Saved by Grace Thoughts 11.07.2009

Hello!

My goodness.. it’s been since July since I last wrote one of these. I didn’t realize how much time had passed- and there’s so much to write about!

But in the midst of “so much to write about,” I have a confession. Part of the reason for not writing one of these is not just because of busy-ness, but an overall distraction from observing the world around me and taking time to reflect those things in Christ. Living in a city hasn’t caused this, but it certainly doesn’t help. The real cause is my own negligence in reading God’s word consistently… what a terrible spot to find myself in! Yet God’s grace comes and comes again.

Over the summer, God showed an aspect of himself to my husband and I that I don’t think I’ve ever seriously pondered. Our God is an unexpected God. We were having difficult times, and suddenly – unexpectedly – God provided through various means. It’s a good reminder that despite circumstances, He is still caring for us and can do that in ways we never would have dreamed. As I think about it, this makes sense… God provided “manna” in the wilderness for the traveling Hebrews to eat and they didn’t even know what it was. He saved his people countless times in totally unexpected ways, like anointing David (far from being of kingly stock, in human terms) to be a King, and using women in His plans too – hardly something expected from a patriarchal society. Jesus even came unexpectedly; that is, as the kind of Messiah that would save people’s souls, not just from the hands of the Romans. He died in order that we might live, which surely the disciples didn’t quite expect when it happened! So thinking about it this way… I guess I ought to expect God to be unexpected, both in what he does and how he does it. It humbles me, and reminds me that that only God can be God, that his faithfulness supersedes my unfaithfulness. It brings me back around to the cross, to Jesus' feet to acknowlege him as Lord.

Psalm 68:8
O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

2 Timothy 2:16-18
If we died with him,we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.


Love in him,
your sister,
Yvonne

Saved by Grace Thoughts 07.20.2009

Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says – he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

Isaiah 49:16
See, I have engraved you (NLT: your name) on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.


Hello friends!
It has been some time since I typed up my last email to you, and a long time since I wanted to write this one out specifically. I hope you are well and learning in the Lord!

I’m currently reading a fiction novel called ‘Someone Knows My Name,’ based off of a collection of true stories summed together into one character named Aminata. It is a story of a girl kidnapped from Africa and taken to North Carolina (as well as other places) during the transatlantic slave trade. It is wonderfully written and gut-wrenching to read, all the more because the story is based on true events. Early in the book, shortly after Aminata is taken, the title of the book is revealed in the importance of the slaves remembering each other’s African names. In a perilous, dangerous, unfamiliar, and unfair place a character is comforted in knowing that someone – Aminata -- knows his name.

Although the parallel is far and a situation I cannot even imagine, when I was reading this moving part of the book I was reminded of how time and again in Scripture, God tells us that He knows us and will not forget us. In times of distress or difficulties, we can be comforted that Someone knows our name – and not just our name, but everything about us from our personality quirks to our deepest hurts and secrets. Even in the worst of situations that we cannot even fathom, God tells us that we belong to him. The Apostle Paul writes at the end of Romans 8, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called to his purpose,” and

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What powerful words to remember! It is because of Christ that we can come to God and it is Christ that holds us fast to God, so that none will be lost. Whatever your present situation, I pray that the Holy Spirit reminds you of this and binds it up in your heart as an encouragement. If you struggle to see how in every situation God is still present, in this too God understands and I pray that he will reveal himself to you either through a friend or in stillness. May he continually be working in our hearts as we try to follow Christ.

In Love and in Christ,
Your sister,
Yvonne

Saved-by-Grace thoughts: 06.05.2009

Hello friends,

How are you? I hope you have been well this past month! There are a number of things that I would like to share about – the joy of my first anniversary, contemplating nature vs. city life, pondering God’s amazing grace – but at the forefront of my mind is something else. I’ve been reading a new book lately, called UnChristian, by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. It’s a fascinating research based book that opens up the conversation that, perhaps, many of our Christian-methods are rather unchristian in nature. Although it will make this email longer than usual, I wanted to share some excerpts from the book’s “Get-Saved!” chapter, which addresses that many non-believers (or ‘outsiders’ as termed in the book) belief that “Christians are insincere and concerned only with converting people.” The point of sharing this with you is so that we can all think about and assess the ways that our lives truly reflect Christ, and our desire to share Him with others. I know for me, it has made me think more intentionally about how I interact with those who do not know Christ and my own spiritual depth.
Love in Him - Yvonne


