“God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for…his goodness” March 18, 2010

 

Ive stopped doing New Years Resolutions. Instead I focus on what the Lord wants to teach me for that year. In the month of January as I was praying for the Lord to put a verse on my heart to be my “verse of the year” and Psalm 119 kept coming up.  Specifically the verse , “You are good, and what you do is good” (v68a).   I have to admit I was a bit frustrated that this verse was the one. I felt like after deciding to pursue vocational ministry (through the Future Leaders Program) and being poured into through a fire house (thank you Rich), my verse for 2010 would be this incredibly complex, challenging, spiritually “deep” passage.  And oh was it.

Months later, in a season of hurt and uncertainty, I am positive that this verse was the exact verse for my 2010. When everything around you seem to be falling to pieces, it is so easy to look to the Lord to blame. It is so easy to be angry with Him. It is so easy to be cynical and stubborn. It is so easy to mentally check out of your quiet times with Him and just check it off the schedule.  Instead, He put His simple yet incredibly transformational Words on my heart and I could hear him tell me over and over again, Natalie, my beloved, I am good and everything I do is good.

I remembered the prayer I said as a child at the dinner table, “God is great, god is good, let us thank Him for our food.” How many times did I say that and never dwell on His goodness? When the rich young ruler met Jesus, he called him “good teacher.” Jesus’ response was “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18).  We use the word “good” to describe movies, food, and even our friends, so it seems that to use it to describe the Lord perhaps minimizes Him. I’m not saying we have to omit the word “good” from our vocabulary, but the fact is that the Lord alone is the only person, place, or thing, that we can trust as truly good. People will fail us. Situations will disappoint us. Jobs will come and go. Money will be spent.  However, the God that we seek and serve is good, and He does good.  That is a trustworthy statement.

Tangled Web March 12, 2010

I waited tables all through high school and college.  Once I had a customer who told me they were a photographer and insisted on giving me one of their photos. I accepted, but when they brought it into the restaurant… it was a 11×14 high definition picture of a spider sitting on its web waiting for some fly to become his lunch. You could see each of the eight hairy legs and all the nasty details of a spider. Don’t get me wrong I love photography. I also love nature and can appreciate that spiders serve a purpose in our ecosystem. But, like most every other woman I know, I have a slight case of arachnophobia and certainly don’t want an up close and personal photograph of one for my own art collection.

I was reminded of this photograph as I reread the story of Haman in the book of Esther. Haman was the top official to the King Xerxes in Persia. Despite his honorable position to the king, he was a man with many faults: pride, arrogance, cruelty and dishonesty. Because of his position, civilians were required to bow to him just as they would the king. Haman let this feed his overblown self-image. However, when Mordecai the Jew (Esther’s cousin) refused to bow to Haman he was enraged (Esther 3:5). His rage led him to draft a plan to annihilate the Jews that had been scattered in the region. How he decided to carry out his evil plan was where dishonesty begun to spin its web. He told the king that “a certain people” would not obey the king’s laws and that he had a plan to protect the kingdom from the rebels. Xerxes, being deceived and thinking Haman was being loyal to him, permitted Haman to follow through with his plan and gave him his signet ring in order sign the decree.  Then Haman had gallows built that stood 75 feet high in the air.  He envisioned these gallows as perfect way for the Jews to meet their death, namely, the insubordinate Mordecai.  Esther, who was queen possibly, “for such a time as this” revealed his plan to Xerxes and when the king realized that Haman had deceived Him, he immediately sent Haman to the gallows instead of Mordecai and his people.

My mom used to always say, “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” I can almost see Haman, like the spider in the photograph, sitting proudly on his web.  He wove lie after lie to feed his ego and for a time, may have seemed to rule his web. In the end, however, HE was the one who fell victim to its deadly trap and unfortunately, it cost him his life. When we lie, no matter how big or how small, we cause ourselves great amounts of pain and hurt. Being honest is not always the easiest thing, but the alternative of getting stuck in a web of dishonesty is much more difficult than the merely telling truth.

• What could Haman have done instead of lying to King Xerxes?
• You may not be deceiving someone in order to annihilate a group of people, but in what ways do you weave webs of deceit that could eventually entrap you?
• Recall a time in the past when you lied and it hurt you more than if you would have told the truth?
• How can the Lord still work through situation when we have been dishonest?

