Embracing Growth by Pastor Karena Lout

“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corin. 12:9

“We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, Who is the head of the his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Eph. 4:15-16 (NLT)

When I was in labor with my son Josiah, I remember thinking, “Why didn’t anyone tell me this was going to be so painful?!” Todd was so comforting and patient with me throughout as I grabbed his arm and yelled, “I’m dying!” I didn’t have an epidural so I literally thought I was dying. No joke. I didn’t anticipate that kind of pain. Of course, the amazing gift of my son was far greater than any pain I endured.

In my journey I’ve found that it’s helpful to know that not everything is going to come easy. In a culture that looks to make things quicker, easier and predictable, sometimes we lose the value of process and mystery. As our kids were growing up, Todd and I let them know that life isn’t always gonna feel like “rainbows and butterflies.” As parents, we want to shield them from any harm and pain. But I also know that life can be challenging at times and I want them to gain the strength they’re going to need to face difficult things, relying on who Jesus is for them. We can’t always be prepared for everything that happens in life but we can choose how we will respond and what we believe about God in the face of it.

I recently heard this quote, “You can forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught you.” We have the choice to let difficult things define us and keep us stuck or we can choose to allow them to bring growth in our life. God has been encouraging me lately to take a look at some things that just aren’t working for me anymore, patterns and beliefs that He wants to transform. At times I feel stretched and uncomfortable but the reward far outweighs the cost. God isn’t looking to manage our behavior. He is more concerned with “why” we do what we do and wants to show us His way of doing things. When we begin to ask Him to show us what’s really going on in our heart, He brings healing and transformation that no law could ever bring. As we look at who Jesus is, we begin to see who we really are and then how we live will follow.

One way God inspires growth in our lives is by encouraging us to ask questions. All throughout the Psalms, we see David inquiring of the Lord and diving into the beauty and mystery of all that He is. God recently told me, “If you don’t find yourself asking questions, you may have to consider that you are too comfortable with already having all the answers.” Part of growing up is staying teachable, asking questions and realizing that our life with Jesus is a continual discovery. It’s in asking Him questions that we find how expansive and beautiful His love is. I encourage you to dive deep into the ocean of mystery where something new is always unfolding.

Growing up doesn’t mean we’re no longer childlike. “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1Corin.13:11)

Embracing growth in our lives is allowing God to transform the way we think, leaving behind patterns that are no longer working on our behalf. It’s in becoming childlike that we actually grow in our relationship with Him. I encourage you this holiday season to allow the wonder and mystery of what Jesus did for you to capture your heart again. Look at life through the eyes of a child. There are mysteries and surprises waiting for you to unwrap. Take time to ask Jesus to show you what His strength and comfort looks like as you face some of life’s challenges. You can do this! Jesus already provided the way for you so enjoy the journey!

Love, Karena

Christmas PRESENT by Pastor Todd Benjamin Lout

Trying to come up with that perfect Christmas gift to give your friends and family? How about a fantastic birthday present for Jesus to celebrate His coming here and rescuing us? Oh, and maybe a little something for you too? I've got just the thing! It's the gift of being present! This is sure to be a winner!

Here, meditate on this: "Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Life is busy, for sure. So many of us have brains that have adapted to thinking of the next thing you'll be doing, the next person you're going to be with, the next day's activities and how to accomplish it, all while you're in a moment that should actually require your presence. Be still! Let's settle down our minds and allow God to have this moment...and the next and the next. There are treasures right in front of us, little surprises from a good Father, that we sometimes miss because we're not being present in the moment.

Often, when we jump ahead, we start leaning on our own understanding. We try to figure out how we're gonna do this or solve that and anxiety comes.

(see Proverbs 3:5 & Philippians 4:6)

When we have a tendency to look back a whole lot, regret tries to creep in....
"I should have said this", "I should have done it that way."

God is our present help. He is right here, right now to help us make the most out of every opportunity. (see Ephesians 5:15 & 16) When we stay present we have more to give and more to receive. Your friends and family will certainly be thankful to have the actual YOU with them, instead of the shell of you while your brain is in tomorrow. Your perfect Father will enjoy having your gaze and you, yourself, will certainly be enriched, more peaceful, more solid as you allow Him to meet you in this moment. You'll even have more ideas, more energy and more love in approaching those "next" things.

Try it today!

Your presence will make even the busy Christmas season a whole lot merrier!

Contending for Advancement by Pastor Susan Fochler

We are continually grateful to Jesus for His decision to descend from the perfection of Heaven and join us in our confusing and sometimes brutal world. He provided everything necessary for us to become One with Him as a brand new creation in Christ, with a new identity as a holy child of the One Most High. A moment’s choice on our part to say “Yes”, results in a radical response from Jesus to make all heavenly resources available to us. What exactly that means takes a lifetime to learn to unpack.

Stewarding our own Hearts
Accessing those resources is something we need to learn. Now that we are His, it is our turn to step up and steward what has been so generously provided for us. Stewardship means cherishing and nurturing the territory of your heart that Jesus purchased with His own blood. We cannot do this in our own strength and understanding, however; we need to co-labor with the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. 

Russ and I are planning to put in a new garden in our backyard. The plans look fabulous! It’s a bigger job than we can do on our own, so we are hiring a landscape company to put it in for us. But we also know, after the initial work is done, the long term work to maintain that beauty will be on us.

Is not about Knowing Everything, but Knowing the One
In medical school, students are told that becoming a brilliant doctor isn’t a matter of knowing everything, but in knowing where to go and how to get the understanding that is needed. Similarly, as believers, our goal is not to know everything there is to know about God, but to discover where to go and how to get what we need from Him. One of the best “where to go” in God places I know is in discovering an aspect of His personality expressed by one of His Names. In the essence of Who He is, we encounter every answer for any problem or deficit we could possibly have.

Here is an a excerpt from an article that came across The Elijah List this week from Angela Greenig, where she exhorts us to Contend for the Top of the Mountain:

It is time for the tearing down of strongholds and, even if you can't see your promises right now, believe that darkness is crumbling under your feet in the name of the Lord Jesus. It is happening!!! We are as in Isaiah 45:1-3 where the word decrees:
"Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him, and I will unarm and ungird the loins of kings to open doors before him, so that gates will not be shut. I will go before you and level the mountains [to make the crooked places straight]; I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron. And I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, so you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, Who calls you by your name."

What Does God Need to be for You?
He is our Healer, our Peace, our Provider, our Shepherd, and our Friend. Our Comforter, our Teacher, our Deliverer, our Helper and the source of all our Wisdom. Our Strength, our intercessor before the throne, our Strong Tower around us and our Almighty One. And many, many more. 365 at a minimum according to John Paul Jackson. Who do you need your Jesus to be for you? How does your heart need to shift in order to make that space available for Him? What would it mean for your life to discover that He really does want to help you in your area of need?

I Love Being on this Journey Together with All of You!


Susan