Convergence: Art and Faith

The Path Forward - Day 3

2010-06-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

Compare your thoughts from yesterday to your Purpose Statement, (if you didn't create one for yourself, see the blog on Stewardship - Monday December 7 2009) and see if it elicits any further thoughts. Again, we are using our Purpose Statement to help keep us focused as we examine ourselves from different perspectives - specifically the areas of our lives where change has occurred.

Prayer: Pray that God helps confirm and direct your purpose in life.

The Path Forward - Day 2

2010-06-08T12:58:00.002-04:00

Notice the meaning of James 1:10&11 in the context of the verses before and after. Among other things, it’s evident that the rich man is, by contrast, arrogant and lazy. When the troubles of the world come along, this content and prideful person doesn't have the tools to cope, and as a result, “fades away”. Contrast this with the humble. They persevere and live full, rewarding lives.

As we processed our own humility yesterday, there were likely some things - obstacles, whether large or small, that stood out to us. Our familiarity or comfort with them may have dulled their impact on our lives. Sometimes exploring these things can lead to deeper, unrelated issues. Take time today to process the large and small thoughts you had yesterday. Use the action of confessing these thoughts to God so he can own them with you. Follow them as deep as you can and see where they connect. We might be closed because we think we’re too talented, educated, experienced, or intelligent. We might put too much faith in our opinion of our demographic, family, habits, personality, or even style. It's worth it to see where we hold pride, and how it keeps us from forward momentum in our lives.

Prayer: Pray for motivation and wisdom to discern the thoughts that you process today.

The Path Forward - Day 1

2010-06-02T18:11:00.004-04:00

James 1:9-11 talks about the difference between those in humble circumstances vs those who are rich. Although James alludes to a financial state he is speaking more to the spiritual state of the person. It was common of his audience to speak about the poor in reference to those in difficulty and hardship and the rich as those who are arrogant and exploitative.

As we look at our path forward through a time of change, we need to be honest about the place we currently are and the needs we must address. In order to be effective in this self assessment we need humility. If we are guarded, high-minded or unrealistic about our issues, we will not be able to see ourselves for who we really are in order to find where we need to go.

Are we willing to look past the successes and triumphs in our lives to address areas where we may harbor shame or fear? Are we willing to ask people close to us where we could improve ourselves or our relationships with them? Are we willing to sacrifice something that makes us comfortable to achieve a higher purpose? Are we willing to accept humility in order to be spiritually rich?

Deeply and prayerfully ask yourself these questions today as we prepare our spirits to look honestly at ourselves as we move forward.

Prayer: Ask God for true and honest humility in your life.

Isolation for Preparation 2

2010-05-06T14:02:00.003-04:00

Deuteronomy tells the story of a God imposed isolation on the people of Israel. His chosen people were sent out into the desert to wander for forty years to learn to truly depend on God.

In Deuteronomy 8:2-3, we read that God purposefully lead his people into the wilderness for the purpose of proving himself to them. God used this place of isolation to develop their confidence in him as their God. They did not labor for their living, they simply believed God and received their living. There was no Wal-Mart in the wilderness, therefore they had to trust God for their food, clothing and care. God proved to them that he was their one and only "true source." They would never have received this revelation, without this time of separation and sanctification with God.

We also read that it is essential that they remember this lesson. When the time of isolation is over and they have the option of choosing many other types of food and living in much more comfortable surroundings, they must never forget that God is the source of what they truly need. This deep knowledge and trust in God is called faith. That is the kind of faith needed in times of difficulty and challenge.

Have you ever experienced a time of imposed isolation? Maybe you've lost a job, had a breakup with someone very dear, lost a loved one, moved to a new location. Maybe it is something wonderful like having children and losing alone time and couple time. That time of isolation might be a time of God preparing and positioning you to discover something about God that he cannot reveal to you while you are surrounded by other things. They might be distracting you from hearing and seeing the things he wants to show you. During this time of isolation, we discover things about ourselves that we otherwise would never have known.

Prayer: Take about three minutes to be quiet and ask yourself if you are experiencing an "imposed isolation." Ask God what you might need to make this a time of preparation.

Isolation for Preparation 1

2010-05-06T13:43:00.004-04:00

There are times when God removes us from the routine of life so that he can spend some time with us. Without God "taking this time" with us, we would drift through our lives preoccupied and distracted by life, never pursuing the destiny and purpose he created us for. Because these places of separation are often uncomfortable, we resist them and conclude that God must be punishing us, when in reality He is preparing us through separation.

Have you ever had the experience of having limited use of your senses? When you have a cold it is difficult to smell, when it is very loud you rely on your eyes and gestures to communicate, etc. Deprivation in one area has been proven to lead to an enhancement in another. By isolating our senses we strengthen others. This is the type of isolation to which we are referring. Isolation from something that may be very good and helpful, yet may mask a weakness or underdevelopment in another area.

Try playing with isolating your senses. Close your eyes and try to identify sounds in the room. Determine how close or far away another person is just through sense of smell and touch.

Now, think about the most pressing influences in your life. Your "to do" list? Media? (facebook?) other people? What would you notice if you were isolated from these things.

Prayer: Spend some time with God today with your eyes closed and trying not to "tell" or "ask" God anything. Try to simply listen. Try to isolate your senses from other distractions for 5 minutes and see what you are able to "hear" from God.

Safety - Day 12

2010-04-20T18:31:00.002-04:00

Take today to reflect on the the week, or maybe the month, and see how your mind may have changed and grown from the beginning to now. Maybe skimming over the blogs will help you remember your journey.

Go over the change you have experienced and revisit and process the time. See if something else stands out to you this time. If you have experienced change, think about how much transformation you will experience in the future as you work on these issues. Sometimes taking some time and looking back on your growth can be an enormous encourager.

Prayer: Take this day to thank God for the work he is doing in you and the work he has planned for your future.

Safety - Day 11

2010-04-20T18:26:00.002-04:00

Considering your thoughts from yesterday, let's start planning and placing emotional boundaries.

As we did with physical boundaries, look for the smallest and most impending emotional boundaries that you need to protect. Start easy and with situations that will be relevant soon, then use that momentum to start setting larger boundaries as you are ready.

While you are processing these things, think of your emotions as if you were given responsibility over them from your future self who is depending on you for their protection. In reality that future self is relying on you to protect them and make them a healthy, able person. You have a responsibility to work on these areas and own yourself and your emotions.

Prayer: Don't let failure frustrate you. Pray again for grace from God as you work through these difficult and confusing areas.

Safety - Day 10

2010-04-20T18:09:00.002-04:00

Now let's look at emotional boundaries.

Our feelings are our own and we are responsible for them. Other people are not allowed to make us feel ways we shouldn't. We also aren't responsible for others feelings, but often we damage ourselves trying to be responsible for the happiness of others. If we try to make everyone happy then we can never move forward in transformation or anything else. In the end when we stand up and put our foot down, people may not like it, but they usually respect us in the end. Also, we are empowered and freed to movement in our lives.

How many times have you regretted not taking a stand where you knew you needed to? Many times we yield to someone else's will though we know that doing something different is the right thing. When we end up being part of the blame because we didn't do the right thing, we feel like we betrayed ourselves and we lose trust in our own decisions.

Where in your life do you allow people to effect your emotions or actions? Why is this? Is it because you respect the other person so much? Is it because you feel inferior to them? Is it because you want to avoid conflict? Really think about these things today. These are some of the most prevalent boundary violations in many people's lives and it often comes down to the strength of our identity.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you to be honest with yourself about the confronting the people and situations that effect your emotional boundaries.

Safety - Day 9

2010-04-20T17:12:00.002-04:00

Revisit the physical boundaries that you processed yesterday and spend today thinking about where you need to put your boundaries to protect and free yourself. If you know that you are going to face a boundary soon, start with that one, especially if it is a small one. Maybe there is someone at work that you know you are going to have to deal with first thing in the morning. Starting with the small issues will help to build the confidence to deal with the larger issues.

Through out the week start expanding your physical boundaries to the larger issues. Some of them may take some forethought before you deal with them, so that you have realistic expectations, or are ready to deal with surprises that may present themselves.

Our physicality is our most obvious boundary, so it is good to start here as we begin to learn how to deal with boundaries, especially if we haven't really been good with this in the past.

Prayer: Pray that God with give you the strength and wisdom to place boundaries in areas where you have not had them.