Prayer: Father, we confess that even though we love you, we too sometimes think like Haman did and trick ourselves to believe that dishonesty is acceptable. We may not lie in big ways, but Lord the slightest dishonesty can snowball to become a bigger, more impactful lie. Help us to be people who tell the truth, Help us to avoid getting caught in webs of lies that can hurt us. In Jesus’ name….Amen.

Michael Drake and Patricia Sanders getting silly stringed on stage by two KQers.

the Kindergarteners getting caught in a web of lies!

Reciting the memory verse and throwing a ball of yarn to one another with each word of the verse. Clever Kids!

Another group creating a web of truth by reciting the Word of God.

Keys Overboard! March 4, 2010

I’ll never forget one family lake trip years ago.  It was a hot day and we were all overly hungry and worn out from being in the sun.  My three year old nephew, Hayden, was feeling the effects of both hunger and exhaustion, and became bit grouchy when we had to stop to get gas before  returning to the dock.  We maneuvered the boat into the gas station, and before we knew it, Hayden took the keys out of the engine of the boat and threw them in the lake.  Luckily, like all boaters should, my dad had  attached a key ring floaty to the keys so they didn’t sink in a worst case scenario.   When my Dad saw they keys floating alongside the boat, he turned to my nephew and said, “Did you throw those into the water?”  As is nothing happened, Hayden cut his eyes as he said in a slow southern accent, “Luke did it.”  My brother, also known as Uncle Luke, was thrown under the bus (or the boat in this case) by my nephew’s dishonesty.
Although this memory has become a favorite story to retell, I am always amazed at our natural inclination to be dishonest.  It’s wired into us through the fall of man in the Garden of Eden.  We lie when we have done something wrong; We lie when we don’t want to hurt someone;  we lie because we’re ashamed of the truth; and sadly sometimes we lie just because its easier.  In Proverbs 12:22 it says “the Lord detests lying lips.”  Some translations say that lying is an abomination (a disgusting thing) to the Lord.  In case you didn’t catch that, its not just something he just doesn’t like, but it disgusts him.
Most people prefer honesty.  We hope that our friends, family, salesman, and strangers will be truthful with us.  Yet all the time we ourselves throw around white lies and half truths.  We prefer honesty, but we can still stomach dishonesty in some situations.  The Lord, on the other hand, doesn’t just have a preference for honesty; he has a standard for honesty.

We will undoubtedly miss the mark.  Many times when I have lied in the past, I felt as if I had thrown my boat keys into the lake and sat dumbfounded, maybe even blaming someone else.  Fortunately, we can trust that our Heavenly Father attaches a floaty to our keys so they don’t sink.  The process of getting the keys out of the water isn’t always pleasant or easy, but we can rely on the truth from His Word that we’ll never be stranded, keyless on the water.

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Reflection:

• What areas of your life do you have the hardest time being honest?
• How does the bible say to handle a situation in which we have been dishonest?
• Look at passages that talk about the Lord’s honesty and incapability to lie.  What do you learn about His truthfulness?
• How can you hold yourself accountable with even “white lies” that can explode?
• How have you seen lies ruin things in your life (relationships, work environment, your reputation)?

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Prayer:
Father, the psalmist asks that the words of his mouth be pleasing in your sight.  Surely we can see that lies are not.  Please fill me with your Spirit and allow nothing but truth to flow from my lips.  We know you despise lies, and we desire to please you.  I can only do that by your grace.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

My nephew at the lake, years later.

Future Leaders Program February 17, 2010

Do you know someone who is a recent college/seminary graduate that is considering full time ministry?  Check out the Future Leaders Program here at McLean Bible Church that serves the DC metropolitan region.  Please forward on to anyone you might know that would be interested.

Applications due March 1.

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For informational video:

MBC Future Leaders Program

video compliments of Lindsay Bingham =)

Latest Pics!! February 4, 2010

 Check out whats going on here at KQ Loudoun!!

It's beautiful to see children worshipping!

Even the leaders get into the hands on Worship!

