Christ Gives Us Freedom

John 3:16-21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

These are familiar verses to most of us. Verse 16 is probably one of the first verses you ever learned, but have you ever stopped to really think about verses 17-21?

Jesus did not come to condemn you.
Did you hear that? If you have chosen to believe in Him, He covers you in grace. You are free from condemnation.

Life makes it hard to believe that at times.
The holidays makes it even harder to believe! The busy schedules, the performances, the presents, the "perfect" family Christmas...all of those can lead to stress and the feeling of condemnation. That feeling that you will never live up to your own expectations.

Release yourself from that pressure.
God tells you today that you are free. He sent his only Son so that you may believe in Him, be free, and live with no condemnation.

Now that is something to celebrate this Christmas season!

Losing Nemo

Finding The Perfect Gift

On occasion, my three and a half year old granddaughter will come spend the night with me. It is always a challenge to come up with interesting things for her to do, and one of our favorite pastimes is going to the pet store to see all of the animals.

The last time we went she was particularly intrigued by the “fishies”. So being the good grandma that I am, I decided to buy everything we would need to bring one of them home with us. It was my intent to create a bonding/learning experience and also to bless my granddaughter. Little did I know how wrong it would all go.

After inquiring of the salesperson as to what equipment we would need, we rounded up the bowl, gravel, food, fake plant and a fish. Alexis promptly named him Nemo—it seems that we’ve seen the movie a few times! Nemo was a beautiful little Beta fish, and I was sure he would be happy in his new home. How hard could it be—right? We got him home, prepared the bowl for him and put him in. Great! Easy! Alexis loved it and watched him in his new home for all of about 30 seconds. What else can we do Grandma?

You Don't Always Know All the Facts
The next morning we checked on Nemo; he didn’t look so good. I assured Alex that he was just getting used to his new home, but inside I knew something was amiss. Did I do something wrong? Did I miss a step? I went through all the information the salesperson had mentioned wondering where I had messed up. And then it hit me; maybe she didn’t tell me everything. Maybe I didn’t have all of the facts. (For instance, you have to de-chlorinate the water!) I lost Nemo. Not intentionally, of course, but because I thought I knew more than I really did. I thought I knew all that I needed to know.

The Importance of Listening instead of Always Speaking
As we meet with our mentees, it’s easy to think that we “get it”—that we know what to do or say. As they share information about a concern or circumstance we may formulate an idea or comment based on what we “know”. We can be absolutely wrong. Hopefully, the consequences of being wrong will not be as drastic as that for Nemo, but it should give us pause before we speak into a situation in someone else’s life. At best, we have brief moments of time together; it is likely that we don’t have all the facts.

James says, “…be quick to listen, slow to speak…” We must take the time to really listen to our mentees, and then take time before the LORD to find His heart and mind on a matter before we act. “We can gather our thoughts, but the LORD gives the right answer.” Prov. 16: 1 (NLT)

(written by Kim Collins)

Seeing God's Goodness

The evening was January 23rd 2005- I was 35 weeks into a very difficult pregnancy – preeclampsia, pre-term labor, bed rest, hypertension., a kidney infection, and 6 weeks of living in a small hospital room had done a number on my trust in God.

Isolation
Isolation was the tool God used to bring me to a very low point spiritually – but a necessary place. I regretted being pregnant, I regretted wanting a child, I feared many things and relinquished little trust in my gracious Father who was stooping over me with protective arms.

Fear
Then, that Monday evening I knew I could no longer hold onto it all, our son, still small and helpless in my womb had stopped moving – my fears had culminated and I was broken. Broken before the Lord in anger, I humbly surrendered this little boy to the arms of his Creator. An intellect of peace enveloped me. I called the doctor’s office and waited for their return phone call, “Why wasn’t he moving I asked myself,” “When was the last time I felt him move… was it around 1:00 this afternoon?” “Why hadn’t I noticed it before?” After an hour of poking and drinking cold water the nurse had an idea, she had me eat a whole bowl of hot soup. So, in desperation I did … and waited…. and prayed... and then I felt it ever so faint… a kick…. a flutter… and then … nothing… Drew was still alive! The following morning we learned that Pre-eclampsia had advanced to a point where the baby was in distress, I was induced the following morning and Drew was born into the arms of his anxious parents.

