the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel."

So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me."

8But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." 11But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants came near and said to him, "My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."


I think some of why this story really resonates with me is seeing how earnest Naaman was. He did not hide his astonishment or rage, and he heeded the advice of his lowly servants. Now, there are many "issues" in this story - how Naaman tried to pay the king with riches to heal him, how he tried to use his reputation to save himself and how he expected a big show in his being healed - but ultimately it is a story of human nature and what it means to have faith in action. How interesting that he would be so upset at the idea of simply dipping in a river to be cleansed... that he was so stubborn, he actually went to leave without being healed!

We are SO like Naaman. We all know people who "know" about God and Jesus, yet for some reason, they choose not to believe it. They think they believe in God, but not enough to actually be saved. Just how Naaman believed that Elisha's God would heal him, but at first, not enough to actually do the simple task he was explicitly told to do. Naaman knew he was going to die from Leprosy, no questions there, and yet he almost walked away, while fully knowing the cure! We know that every person living on earth will someday die (besides those still alive at the Lord's coming) but we act like there is nothing we need to do about it. Really folks, what do you think will happen if you let sin continue to control your life?

It will certainly not be just the consequences of your actions. Let me challenge you with this: be like Naaman. If you believe there is a God, go find Him! For goodness sake, don't sit there pursuing things in the world that will perish along with your body. Seek after God and He will not let you down. Don't try to be your best while fooling yourself into thinking it will be enough. The answers are in God's word, and if you really think He is God yet continue to put every other thing in life above pursuing Him, you will be very disappointed to say the least. In this life and after your body perishes.

My hope is that you will choose a side and that it would be God's side. Be bold enough to follow Him. There are enough people claiming to be Christians while loving only themselves... the world does not need more of these. The world does not need or benefit from those saying they think there is a God and that's it. Either trust Him as God, as the ultimate authority of life on earth, or reject Him completely. Someday, we will all find, that there is no middle ground. Don't do what Naaman almost did and stay terminally ill. Follow through with the promise God has given. He will never leave us or forsake us, our salvation is coming and we must take action to attain it.

Man, this week has been such a week of conviction for me. My attitude towards my husband pretty much stinks most of the time. It's crazy how selfish we can be when left to ourselves! I realized that I have been so concerned about getting the rest I "needed" that I've been saving my energies and not serving him. This weekend, I listened to a lot of sermons via my iphone while painting our new office and God's Spirit was really with me, speaking to me and opening my heart. I saw that I was not even loving my children or my husband as myself, I was only loving only myself and trying to serve in ways that preserved my desires and energies. Anyway, that is just one of the many things that has been on my heart.


We've been reading in Luke, and when I say we, I mean our small bible study group that gets together every other Sunday night. It's not church affiliated, just a group of us who earnestly want to see Christians in action and to know God and see Him work through us. Recently, we were talking with some people about the whole retirement concept and what it means when we save our money for the future. In Luke 12:16-21, here's what Jesus says, 


And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."


The conversation we had with another fellow believer was thought-provoking. He was trying to draw the line between being this fool and providing for His family. He was asking earnestly "Is it 'providing for my family' by saving for my wife's well-being in the future if she needs it, or is it sinning - not helping others who can use the money now?" Definitely a question that needs to be asked. Our American standard for living is so insane! I don't even know where we got this concept from!! Not to say this isn't a valid question. There is also the idea that if you're leaving it for others behind you, then it's not a waste. We really need to examine all these ideas before we start automatically sinking into our culture's practices.


It's tough in our culture though. We do not care for elderly parents as others do, the church does not make sure widows' bills are paid and we do not take in children whose parents are slacking or need help. So, we decided to just start taking care of ourselves. Then, since people were all taking care of themselves, we no longer offer to help because we need to take care of ourselves. Really? Who takes care of us? Is it really foolish to say "I will take care of others first, fully resting on God's ability to take care of me." This is not a popular stand in church today sadly. We try to determine what is okay instead of having our ultimate goal be "being rich towards God."


Issues like this can show us where we put our faith. I really think it's important to ask ourselves why we have these standards of living and retirement. We should be asking ourselves every day "What am I doing all this for?" Personal ambition, self-sufficiency, lack of faith in God's provision and most importantly, lack of belief in what God will reward me for in eternity? Seriously, isn't that it? Doesn't it boil down to not believing that serving everyone except myself with all of my possessions, all of my energy while fully relying on His Spirit and His ability to meet my needs? For me, it really does. I have my own agenda, my own ambitions and my own ideas of what will fulfill me and how to take care of me. But I can guarantee, when I chase after all that, I am chasing something completely unreal, something that perishes before the world even will. Let's ask ourselves this everyday - "Do I truly desire to gain my rewards in Heaven or on earth?" If the answer is Heaven, then there has to be a change.