Moses holding up the staff so the Israelites could defeat the Amalekites (Ex 17:8-16)

Moses' arms are getting tired...think he may need Aaron and Hur!

Check out the whole bible story here

After learning how the Israelites won the battle by working together, the kids learn about how they can work together to support children with special needs at Jill's House.

For more information on Jill’s House or ways to donate–> Jill’s House

 

 

How Sweet the Sound February 2, 2010

 

 

This weekend I was reading in Isaiah chapter 6, where the prophet Isaiah is commissioned by the Lord.  At the beginning of the chapter, Isaiah sees God high and exalted (v1) and is immediately overcome by His holiness.  Isaiah’s immediate response is his own unworthiness.  He says, “Woe is me, For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips” (v5 Amplified).    Isaiah’s response is the same as anyone who has, or will encounter our Almighty Father.   Matthew Henry  says, “God’s glorious majesty should affect us all with reverence and godly fear.  We are to be abased in the sense of that infinite distance that there is between us and God, and our sinfulness and vileness before him…”  

This weekend, I felt undone and ruined  and so aware of the distance between me and God.  I felt like screaming before the Lord…Woe is me!  As I went to Him, my sin was right in front of my face, and it was like black compared to white in relation to His holiness.  I was reverently afraid and felt immense guilt.  Then I kept reading, “…your guilt is taken away and your sins are forgiven” (Isa 6:7 NIV).   How powerful is that.  An idea that I know, that I say out loud to others, that I’ve read many times before…and yet in this moment was so powerfully impacting once again.  You are forgiven my beloved.  

Later in his commentary on these verses Matthew Henry notes how “we [would be left] undone if there be not a Mediator between us and this holy God.”  Thankfully, Jesus Christ took on our sin and died so that no matter what we have done we can ask for forgiveness in His name and be forgiven for our sin.  (not to mention our guilt).  Let me tell you–forgiveness like that doesn’t exist in our culture today.  (think credit history, GPA, driving points, etc).  I’m not saying God necessarily removes all the consequences for our sins, but He removes our sins and our guilt and we “taste the sweetness and [feel] the influence of that grace” (Henry).  In our gratitude for grace, we are able to go before the Lord in ultimate worship and thankfulness for what He did  for each one of us on the cross.   He erases our sin, guilt, and shame.   

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Go tell someone about that today.

Just a Pack of Gum… February 1, 2010

      Discipline is a word with a mostly negative connotation.  I asked some 5th grade girls to define discipline and every one of them explained it in a way that referred to the consequences for ones actions, namely in reference to punishment.  They were correct, but discipline defined according to 252 Basics is, “doing what you need to do so you can grow stronger.”  Here too we see discipline explained as a consequence for one’s actions, but in a more positive light.  The former definition refers to the times when we choose to do the wrong thing.  The latter definition explains discipline from a proactive standpoint.  The focus is on what you need to do—  and choosing to do it. 

      For example, as a little girl, I vividly remember my brother stealing a pack of bubbalicious bubble gum from a store.  When we got to the car and my mom realized it, she immediately made him walk back into the store, apologize to the clerk, and pay for the pack of gum.

        The discipline on my brothers mind was the consequences that awaited him when we returned home (or even worse—when my father got home).  The discipline on my mother’s mind, was a different kind.  She knew the right thing to do in that situation.  She had to have the discipline for herself (and my brother) to do the right thing and pay for the seemingly insignificant pack of gum.  She could have been in a hurry.  She could have even faced embarrassment.  She could have even thought that $1 pack of gum was not a big deal.  However she knew that by doing what she needed to do now, she (and my brother) would grow stronger. 

       In Titus 1:8 when Paul is giving Titus instruction for leading the church in Crete, he tells Titus that church overseers “must be self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”  Paul is referring to the possession of one’s inner strength to control one’s passions and desires (NIV study bible).  Paul recognized the worth of discipline in our daily lives.  He deemed it worthy enough to be one of the first things mentioned to Titus and then repeated four more times in the first two chapters.  He didn’t have the “its just a pack of gum mentality” that we can so easily fall into.  “I just missed one quiet time.  I just forgot to pray before one lunch.  I really needed to sleep in this Sunday” ….No matter how insignificant, we have to be committed to disciplining ourselves in the mundane, sometimes difficult things in order to live holier lives.  If we can make proactive decisions to include “disciplines” in our lives, we can avoid some of the negative consequences we might face in the absence of discipline.  