He was a healthy 6 pound little boy with developed lungs and few effects remained from his difficult start to life. At that moment, when I held my little boy, studied the fingers and toes that the Lord had fashioned together in my womb – I saw and felt the goodness of God illuminating warmth into my lonely and cold soul. I felt new life well up inside of me, and I gave thanks for my time in the wilderness; for when the spring arrived, new life was able to sprout with a hunger I never knew existed for my Creator - Jehovah-Elohim.

Goodness

What comes to your mind when you think of the word “goodness”? The English dictionary defines goodness as “excellence, worth, kindness, disposed to the well being of others.” When we speak about the Lord’s goodness it often refers to God causing “blessings to come upon his people, deliverance, and the storing of future gifts. Chip Ingram writes that goodness “implies a sense of delight in the one giving and the gift given. God’s goodness is pleasant, desirable, fair, and generous.” In this giving season I just wanted to challenge us to look for the goodness of God, seek out times of solitude with the Lord and ask him to reveal his goodness’ – past and present. Look back into your past and jot down times where the Lord’s goodness was evident. The Lord can reveal his goodness through natural blessings, deliverance, and through the virgin birth of his one and only son Jesus. As we reflect and worship our savior’s birth don’t be content to keep it to yourself – respond to Jehovah’s goodness with a quite evening dedicated to the Lord. Grab a cup of cocoa, sit by the fire with the precious and enduring Word of God, repent from sins, meditate on God’s goodness’, and then brainstorm ways to share the goodness of God with the world.



“The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious (stooping to protect), slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgressions, and sin…”

Exodus 34:6-7a



Activity for the Week


As you picture our gracious Lord “stooping over to protect you” this Christmas season what sacrifice are you willing to give in response to God’s goodness– repentance from a besetting sin, the giving of finances & time, overcoming insecurity by sharing your testimony with your unsaved neighbor? The options are endless!



Psalms 31:19

How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.



From the Desk of: Melissa Williams

Hard Conversations

It’s been a hard couple of weeks for me
Bad news about my grandson, air conditioning problems, needed items that keep getting more and more expensive, and more! It is part of the “stuff” that makes up life—just not the fun part. On top of that, my mentee hasn’t responded to my contacts for a week and a half (was it something I said?—probably). This whole “speaking the truth in love” thing has definite drawbacks. It often does not make us the most popular person around. And I intentionally said it!

Speaking the Truth in Love
Now, in my defense, I had been praying about this particular discussion for weeks. I really didn’t want to “go there”, but God continued to lay it on my heart—and so I spoke.

It’s extremely difficult to gauge another person's response to what you have said to them. Our (my) minds begin to analyze it—did I mess up, did I say the wrong thing, is she hurt, is she mad, will she ever talk to me again, and on and on. We begin to doubt what we heard God say to us, and it’s tempting to berate ourselves or question our motivation. But in the end, when all is said and done, I still believe that I was supposed to speak that particular question to her. God in His goodness, allowed me to find out that I was not the only person to have spoken it to her, indeed not even the first person to speak it. God is at work in her life in this area, and part of being a mentor is helping the mentee “see” where God is already at work in them. It is not my work in her life, but His. I’m merely saying, “Hey, I think God’s working here.”

The Rich Young Ruler
One familiar biblical story of response is found in the encounter between Jesus and the rich young man (Mark 10: 17-22). The young man sought out Jesus to ask of him a spiritual question; this is much like a mentee seeking out a mentor to help with her questions. The book of Mark records that after a short exchange in which the young man affirms his serious commitment to following the commandments since he was a boy “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” And then Jesus drops the “bombshell”—“One thing you lack…”

I don’t think Jesus was trying to be difficult, mean, harsh or unloving, but His advice would be too hard for the young man to follow. The rich young man’s response was sadness, and he left Jesus. Jesus did not run after him softening the impact or lessening the advice (something we might be tempted to do when the advice is not easily received). He let the young man walk away; He accepted the response even though it was not the response for which He had hoped.