Safety - Day 8

2010-04-20T17:06:00.004-04:00

Spend today processing the physical boundaries that are currently being crossed in your life. You may not even know that boundaries are being crossed if you haven't learned too much about setting them. Even though you may feel the effects of them being crossed, sometimes we grow used to destructive forces and let them become a part of our lives and sometimes our foundations.

Our bodies are our own and are the first and most important boundary to protect. Think about people , things or situations that physically violate your space. Anything that happens to our bodies creating discomfort is probably crossing a boundary of some sort. The variety of these kinds of encroachments could span anything from, variations of physical abuse, to a crowding roommate, or a neighbor making too much noise at night, to a bad smell in your house.

Spend today identifying these crossed physical boundaries. Think of all parts of your life, large and small.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you to see where you need to learn to protect yourself.

Safety - Day 7

2010-04-20T16:38:00.003-04:00

Last week we looked at negative presences in our lives and thought about how our lives would look replacing those with positives. This week we will learn a little about setting up boundaries to to help us interact between the two. Developing boundaries is essential to give ourselves a safe personal space to have movement, whether that movement is change, progress or just the freedom to be ourselves.

Can you think of places in your life where your boundaries, large or small were crossed? These could be small daily situations like someone talking our ear off and not respecting our time, or someone dictating to us how to raise our child, or dictating how we should function as an artist. On the opposite scale many of us have experienced physical, verbal or sexual abuse. How have these broken boundaries in your life effected you? How have they effected your beliefs, identity, attitude or abilities?

Prayer: Let God guide you in his grace to help you process potentially difficult memories in your life.

Safety - Day 6

2010-04-15T14:56:00.002-04:00

Now that we have processed our negative presences and envisioned a healthy place, think about the good, strong or healthy things that you do have in your life. Can you spend more time on these things to help displace the negative? Are there relationships that you know are good, but have not made a priority for one reason or another? Are there places you have wanted to go or things you have wanted to do but have let other, less important ventures, obstruct you from what you know is best?

As we have mentioned before, it is often healthier to focus more on replacing negativity with something good than to only focus on stopping the negative issues.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you identify and embrace healthy things in your life.

Safety - Day 5

2010-04-15T14:46:00.002-04:00

Try to picture your life without the negative presences that you identified yesterday. Really try to visualize what your life would look like if all of your relationships were safe and affirming. What if you had the time you needed to reflect on yourself, journal, pray, or be alone doing something you enjoy. What if you felt comfortable in your own head without thinking about things you regret or things that you fear or hate.

The point here is to try and give ourselves an image of the place where we need to be, in order to deal with change, so that we can strive to be in that place. If we don't know what it looks like, then it can be harder to get there.

Prayer: Pray that God helps you to visualize his next step for you.

Safety - Day 4

2010-04-11T23:36:00.002-04:00

Today, identify unsafe or destructive presences that effect your area or areas of change. They may contribute directly as an obstacle, or simply create an environment where change is unsafe. Look first at the presences that may effect you physically or environmentally, then look at the presences that effect you emotionally.

These presences can be relationships, habits, jobs, beliefs, wall color, dirty rooms, influential messages, stressful pets, or even time drainers like tv, hobbies, or community involvement. Sometimes you can feel where these things effect you before you can actually know what they are. They might even be good things that need to take a back seat to other areas where you need to build or heal. Remember that you have much more to offer when you are a whole, healthy person than when you are struggling or hurt.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you look in the tiny areas of your life and thank him that he cares even for things we consider trivial.

Safety - Day 3

2010-04-11T16:07:00.002-04:00

Sometimes just categorizing issues can help us process them in a different way and let us see more clearly the effects they have on our lives since different issues require different amounts of energy and time. As you have thought about areas of change, separate them into one of the following three categories to help you organize and prioritize your efforts.

Very difficult – Issues that are very severe such as things induced by traumatic events like abuse, or death.

Difficult – Issues which create significant stress in your life. These could be relational issues, job or financial problems for example.

Minor – Issues that are problematic or annoying but not very serious. These could be bad habits or everyday common obstacles. Minor issues can be deceptive as we can often ignore them or play them off as not serious enough to address, but they can add up to larger issues or become inflated in their difficulty when we have to deal with something far greater.

Prayer: Pray that God helps you to clearly see the effects of your issues on your life.

Safety - Day 2

2010-04-11T16:03:00.002-04:00

As you thought about areas where you may need change yesterday, you may have been either excited or intimidated by tackling these issues. Often when we think about our progress, we hold to expectations that are too high which can create trepidation in our start or frustration in our failures along the way.

We will try to look at very realistic and practical ways to deal with change, so don't be worried. As we look at change, be realistic with yourself about what you need and where you will be. The more difficult issues are, the more time they take to work through, but every day offers the reward of improvement.

Look back at the issues you thought about yesterday and think about the grace you need to give yourself for each one as you move forward.

Prayer: Offer these issues to God and pray for his grace on them.

Safety - Day 1

2010-04-11T15:55:00.004-04:00

We have heard many times that we can't save the world, but it may be more accurate to say that we can't save anyone. We can offer help, but it is up to each person to own their issues as much as they are capable. Unless we take responsibility for our own issues we will never experience transformation. Sometimes we are faced with change that we must face or ignore, but other times we need to seek out areas where change needs to occur.

Think about areas where you know change is needed in your life and what that change might look like. Also, think about issues that you have let live in your life without taking time to process them deeply enough to find where they begin.

To deal with deep change we must be very honest with ourselves about what needs work so that we can plan properly.

Prayer: Pray that God will help you own your issues and give you the strength to confront them.

Foundations 12

2010-03-22T14:26:00.001-04:00

Our beliefs are at the core of our person. Everything that we think about and act on is a result of what we believe. Our identity and passions all come from the importance we place on certain beliefs.

Today, think about everything you believe and offer it to God. Process these things and sort out why you believe the things you do and where you need to be stronger or more clarified.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you develop proper and realistic beliefs.

Foundations 11

2010-03-21T12:22:00.003-04:00

Are there areas in your life you would like to explore but don't feel you have the ability? Sometimes we have strong feelings about things we feel need to be done, areas where we are especially called. We don't give ourselves permission to move to these places because we don't feel we are able. Maybe an education or lack of credentials make us feel discredited. Maybe, an endeavor seems like it would take way too much practice, or you feel that someone would look down on your failures as an amateur. Often, when we take a deep breath and start to pursue these things, we find that we are very rewarded even in the beginning stages of the process. Yes it might be difficult at times, but if we are truly called to these places we find that we have natural talents and our spirit is truly fulfilled in a new area as our identity is further defined.

Where in your life do you want to move forward but feel you just aren't able or qualified to? Be honest with yourself about how realistic it is. Get rid of all or nothing thinking about realize the value in the small steps.

Prayer: Pray that God would show you your true abilities and help you to develop them.

Foundations 10

2010-03-20T12:41:00.001-04:00

Do you feel like you live life for yourself or other people? Are there things you feel you need to change about yourself before you can truly be who you are supposed to be? Are you easily influenced by people? Do you find that you are over sensitive to things that people say about you?

If you are an artists, do you feel that you have a clear direction for your art, or do you constantly explore the styles of others as you search for your own expression?

How comfortable do you feel when you are alone? Do you feel the constant need to fill in the space with sound or some sort of entertainment? Do you enjoy the time to think about things and refresh yourself with your thoughts?

Do you have hobbies, days off, time with close friends. Are those close friends people that you have chosen for yourself?

Having quiet time to ourselves, outings doing things we enjoy and journaling every day, are some things that help us get to know ourselves. How much we explore these times can quickly have a positive or negative effect on our identity.

Prayer: Ask God to create in you the person he has in mind for you to be.

Foundations 9

2010-03-18T23:02:00.002-04:00

Our attitude is our view of the world and determines a lot about how we choose to interact with it. A bad attitude can effect our ability to interact with others, our permission to achieve, and our emotional dynamicism as well as many other important attributes of our lifes.

Relationships
How to you typically feel about other people? Are they approachable? Are they safe? Are you equal to them or do you see people as being on levels higher or lower than you? Are people full of interesting gifts and ideas to explore or are they challenging and obstructive? Do you tend to avoid strangers or embrace them?

Life
What do you think about life in general? Is life a place where you spend time treading water until you have vacations or weekends? Do you expect life to be easy but it keeps throwing hard things at you? Is life a place where you have to constantly guard yourself from problems and difficulties? Do you feel that you have freedom to be yourself and do things you really feel called to?

Self
How do you view yourself? Do you feel that you are a good person? Do you feel that people value you, your personality and your abilities? Are there things you feel you need to change before you can truly feel good about yourself?