This last weekend I went to our annual Women's Retreat. It was such a great time of conviction, enjoying my sisters in Christ (and my real sister) and just taking in what God has been doing in my life. The past few years have been extremely trying and I constantly find myself looking for a "solution" for all the areas in my life that seem to be falling apart. Part of what Beth Moore spoke about in her video series "Loving Well" was how we are to love others trusting God to fill our well and overflow us. One of her phrases was "God will not love THROUGH us what He will not love TO us."

I find this consistent with scripture and have seen it clearly at different times in my life. Proverbs 11:25 says "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and he who waters will himself be watered."In so many instances we have given and later, clearly see God give right back to us. Even when we did not give out of our need He still continued to bless us just for blessing others. I see it weekly with the use of my time alone!

Now, many of you young moms probably feel as I do - we do not always see the rewards for loving our children or spouses right away. After all, a 6 month old doesn't have much skill to really "water me" back :) But God is so much bigger than what we can see or even comprehend. His blessings aren't limited by a person's ability, by a person's time or abundance. I've often see God bless my husband's work after committing my efforts toward blessing my family instead of searching for my own rewards.

After this weekend, I have a renewed sense of God's promise to provide for me. He provides not only all my material needs but also works where I don't see to keep me from going off the deep end emotionally. When I wake up feeling at the end of my rope yet choose to act according to His commandments of love, fully trusting the Spirit of God to work in me, somehow, I make it through the day with incredible peace. Not to say I won't continue to face trials or that my days will be filled with ease, but I do know that loving others without hesitation is the only way to allow God to fill me up. When I am already full of His love yet refuse to water others, I will only remain how I am and won't experience the amazing reality of God's active love. This love is alive and constantly moving the hearts of His believers to give to others who are just like us -  people who don't deserve God's love but people who God desperately desires and gave everything for. What could be a greater calling in life?

Asher has an iphone... don't worry, it doesn't have service or anything, but we put a couple movies on there for him to watch on and off. We recently put the movie "Joseph - King of Dreams" on his phone and it has really made me curious about the biblical version of this story. I was surprised to read that much of the movie is very accurate to the real story (Genesis 30-the end).

What really impresses me about the story of Joseph is the blessing upon his life everywhere he went. That, and seeing God's faithfulness over and over again throughout his entire life. I think there are few people in the bible who's entire life is so well documented - David, Moses, Paul and still more but they are the exception. Over and over again, God makes Joseph prosper in every position he is in - as a slave and ruler in Potipher's house, as a prisoner in a jail and lastly as a ruler over most of Egypt. Even in jail, he was in charge of all the other prisoners!

It is such a blessing to see stories of people's lives where God is faithful to the end. To see Joseph's life fully restored is something we don't often see happen to many in this world. Many people live and die without ever seeing lost family, fixing strained relationships and saddest of all, never coming to know God for the gracious and loving God He is. I have been so surprised and blessed by the things I've been reading in the Old Testament. I've also been challenged, realizing how little I actually know and discovering that my lack of knowledge is only due to complacency and not actually paying attention to what I read. Seeing God's faithfulness to so many people throughout history has given me renewed hope and trust in His promises. I hope this little excerpt on Joseph will encourage many of you to look at God's word with a desire to know Him more and grow in your faith as well. I am sure you'll be surprised at what He will reveal to you.

I don't have a verse or a thought specifically to offer up tonight. It's been a while since I wrote and I feel that I can say with honesty, I have been busy :)

I found one reason why I haven't felt as close to God lately as I have in the past. When I was childless and had a working vehicle I drove A LOT!! I drove to West Linn a few days a week, out to see my sis a day or two, down to Coos Bay 4-6 times a year... and I almost always listened to Christian music wherever I was going. It made me sad to realize I am missing out on a lot of time I used to spend hearing God's messages, thinking about Him and praying for others. It's hard to imagine getting that time back anytime soon, at least getting it back in a way that is as convenient as it used to be. I never realized the full impact children would have on my life.

I hope that you single and childless women can take this posting earnestly and consider the abundance of time and freedom you have. Because honestly, no matter how busy you are, you will not have any more free time or just plain freedom available to you once you have kids than what you have now. I get much more done in a day now than I did before children - they force you to make the most of your time! So I attempt daily to make the most of what I have. And that includes attempting to learn what God has for me and act on the impulses He gives me to serve, pray and just get closer to Him. I still struggle to know Him and understand His depth of love and concern for me, but the more I gain that understanding and wisdom, the more I will desire His will and be content with the life He has planned for me. My hope is for you to desire a relationship with Him; that you will toss aside what you do out of convenience and make sure life doesn't just "happen" to you, but that you allow God to bless you with His love and life He wants to give you.

Just a few interesting thoughts from what we've been reading in Acts during church.