Seek God First
Although we should always seek God before we speak into another’s life, we should not back away from the difficult words just because it may illicit a less than hoped for response. The ultimate goal for the rich young man was “…come, follow me.” That should always be our personal goal, and our mentoring goal should be for the mentee to respond positively to Jesus’ “Come follow me” in their lives. However much we may want it to be good, the response is theirs and theirs alone to make. We should continue to pray for them, encourage them in their relationship with God and be faithful to speak the “truth in love”.

Written by Kim Collins

A New Beginning; A New Revelation

Our Story

It was just like in the wagon train movies of the 1800’s, the daughter cries sweet goodbyes to her family as her radiant new husband lifts her onto the wagon traveling out west to begin their lives together – leaving the old and pressing on to a new adventure!

That was sort of the beginning of my married life, only 5 days wed we scrambled onto a U-Haul jam packed with wedding gifts and 23 years worth of memories and a Siamese Cat named Austin; heading South -- from the wet lush green mountains of Oregon to the hot dry landscape of Texas. We embarked on the greatest adventure of our lives, together, with the Lord, the pair of us naively headed towards a new life.

My husband was paving his way in the world of men, eager to take on the responsibility of caring for a new wife. I, unknowingly at the time, was running from my careful life of rules and order in hopes of uncovering this woman within that I deeply desired to become.

Who is God to Me?
I grew up in a wonderful church that taught the Bible, but somewhere along the way I had taken all that head knowledge but hadn’t a clue how to relate to a very distant God. I pulled out all the rules and characteristics of God that fit my past and the way I was raised and created my own image of god. This god that I worshiped was restricted, rigid, expected perfection, was kind yet always down on me because I could never get it just exact. My god was a god of love since he died on the cross for my sins, but he was also remote and hard to get close to.

Are you getting my picture of God?

What is your image of God? What is your perception of what God thinks about you? The answer to those two questions may just be the most important questions in the entire universe. “What you think about God shapes your whole relationship with Him. In addition, what you believe God thinks about you determines how close you will grow towards him.” (Ingram, God As He Longs For You To See Him, page 20) Unknowing, my false image of God shaped so much of the woman I had become. I concluded that if I could never please God then why worship him? I had my “fire insurance” so why waste time trying to please a God who would never be satisfied with me.

But Then....

Praise God for “but then’s;” with our new life in Texas forming, a new and true image of God began to take shape. The Lord started to reveal Himself to me through prayer times, many many trials, Bible studies, friends, my husband, becoming a new mother, & great books that taught me about the very nature of God – truths only found in the Bible.

The past 5 years I have spent searching and discovering a magnificent God who is the embodiment of perfection, who loves me the same regardless of my actions, whose ways are not my ways and whose deepest desire is to mold me into the image of Christ.

The road has not been painless, most of my lessons were forged through great trials, but the rewards have been intimate and everlasting. The more I study the Word of God to discover the multifaceted God I serve, the more in awe I stand before Him and the more I fall in love with Him and await the day when I can finally see His face and bow before Him in reverence. I will never conclude my aspirations of knowing God completely, for each trial reveals new truths and experiences. My new longing is for other women to develop a Biblical image of God, because if we have an image of God that is true, our perspective on this life shifts from one of self to one of upward devotion.



So, along your 6-month journey as a M & M, I would like to encourage you to seek out this God you serve, challenge yourself to get into the Word of God and meditate on the life of Jesus, and the God of the Old Testament. Do not be discouraged by trials that will come your way, but be encouraged because it is through these trials that the Lord desires to reveal himself to you; one verse that I meditate on often is James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” You are being equipped with endurance and experiences that will help you along your Christian journey.

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with his love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

From the Desk of: Melissa Williams

Time

We live in an extremely fast-paced and busy world; so fast that time has become a priceless possession for many.