As you think about these answers, think about how much sense they really make. Where did you get these ideas and are the "rules" actual rules, or just things you believe to be true for no apparent reason.

Now think about the attitude you want to have and re-write these rules and beliefs.

Prayer: Pray that God would show you his vision for your attitude.

Foundations 8

2010-03-18T09:31:00.003-04:00

Once we decide that we want to change and turn the direction of our life, we need to adjust our focus. In the same way where we look when we walk determines the destination of our travel, where we look in our life determines the direction of our future.

In our quest to be better people, we often seek out our problems and try to change our behaviour by simply not doing the thing that we feel is wrong. We then feel frustrated and defeated when we find that we can't change the issues. There seems to be a constant force pushing our bad habits, feelings, or actions. This is because we are putting our focus on the problem or symptom. Instead we should follow the problems to their source and see where they originate; usually at a foundation. Moving our focus towards building that foundation takes the focus off the failure of trying to change behaviour that we are incapable of changing. As we become more healthy in our foundation, the symptoms then become unecessary in a natural and healthy way, creating a sense of strength and control in us rather than futility.

Today, think about your focus in life in regards to what we just discussed.

Prayer: Ask God to look with you into your life and continually help direct your focus where it should be.

Foundations 7

2010-03-17T19:34:00.001-04:00

Before change can happen, we must realize that it needs to. Often we are very content with the situation we are living in without questioning how we got there or if it's how we want to live even though we may have learned bad behaviour through one of many avenues in the course of our lives.

Of course we shouldn't live in a constant state of discontent because of how our lives "should be", but we should always challenge ourselves and check our direction. Not taking control of our direction can result in being influenced by many factors which will effect our foundations, and there are infinite such factors. Commercials will tell us what we need in order to be happy, people will tell us who we are, or who we are supposed to be, traumatic situations will create fear within us, and authorities will create our rules and beliefs.

Many of these factors have already defined parts of our foundations. It's up to us to decide if we choose to live with them or take steps to define ourselves. This is what we mean when we talk about repentance: turning from our old lives and claiming victory and ownership over them on a path of growth. It's hard, it means change, it means facing difficult memories, it means not living comfortably.

Think about your view of life today. Are you too content? What is your tolerance for change before you want to escape back to the safety of your routine? Does this inhibit growth for you? How many difficult situations in relationships or your past do you just ignore because it's more comfortable that way?

Prayer: Pray that God would expose the true state of your heart when it comes to repentance.

Foundations 6

2010-03-09T18:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we talked about how important relationships are as we deal with the difficulties in our lives. Before that we talked about how our guilt and shame effect our relationships with ourselves. So now is a good time to talk about how these things effect our relationships with others.

When we thought about how close and trusting our relationships are, did you question why there is distance between certain relationships you have compared to others? Think about that distance and see if any of that is attributed to guilt or shame. They may be hidden under words like "private" or "guarded" or "safe". Sometimes when people don't accept us we can feel a type of shame where we feel less valued, as if there is something wrong with us. Certainly we need to protect ourselves from people that are distructive to us, but there shouldn't be much keeping us from continually getting closer to good people.

Remember conviction and confession draw people closer, guilt and shame pull people farther apart.

Prayer: Pray that God would show you the true nature of your relationships, whether they're affirming healthy practices or illuminating the unhealthy.

Foundations 5

2010-03-08T19:48:00.005-05:00

Once you know the areas where you need to work, it is hard or impossible to just think or act better. You need to replace those thoughts and actions with healthier thoughts and actions.

This is where community comes in. We need other positive and trustworthy people in our lives to affirm and relate to us. We are designed to need this. We need other voices that we can confess to, voices that can relate and help us work things out. We need voices more powerful than our inner voice so that we can deal with issues in a sober and realistic manner, rather than just our own one sided view points.

Think about your peers and community. Are there people that you trust and respect? Are there people that care about you and know you well? If not, why is this and what can you do to create these kinds of relationships? If there are these kinds of people in your life, are you talking to them about your issues and are they talking to you about theirs? If not why? This is an essential part of how God made us and is necessary for our individual and communal health.

Prayer: Pray that God would illuminate the reality of your relationships and challenge you to make them deeper.

Foundations 4

2010-03-08T19:43:00.002-05:00

As we are focusing on guilt and shame versus confession and godly sorrow, think about things that have made you feel guilty or shameful. Have you broken a law or hurt someone else physically or emotionally? Has something happened to you that creates shame or guilt, whether it was within your control or not? Was there ever something you should have done where you stood bye without action creating consequence? Are you not living up to an ideal that you expect for yourself? Are there things you constantly do that you know are wrong?

We must identify these things so that we can confront and work them out. If we don't, they stay in us and create disorder and conflict. If we let these things stay too long then we create unhealthy habits to deal with, or hide from the issues. Once we have these habits for too long they start to effect our foundations, they might hinder our abilities or create a sour attitude, our beliefs can suffer and turn negative and our identify can become confused.

Identify these things so that you can address them.

Foundations 3

2010-03-08T19:39:00.002-05:00

Looking back on yesterday, did you notice that your inner voice seemed to be more critical of certain areas in your life, or favoring others? When we are weak in certain foundations, this will effect other foundations as well, creating an imbalance in our lives.

It is good to make a habit of checking the tone that you have with yourself in reference to the different foundations in your life as this can help indicate source problems or strengths.

Prayer: Pray that God would help illuminate imbalance in your life.

Foundations 2

2010-03-08T19:36:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we spent time trying to identify our inner voice. Today, now that we are listening, we want to focus on its messages.

Listen to your inner voice throughout the day and see if you can get some insight as to what it says about your identity, attitude, abilities and beliefs. Is it glowingly encouraging? Generally constructive? Discouraging? Abusive? If it was a friend would it be a good friend? How does it speak to you through difficult issues?

Prayer: Pray that God would make you more aware of your relationship with yourself.

Foundations 1

2010-03-04T11:53:00.002-05:00

We often hear about our inner critic when we talk about negative things we believe and feel about ourselves. There are many ways to deal with the inner critic such as: learning positive tools to combat the inner critic, or journaling to realize and process subconscious ideas consciously.

Today we want to look broader than just the inner critic. Think about your inner voice as a whole, not just the negative thoughts but all of the thoughts. What is that voice? Does is have a specific sound? Is it a person in your life? What kind of language does it use? What kind of tone does it use with you? What is it's personality?

You should get to know the inner voice well, as it speaks from the source of your identity and beliefs. How it speaks to you effects your attitude and abilities. Many people are afraid of their inner voice and keep life busy and noisy so they don't have to hear it. Others cherish the time they have alone with themselves to remember who they are and enjoy their own self.

Prayer: Pray that God helps you to know yourself intimately.

Nourishment 12

2010-02-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

Reflect on your week and revisit the things that were most profound to you. In silent meditation, offer these thoughts to God in an act of confession of the things that are happening in your life, your heart and your mind.

These attributes are important to our direction, which we will talk more about next week, so the more we process the importance of them in our lives, the better we will be able to work with them as we go forward.

Prayer: As you confess to God, let him guide you in your thought and search you for insights that he may want you to process from the week.

Nourishment 11

2010-02-28T13:38:00.002-05:00

People with strong identities know what they want and need, and find it easy to make boundaries for themselves. They can govern what is good for them by themselves without being swayed by media, sales people, or persuasive individuals in their environment. This comes from knowing their values and knowing themselves. These individuals usually see people as being equal in value, allowing them to be confident in most any relational situation.

People with especially week identities look for their identity or happiness in other people or circumstances. It's easy for these people to join causes or strive for important jobs, nice cars or impressive college degrees in an effort to feel like they have a strong identity and purpose. Others let people determine their moods, action and even their personality traits, resulting in an emotionally volatile life. They might apologize too much for fear of offending others, or distance themselves with arrogance in an effort to protect themselves. They may be super sensitive to other's reactions. These individuals often see people on different levels of value, creating tension between those “above and below” them.

Identity isn't created, it grows in us over time as we nurture ourselves. We need to spend time learning who we are and protecting ourselves as we discover our values.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you discover who you are and who he created you to be.

Nourishment 10

2010-02-24T18:41:00.003-05:00

When we talk about attitude we can talk about two things in general: How we feel emotionally and how we deal with things based on our outlook.

