SUPER BOWL...SUPER PARTY!

It's time for another fun Super Bowl party!

Sunday, February 3

5 PM

at Stephanie and Adrian's

Bring an appetizer or dessert

GIVE ME A SIGN

Matthew 16:1-4

Our lesson bombed yesterday. Not sure why, but I’m sure it did. I haven’t yet figured out what makes some lessons fly while others just never get off the ground. Even after hours of preparation and prayer, I have learned there is no guarantee that, once I’ve walked out the door of our Sunday School class, anyone except me will have learned a thing.

So, I’d like to take another brief shot at making sense of our scripture.

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees and Sadducees. They had asked Him for “a sign from heaven” because, as Sean pointed out, they were determined to prove He was not who He said He was, and they had succeeded so far in convincing themselves that the miracles He had done were performed with powers from the devil.

Jesus chastised them. He pointed out that, even though they were quick to look for signs in the sky to determine weather predictions, they couldn’t see what was going on around them. In other words, they couldn’t see the Messiah even though He was staring them straight in the eyes.

Jesus said they had all the signs they needed from the prophet Jonah, whose deliverance stood as an illustration of the resurrected Christ. He was the Promised One, but they would not allow Him into their hearts.

There was a time in my life when I would have pointed to outward signs. I didn’t drink. I didn’t smoke. I barely cussed. And I had jumped into all kinds of church activity.

But I could have done all those things on my own. After all, a lot of people get smart enough to put an end to harmful behavior and plenty of people do a lot of good things for a lot of good reasons.

But once we die - truly give up our right to ourselves to Jesus Christ - we experience the resurrection of the life-the very nature of Christ- in us - - and we understand that it is not about giving up things or doing good things, but it is about being a living sacrifice (I no longer live, but Christ live in me (Galations 2:20).

As I grew spiritually, I began to realize the true signs of the resurrected Christ in me were the behaviors that had resulted from a changed heart. When I decided to forgive someone who had hurt me. When a deeper understanding of God’s sovereignty made me less of a worrier. When a hunger for His Word caused me to carry my Bible to the beauty parlor because it was the only place I could find time to read. When going to movies became far less fun because the vulgarities in them assaulted my newfound sensitivity to evil.

The Pharisees were constantly trying to prove their righteousness with outward signs of religious behavior. But Jesus constantly rebuked them because true righteousness comes from a changed heart that produces right behavior.

What signs are you looking for?

NEW BLOG!

Our class has added a new blog!
StartingPointMomsense was created by Bonnie for new and expectant moms. Please check it out and
feel free to offer whatever insight or suggestions you have.

SHOWERS OF BLESSINGS

As their Sunday School teacher, I'm going to take a moment to brag on this gorgeous group of girls. They are truly (sigh) amazing, and they host baby showers (as Katy so aptly expressed it) "like well-oiled machines." But with so much warmth. And generosity. And enthusiasm. Several are absent from this photo, but the young women in our class are some of my life's greatest blessings. I couldn't be prouder if I'd birthed them myself.

GOOD FOOD/GOOD FRIENDS

Connect Six, our class "Supper Club," is one of the many exciting elements of our class. Three couples meet for dinner once a month for three months. At the end of the three-month period, the groups are re-formed. Friendships have been developed and strengthened, new restaurants have been tested, and ministry has taken place every month. If you have not yet joined in, contact Bethany and she will be happy to find a place for you.

As our class continues to grow, please keep in mind the following suggestions:

• If there is a parent in your group, please consider planning your Connect Six event to coordinate with Parent's Night Out. This is a service available at our church on the 1st Friday night of each month. During this time parents are allowed to go anywhere and use the church's childcare. There is a cost of $7.00/child with a maximum of $25.00 per family.


• Take pictures! Share your fun with the rest of us. We'll even post your photos on the blog.

CLEAN...FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Matthew 15

Some things just don't matter. Like whether or not the pastor wears a tie. And some things do. Like whether or not I obey God's Word as it is written.

The things that matter are in the Bible. They were important enough for God to make sure they got written down. The things that don't matter are the "asteriks" (thanks, Nick) I add to scripture. Like my opinions. Or the excuses I make for not being obedient.

The Pharisees and scribes used the scriptures to try to make themselves look good and they used their own interpretations to twist and turn God's commands. Basically, they did their own thing and wrote their own rules. They scrubbed their hands but they did nothing about cleansing their hearts.

I want to be like the Canaanite woman, who knew she had absolutely no chance at "spiritual greatness," and that she had absolutely no hope apart from the mercy of Jesus Christ. Her nails may have been a bit grimy, but her heart was untainted.

