I may have gotten a bit behind on the house chores this week and in the spirit of making you feel better about your own crazy life I’ve decided to share mine.

This laundry may kill me. 

I did that today. I looked passed all the laundry baskets and saw some pretty cool things. My boys were laughing in the kitchen. There was warm soup in the crock pot, a good movie on TV, and here I was wrapped in a cozy blanket on the couch while my husband shared funny memes he was finding on the internet. We giggled and giggled. In spite of the mess, in spite of the chores that needed some attention, this is right where I want to be.

As a side note I also have a solution to my laundry problem. In our house when things get “piled up” we have what we call “fun family folds”. The boys do not find these family events fun in any way but at this point they don’t argue either. (teenagers like to have clean underwear and if you don’t help when mom asks…) So together we will fold this laundry, they will accuse me of putting the wrong clothes in the wrong pile, and no one will want to fold my underwear (except my husband who will make embarrassing comments that the boys will grumble and then laugh about.) But it will get done. 

Post by Ryan Schrader

Up until the 1960’s it wasn’t uncommon to still see public schools using Bible verses as part of the school curriculum. The 10 commandments were posted in most public buildings and church was a place that not only met the needs of the individual, but the community as well.

My how things have just changed.

Nearly everywhere in society today, the church has been pushed out and the government has stepped in. Secular programs have been designed so that people no longer have any “Church Guilt” tied to them. (Photo Via Pixabay)

This rapid change in culture has caused many churches to go down one of two paths:

On path one, churches have begun to change what they believe in order to better reflect what they think the culture wants. They’ve begun to water down the gospel, and sermons preached are to tickle the ears but often don’t cause real conviction or change.

On Path two, we see many churches out of fear of these culture changes begin trying to protect what they have. They isolate themselves, dig their heals in, and start drawing lines in the sand.

There is a problem with both of these paths.

We see in Matthew 28:16-20 that Jesus has given us the great commission. He has told us to go out into the world and to make disciples of all nations. Isn’t this what it’s all about?  Going out into the world and giving hope, help and ultimately changing people’s lives for the better?

If we look back to scripture again we see Matthew 22:36-40. Here Jesus explains that the most important commandment in the law is to LOVE. In fact, he says that we are to love the Lord with all our hearts AND to love our neighbors as ourselves. (Photo Via Pixabay)  

I genuinely believe that in order for us to stay relevant in our communities and continue to have a positive influence over this next generation, we can’t change what we believe and we certainly can’t isolate ourselves either.

It’s time we flip the script.

It’s not love when we only see people through their sin. Every time the church draws a line in the sand, we are effectively telling a group of people that we have either given up on them or have decided that they’re an acceptable loss.

If we truly believe that we have what the world needs, then how can we justify closing those doors to anyone?

There is something incredibly wrong when people in our community hit rock bottom, and come to the conclusion that they have nowhere to turn because the church has made it clear that it does not approve of how they are living their life. Instead of feeling hope, they feel the pressure of judgment. (Photo Via Pixabay)

The truth is – none of us are equipped to change someone’s heart. We just don’t have the right tools. The only tools I have available to me are guilt, disapproval and condemnation.

We forget that when we were struggling with that same sin it was God who convicted us out of LOVE and in turn, that is what changed our hearts so that we could have victory. As a church, we have to stop portraying ourselves in a way that makes people feel like the sin in their lives somehow disqualifies them from having the peace and hope that Jesus offers.

We have to scream from the rooftops that there is no guilt, disapproval or condemnation inside these walls. Instead, we need to offer healing, encouragement, hope and fellowship. It is our job to disciple our brothers and sisters, not to discipline them. It’s our job to tell them about this man named Jesus who lovingly died on a cross for them. If we will do this, God will take care of the sin in their lives and He will do it in a way that creates lasting changes without the association of guilt or condemnation.

If we want to be relevant as a Church then we have to make sure our community knows that our doors are always open and no matter what they will find love and compassion here.