How we feel.
Although our feelings fluxuate often, if we seem to default to a certain unhealthy feeling which lasts for months or even years, we should probably address the matter. Feelings of inadequacy, insecurity, anger, depression, frustration, fear, confusion, dependency, lack of dependency, hopelessness, blame, and guilt are just a few unhealthy feelings that are common in many people's lives.

How we deal.
Our outlook alone can determine whether we are fulfilled in life or completely defeated. Although most people fall somewhere in between the two, most don't purposefully own their attitude in order to give themselves complete permission to make the most out of life. Some problematic habits such as future telling (Thinking you know what's really going to happen before it does), mind reading (Determining people's opinions without warrant), and black and white thinking, mixed with a glass half empty world few can wreak havoc on jobs, relationships and personal growth.

Search your feelings today and be encouraging but honest with yourself about where your attitude is. Right now we just want to identify the issues. Don't worry about tackling them yet, just think about how they effect your life.

Prayer: Pray that God would open your eyes to your attitude.

Nourishment 9

2010-02-23T20:25:00.004-05:00

We often overlook many of our abilities as they seem natural to us or we have lived with them for so long that we under rate them. Think about all of the things you possess talent wise, personality wise, financially, physically and materialistically. Look back at the accomplishments you have achieved through your life and track the areas where you have grown more able. It's also wise to ask people close to you to talk to you about your talents. This exercise is usually surprising and almost always very encouraging.

Now think about where you feel you should be more confident. We all have places we want to go or things that we want to do but can't because of our inabilities. Where do you find you are hesitant or even fearful to move in a direction?

Remember, fear begets more fear within us, but reclaiming areas of our life give us the confidence to reclaim other areas as well.

Prayer: Pray that God would solidify confidence in your current abilities and help empower you to grow in others where you are weak.

Nourishment 8

2010-02-23T01:12:00.002-05:00

Today, think about the things that you believe in your life. What do you believe about politics, religion, human nature? What about yourself? What do you believe about your abilities, your intelligence, your personality, your social abilities, your limitations and strengths? What do you believe about the most important things happening in your life right now?

As you think about these things, follow them back as far as you can to the places where these beliefs were born. Were they from things people told you? Where they from the environment that you lived in? Were they things you just assumed about yourself? Question the sources that founded your beliefs. Test their motivations, reliability and legitimacy. When you can reprocess the beliefs that you have typically accepted without question, you will gain ownership over them and your confidence and identity will grow much more strong. You can speak with confidence as to why you hold the beliefs that govern your life.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you search through the murky waters of memory to help you reach the source of your beliefs as you try and process them.

Nourishment 7

2010-02-22T16:31:00.001-05:00

This week we want to look at some core attibutes that define who we are. Most, if not all of our actions are a result of a predetermined factor or something we have learned. This week we want to start taking these things apart, see where they came from and test whether they match up with our life direction.

By now we have already experienced some amount of change in our lives and grown comfortable with some tools we have learned. We may already feel more confident in some areas where we didn't a couple months ago. This is a good time to look back over our purpose statement. At this point we can refresh ourselves on what we wrote in December, or we might want to edit it based on some areas we have recently grown.

Remember, this is your reference which we will continually use to measure your direction.

Prayer: Pray for wisdom and direction for your future.

Nourishment 6

2010-02-20T12:23:00.002-05:00

Saturday
Look back on your log for the week. See what kinds of patterns you find in how you live. You might want to separate them into categories to see how much energy you give to certain things.

What did you learn about yourself? Are you encouraged by anything that you have learned? Do you see some areas where you can improve? Comparing your findings to your purpose statement. Do the findings look like you are on track and headed the right direction for yourself?

Prayer: Pray that God would show you the path you are on in your life compared to the path you want to be on.

Nourishment 5

2010-02-20T12:22:00.002-05:00

Friday
We don't often think of our mental health when we take inventory of our lives. Emotional or mental issues are often very hard to discern since we usually think “that's just how I am.” Having counseling checkups can be very helpful especially in difficult times. Just like we all catch colds, we all get off track sometimes of where we should be with our emotional health.

Do you have a good resource to keep you accountable for your mental health? Do you give yourself personal time to evaluate how you are feeling and what you are experiencing emotionally? Are there times you have ever thought “Maybe I am depressed.” or “I might have an issue with anger/communication skills/intimacy etc...”.

Prayer: Pray that God would always help you to discern you mind, heart and spirit.

Nourishment 4

2010-02-18T14:29:00.002-05:00

Today consider your physical body. What trend would you say you are on with your health? How you take care of yourself today determines how well you function tomorrow.

Think about what kinds of food you eat and think about how well they are giving your body what it needs. How much do you exercise? Is it enough that you can feel a difference? When was the last time you got a physical check up or had a dentist appointment?

Prayer: Pray that you would pay attention to the value of your body as the vessel you have been given for your whole life.

Nourishment 3

2010-02-16T18:13:00.004-05:00

Think about your finances. It's a really good idea to look at your bank account and add up what you spend your money on. Sometimes we spend way more than we expect on things that we might think are trivial or unimportant. Our money is often a sensitive conversation, but it's something that we as responsible stewards need to master in a healthy way.

What we buy isn't just a statement about us, it is important because we are financially supporting everything we buy whether we agree with it or not. If we are buying things that we don't believe in, then we are directly contributing to the building of a world that is contrary to our values.

Prayer: Pray that God will help you to be honest with yourself about your spending and give you wisdom in this sensitive area.

Nourishment 2

2010-02-15T21:06:00.005-05:00

Think about what kinds of media you let into your life? What kinds of books, magazines and newspapers do you read? What do you spend time doing on the web? What kinds of TV or movies do you watch?

After you think of these things compare them to your purpose statement (Blog: Stewardship – December 7) and see if they are lining up with the things you believe in and the direction you want to go in your life. If you were your own boss evaluating your life performance vs what is stated as in your purpose statement how would you rate yourself?

Prayer: Pray that God would help you sort out these things and show you how they relate to your life.

Nourishment 1

2010-02-15T12:09:00.005-05:00

As we have mentioned in the past, we only have a limited amount of time per day, per year, per life. We want take this week to inventory our days hour by hour the best we can. Don't be a perfectionist about it. Just keep a list by your bed and jot down what you did during the day.

Prayer: Pray that God would start to show you the patterns of importance in your life.

Patience: Saturday January 23

2010-01-23T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hebrews 6
"Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

God has gone through great lengths to be clear about his hope for us. This verse states this in a very intense way. Spend a lot of time reading this verse over and over and think about what it means to you. If you were to write to God in response to this verse, would you speak to him with the same conviction and dedication in acceptance of his hope? Would your thankfulness match the writers enthusiasm?

Prayer: Pray that every day we get closer to understanding and accepting God's great hope for us and that it would transform the way we view and live our life on a daily basis.

Patience: Friday January 22

2010-01-21T17:33:00.001-05:00

1 Peter 3
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

We have talked about hope that leads us in our patience. Is your hope strong enough in your life that you would have an immediate response to someone that asked you?

The second part of this scripture talks about speaking our hope in a gentle and respectful way. Often, when we are not sure of what we speak, we get defensive or angry when people challenge us. How do you speak about your faith when the matter comes up?

Prayer: Pray that your hope and faith in God becomes stronger than the issues in your life.

Patience: Thursday January 21

2010-01-21T17:31:00.002-05:00

Thursday - Romans 5:1-5
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

This is the process of Christian growth. Often we look for ways out of difficult situations or ways to make ourselves feel better in their midst. We want to feel "normal" and comfortable. Often it is hard to understand the blessing in being challenged and, as a result, growing out of comfort areas and into a stronger self. It is too easy for us to live life inside a room full of closed doors we have never given ourselves permission to open.

Do you look for God's lesson when you deal with trials or do you look for a way out?

Prayer: Ask God to grow you and expand your experiences. Pray that he would teach you his way through your trials.

Patience: Wednesday January 20

2010-01-21T17:27:00.002-05:00

Romans 15:13
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Many verses of promise like this one, come with the condition of trusting or believing that God is really going to do what he says. When you think about the hope of God's work in your life and afterlife, do you really believe that God's hope is concrete? Have you experienced it? What would it look like if you had complete and total trust in God's hope?

Prayer: Pray that God would continually give you a stronger vision of what your life could look like if you truly lived your life in God's hope.

Patience: Tuesday January 19

2010-01-19T12:02:00.001-05:00

Psalm 33:14-19
"...from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth - he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine."

Sometimes our lives are like a clothesline and we hang our confidence and issues on our line of hope. If that line isn't sturdy then whatever we hang on it all comes falling down when it breaks.