As women, we face many things which vie for our time and energy: laundry, dishes, diapers, meals, jobs, children, husbands, school, and church and on and on and on. A bit overwhelming at times isn’t it? How do we survive another crazy day full of so much “stuff”? And how do we find time for our relationship with God; time to sink down deep roots that we might grow in our knowledge and love of Him?

.
It is as easy as the Nike slogan, “Just Do It” ---and as hard

We may think that great productivity in our lives is preceded by frantic activity. One writer says that great productivity is preceded “…by our quiet un-frantic response to God’s presence…Life-style is revealed by the use of time: what is given place and space; what is included and what, therefore, is excluded.”

Tough decisions need to be made about the use of our time. If we want more time for the things that matter, we will have to give less time to or even give up things which do not matter. These are not choices which we like to make; after all, shouldn’t we be able to “do it all”? Our culture would have us believe so.

Great Christian writers throughout the ages have cautioned us about not giving enough time to the knowing of God. Productivity, fruitfulness—brought forth from our “un-frantic response” to His presence—requires being in and aware of His presence. Tozer says, “To think God’s thoughts requires much prayer.” He even goes so far as to say that one of the main causes of retarded spiritual growth is “…failure to give time to the cultivation of the knowledge of God…God can be known satisfactorily only as we devote time to Him.”

It is imperative that we know what should be given “place and space”—our lives depend upon making the right choices.

“My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’ Psalms 27:8 (NLT)

Seven Essentials for Mentoring

Last week I shared a few excerpts from the book profile on Spiritual Mentoring: A Guide for Seeking and Giving Direction. This week I would like to share with you what Reese and Anderson identify as seven essentials in the ministry of spiritual mentoring. It is a bit long, but worth reading. Enjoy!

The incarnate Word.
Spiritual mentoring is relational. …mentoring is always relational, heart-to-heart, and life-to-life. Christ epitomized spiritual mentoring; through Him we learn what to teach and how to teach. Jesus’ life became His message as He revealed in practice what He spoke in words.

Grounded in the ordinary.
Spiritual mentoring is autobiographical. Wise people know how to draw things out of the heart of another…The thoughts, feelings, dreams, and experiences buried in a person’s heart generally carry a coded spiritual message. Mentors must mine these treasures, lift them to the surface, and help the mentoree see in them the pattern of God’s working…the astute mentor also knows how to illumine the mundane and ordinary times..because he understands that God is always at work. If one does not learn to look for God in the ordinary, he will miss so much.

Coming alongside.
Spirituality is partnership with the Holy Spirit…If we believe that our desire and hunger to know God and to grow in Christ is our response to His initiation, then the duty of the mentor is merely to assist another in learning to pay attention to the inner working of the Holy Spirit. A mentor is a spiritual optometrist whose task is to adjust the intensity of light through a series of lenses so that the mentoree has better vision.

The trajectory of spiritual formation.
Spiritual mentoring is purposive. Spiritual growth is a pilgrimage toward an intended destination rather than a meandering stroll around circumstances…A mentor not only helps the mentoree discern the spiritual implications of events and circumstances but also to observe that these are more sequential than random. God has set these things in motion; the key is to learn why. A mentor will help find the answer.

The essential art.
Spiritual mentoring requires listening. Once again we must understand that a mentor does not cause or create spiritual growth; at best he enhances it. A mentor, then, is one who comes alongside another in whose life God is already at work…A truly effective mentor knows how to listen to God, how to listen to (observe) his own life, and tutors others to do the same.

Not one-size-fits-all.
Spiritual mentoring requires adaptable discernment. Discernment is the ability to perceive the truth about a person or situation…Discernment knows the questions to ask that will point the inquirer toward God…For the most part, mentors cannot plot the same course over and over again; to do so is to rely on self rather than the Spirit.