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Reflection:

• How would you define discipline?  To a child?
• In what areas do you demonstrate good self-discipline?  How does that affect you and your walk?
• In what areas do you lack self-discipline? How does that affect you?
• How is your discipline “rubbed off” onto those around you (children, spouses, friends, coworkers)?
• What are the spiritual disciplines?
• What does the bible say the benefits of discipline are?
• How did Jesus demonstrate spiritual discipline? 

Prayer:

Father, thank you for giving us the bible as Your Word to guide us.  Thanks for the truths you teach that help us exhibit discipline and help us to become more like you.  You tell us you give us a spirit of self-discipline.  Please give and strengthen that spirit within us so our lives can be most glorifying to you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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For a printable PDF version—discipline1

Radical Faith: Adoniram & Ann December 9, 2009

”. . . I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world? Whether you can consent to see her departure to a heathen land, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life? Whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death? Can you consent to all this, for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?”

[excerpt from a Letter Adoniram Judson wrote to Ann Hasseltine's father in a formal way of asking for his daughters hand in marriage]

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You may or may not heard of Adoniram Judson.  There is a plethora of amazing things to say about him, but for starters, he was radical.  He became America’s first overseas missionary and shortly before his trip to Burma, India he met and proposed to Ann Hasseltine.  The above letter is what he wrote to her father to ask for her hand in marriage.  I am always moved by his words.  I can’t say that most parents today would consent if that was the offer on the table.  It’s honest.  It’s hard to swallow.  My dad wants to know that the man who marries me will take care of me, provide for me, comfort me, and love me till death do us part?  Asking for that is not wrong, but Adoniram was radical and often veered from normality.  Lucky for him…so did Ann.

His letter makes me wonder… would I have the gumption to do what Adoniram and Ann did?   If I were a parent, would I have the gumption to do what her parents did and let go of the reigns of control by allowing my daughter to set sail for a foreign country, knowing I may never see her again (which they didn’t)?  Could I ever give up the basic comforts and conveniences of this life to pursue something boldly for the Lord?  Would I give my life for what I believe in?

What I am NOT saying is that all of us should sell our belongings and become missionaries in Burma.  Some of us may be called to the mission field and some of us may be called to do other things for God.  Luther Rice, who traveled to India with Adoniram and Ann also wanted to be a missionary, but after bouts with his health, decided to go back to the States to actively raise support for the missionaries.  He helped raise moneys and awareness of the cause and several times throughout Adoniram’s ministry he journaled about how important Luther’s role was to their work abroad.  Just as the body has many parts, each one of us has a part in God’s plan for the spreading of his message.

The ringing question I walked away from reading his letter was… am I living radically for the Lord?  In our “mission” here in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. we may not face the hardships of cholera, religious persecution, dysentery, perils of the ocean, or even a violent death, but we aren’t promise a bed of roses in this life either.  But we are called to live passionately and radically for our Lord.  I think Adoniram’s letter could be reworded and apply to each one of us still today.

“…I have now to ask whether you can consent to part with the accepted lifestyle, and to live no more in the societal standards of this world? Whether you can consent to the subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a Christian life? Whether you can consent to entering full submission to God and trusting His will over yours…even if that means a different occupation, a smaller paycheck, a quainter house, or giving up that dream you’ve always had; to acting boldly and even be thought radical or weird to your coworkers, family, and friends? To even despite all of the hardships and discomforts maintain a joy and a focus on the goodness of our Savior?  Can you consent to all this, for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting the people you lead to Christ in the world of glory, with a crown of righteousness brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to our Savior from lost people who were saved, through your means, from eternal woe and despair? “

Sometimes I get so jaded in this life, whether its from a broken relationship, dissatisfaction at work, inner self struggles, disappointment, loss, or even just the unexpected turn that changed everything.   It’s helpful and necessary, to remind ourselves of the mission before us and to not lose sight of what the big picture is: helping others find the Lord and experience peace and forgiveness. I love what Ann Judson said in a journal three years before she married Adoniram:

“Direct me in Thy service, and I ask no more. I would not choose my position of work, or place of labor. Only let me know Thy will, and I will readily comply.”

