- First: I love the reminder Peter gives us early in this---God's given us everything we need to live a life that is glorifying to Him and He's given us great and precious promises that allow us to share with God's divine nature---to commune and associate with the maker of the universe and escape the difficulties of this world caused by man.
- Second: Considering all God has given us, we should "make every effort to respond to God's promises" by "supplementing our faith" with quality character, learning more about God, developing endurance, and loving others. It's easy in the summer to let our faith take a backseat to relaxing, hanging out with friends, and enjoying a break from structure. But Peter reminds us in vs. 5-7 that we must not grow complacent. We must work hard to supplement our faith because the more we grow, the more useful we can be for Christ. We must remember God's promises and sacrifices in order to avoid growing stagnant in our faith.
- Finally: Verses 12-21 are a nice conclusion to the year. Sometimes I feel like we talk about the same things over and over again each week in FCA. But, just like athletes have to review fundamentals of their sport each day in practice, believers must have constant reminders of the basics/foundations of our faith so we can stand firm and share these with others. I love Peter's urging to pay close attention to scripture because "their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place." FCA doesn't meet in the summer, but that's no reason for our kids to not continue delving into the Word of God. Reading the Bible is a direct connection to God and is our guide for living. I hope these verses encourage our kids to continue studying the Bible and develop a good habit of reading it throughout the summer.
Showing posts with label FCA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FCA. Show all posts
5/20/12
Remaining disciplined this summer
Tomorrow will be my last day working with FCA and this particular group of kids. It's been a huge step out of my comfort zone as I don't feel qualified to lead kids (or anyone!) in Bible studies. This year I've been humbled and have learned to rely on God to cover my sense of inadequacy and to speak through me to minister to kids. So I've been poring over scripture tonight trying to find the "right" piece to sum up the year and to encourage them to remain disciplined throughout the summer to continue to grow in their faith. I've felt led to share 2 Peter 1: 3-21 with the kids for the following reasons:
5/7/12
Post Marathon Musings Part 1
If you're looking for a humbling experience, go run a marathon. Yesterday was the big day: 26.2 at the Lincoln Marathon. I've devoted 14 weeks to training, eating wisely, and sacrificing my Saturday morning sleep-in sessions. The training seemed easier than the actual marathon while the run was by far the most challenging activity I've ever completed. I set out with a goal of 4:30 and kept at the pace easily until roughly mile 22. You know "the wall" that many runners reference when talking about marathons? Yeah, it exists. And it's huge and terrible. I'm not quite sure if I was properly hydrated for the race, and the sinus infection I contracted that week didn't help matters. When I hit the wall I was extremely aware of the searing pain in my hamstrings and quads as well as the feeling of nausea creeping into my throat. My biggest fear was that I'd puke, spilling all the nutrients I'd been conserving for the past 72 hours, and I wouldn't be able to finish what I'd started. So, when the nausea reached the back of my throat (yes, I'm aware of how disgusting this is), I stopped to walk...another thing I had previously vowed to avoid. I allowed myself about 15-20 seconds of walking before I picked up the pace and ran until I felt again that I might puke. I followed this method for the last 4 miles. I finished my first full marathon in 4 hours and 49 minutes. It was tough--physically and mentally. And it was humbling. I'm a competitive, goal-driven person, and while I wouldn't admit this to anyone immediately after the race, I confessed to my husband on the drive home that I was disappointed with my performance. In my FCA lesson today we talked about the praise-driven performance---praising God even when we don't meet our goals or expectations because we realize that God works all things out for good for those who love Him (Rom. 8:28). Like Job, I want to praise God even when things don't go my way. When Job found out that his kids were tragically and suddenly killed, he fell down and worshiped, praising the God who gives and takes away (Job 1:18-21). I wish I had a natural inclination to praise God in all circumstances; hopefully I can develop this attitude of constant praise. While I didn't meet my goal time, I do feel blessed that God allowed me to run 26.2 miles. I learned much about my faith, grew more disciplined, and gained a friend: my running partner, Kristin.