Despite the fact that many of them are currently disconnected from a church, most Americans, including two-thirds of all [young-adults] (65 percent), tell us that they have made a commitment to Jesus Christ at some point in their life. This is slightly lower than the percent of older adults who have made such a commitment (73 percent). This is an amazing fact about our culture. The vast majority of Americans, regardless of age, assert they have already made a significant decision to follow Christ!
Of course, this raises the question of the depth of their faith. If that many Americans have made decisions to follow Jesus, our culture and our world would be revolutionized if they simply lived that faith. It is easy to embrace a costless form of Christianity in America today, and we have probably contributed to that by giving people a superficial understanding of the gospel and focusing only on their decision to convert.
At [The Barna Group] we employ dozes of tools to assess the depth of a person’s faith. Let me suggest one for our discussion: a biblical worldview. A person with a biblical worldview experiences, interprets, and responds to reality in light of the Bible’s principles. What Scripture teaches is the primary grid for making decisions and interacting with the world. For the purposes of our research, we investigate a biblical worldview based on eight elements. A person with a biblical worldview believes that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith in Christ with other people; the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches; unchanging moral truth exists; and such moral truth is defined by the Bible.
In our research, we have found that people who embrace these eight components live a substantially different faith from other Americans—indeed, from other believers. What we believe influences our choices.
Getting back to the issue of spiritual depth, if two-thirds of young adults have made a commitment to Jesus before, how many do you think possess a biblical worldview? Our research shows only 3 percent of [young adults] embrace these eight elements.
-- page 75

Scripture is clear that there is a basic starting point to the Christian faith: admitting we need Jesus. … Yet the point of the research I have presented is to clarify when the simple starting point becomes a substitute for Christian discipleship. Intentionally or not, we promote the idea to outsiders that being a Christ follower is primarily about the mere choice to convert. We do not portray it as an all-out, into-the-kingdom enlistment that dramatically influences all aspects of life. Perhaps you are thinking that you do describe it in these terms. Then why are so many millions of young people missing the point, failing to develop the basic elements of a biblical worldview? Our research shows that most of those who made a decision for Christ were no longer connected to a Christian church within a short period, usually eight to twelve weeks, after their initial decision. In a get-saved culture, too many of the conversions become either “aborted” believers or casual Christians. How do we convey to people both the gravity and buoyancy of the decision to follow Christ?
To change the perception that we are focused only on converts we have to embrace a more holistic idea of what it means to be a Christ follower. … If you think about the chapter on hypocrisy, I showed research reflecting these seven passions of a believer [1. Worshiping God intimately and passionately; 2. Engaging in spiritual friendships with other believers; 3. Pursuing faith in the context of family; 4. Embracing intentional forms of spiritual growth; 5. Serving others; 6. Investing time and resources in spiritual pursuits; 7. having faith-based conversations with outsiders]. You may recall that we asked born-again Christians what they believe the priorities of the Christian life should be. Their answers were primarily focused on lifestyle and avoidance of sin. It is sobering to realize that most born-again Christians have very little understanding of what their priorities or passions should be as Christ followers. Perhaps outsiders would realize that we’re not just about conversion if our faith provided a more well-rounded and holistic picture of following Christ, pursuing these seven passions.
--page 79, 80

Most people in America, when they are exposed to the Christian faith, are not being transformed. They take one step into the door, and the journey ends. They are not being allowed, encouraged, or equipped to love or to think like Christ. Yet in many ways a focus on spiritual formation fits what a new generation is really seeking. Transformation is a process, a journey, not a one-time decision. This resonates with young people. The depth and texture of Christianity ought to appeal to young people, but the unchristian notion strains life in Christ into mere mental allegiance to a religion. The truth is that when a person makes a commitment to Christ, it is the first step into a much larger reality. When people become Christians, we must describe appropriate expectations for them; engage them in significant, accountable relationships; and fashion environments where deep life change can take place.
--page 82

05.04.2009

[Or, formerly known as "The Weekly Thing." I decided to change the e-mail title of these things that I send, now that they no longer occur on a regular, weekly basis. The title may yet change again but for now I suppose this will do.]

Hello friends-

How have you been? It’s been a little over a month since I sent one of these and as you could expect a lot has happened between now and then. I could write about Easter reflections, my trip to Nevada and California to visit my parents, or as things wrap up for a campus minister at the end of a school year. There’s one thing that’s prominent in my mind, however, and that would be struggling with “spiritual disciplines.”