Not only for specialists.
Spiritual mentoring belongs to the priesthood of all believers. …the invitation is given to all in the body of Christ. Still,…mentoring amounts to much more than telling someone else about lessons learned through experiences…In fact, knowing when to ‘get out of the way’ and let God speak directly to the heart of the mentoree is a crucial aspect of this ministry.

“A healthy mentoring relationship should help you to give voice to the song God has sung into your life…” During the course of mentoring the mentoree is enabled to see the activity of God in his life and to value that activity as a stimulus of spiritual formation. That being done, the mentoree ‘finds his voice’ and proclaims, acknowledges, and magnifies God through his uniqueness. In an ideal world, which the kingdom of God most certainly is, the mentoree then becomes the mentor.”

Joy

“This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it”

Discovering Joy
After two days of snow flurries and the weatherman predicting rain, the Lord sent Drew and I a special gift wrapped in white. This afternoon the fog overtook the sunshine and a blanket of snow poured down on us.

It was beautiful, magical, like something out of a fairytale. The streets were empty, people still hard at work, so I awoke Drew from his slumber with promise of a great adventure. The flakes embraced the sky, a small Texas blizzard -- Drew screamed and wiggled out of my arms towards the window. A confused look crossed his face, then I told him we were going to play in the snow! He smiled, “No, mommy… no?” “Yes dear,” I replied, “It is snow.” Your very first snow!


The flakes were thick and clean -- a sharper white than any of my fresh linens. A mantle of white covered the streets in rare silence. The birds retreated in unison, only silence and thick flakes remained; the cats ran too and fro; the dog ran down the vacant street leaving white prints behind; Drew quietly pushed his broken shopping cart down the street.

“This is the day that the Lord has made…” I thought as Drew and I threw snowballs towards one another. The Lord sent snow to leave smiles on our faces and gladness in our hearts. I reverted back to childhood, eager to make snow angels and drink hot cocoa. Drew, content to push around trains in a broken shopping cart thought I was insane laying in the grass flapping my arms. We laughed! He screamed “no… no… mommy, its no.” “cold, Mommy it cold!” I smiled, Drew smiled a childish grin. We sat together, smiling, I took pictures of our extraordinary day, we sang “Let It Snow,” and waited for our hands to go numb; then retreated inside for hot cocoa – A Williams tradition.


Where Do You Find Joy?
What joy can you find in today? I find that joy is found in the simple, mundane events of life; they are everywhere just waiting for you to take notice. If you wait on joy you may never find it, but if you look for her she will reveal herself everywhere! If you get stuck, start by counting your blessings, you will instantly feel joy embrace your soul.




Activity for This Week
Today reminisce about times when you felt most joyful. What made you full of joy? Then walk through your day today looking for ways to instill that same joy in your circumstances. This week when you meet with your M & M, talk about what it means to live with joy.

Fear

This morning I thought I would share with you a piece written by Lisa Welchel that I've been meditating on all week. I encourage you to read Lisa's reflections about the role that money and fear play in our decision making.

Grab a cup of coffee, your Bible, and enjoy!






What God's Been Teaching Me
So let's get cozy and talk about fear and death. You think I'm kidding? What did you expect, it is October, the month we celebrate Halloween (or not) and All Saints Eve. Either way, the holiday ahead commemorates death and where there is death there is typically fear lurking nearby.



Call me crazy, but I decided this afternoon to talk tonight from Job 3:25, "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." I'm speaking at a Christian school fundraiser and I want to share my personal experience regarding money. I can live fairly generously and open-handedly with money because I've lost it all before and when Steve and I hit rock-bottom financially, we discovered that God was there. He filled up the hole with treasure more valuable than money. Not the least of which was His presence.

That is one of the reasons why, at the beginning of this year, I could ask to be released from two book contracts and take a sabbatical from writing, a decision that appears fool-hardy on paper, but I know I have nothing to fear. That which I have greatly feared before--having no money--did come upon me and I survived; even more than that - thrived.