What things do you put faith in as the foundations of your life?

Prayer: Pray that God shows you the intricacies of the false hope that we believe in every day.

Patience: Monday January 18

2010-01-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

1 Peter 1:3-7
"In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

This passage describes what we talked about on Sunday as "Redemptive Time". Peter calls our current state a "living hope" where, even though we experience many trials, our persistence in pursuit of our hope results in praise, glory and honor from God.

Do you view your life day to day as a living hope? Why or why not? If not, how would you sum up your view of your life and what makes that so?

Prayer: Pray that God tunes your view of life to a healthy and accurate view of your reality.

Patience: Saturday January 16

2010-01-16T13:54:00.001-05:00

As we have talked about patience in the act of process, you may have noticed that many issues you have had to work through were because of things learned from problems in the past. Remember that all you have to be responsible for is what you do with the future. Take heart that you are are perfectly safe from the past since we can never go back -- it is eternally behind us. Time is a blessing from God as it provides us a place to learn, heal and build, but we must work through this blessing of time with great patience and be our own supporter not our own enemy.

Think about these things today and pray that God teaches you to love and support yourself while moving on from anything in the past that may haunt you.

Patience: Friday January 15

2010-01-14T18:48:00.002-05:00

Think about growth that has happened in your life without you even knowing. Sometimes we look back after working a certain job or being around certain people and realize that we have picked up habits or skills with out knowing it. This can be for better or for worse. What skills, talents or knowledge have you acquired that you barely noticed as they happened?

It is important to understand this principal as this is the way growth usually takes place. Move away from the idea of making or forcing change to happen and learn to allow change to happen in a healthy way by creating good habits. We will learn more about creating these habits later in the year.

Prayer: Offer your life to God as a vessel open to change.

Patience: Thursday January 14

2010-01-14T10:53:00.001-05:00

Have you ever reved yourself up with excitement for the begining of something new and then been disappointed, allowing a door leading in that direction to be closed for ever? Maybe it happened with a job interview, or with an important discussion you wanted to have with someone.

There is nothing special about a "first time" attempt. We should understand that sometimes we have to try something over and over before it can become a success.

Prayer: Pray that God will give you bravery where you may lack it.

Patience: Wednesday January 13

2010-01-12T18:10:00.001-05:00

Often, in Christian circles, hiding imperfections makes us appear righteous. In recovery groups, hiding imperfections is considered denial. It is frowned upon as it hinders progress. If we don't admit our issues then we can't move forward with them and our process of growth is hindered. This in turn affects our relationships with ourselves, God and each other as well as all progress related to that issue.

Where in your life are you denying issues you know you should be facing. Are there people that you feel would not accept you in some way or another if you were to talk to them about it? Do you feel that way about the church you attend? Could you accept yourself for admitting the issues?

Prayer: Pray that God's grace would allow you to move forward past these obstacles. Pray that there would be people in your life that you can talk to about these things.

Patience: Tuesday January 12

2010-01-12T10:05:00.001-05:00

It takes time to create strong foundations. Failing to allow patience into a process develops guilt and frustration because we have unreasonable expectations of results. Thinking that you are going to paint a masterpiece the first time you start to paint is wildly unrealistic and unhealthy for your process of learning this new skill. It would take many years of hard work on top of what natural talent may exist to become a proficient and respected artist.

It can also be a cop out if we say, "That is too hard! I could never be that good." Not being graceful and patient, giving yourself permission to face the process, always leads to certain failure.

Where do you find you have perfectionist tendencies or visions that keep you from being patient with yourself?

Prayer: Pray that God would show you areas where you have unrealistic expectations, esspecially those that you might not know about.

Patience: Monday January 11

2010-01-12T10:02:00.001-05:00

Where there is specific movement in your life you will often find that is where God is working. We want to start thinking about positive movement in our lives and the part patience plays in that movement.

Today, think about change in your life, where is process happening right now?
Also, think about change that looms in your mind, ideals that you dream about, visions of yourself that you can't reach or that you attemped but failed.

Prayer: Pray that God would help you see signs of His process for your life and open you up to following His direction.

Patience: Saturday January 9

2010-01-09T01:48:00.003-05:00

God calls us to be patient with ourselves, other people and Himself as He works with us. We may be gifted with this attribute or we may find it challenging. After processing the idea of how you use patience in your life this week, where would you put yourself on a scale of one-ten, one being completely impatient and ten being completely patient. What does this say about you? Where would you want to be on the scale? If there is a big difference between where you are and where you want to be, where do you think a realistic expectation can be found?

Prayer: Pray that God helps you to understand the importance of patience in your life and as a tool in His process of transformation.

Patience: Friday January 8

2010-01-07T18:30:00.005-05:00

Think about areas where you are patient with some people in difficult situations and areas where you are impatient in others. What is different about these situations that allow you to be patient with some people but not others? Are these beliefs about yourself, the other person/people, or maybe both?

Prayer: Pray that God helps balance your ability to be patient in different situations.

Patience: Thursday January 7

2010-01-06T17:15:00.004-05:00

Where are you patient or impatient with people around you? People's driving? Students or children not learning fast enough. Communication with someone at work or a spouse? Who are these people and what are the issues?

Prayer: Pray that God illuminates even subtle areas of impatience that you might not see.

Patience: Wednesday January 6

2010-01-05T23:58:00.003-05:00

Where are some areas in your life that you might want to grow but you don't believe that you can start over in something completely new? Do you not have the energy? Are you too old? Is there really a good reason? Do these obstacles affect ideas you have been thinking about when you processed your gifting, passions and purpose statement? Compare the problems with the potential rewards.

Prayer: Pray for clarity in distinguishing real problems from habitual or deceptive excuses when you think about your direction and choices.

Patience: Tuesday January 5

2010-01-04T23:29:00.003-05:00

What are things in your life that you may be impatient with right now? Is there anything that is frustrating for you to deal with, a problem at work or home? Is there something you are learning that is difficult for you? Compare these issues to the list of things you wrote from yesterday. How do these things compare? Does this change your outlook at all for worse or better?

Prayer: What is challenging in the now may be surprisingly small in comparison to the tragectory of your whole life. Pray that God will help show you a larger view of your life.

Patience: Monday January 4

2010-01-04T01:18:00.002-05:00

The act of patience allows us to succeed in gigantic endeavors. Think about how you felt when you were first learning to read and write. What letters gave you the biggest challenge? What words did you never think you would spell that you now use every day?

Today focus on things in your life that were seemingly impossible when you started them but are now common place after years of practice or exercise. Some examples are: Musical instruments, sports, college courses, driving manual transmission, memorizing facts etc...

Prayer: Pray that God would help you understand that the passing of time is itself a tool for our progress.

Stewardship - Saturday December 18

2009-12-18T22:45:00.000-05:00

Today is a day to work out these thoughts with God. Simply pray all day. Ask God to take your limitations and bless your work. Pray for specific limitations you struggle with and those that you don't even realize. Pray that through service and knowing God better that you will become more aware and trusting of Gods' unlimited power.

As always, this is for your benefit and relationship with God, so be honest and if necessary, confrontational with yourself, especially where it's difficult.

Stewardship - Friday December 18

2009-12-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

God created a system of limitations for our world. He could have made us see infinitely far or perfectly remember everything we experience, never get hurt or never even die. He didn't. Instead He made us with a certain amount of ability and a certain amount of inability. God Himself does not have limitations. In Christian stewardship these two ideas come together where our service meets God's plan. As we do our work, God is also doing His work alongside of us.

What does this idea mean for stewards of God? What does this mean for faith? What does this mean for us when we plan our work knowing that there is a divine person working with us that has no limitations?

Prayer: Pray that God will personalize His plan for us in light of His unlimited power.

Stewardship - Thursday December 16

2009-12-16T22:43:00.001-05:00

Although we have grown accustomed to many limitations, we can often become frustrated when an unexpected limitation is presented to us. If we get sick, our car breaks down or we break a leg, we can feel cheated, due to our expectations of the way things "should" be.

Sometimes we are too comfortable in our acceptance of given limitations and should not be content as they can be barriers to our purpose and accomplishments. Other times, we are defeated because we have inaccurate expectations of the way life is suppose to be. Think about times when you are frustrated because of limitations not reaching your expectations. Also think about limitations you have that you should challenge in light of the momentum of your purpose. Really try to be honest with yourself and sort out what expectations you have that are healthy and which aren't.

God made us with limitations. A good steward has a strong understanding of what they can and can't do with these limitations, in light of what they should do according to their given purpose.