That’s a pretty radical idea if you think about it.  My challenge to you, is to ask yourself…Is your faith radical?  What radical thing can you do for God?

Recent pictures!! November 24, 2009

Check out whats going on at Kid’s Quest Loudoun!  We are studying cooperation this month.  Look at all the ways we are cooperating!

coats of many colors =)

3rd grade boys with Michael Drake

Jeanette Bland with 2nd grade girls

2nd grade girls at 9:00 with Jeanette Bland

1st grade with Tom Hood

5th grade boys at 9:00

4th grade boys 9:00 with Chris Cole

3rd grade girls at 9:00

wes cleaning the tables when we studied Dorcas and what a servant she was =)

JR Arca teaching kindergarten class

A Dancer’s Secret November 5, 2009

    

  I was never a dancer.  I played every sport a girl could play (I even played on a boys baseball team one year) but  I never seemed to have the grace needed for dance.  Dancers have always impressed me though.  One thing that always befuddled me was how well trained dancers could spin around so quickly without getting vertigo.  I would spin around once and feel ready to puke.  One time I boldly took a Latin dance class and I learned the secret to mastering spins was a technique called spotting.  Any dancer would recognize the term, but for those who don’t, spotting entails picking a stationary focal point on the wall (a clock, a hook, a painting, etc) and turning your body while your eyes stay focused on your spot, therefore immobilizing the head.  When your body has turned as far as it can, the head quickly spins around and immediately back to its focal point, while the body then follows.  Because your eyes are on the focal point the entire time, your body is able to do something that normally causes vertigo.  A simple, yet effective technique. 

     This technique, when applied to our walks, works much the same way.  As I read through Nehemiah, I was surprised how many times the text mentions God as their focal point.  As if rebuilding a burned down, destroyed wall wasn’t daunting enough, they were met with constant doubt and ridicule from their enemies.  Despite it all, they continued to cooperate together and with God to accomplish the task.  The believed “the God of heaven [would] give [them] success” (Neh 2:20).   At the beginning of chapter four when Saballat taunts the Jews for rebuilding the wall, Nehemiah responds by praying to God for redress, and then he and the builders “work with all their heart” (v6).   Just two verses down the same thing happens: Saballat threatens to attack Jerusalem, and the Jewish people respond by praying to God then posting a guard (v9).  In both situations, as well as throughout the book of Nehemiah,  we see how during a situation that could feel like uncontrollable spinning, they simplified the task by keeping their eyes on the only reliable focal point and meeting faith with action.   Throughout this life, we will undoubtedly have trouble and maybe even feel like we’re spinning.  However, if we keep our eyes on the Lord to be the provider of ALL our needs, he will protect us from vertigo or even falling over.

   So you may be wondering how this relates with cooperation?  The definition of cooperation means “working together for a common goal.”  Because the Lord is the captain of our ship, the CEO of our lives, the King of our hearts, and our heavenly “boss,” we have to cooperate with Him and trust that with Him as a focal point we can learn to gracefully make beautiful spins across the dance floor of this life.

Reflection:

• What distractions become your focal point in life?  Your career? Relationships? Busyness? Pursuit of Happiness?
• What practical way can you remind yourself to stop and refocus on the Lord?  Setting an alarm for prayer time?
• What better ways can you “cooperate” with the Lord as the ruler of you heart?  How have you been non-cooperative or resistant to His will for you?
• What “spin” makes you dizzy?  What makes you feel out of control and helpless?  Recognize it, and ask the Lord to help you in that particular situation. 

Prayer:

Father, thank you for being a stationary focal point.  You are the same in the past, present, and future, when nothing else is.  Help me to remind myself to keep my eyes on you, and be willing to cooperate with Your will, even if its harder than my own.  Help me to eliminate false focal points.  I ask this in your Son’s name.  Amen.

Power Verses:

Isa 28:29;  Psa 123:2;  Psa 25:15;  2 Cor 1:12 MSG;  Isa 46:3-4;  Psa 119:15

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For a printable PDF version–> a dancer secret