It's late, and I'm tired---so I'm breaking the marathon musings into two parts. Later this week I'll post photos from the day as well as a few highlights. Stay tuned!
It's late, and I'm tired---so I'm breaking the marathon musings into two parts. Later this week I'll post photos from the day as well as a few highlights. Stay tuned!
3/18/12
Testimony
For several weeks in FCA we've been studying the gospel so kids are familiar with it and can share it with others. Tomorrow it's my turn to talk to the kids, so I've been praying and thinking about what God would have me share. And I can't get the gospel off my mind....so, I think I'm going to share my testimony with the kids (something I haven't yet done) to sort of show the power of the gospel to change someone's life. I don't want them to think I'm some saintly being just because I help with FCA. I want them to know what God has done in my life and how He's transformed me...and what part the gospel had in that. So here's my story along with some scripture I'll share:
This weekend I tried to remember when the first time was that I heard the gospel. I remember hearing it as a little kid, but I didn't comprehend it then. I went to youth group at a few different churches, but I don't ever remember hearing the gospel spelled out clearly for me. I remember feeling a lot of guilt for the music I listened to, for the words I said, and for my choice of friends. But that guilt never lasted long enough to make me change. I had Christian friends, but I don't remember them sharing the gospel with me. Once when I was a senior in high school I was at this coffee shop that my friends and I frequented. It was owned by a Christian couple who ran a homeless ministry in town. My best friend's dad had just died, and I was pretty devastated about it. I saw the pain it caused my friend and her family, and I couldn't understand why God would take him from her. I was pretty upset and wondered if God even existed. While I waited for my friend to arrive at this coffee shop, the owner came and sat down next to me, which was nothing new. He was the friendly type, but I had never talked to him one on one before. My Christian friends were always there, talking to him about church. We made small talk for a little while and then he asked, "When you die, do you think you'll go to heaven?" It was a bit unnerving, really. I mean, I was still trying to deal with the loss of my best friend's dad, and then he asked me about dying. But without much hesitation, I stated confidently, "No. I don't think so." He asked me why I felt that way, and I think I got pretty defensive with him and mumbled something about not being good enough to get into heaven. Luckily about that time, my friend walked in and saved me from the awkward conversation. It shook me up for awhile. I couldn't sleep that night as I remembered all the stories about hell I heard at Catholic school and youth group. I was sure I was going to hell for various reasons and that there was nothing I could do about it. Still--I don't remember anyone stepping in to clarify this theological misconception.
During my first year of college a friend of mine (John) dragged me to campus ministry (Navigators) and bible study each week. He shared the gospel with me, but I wasn't quite ready to accept it. I was in a relationship at the time that I knew I shouldn't be in--I knew that it wasn't glorifying to God, but I wasn't ready to give that up. But John kept dragging me to these Jesus things, and I started to break. The next time I can remember hearing the gospel vividly was at a Navigator's meeting during my first year of college. I typically went to the first part of Nav meetings--just so I could participate in the dramas we did to introduce the week's scripture readings. I usually left before the message. But this week the topic was, "Does Jesus love gay people?" I was into controversial topics, so I stuck around that night. There was a guest pastor, and I don't remember the entire sermon or the specific verses, but I remember clearly the gospel message: God loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you and to bear the weight of your sins (Romans 5:8). He doesn't care what you've done; if you trust and believe that Jesus' death makes you right with God, then you will be made righteous and will have the hope of an eternity spent with Him in heaven. "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are" (Romans 3:22). I left that night crying because I wanted that. I was terrified of going to hell--and I knew I deserved hell for all the swear words I said, for how I treated people, for having sex out of marriage, for drinking underage, the list of my sins is (notice how I used a present tense verb...) long and complicated. It humbled me to think that God would send His son to lead a blameless life and then die a bloody, brutal death for me. It made me respond. I talked with my friend John, started reading the Bible, praying, and attending church. I knew these acts wouldn't save me (Romans 4:5), but I wanted to do all of these things sort of as a way to thank God.