We need to show people our hearts, let them know that we have been where they are and that they too can overcome anything the world throws at them. Revelation 12:11 says, “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony…” Jesus offers life to those who need it and He is telling us to let down our walls and let people in. How about instead of telling people how to live, we tell them what we have overcome. Our testimony brings healing- our rules do not. (Photo Via Pixabay)

Let’s open the doors and tear down our walls. Let’s let the gospel be the gospel and our lives tell a tale of hope. Let’s quit hiding from a changing culture and instead introduce that culture to a man named Jesus who loves them with all His heart. If we do this, we won’t have to worry about being relevant.

Guest Post by Jenna VanLoon

Sitting here, thinking (probably) way too deeply about a patch of grass.

Right in front of me, something sat in one place for too long. A tarp. It caused stagnant grass. It caused death. I didn’t even know this was happening, until I moved the tarp. It didn’t take long. In fact, given the “right” conditions, it only took 1 day to do the damage.

Now, the funny thing about that patch is that if choose to look outside of it, I will see something very different. I see a lot to be thankful for. Coincidentally, if I am so busy looking at the growth and beauty around it, by the time I look back, that death is going to look a lot like new life. It will look like a spot that experienced growth. (Author’s Photo)

My newsfeed has been overflowing lately with everything that is going wrong in everybody’s lives.

I know struggles are real. But so is hope.

And what we set our focus on, we will achieve.

Are you focusing on all of your hardships, or are you choosing to see everything that is going RIGHT in your life? Got any tarps you need to move? I know I do! (Photo Via Pixabay)

Recently, I was driving home and on the way I looked out at the brown trees, the brown grass, the brown…there was not a sign of new spring life anywhere and it frustrated me. Did I mention that this winter has been long, very very long? My calendar said that spring was finally here but the weather had not gotten the memo and although I knew that eventually we would see some green popping up all over the place- at that moment, I was not seeing it. I want so badly to be like Paul who says in Philippians 4 that he has learned to be content in whatever situation he is in, whether in need or in plenty. Unlike Paul, I was not content. I was more like the grumpy cartoon character “Maxine” in both word and attitude.

God spoke to me that day.

As I got out of my car, He told me to take a picture of our woods. Ok God, I’ll do it but I don’t see the point. Then He told me to get closer and take another picture.  I was starting to feel a bit silly, and I was starting to wonder if I was really hearing Him correctly. Why was I standing outside taking pictures of dreary woods?  I’m losing it. I just know it. Nevertheless, I stepped forward, and continued to take pictures. I did this a number of times and that’s when I saw it. Tiny buds, almost unnoticeable until I was right next to them. Tiny leaves that you couldn’t see just driving by.

In the midst of my own list of frustrations, I had missed the hope that God had for me. I was so irritated at the length of the cold season and all the little things that had warn me out that I never saw the new life that was all around me.

Too often, I look at the big picture and inflate my own problems all the while neglecting the threads of God within them.

This is what I saw today. Isn’t it awesome?  This delicate Daffodil came up in spite of the storm that raged around it. The extra snow, the long cold days that seemed to never end, nothing stopped it’s growth. Nothing around it shows any sign of life, yet still it thrives. We can do that too. We can thrive even when everything around us appears broken and lifeless.

Today, I’m looking for the glimmers of hope that God has sewn into the tapestry of my life. The tiny leaves, the smallest flowers, and the moments I often miss.

The bible says to “cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us”.  When we do, the new growth we will see in our own lives will rival the storms all around us. I’m excited to see that growth aren’t you?

A few years ago, on a cold and nasty winter day, my mom and I left a popular shopping center and were heading to my car. On the way there, I noticed that the wheel wells of my car were caked with ice, dirt, and slush. I can’t stand that. I’m talking pet peeve in overdrive. At this point something just came over me and I proceeded to kick that nasty snow and ice from the wheel wells on my side of the car. Please don’t misunderstand me here- this was not a tiny little kick. I was ninja kicking that nasty stuff full force, just like a pro. With the back of the car finished, I headed to the front driver side and proceeded to take care of that tire too.