Prayer: Pray that God will search your heart and help enlighten you to properly view the expectations in your life.

Stewardship - Wednesday December 16

2009-12-15T23:21:00.001-05:00

As we think of limitations, think about all of the limitations in your life that you have gotten used to,and take for granted. What could you do if you had longer arms or could remember twice as much? Some animals can fly, see more colors or move so much faster and they are all around us to appreciate and envy. Yet most people don't seriously complain about their lack of abilities outside of standard human capabilities. Why is it that we are generally content with our limitations even though they are relatively great in many regards?

Prayer: Pray that God will give you a view of your limitation and place in light of the power and wonder of all of His creation.

Stewardship - Tuesday December 15

2009-12-15T02:42:00.002-05:00

Today, think about your time resources.

You only have so much time to accomplish things both large and small. If you need to cook a large meal then you need the better part of a day to prepare it. If you want to become a Doctor then you need years of schooling before you can achieve the title. What things do you want to do that you might have discounted because of time? What are things you do currently that leech valuable time from you?

In the largest scope of your planning, your life itself is limited in its time, allowing you to accomplish only a certain amount in your years. Knowing your purpose, as well as your time limitations, is very important in creating a sense of urgency in your life as well as often creating a sobering and healthy view of what you can actually accomplish. Understanding these very concrete limitations is very helpful when you need to prioritize your long term and short term plans.

Prayer: Pray that God will help you understand the important role time plays in your life.

Stewardship - Monday December 14

2009-12-13T23:10:00.002-05:00

Think about your physical limitations. How many places can you be at once? How many quality relationships can you maintain at one time? How much work can you get done in a day? A week? How much can you remember? What are your gifting weaknesses? Teaching, math, organization etc.

It's important to know your limitations so that you can build realistic expectations for yourself. It also helps you to create boundaries when there are so many needs. Knowing your purpose as well as your physical limitations is very important to creating a clear path forward without putting too much on your plate.

Prayer: Pray that God will divinely help you explore physical expectations in a way that you may not have understood before

Stewarship: Saturday December 12

2009-12-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

Today we will process these topics in the context of relational influence.

Think about the people that have helped to define these values in yourself and the effect that had on you and maybe others you know of. Have you or can you be that same sort of influence to someone else?

Are there people in your life now that share these values and maybe a similar purpose? Who could you share these ideas with that could help support you?

Prayer: Pray that God would show you the power of relationships and that He would help you find your place among your peers as a person of influence and a person to be influenced.

Stewardship: Friday December 10

2009-12-10T20:03:00.004-05:00

As you consider your purpose, talents and passions you have probably started to think about your direction. Even before reading these devotions you may have had some ideas of direction and purpose that you want to act on.

Today, think about obstacles that may stand in your way. Are these obstacles real or perceived? We have talked about receiving permission through God's unique grace for each of us. We have talked about receiving talents and passions from God as He created us for unique purposes. You have written a purpose statement to help you discern your direction. Hold your obstacles up against these truths and see how they measure up.

Prayer: Ask God to put your difficulties in perspective to your calling.

Stewardship: Thursday December 9

2009-12-09T20:56:00.003-05:00

When considering our purpose and the road ahead to fullfill our purpose, especially when we seek God's purpose in faith, it can help us to look at what God already has made in us.
Take a look at your natural talents. Basically, what are you good at? What have people admired in you or where do you find you consistently excel in your life? Are there areas where something typically seems so easy to you that you don't understand why others can't "get it"? Are there things that seem mundane and boring to most people that, for you, seem exciting and fascinating?

Think about your passions. What topics or causes do you consistently find that you care deeply about. Are there things that you see on TV or in you neighborhood or church that emotionally effect you in a positive or negative way? Maybe you are moved by seeing someone find healing or learning. Maybe your heart reaches out to those who are sick or you feel called to address crime in your neighborhood.

Often your calling is already clear and so natural to you that it's hard to see it as something important. Things we are the best at are often so easy we don't think they are special, we think anyone can do it. There is usually someone that admires our overlooked talents.

Prayer: Pray that God shows you the uniqueness He created you with.

Stewardship - Wednesday December 9

2009-12-09T00:24:00.001-05:00

Consider the three exercises on purpose that you thought about Monday
and Tuesday: Your own Purpose Statement, God's Purpose Statement for you
and His Purpose Statement for the world and church.

Looking at your life in it's present situation, how do you feel you currently line
up with these statements? Do you feel you are well on track? If not do
you think you are very far off?

Prayer: Pray that God will help you assess your current direction.

Stewardship - Tuesday December 8

2009-12-08T09:15:00.001-05:00

Think about the Purpose Statement you created yesterday. Considering
that God created you and has unique and specific plans for you, what do
you think God's Purpose Statement would be for you? Do you think that
would differ from the Purpose Statement you made for yourself? If so
why?

On a broader level, what do you think God's Purpose Statement might be
for all of humanity at this particular time considering our current
culture and events. What about His purpose for the church in this
culture?

Prayer: Pray that God's mind and purpose will be increasingly revealed
in your life.

Stewardship - Monday December 7

2009-12-07T09:45:00.003-05:00

Monday
In the first service of the month Lisa talked about writing a Purpose Statement when she was in college which helped her focus on a life direction. As a result she mentioned many major accomplishments that have allowed her to create significant change in the world around her.

Today think about a Purpose Statement for yourself. Be BOLD! Consider your passions, reoccuring ideas and brainstorms. Consider your most important values. Give yourself permission to be you! Remember this isn't a Plan, this is a purpose which will help you focus decisions and plans in your future. Don't worry about locking yourself into this for the rest of your life, this can change as your life changes. This is for you alone.

Prayer: Pray that God will help you sort through your deepest values and help you create a guide for your future.

Stewardship - Saturday December 5

2009-12-05T00:52:00.001-05:00

Saturday
As you have pondered deeply the ideas of ownership and offerings of your time, talents, money and efforts, what factors have you found motivate you to offer these things in a joyful way? What factors may give you uneasy feelings about these offerings? Where do you think these ideas come from?

Prayer: Pray that God gives you and honest and real picture of your heart as a steward.

Stewardship - Friday December 4

2009-12-04T01:11:00.004-05:00

In church we talked about how God already owns everything so, when we offer of ourselves, we essentially offer back what is already God's.

When you think about offering your life's resources back to God, which are the hardest ones to offer and why? When you think about the things that maybe you should give up to make space for more valuable and healthy things, think deeply about any difficulties you have with allowing yourself to do so.

Prayer: Pray that God will teach you more about the value of your resources as you think about these issues.

Stewardship - Thursday December 3

2009-12-03T07:56:00.003-05:00

So far this month we have thought about things to appreciate and be thankful for. Today, we will look for things you may appreciate too much.

What are things in your life that you hold high in value that maybe you shouldn't. Sometimes these can be easier to identify when you think of them in terms of what you do with your resources. Often, a quick look at your bank statement can tell you a lot about what you really value.

Think of things you give a lot of time, money, effort or thought to (pay attention to this as you go about your day too). Do these things line up with your values and mirror things you believe in? Do they line up with your plans for your future? Do they help move you to a place where your talents are better utilized and nurtured?

Prayer: Pray that God will help you find unnecessary things in your life and help align your life to better fit your purpose.

Stewardship - Wednesday December 2

2009-12-02T00:18:00.004-05:00

Today we will also look for things to be thankful for, but with a different take. Today we will look at things we take for granted that we really should deeply appreciate.

We get used to our bodies, our planet, our relationships, and the culture around us as we are born into them and grow with them throughout our lives. Today, challenge those thoughts. Think about all of the things your body can do, all of the things that exist on our planet and the complex systems that keep them in action. Think about all of the people you have known and all of the things you have learned from them. Let your imagination take you as far as it can go. Don't edit it. See where it takes you, even if it's silly. When you get there, think about God's plan for His creation in that place.

Though this is an exercise in appreciation, it will also help show you just how large and creative God is.

Prayer: Pray that God will reveal Himself as you ponder His creation.

Stewardship - Tuesday December 1

2009-11-30T23:57:00.003-05:00

Now that you have a strong, personal understanding of grace in your life, take some time to look at God's providence. What are things in your life that you find you are very appreciative of? Are they attributes of yourself? People you know? Things you possess? Things you find beautiful? As you discover these things, think of why you appreciate them and what kinds of value they hold in your life.

Prayer: Earnestly thank God today for the blessings He has given you.