To be transparent (to a largely anonymous audience?), I’ve been struggling on and off in my walk with God—specifically in the arena of reading Scripture and Prayer. I know that there are plenty of people who also struggle with this same exact thing but it’s easy to convince myself that I’m not being a “good Christian” when I don’t do these things… or not as good as I think I ought to be… and also to think that I’m one of few that either deals with it or even cares. Some people don’t see the importance of reading Scripture or praying except in church or maybe a Bible study. Yet it is something important to our knowing and communing with God, to grow and learn more about our relationship with Him, and how our relationship with others (and the self) ought to be. Just as listening and communication is important in a marriage or even a friendship, so it is even more so with God. Knowing these things tends to frustrate me more than get me into the practice of doing them—especially in knowing how my diligence was much better in the past. It’s only been since the end of 2001 that I became a Christian, and at that time God put in me such a fervor to know His word in and out and that lasted for quite some time and it probably helped me survive college. I suppose college was a great incubator to develop my understanding since I didn’t grow up going to church. Beyond college, I’ve found it difficult to keep it up! Wanting to read but not knowing what to read, putting time down to pray but finding it either pushed aside or falling asleep. Perhaps you can relate to these frustrations. While we don’t know what Paul dealt with specifically, what he said about struggling easily applies here, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do [or what I do not want to do].” (Romans 7:15)

Paul goes on to say “who can save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” As my church is now going into a sermon series on prayer (perfect timing!), I’ve been reminded that Jesus is continually praying- right now, even as you are reading this, even when we are not praying. This would make sense, considering sin isn’t a habit we tend to escape completely. What I must also be reminded of is that God does not love me less or is disappointed in me when I don’t read Scripture. Additionally, it’s good to remember that struggling with these kinds of things probably falls under the category Paul speaks of when he says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV)

So what ought I / we pray for? Pray that God would teach us how to pray and that God would revive my heart to His word—and probably to pray for protection from spiritual laziness. There are more disciplines than just reading the Bible and praying… serving and loving others; exercising the gifts God has given me in a just and God-centered manner; speaking truth in love; speaking the Gospel to myself; regularly being in Christian community AND non-Christian community; and so many others. But in my opinion, Scripture and Prayer are at the roots of understanding everything else, with the help of the Holy Spirit to give us guidance and discernment (which we also ought to pray for!).

As one saved-by-grace sinner to others, in love through Christ,
Yvonne

03.27.2009

Deuteronomy 5:12
… Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

Hebrews 4:10
… for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their [the Israelites in Exodus] example of disobedience.

Hello friends,

I realized it’s been a month’s passing since I’ve written up one of these. There are far too many thoughts that have come and gone to bring up now, but I pray that through this month our Father has been teaching you many things and refining you each day to help you move and understand living in whatever circumstances you find yourself.

Today as I was preparing myself for a book study I have with some young women tomorrow, I started a chapter that talks about women and work. Though the book is specifically geared towards women I found that some of what the authors said to be helpful insights for anyone. Since the topic of work/rest is one that’s been on my mind lately, I decided I would share their insights here.

“Collapsing into bed entirely drained is not the same as snuggling under the covers looking forward to some well-earned rest. The difference: satisfaction. A busy day of fruitless activities depletes; a full day of productive and satisfying work satiates. … [men and women] were created both to work and to take joy in our work. God gave the mandate to rule the world and subdue it to both Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden—and subduing the world takes work. Yet we feel happiest when we are productive, and achieving a balance of work and rest is the key to successful living. It all depends on the work we choose.”

“In [the author’s] experience, the most productive and satisfying work we do is the work that is in keeping with our created strengths, natural abilities, and spiritual gifts—and all those job qualifications come from God. … The most stressed out people today are those who are working outside of their innate gifts and abilities, outside of their values, and outside God’s plan for their lives.”

“Part of satisfying work is rest. God modeled this when he rested after creation was complete. Knowing when to take Sabbath seems to slip our mind and never makes it onto our crowded calendar. The tendency to worship the work ethic has led to a preponderance of people who are workaholics. … In some expert’s estimation, work compulsion is an addictive behavior. Presenteeism has overtaken absenteeism as a work issue. When we find ourselves in this mode, then we compromise our productivity and our lives become imbalanced. We have then traded our satisfaction quotient for a frustration factor. Busyness can annihilate our hearts.”

What kind of things come to mind as you read these excerpts? I know for me the things that pop out are balance versus imbalance, satisfaction versus frustration… if I properly rested – REALLY rested in God’s grace and set time to embrace that rest – then I think some things in my own life would look a little differently. Where do you work hard without satisfaction? The work place? At home? Relationships? Your own reputation or status? There are a thousand different ways that “work” can be defined as far as it stands before God and resting our entire lives in God’s hands. But in the sense that the excerpts talk about above is having such a flurry of busyness that there’s no room to be satisfied, to rest. This is not the way it’s meant to be. To observe the Sabbath or to rest from work is so important that it’s even in the 10 commandments – alongside not blaspheming God and not murdering, and so on. That probably means it’s pretty important to us as human beings… and yet it’s so hard to do.