The weirdest part of all this was my mother. She is not the kind of women who stands outside the car when it is freezing waiting for me, but there she was standing silently, watching me with the strangest look on her face. (photo via Pixabay)

I realize now that the look was speechlessness, a look I had not seen on her before. (no offense mom) Looking back, I also realize that this look should have stopped me from myself, but my mission was too important and I finished that tire. Satisfied with a job well done, I reached for the door figuring I’d take care of the other side at the next stop. It was then that I realized, as you have probably already guessed, this was not my car. Worse yet, the woman in the driver seat was not impressed by my beating up HER car.

Shock. Embarrassment. Speechlessness, now I get it.

I did the only thing I could think to do- apologizing profusely I backed away slowly.

I am so thankful for people who have a sense of humor. I Love them. And I love that this lady (who I was sure was going to have me arrested) laughed. Like really laughed.

I did not laugh until later. Not until I sat in my car, (one row over by the way), wheel wells full of snow and ice (yes, I left them like that) and drove away. Then I laughed an embarrassed, crazy, belly laugh. And just so you know, I have given up my days of kicking the ice from my tires. I’ve been cured. I now fully trust that spring will come and temperatures will rise and this issue will take care of itself. I’m not taking any chances. (photo via Pixabay)

On a side note, my husband loves this story. Although it’s been a number of years since this happened, he still points out peoples tires full of snow and ice and encourages me to “go get um tiger”.  I am tempted at times. (should I admit that?  Hey, a pet peeve is a pet peeve). But alas, I resist every single time. (photo via Pixabay)

My favorite part of this story though, is how God has used it to steer my life. Who knew He could take a crazy, ice kicking adventure and use it for my good. It’s His still small voice as I’m praying over situation after situation that I hear- “Nicki, you’re kicking the wrong car again”.  Not only does this make me giggle, but it also lets me know that some battles are just not mine to fight. Sometimes I need to look up and see that this one- isn’t mine. It’s in those moments that I need to breathe, take a step back, and walk away slowly in a new direction.

Maybe some of you are kicking the wrong car too.  I pray today that God will use this in your life, and as He reminds you of this- you will giggle, step back slowly and regroup. We will fight the battles that we are meant to fight, and leave the others in His very capable hands. (photo via Pixabay)

I battle with seeing the beauty in myself. Often the flaws are just too easy to pick out. Stretch marks from babies, grey hair from teenagers, and extra weight from stress eating… the list goes on and on.

So how do we battle this?  How do we look in the mirror, or better yet into our souls and see the beauty that is there?

When our eyes become blurry, we make an appointment with an optometrist and get a nice pair of glasses to clear everything up. Yet when the vision we have of ourselves becomes blurry- we focus on the blurry. We stare at it, consume it, and believe the truth in it. I think it’s time to make an appointment to clear some things up. (Photo Via Bing Public Domain Images)

I think it’s time we looked through a different lens don’t you?

When the eye doctor is trying to find the right prescription for us- they try many different combinations until they find the perfect one. So why do we concentrate on the same lens every single day?

God gave us the power to choose.  We choose how we think, what we say, what we do with the time we have on this earth. So why not choose to be a bit gentler with ourselves, to love ourselves a bit more and see the beauty that is within each of us. (Photo Via Pixabay)

The reality is this- I do have stretch marks, but maybe I should start looking at them for the blessings they gave me. The mirror reflects the truth that grey hair is a reality in my life, but don’t these things tell a tale of laughter and tears, good days and bad?  I’m so lucky to have them. All of them.

So lucky.

Now that’s a different lens isn’t it?

Listen, I don’t want to be harsh here- but if your truth does not line up with God’s word than it isn’t truth at all. 

I want to leave you with a few thoughts today from God’s word. These are not my opinions about you or me, they are God’s, and they are powerful and true. (Photo Via Pixabay)

Ephesians 2:10– for we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us to do.

Genesis 1:27– so God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

Psalm 139:14– I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

When you look in the mirror today-, try looking through the lens of God’s word and remember:

* You are God’s handiwork created in God’s own image (doesn’t get much better than that)

* You were created to do good things.

* You were fearfully and wonderfully made.

The mirror can only reflect the surface, it can never reflect your heart and most importantly, the deep beauty that God has placed within you.