I've been walking with God for eight years now. And it hasn't been all rainbows and cupcakes. After I made a decision to follow Christ, I lost a lot of friends; I broke up with my boyfriend of nearly two years--someone I'd given way too much to and had put too much hope in. Later in life, I experienced many trials. But the one that nearly broke me again was hearing that my husband and I would probably never have our own kids. For about a year I really wrestled with God. Why would He deny me this blessing? After all, I had responded to the gospel message, so why did my life appear to be falling down on me while others, who hadn't accepted Christ seemed to be getting everything they wanted? I finally learned that God does not promise a perfect life after we respond to the gospel message and decide to follow Him. I learned (by studying the Bible) that God gives us trials to develop us and ultimately to help us "strengthen our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment" (Romans 5:3-5). Everything in this world will disappoint. God won't. He won't because he offers us salvation from our sins when we don't deserve it, and eternal life spent with Him. What's disappointing about that? So when trials strike, I try to remember the hope of salvation.
So in a not so small nutshell, that's how the gospel message changed my life...it forced me to confront my life and it gave me something better. It took awhile, and I experienced lots of trials along the way--but the hope of an eternity spent with Him keeps me going back to Him and gives me strength to push through the tough days.
This weekend I tried to remember when the first time was that I heard the gospel. I remember hearing it as a little kid, but I didn't comprehend it then. I went to youth group at a few different churches, but I don't ever remember hearing the gospel spelled out clearly for me. I remember feeling a lot of guilt for the music I listened to, for the words I said, and for my choice of friends. But that guilt never lasted long enough to make me change. I had Christian friends, but I don't remember them sharing the gospel with me. Once when I was a senior in high school I was at this coffee shop that my friends and I frequented. It was owned by a Christian couple who ran a homeless ministry in town. My best friend's dad had just died, and I was pretty devastated about it. I saw the pain it caused my friend and her family, and I couldn't understand why God would take him from her. I was pretty upset and wondered if God even existed. While I waited for my friend to arrive at this coffee shop, the owner came and sat down next to me, which was nothing new. He was the friendly type, but I had never talked to him one on one before. My Christian friends were always there, talking to him about church. We made small talk for a little while and then he asked, "When you die, do you think you'll go to heaven?" It was a bit unnerving, really. I mean, I was still trying to deal with the loss of my best friend's dad, and then he asked me about dying. But without much hesitation, I stated confidently, "No. I don't think so." He asked me why I felt that way, and I think I got pretty defensive with him and mumbled something about not being good enough to get into heaven. Luckily about that time, my friend walked in and saved me from the awkward conversation. It shook me up for awhile. I couldn't sleep that night as I remembered all the stories about hell I heard at Catholic school and youth group. I was sure I was going to hell for various reasons and that there was nothing I could do about it. Still--I don't remember anyone stepping in to clarify this theological misconception.
During my first year of college a friend of mine (John) dragged me to campus ministry (Navigators) and bible study each week. He shared the gospel with me, but I wasn't quite ready to accept it. I was in a relationship at the time that I knew I shouldn't be in--I knew that it wasn't glorifying to God, but I wasn't ready to give that up. But John kept dragging me to these Jesus things, and I started to break. The next time I can remember hearing the gospel vividly was at a Navigator's meeting during my first year of college. I typically went to the first part of Nav meetings--just so I could participate in the dramas we did to introduce the week's scripture readings. I usually left before the message. But this week the topic was, "Does Jesus love gay people?" I was into controversial topics, so I stuck around that night. There was a guest pastor, and I don't remember the entire sermon or the specific verses, but I remember clearly the gospel message: God loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you and to bear the weight of your sins (Romans 5:8). He doesn't care what you've done; if you trust and believe that Jesus' death makes you right with God, then you will be made righteous and will have the hope of an eternity spent with Him in heaven. "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are" (Romans 3:22). I left that night crying because I wanted that. I was terrified of going to hell--and I knew I deserved hell for all the swear words I said, for how I treated people, for having sex out of marriage, for drinking underage, the list of my sins is (notice how I used a present tense verb...) long and complicated. It humbled me to think that God would send His son to lead a blameless life and then die a bloody, brutal death for me. It made me respond. I talked with my friend John, started reading the Bible, praying, and attending church. I knew these acts wouldn't save me (Romans 4:5), but I wanted to do all of these things sort of as a way to thank God.