Stewardship - Monday November 30

2009-11-30T09:46:00.003-05:00

This month we will talk about stewardship and being called to action in Serving God. Before we get too far into this topic let's build off of some of last weeks topics to give us a proper perspective as we go forward.

Today, think about what you learned last month when we talked about redemption and forgiveness between us and God and between our personal relationships. Look for specific instances where you fall short, or need healing, and take note of how much of God's grace is extended to you in your average day. Look for areas where you need to extend grace to others or where they have extended grace to you.

Prayer: Pray that God will let you see His movement in your life.

Gratitude: Saturday November 21

2009-11-21T14:24:00.003-05:00

After absorbing all of the thoughts we have processed this Month, think again to how Zacchaeus must have felt to be redeemed by Jesus in light of his relationship to all of the people around him who must have despised him. Think about how powerfully he felt redemption that, not only cleared his concience, but also empowered him to a heart of gratitude and service.

Prayer: Jesus said that the one who is forgiven the most sin is the one who is most appreciative. We have all been given special grace and forgiven much but often don't take the time to realize how much. Pray that God will teach you how much he has forgiven you and how much freedom He offers you. Let His grace lead you to a heart of true and genuine gratitude for Him and the relationships He has placed in your life.

Gratitude: Friday November 20

2009-11-19T22:58:00.001-05:00

Think back to the blogs where we realized the effects of redemption in our personal relationships. Now think about how important our relationship is to God to have redeemed us through Jesus. How much does He care about us to come to earth as a man and die in order to show His love for us? If we each hold that much value to God, and he has redeemed us on such an epic level, then what kinds of permission does that give us in life on this earth?

Prayer: Pray that God will empower you through His grace in this life and that you will accept His affirmation and permission to live life to it's fullest realization as He has planned for you.

2009-11-19T00:04:00.001-05:00

What would you do if were given absolute permission from someone of absolute athority to follow your creative and spiritual passions. How many times have you let someone else do something because you felt they would do it better than you, only to find that you actually could have done it better.

Often we miss opportunities that we instinctively feel we should own because we don't give ourselves permission. This is where faith comes into play in God's work. Think about areas where you believe God may be giving you permission to do something where you are truly gifted.

Prayer: Ask God to help you wrestle and come to terms with your faith. Let him teach you to trust Him daily in areas where you may usually be timid.

Gratitude: Wednesday November 18

2009-11-18T00:30:00.007-05:00

As we understand what it really means to be the body of Christ, how well do you feel that you know your part within this body? Do you feel the real benefits of having the other parts around you. Do you feel that others are benefiting from the talents and purposes that God made you to do?

Prayer: Ask God to help make you aware of the distance and the functional relationship between those around you.

(Convergence has access to some good assessment tools for anyone that would like to get some insight into how they may be gifted in certain kinds of ministry. Ask any staff members and we will get you started.)

Gratitude: Tuesday November 17

2009-11-16T22:34:00.004-05:00

Keeping in mind our ideas from yesterday about our unity with God and each other, think about the honor bestowed on us when God actually calls us part of His body. He could have just called us friends or children only. Dwell intently on the depths of what it means to have such an intimate and personal definition of our place as defined by God himself.

Prayer: Ask God to help us understand our true place in his will, his family and his kingdom.

Gratitude: Monday November 16

2009-11-16T04:38:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in Ephesians 4 we read:

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

What is the reason for Paul's repeated use of the word "one" when describing both the body of the church and God himself?

Prayer: Pray that God will help you understand the depth of unity he wants us to have with Him and with our fellow believers.

Gratitude: Saturday November 14

2009-11-14T00:41:00.001-05:00

Today, use your list from yesterday and try exercising these ideas throughout the day.

Prayer: Pray for God's revelation as you as you try these ideas through the day.

Gratitude: Friday November 13

2009-11-12T21:52:00.001-05:00

When have a more redemptive attitude in life we usually find that we are looking more outward toward the lives of other people and less inward to ourselves. What are some ways that you can be more insightful to other people's perspective so that some of these issues could be avoided. Write these down as you think of them throughout the day.

Prayer: Ask God to help you envision a less self-centered view of the world.

Gratitude: Thursday November 12

2009-11-11T22:28:00.003-05:00

As we have probably seen so far this week, often our issues with other people are made more difficult by our view of ourselves and misunderstandings. By repairing relationships we can usually make them stronger than they were before. This exercise is an example of redemption.

Have you noticed some areas where you might need to adjust your boundaries or view of self in order to better facilitate a redemptive attitude in your relationships?

Prayer: Again, ask God for help with discernment as sometimes it is difficult to see truths about ourselves.

Gratitude: Wednesday November 11 2009

2009-11-11T00:35:00.001-05:00

Think of an especially difficult relational situation you were in where you confronted the person/people and resolved the problem. How hard was it to confront the offender? How did your relationship change after the resolution?

Prayer: Ask God to help you learn the depths of what it means to have an attitude of forgiveness.

Gratitude: Tuesday November 9

2009-11-09T23:56:00.001-05:00

Think about times that you have reacted to a relational issue in a strong way only to find out that you were reacting based on a misunderstanding of the situation. How did your attitude change when you realized the truth?

Prayer: Ask God for wisdom in discerning people's spirits.

Gratitude: Monday, November 9

2009-11-09T00:53:00.002-05:00

Monday
Where do the feelings of anger, frustration, and hurt come from in these relational problems that we discussed last week? What personal boundaries or beliefs about yourself did they offend to make you feel the way you did?

Prayer: Pray that God will search you and give you insight to these issues as they are often hard for us to discern ourselves.

Notes from Sunday

2009-11-09T00:50:00.002-05:00

Col 3:12-17

This month we are exploring gratitude. It seems like a natural fit because Thanksgiving is this month and we know we should at some point think about the things we are thankful for. But, we are really looking at much more than that. We are talking about an attitude. A way of being. A way of looking at the world, ordering our lives as centered in Christ. Ordering the way we see (value) ourselves and others – in Christ.

During Bible study for this series Jay and I noticed that the word “one” and “unity” occur over and over again. In the passages we are using this month, the same encouragement, admonishment, definition of a life lived in Christ is one of unity under the One God and a sense of identity that is rooted completely in Christ. A life lived in worship. And this leads to a life of gratitude. A state of joy. God’s desire for us is not merely popularity or moments of happiness, but a deep and abiding joy.

But, usually we settle for being thankful because there is stuff in the way of our gratitude. Stuff that builds up over time and comes on suddenly. Frequently it rears its ugly head at the oddest moments, like in traffic or when we drop a glass and it shatters just as we are headed out the door, late to a meeting. Or, when someone says just the wrong thing at just the wrong moment and we let loose with a force. Or maybe, for some of us, it doesn’t come out in a roar. Maybe for us the world just gets a little more chilly. We clam up. We stop talking, we won’t help her out again!

So what is that about? What is all the stuff that is building up that comes out as noxious steam?

These are gauges telling us that our tank is empty and we are not very grateful at all. So, we are going slowly this month starting at the roots. Developing an awareness of where gratitude comes from, what gets in its way of being foundational in our lives, what God has to say about it, and finally, how do we find our way to this state of being? This state of joy? This state of being grounded in Christ and… grateful.

Gratitude: Saturday November 7th

2009-11-06T22:36:00.001-05:00

Think more about Zacchaeus and how he might have felt as he was shunned by the people enough to hide in a tree. How might it have made him feel to have Jesus call out to him in acceptance?

Today is a day to process the thoughts that you have felt during the week. Tomorrow we will discuss these things and you are encouraged to contribute any revelations or insights that you have come to this week.

Prayer: Today is a prayer of silence and listening to what God has to show you about the week.

Gratitude: Friday November 6th

2009-11-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

What do you think about your personal value, do you feel like you are a person of high value or maybe not so valuable? How do you think other people view you? What makes you feel important, capable and rewarded? How much of your value do you receive from others and how much do you receive from yourself? What beliefs have been created about your value as a result of the painful incidents you have been thinking about?

Prayer: Pray for insight into your sense of self and personal value.

Gratitude: Thursday November 5th

2009-11-05T17:44:00.002-05:00

Thinking about these issues, especially the deeper hurts, how do you feel they have changed you, or do you feel that they have at all? Have you avoided situations that could lead to simular hurt? Are there areas where you would like to grow in certain relationships but you are afraid to because you can't deal with the possible pain that could result? Are there things that you would like to accomplish that you can't because of fears resulting from these issues?