The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD; for He laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. Psa 24:1-4

WE ARE WEAK BUT HE IS STRONG

I left my daughter yesterday after a two-week stay with her, my son-in-law and their brand new baby boy. I wasn’t prepared for the toll my leaving would take on my heart. We have always been close, and watching my daughter fall in love with her new son conjured up the same feelings I experienced when I brought her home from the hospital 28 years ago. A new bond was fashioned between us, generated by our mutual feelings of being head over heels in love with our firstborn.

We both cried. I tried to be big as she clung to me because I recognized her fear. It was the same fear I had struggled with as a new mom, and I knew she needed all the encouragement my shaky voice could muster. I told her she would be fine and that her confidence would grow as she got in there and did the hard yet glorious work of mothering.

As I drove off, I prayed over my daughter’s little family. And the Lord gently prodded me with a new thought.

I am His and He loves me with a love that is more fierce, protective and perfect than any mother on earth has ever experienced. He has equipped me with everything I need to get on with the work He has called me to. My fear gets in the way of stepping out sometimes because my confidence is in myself rather than Him, and I’m no dummy. I know I don’t have what it takes.

But He does. And because I am His, the same power He used to raise Jesus from the grave is available to me in Christ!

My prayer for all of us:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of His vast strength. He demonstrated this power in the Messiah by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavens-- far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:18-21)

In Him, we’re going to be just fine.

CAN YOU MANAGE IT?

How would I keep everything organized? A couple of days ago I was running errands for my daughter and son-in-law, exchanging gifts they had received for Christmas and purchasing some things they needed for their new baby. The holiday inventory in the stores had been depleted for weeks, so most of the gifts ended up having to be returned rather than exchanged. I had never seen so many gift cards, but I had also never asked for so many refunds without receipts. I stacked the cards in a Ziploc bag and made a desperate attempt to remember the balances on each one so I could turn around and use them to buy the items needed for my grandson.

I am notoriously unorganized. Normally I chunk gift card refunds into my purse, where they are forgotten until a random search for keys or a lipstick make them surface like a surprise windfall. But these cards were different. They belonged to someone else. And I had been placed in charge of them.

As I opened my new calendar today, I vowed to handle the next 12 months with the same kind of efficiency and care that had guided my gift card transactions. For days during my Bible reading I have focused on words from a parable Jesus told to His disciples:

And the unjust steward's lord commended him because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
(Luke 16:8)

In the parable, a man had been placed in charge of things and he had been wasteful. His boss was coming to take an account, and the man was afraid of losing his job. So, he cut his own commission and made some deals that enabled him to save some of his boss’s money. When his boss heard about the man’s shrewdness, he commended him. And there the point is made: As Christians, we should be as astute in spiritual matters as nonbelievers are in wordly matters.

What makes me so lazy, so wasteful, and so irresponsible in my spiritual life? Perhaps I forget who I am. I am not the boss. I am simply in charge of things my Creator has placed in my care. And I will give an account of how I have managed what I have been given.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

I have saved old calendars for years. Not long ago I glanced through one from the busiest time of my life, when two daughters were in high school and one was in middle school. My husband Mike was working in Singapore so I was a single parent for much of the year. As I flipped the well-worn pages, I was amazed by the whirlwind of soccer games, cheerleading practices, youth activities, Bible studies, birthday parties and doctor appointments that crowded our days. Instantly, I asked myself this question: how much of all that activity made a difference for eternity?

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18)

An effective CEO has a plan that involves production, quality control, management, public relations, operations, and vision. He must manage time, money and people effectively. I need to manage my days with the same zeal I would use if I knew millions of dollars were at stake. In all honesty, there is much more at stake.

But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:6-8)

I want to manage my time more effectively. I want to awaken each day asking God to reveal to me the end of my life and the number of my days. Let me know how transitory I am. (Psa 39:4) I want to live my life with urgency,with a constant awareness that I am not guaranteed tomorrow. Instead of just carving time out every day to read God’s Word, pray, and spend time in His presence, I want to get out and make Him known to people around me. When I flip the last page of my calendar this year, I want the things I have done to make a difference for eternity, not just for a moment in 2008.

I want to manage my money with care. Okay, my husband’s money. We are far too wasteful. A life of simplicity would allow us to save more money that could be used to spread the gospel farther around the world.

You cannot be the slave of two masters. You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Luke 16:13)

I want to manage my relationships better. I was created to be my husband’s helpmate, and I can be a better helper, just as there are husbands who might want to do a better job of loving their wives. I can be a mom who listens better. I can be a neighbor who does a better job of reaching out. And I can do a better job of pointing others to Christ in every situation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ's behalf, "Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20)

If the Lord doesn’t come back in 2008, we will each flip our calendar a dozen times this year. One day very single one of us will give an account of how we spent the days that stretch in front of us. As my daughter’s pastor said on Sunday morning, “This year make sure you take the opportunity to turn a page in your life, not just on your calendar.”