I've been walking with God for eight years now. And it hasn't been all rainbows and cupcakes. After I made a decision to follow Christ, I lost a lot of friends; I broke up with my boyfriend of nearly two years--someone I'd given way too much to and had put too much hope in. Later in life, I experienced many trials. But the one that nearly broke me again was hearing that my husband and I would probably never have our own kids. For about a year I really wrestled with God. Why would He deny me this blessing? After all, I had responded to the gospel message, so why did my life appear to be falling down on me while others, who hadn't accepted Christ seemed to be getting everything they wanted? I finally learned that God does not promise a perfect life after we respond to the gospel message and decide to follow Him. I learned (by studying the Bible) that God gives us trials to develop us and ultimately to help us "strengthen our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment" (Romans 5:3-5). Everything in this world will disappoint. God won't. He won't because he offers us salvation from our sins when we don't deserve it, and eternal life spent with Him. What's disappointing about that? So when trials strike, I try to remember the hope of salvation.
So in a not so small nutshell, that's how the gospel message changed my life...it forced me to confront my life and it gave me something better. It took awhile, and I experienced lots of trials along the way--but the hope of an eternity spent with Him keeps me going back to Him and gives me strength to push through the tough days.
1/8/12
Going to the Source
I've been in the habit lately of writing out my FCA lessons as a way to prep and get myself ready to present a coherent lesson that kids at all walks in their faith can understand. Tomorrow it's my turn to present a lesson. Our pastor did a sermon today on honoring the Word of God, and a few verses he referenced really stuck out to me. So here's what I've got so far:
If you want to excel at basketball, football, golf, volleyball, etc; if you want to learn all you can about the sport, who would you go to? I want to learn more about long distance running, so I'm reading Hal Higdon's book. Higdon (now 80) has run 111 marathons (as of 2006) winning four of them and earning several age-group firsts; he has written for Runner's World magazine longer than any other writer and has written a list of books too long to remember (Hal Higdon). The guy's a freaking machine and a running guru.
When we want to do the best we can at an activity, one of the things we do is go to the source or a master of the source to learn from. The same principles apply for being a follower of Christ. If we believe that God is who He says He is (created the entire universe and sent His only son as an atonement for our sins)--then we should want to honor Him and learn from Him. And we can learn about how best to honor Him by going straight to the source: the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, "All Scripture is breathed by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
The first part of these verses makes an incredible statement about the word of God: that it's breathed by him, it's directly from Him written by a variety of people throughout the years. The Bible is our source for learning how best to honor and follow God. Pastors, other believers, and Christian writers are all helpful people, but if we really want to know how to live for Him, then we should read the Bible. Not only is it breathed by God, it shows us what to do and what not to do. The Bible corrects us. Now, we don't always like to be corrected. Being told we're wrong pretty much sucks...but without this, we don't grow. We need to be corrected in order to succeed or be all we're made to be.
A regular habit of reading the Bible is life-changing; you kind of have to try it out for yourself to know what I mean. Just as taking golf lessons from Tiger Woods would take my incredibly poor golf skills to a higher level, taking lessons from God by reading His word will take my walk with Him to a higher level. So...if you're not in a regular habit of reading the Bible, I encourage you to find time to do so. When I first became a believer, I started with the book of Romans based on advice from a campus ministry leader. Start small--try reading a few verses three times a day. Then build up to a chapter a day. It doesn't really matter where you start; God will use whatever you're reading to teach you. Like practicing or training for any athletic event, reading the Bible won't always be pleasant. Sometimes you'll hit dry spells, but persevering and making a habit out of reading the Bible will revolutionize your life and take your faith to a newer level.
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