Are there areas in the church that you are hesitant about because of an issue you have had?

Prayer: Pray for strength as you process these challenging thoughts.

Gratitude: Wednesday November 7

2009-11-04T07:54:00.003-05:00

As you look at these areas of hurt from Monday and the relationships from Tuesday, how do you feel these problems have affected the relationship? Did you react to the person or just let the issue go? Did you work to remedy the issue? Did the problem take you by surprise or just affirm what you have believed about the person? Was there a change in your relationship after this issue? Something small, something large, for better or worse?

If it was an issue in the church, ask the same questions.

Prayer: Pray for these people today.

Gratitude: Tuesday November 3rd

2009-11-02T22:43:00.001-05:00

Let's process some of the things that we thought about yesterday. When we think of the major pain that people have made us feel in our lives, think about your relationship to those people. Were you close? Did you have a lot of respect for that person? Sometimes we respect people that we don't like so this could be a more complex question. If we had to put this person on a level, would they be above, equal to or below you? Do you know much about the person's background? Do you know what the person considers deeply important in life? Do you know about areas where they have been deeply hurt?

What about the negative incidents that happened during the day yesterday? Ask the same sort of questions about your relationship with those people.

Prayer: Ask God to give you creative insights to these relationships.

New Weekly Blog

2009-11-02T14:25:00.001-05:00

We affirm the practice of “whole life worship” meaning that worship can be a constant state of being. We come together on Sunday nights to practice our faith and learn rehearse methods of living as Christ followers. To keep growing throughout the week, we have established a daily prayer journal and blog.

Each day you will find a meditation on the blog. These pose questions for deeper reflection and a suggestion for prayer. Our hope is that we will continue to process what is explored on Sunday through out the week. We hope you will journal on your own and post comments on the blog.

Feel free to comment on the previous worship gathering, response to the blog questions, thoughts, questions and challenges to one another.

Gratitude - Monday November 2

2009-11-02T04:09:00.003-05:00

Luke 19: 1-10

As we try to relate to Zacchaeus we want to focus on how it feels to lack value in the face of ourselves and others.

Today think about major times in your life when you felt hurt. Were there times when you were incredibly embarrassed or maybe a time when you were deeply angered at someone? Has someone made you feel less than human or completely incapable of something you should have been able to do?

Has anything ever happened to you in the church to create these feelings?

As you reflect on these things, also think about the small things that happen throughout the day that create similar negative reactions.

Prayer: Confess your honest feelings about these painful things to God.

Humility and Spiritual Growth

2009-09-17T16:43:00.006-04:00

Is there room in my life for spiritual growth? Strange question for a pastor and leader of a spiritual artists' community? Not really. Like everyone else, I find myself replacing my spiritual life with to do lists and God with x...y...z...

A friend and I were laughing at diamond commercials the other day. The ones we heard make it sound like love=diamonds and the only way you can tell if someone loves you is by the size of diamond they buy you. According to commercials, a person's capacity for love in general can also be gauged by the type of car they drive, clothes they wear, gadgets they own and cool people they happen to know. We came to the conclusion that we must be the least loving, least capable of loving people on the planet!

But, when I really examine what it looks like to love people - deep meaningful relationships, time to spend, freedom to be honest and open, generous, etc. I wonder if I am any closer to showing my love in these ways than I am in the ways the diamond commercial suggests.

Last Sunday, in our worship gathering, we engaged Allen Pearson's exhibit "Creation Sings," to help us put aside the thoughts of the everyday world and begin to notice the complex universe of plants, birds, and people all in varying states of activity all around us.

"Careful observation and thoughtful contemplation of nature soon teaches us how little we know and understand about life and the world. This in itself engenders the humility that is necessary in order to experience the divine.

This quality of humility is really the summit of the mountain that Abraham was traveling towards all his life. " Who shall go up the mountain of Yahweh and who will stand in the place of His holiness? The person with clean hands and a pure heart..." (Psalm 24:3-4

This idea of humility struck me deeply. It does take humility to stop, slow down and really notice the world around me. How much more so, to notice God.

"To experience the presence of God in nature (and indeed anywhere), one must be willing to detach oneself from the pull of worldy ego-interest so as to become open to higher levels of awareness."

The importance of making time for spiritual growth, intentional time, can not be undervalued. We are working to provide a variety of opportunities of for such growth and reflection. Hopefully this will result in the "fruits" of a life lived in love - what Christians would say is a "life lived in Christ." I hope you will pray for us as we develop these opportunities and walk together as a
community.

(Quotes from Azamra: Torah for our time)

Lisa Hawkins
Artistic Director/Pastor
Convergence: A Creative Community of Faith

OBSERVATIONS and Exploring the Transcendent in the Tangible

2009-08-17T11:44:00.009-04:00

Have you ever had someone say to you, "oh, you are just looking for attention!" How often is that an affirmation? Not usually, in my experience. But, I've been thinking; what is that really about - "attention?" We are looking for connection.

Looking at it from a different angle (not getting, but giving attention) it is just as challenging. We talk about it all the time - we are a culture of ADD and ADHD and multi-tasking, scanning and sound bites. How much time and energy are we actually able to give to really paying attention? to anything?

A couple of weeks ago we explored the passage in Luke 10:41-42, where Jesus calls out Martha on her lack of attention. He rebukes her for being worried and upset about many things when there is only ONE thing that is needed. I completely relate to Martha. This is my trap. It so easy to get worried about all the little things and forget to make time for the ONE thing that is truly needed.

In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron speaks about attention. "The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." And, she says, "attention is an act of connection."

"Attention is an act of connection." We desire connection with God and with others, but paying attention is difficult because we are distracted. We talk about the times when we are able to get away to the mountains or the ocean and see amazing views and all of the sudden we see God everywhere in our surroundings.

But, it isn't only the scenery that has changed. It is us - we are actually seeing - we are paying attention. What might we see if we really looked in our own backyards?

Georgia O'Keefe said, "Nobody sees a flower, really. It is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time."

(Autumn's Glow, photograph on canvas, Carrie Schilling)

We talk a lot about "whole life worship" in our community - the idea that we are worshipping God all the time (especially in the everyday) and that our time of communal worship is an act of fellowship, but also a time to practice and learn in ordered to be prepared to worship in the everyday. Last night's gathering was a time to practice connection with God through acts of attention. A time to attend, see, look, taste, touch, smell, feel, that the Lord is good.

Carrie and Fred Schilling led us on a fascinating tour of their exhibit, OBSERVATIONS, in the Gallery at Convergence. What we learned was just how different the world can look when we slow down, change our perspective, go off the beaten path, really explore our back yards, get down on our knees or bellys and see patterns and shapes and colors and light. God is truly present in the beauty of creation as well as the browning, limping, imperfections.

There is nothing more worshipful to me than to see a group of people of all ages with cameras in hand engrossed in the project of of paying attention to what God has placed in front of them. Inspired by our tour we went out to complete our own photo assignment below. Later this week we will have the photos developed and some sort of project will come from that as well - I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, feel free to take on this assignment yourself and post the results of your favorites here. Please post a response to your experience of taking time and really paying attention!

Take a picture of something that immediately grabs your attention. Shift your perspective and take another shot.
Take a picture of something that you think is ugly or boring. Step back or get closer and shoot it again. Take time to really see it.
Shoot something that looks really alive
Shoot something that looks really dead.
Ask God to help you see the divine hand in everything you see. There is seeing and then there is seeing.

Please join us Thursday, August 20th from 6-9 pm in the Gallery at Convergence for the official reception of OBSERVATIONS with Fred and Carrie Schilling.

from the Calvin Institute Conference

2009-06-24T16:41:00.004-04:00

I just finished the poster session at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Grant Colloquium. This was a time for recipients of grants from last year and this to talk about their projects.

Our project attracted a lot of interest; I had dozens of great conversations with people curious and excited about Convergence. Several people are trying to do similar things with artists, and with collaborative worship planning, and are eager to learn from us.

I made several connections that I'm sure will continue into the future.

This morning we talked about expressive worship v. formative worship--expressive worship being when we express thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs in our worship. Formative worship being when we are spiritually formed as we worship--learning about God, our relationship with him.

Expressive worship reflects, but formative worship also shapes our thoughts and emotions.

From a Barna study: 47% of worshipers understand worship as activity undertaken for their personal benefit...Only 29% indicated that they view worship as something that is focused primarily on God.

I think we've done a good job of experiencing formative worship at Convergence. I know the language I use to express my faith and my understanding of worshiping God has grown in these three years.