How can you find your rest and be satisfied in your own work? I pray that you can find it- that we all would wrap ourselves up in God’s love and identity in Christ in such a way that busyness would not annihilate our hearts.

In love and in Him,
Your sister,
Yvonne

P.S. Since this is rarely once a week now, perhaps I should rename it. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas, feel free to pitch them my way. Thanks! :)

2.25.2009

Colossians 2:9, 10
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Hello friends,

I hope things are going well for you- winter continues to move on here, but since I spoke about winter last time there’s no need for me to dwell on it once more!

One of the things that has been brought up for me recently on a few occasions, is the notion of living in God’s fullness. The term is kind of an unusual one, isn’t it? Really, what does that even mean, to live in the fullness God has given us? From what I’ve been able to gather, it means living fully in the freedom we have in Christ. I reflect on this because I have to wonder if most of us are in some fashion afraid of this freedom. There are times when I feel hesitant to ask God for something because I wonder, in the back of my mind, if I really should even want it in the first place or if it’s out of place to ask for it. But I think that God wants us to ask boldly for things… not in a demanding sort of way, but in a way that understands that if it’s not something within His will it won’t come together and if it is then it’s God who gets the glory for it.
Similarly, I think some of us are hesitant to do things for God because others – perhaps especially our brothers and sisters – might find it unorthodox. I have to wonder if this is when the boundaries we have from God get expanded on and become broader than they need to be. There are certainly times when God asks us to do things that are out of the ordinary that can have significant impact in the lives of others for God’s glory.

A dear friend of mine is a good example for this. Through a long process of discernment and prayer, she’s moved out to California to help a family minister to ex-porn stars and help others get out of pornography and find Christ. What a tremendous undertaking, to bring light into a very dark place that others (and with some reason) are hesitant to go into. Or they might even say it’s a lost cause and this friend should protect herself by avoiding it – something even I would have said to someone several years ago. But this is her calling, and fears shouldn’t stop anyone from pursuing what God is calling them to do. Discernment, understanding the Gospel, and prayer, however, are essential.

So whether we’re asking God for our hearts’ desires or being called to do something a little outside of the box or even enjoying, there is so much more to following God than maybe a lot of us allow ourselves. Through discernment, reading & understanding Scripture, and – of course! – lots of prayer I would hope that we all would learn how to grow more into the “fullness” God calls us to.

Ephesians 3:16-20
I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

In Him and in love, Your sister,
Yvonne

02.10.2009

Galatians 6:1-3
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Matthew 11:28,29
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Hello friends,

I hope you are doing well! Here in Pennsylvania winter is going strong with cold weather and – at least in the city – plenty of gray days. It's this time of year that I long for the warmth of spring and things will come alive again, with no more dead trees or gloomy clouds. (Although in some ways, nature is messing with me… it's 52 today!)

While some select places do not go through too much climate change, I would think that seasons are pretty common to human experience. Wet seasons, dry seasons, winter, spring, summer fall – and so on. However, if you've been keeping up to speed with reading these emails I write to you from time to time, you know where this is going. There are more seasons that we experience than just the cycles of nature. There are seasons of joy, sadness, anger, numbness, spiritual depression, spiritual overflow, busy-ness, boredom, quiet, peace. Usually the negative seasons are seen strictly as bad times that we should avoid… but I wonder if that's really a healthy response to what is happening. Rather than AVOID the negative season, why not try to understand why it might be that we are in that season? Why not ask, "What can God teach me through this time?" I probably think of this because winter tends to be such a down time of the year for a lot of people. I have my off days too, and I cannot wait until spring comes in and the earth comes alive again with green plants and colorful blossoms. But through winter and anticipating spring, there is still beauty that can be found. The same is true about our off-seasons and cycles in life.

I reflect on the honesty of Jesus and the TRUTH God calls us often, in turn finding myself falling short when it comes to how I'm really feeling. But it is an uphill battle to be truthful about how one is feeling (if it is "negative") and going about it in a gentle and Christ-focused way. In my opinion & experience, it is very easy to hide emotions for the sake of saving face and being otherwise normal. I don't think Jesus calls us to that, or pretend everything is peachy. If something is wrong, don't be afraid to admit that things could be better. Ask for prayer! Be confident in knowing God will work you through it, and it is OK if it takes time. And ask what God could be teaching you through it. Hiding those things can be entrapping and in some ways enslaving; we are called to be free in Christ's truth! I pray that we can all find ourselves in that place, embracing His freedom for our hearts, minds, and souls.

In love and in Christ,
Your sister,
Yvonne