Night before last, I had a humongous decision to make so I called a friend in hopes that by talking it through out loud I would hear myself come up with the right answer. At one point I said, "One thing that has helped me in the past when I've had to make a difficult decision is to remove both money and fear from the equation. For me, those two things often deceptively attract or falsely repel from God's will for my life." Once I asked myself what I would do if I wasn't afraid, I was able to make a decision and act on it.

So, let me be your friend on the other end of the line and allow me to ask you a question. What are you afraid of this month? Use your imagination with me for a moment. Picture yourself in the middle of your fearful circumstances. First, how would you react differently if I could guarantee that God is there and He will come through for you?

1 John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." I can't promise that God will show up for you the way you think He should or hope He will. But I can tell you from experience that, ultimately, there is nothing you are afraid of that is bigger or more powerful than His love for you.

I've recently learned this truth all over again in a very different situation. I mustered up all my courage and risked facing one of my biggest fears. I was terrified but I chose to jump in. Guess what happened? No, I didn't get on the other side of my fear and wonder what took me so long to trust. Actually, quite the opposite. Everything my fears told me would happen, came true. That which I feared the most came upon me.

But, once again, God was there and He was enough. This loss, rather than confirm that I should listen to my fears in the future, actually made me braver. There is something about coming face-to-face with one of our fears; oftentimes involving a death of sorts, and discovering that God always wins that takes the sting out of the threat: "O Death, where is thy sting?"

I want to share one last scripture from the first chapter of Job, verse twenty-one, that has been meaningful to me lately and I hope it will continue to take the sting out of the fear of death for both of us. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

God is sovereign and His character is trustworthy. We truly have nothing to fear. We can live open-handedly. We can stand with courage. We can face our fears. We can stare death down and say, "O Grave, where is thy victory?" So let's celebrate death and fear this month! Because, with Jesus, life is always on the other side of death and Love triumphs over fear. I don't think October contains such a bad holiday, after all. What do you think?


(this was supposed to post last week and for some reason didn't. Hope you enjoy even though its no longer October!)

Kickoff Night

The date has been set! Kickoff Night will be September 24th, 2009.

Mentors: Please be at the church at 7pm. Bring your calendars, some paper, and something to write with. You will recieve your mentees profile card, we'll have some initial training, and spend time in prayer.

Mentees: Please be at the church at 8pm. Bring your calendars with you. You will meet your mentor that evening and you will both set the date and time of your first meeting.

This date is mandatory! It is important we all get started at the same time and with the same expectations.

Can't wait to see everyone!

How to Get Involved

You're probably asking yourself, "How do I become a part of this incredible ministry?" Well, I'm glad you asked!

First, you need to attend an informational coffee. The next coffee will be held:

• August 29th at 10am OR August 30th at 3pm in room 302 at Northwood Church

• At the coffee, you will fill out a profile card that lets us know a little bit more about you. This will help us match you with an appropriate mentor or mentee.
  

Second, you will need to attend Kickoff Night. This night will happen one to two weeks after the initial informational coffee. Sometimes the matching happens within a week and sometimes it takes a couple weeks to match everyone with the best mentor/mentee. You will receive an email and a phone call telling you when Kick Off Night will be scheduled.

• Kickoff night happens on a Thursday night from 7pm-9pm at Kari Minter's home.
  

• Only Mentors attend from 7-8pm. It is at this time they are told who they will be mentoring, given their mentees profile card and picture, and receiving some initial training.
  

• Mentees arrive at 8pm. They will meet their mentors, schedule a time to meet for the first time, and receive some training and guidelines for the 6 month commitment. Be sure to bring your calendar with you!
  

• This meeting is mandatory! I've discovered that those who don't attend this kick off night, tend to not connect with their mentor/mentee for a month or two. It is important that we all begin this journey at the same time.
  

Third, you need to attend training sessions throughout the 6 month commitment.

• Mentors: October 15th, 7:30pm at Kari Minter's home and January 14th, 7:30pm at Kari Minter's home.

• Mentees: November 19th, 7:30pm at Kari Minter's home.
  

Coming Soon

This site is currently under construction...thanks for your patience as we work to develop a site to help and support you throughout your mentoring journey!