Just Start

By Alan Mowbray –

I’m pro-life.

I post stuff about it on Facebook. I tweet about it. If I come across someone who is commenting on the merits of “pro-choice,” I stick my nose in it and argue.

The other day, I experienced something that made me think. I read an article exposing hospitals that forced nurses to assist in abortions against their moral will under the threat of termination.

Incensed, I posted the link to my social networks.

The reaction was immediate and positive. People voiced their opinions against the practice and I was happy to see that people I had friended were on the same page as I on this issue.
In amongst the discourse, a pro-life activist whom I had friended jumped in. Although I expected agreement and encouragement, what we all received was a holier than thou attitude with statements like, “This is old news—I knew this stuff already” and “You’re clueless so quit posting things that you know nothing about, so quit condemning people.” I was floored. Although we were both pro-life, I understood those comments to mean that unless I have walked a mile in her shoes, I had no business even talking about the subject. I was confused for a few days on what I had even done wrong.

I told you that story not to put down the activist, but rather to say this: Just because you have been up to your eyebrows into a worthy cause or a certain subject, be gentle around those who are only ankle or knee deep. People have to start somewhere.

Imagine a church whose doors were open only to those with a doctorate in Biblical Theology or a small group where the members scoffed at the new people for asking questions about old topics—saying, “Oh puleeze! We’ve been over that time and time again!”

Or think about that new Christian who, for the first time, celebrated Christmas with a new understanding? What if, while they were realizing the immensity of that day they became visibly and emotionally shaken, and you came up and told them, “Hello? Of course we’re celebrating the birth of Christ. What did you think you were celebrating at this time every year, ya big baby?”

We are imperfect. Yet somehow, we easily forget that. Each of us, including myself, has done this to some degree. I’ve judged people almost as a reflex—opening my mouth and inserting my foot before thinking. I’ve belittled people because they weren’t at the level I was. I’ve even yelled at some for not knowing what I thought they should know—even though I was or should have been their teacher.

We live in a period of major growth in the knowledge of God, His Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of us is the student at one level and a teacher at another. Hearts are open to new things and new understanding. We must keep ourselves in check if we are to connect together as the body of Christ. I implore you to put this filter in your life!

Father God, help me to be gentle with your children. Forgive me for hindering their growth instead of helping. Holy Spirit, help me to see them with God’s eyes not mine.

I’m grateful that this experience opened my eyes to my own failures. Again.

But I know this. Just because I don’t know everything there is to know about abortion and the pro-life movement, it doesn’t mean I can’t be vocal about it. Hey, ya gotta start somewhere. Just start.

Strength in Numbers

By Don Otis –

The Santa Rosa Plateau is a beautiful oak and Manzanita-strewn area hugging Riverside and San Diego Counties. The countless trails wind up and down canyons and provide views of 11,000’ peaks and Mt. Palomar Observatory to the south.

For the last three winters, I have made my way from Colorado to that beautiful spot. Two years ago I bumped into Rob, a chiropractor who happens to be a Christ-follower and avid mountain biker. While each of us ride alone most of the time, when we have company, we enjoy the experience even more.

Any time you start a new workout routine, having companionship can be the difference between success and falling back into old patterns of inactivity. The struggle for most of us is to find someone whose schedule meshes with our own. If this is the case for you, focus on the weekend where the time pressure is not a factor. For most of us, joining a gym may not be enough. Many gym memberships remain dormant shortly after a person signs up. Still, most gyms have programs or group activities–aerobics, spinning classes, or Silver Sneakers. If the energy from joining other “partners in pain” is helpful to you, then plan out your week or month to include some of the classes they offer.

There are some activities where partnership is important–not just for the motivational benefits, but also for safety. In North Idaho where I lived for fifteen years, my hikes in the Selkirk Mountains often included trailhead signs which read, “Beware! You are entering Grizzly habitat.” Since I often hike or climb alone, those signs caused me to think about what I was doing.

If you enjoy the outdoors, awareness of your surroundings is essential. Turn off the ear buds and focus on your environment. This applies equally for running, walking or biking in urban environments as well.

Team sports are another place to find camaraderie. You can participate in league sports though a gym or YMCA. Most areas also offer adult sports through Parks & Recreation. By joining others to work out, you gain not just a partner who keeps you accountable; you also push one another to improve.

In his book You Can Get There from Here, author Bob Knowling says, “People who don’t know what sports can do think of it as an endless collection of games with scores and stars and failures and winners and losers. For me, it was learning of lessons, hour by hour, that carried straight off the playing field and into my life.” i

Just as Bob Knowling discovered, we learn from sports, from teamwork, from being in the presence of others who share a common experience. I learned, as countless others have, that sports don’t have to stop in high school. Nor does one automatically have to get fat or out of shape at a certain age or stage of life. We have bought these lies that childbirth, turning 40, getting older, or becoming injured means we are washed up. This is simply untrue. We have also bought the lie that just because we were never an athlete in the past, we won’t be one in the future.

I want to encourage you this month to put aside the old stereotypes. Put aside the notion that you are “washed up” and can’t possibly get back to where you once were. I want to encourage you to find a workout partner or join a group activity that will keep you motivated even when you don’t feel like doing anything.

Comment below and let me know how it goes!

i Penguin, 2011, p. 38

Epic

by Elaine James –

“The last Harry Potter movie was epic,” my 16-year-old daughter blurted out. Almost daily I hear someone saying the word “epic.” I have noticed young people like using the word “epic” quite often. Daily we have stuff to deal with and sometimes we may even say our moments are bigger than big, so we refer to it as “epic.”

Elijah had an epic encounter with the Lord. He followed God’s very detailed orders to deal with Ahab and his false prophets and it was successful. The result was that Ahab’s wife Jezebel did not like what Elijah did so her anger rose up with vengeance. It scared Elijah, so he ran for his life, saying “”I have had enough, LORD, take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”

Isn’t this exactly what is going on today in our world? Things seem hopeless. The mind tricks people in to believing things are so bad that they want to die. Suicide rates with our teens are rising in great numbers. Why? Because the lie going through their mind is “There’s no way to resolve this.”

In an “epic” moment, we need an “epic” hero. Elijah’s all knowing hero, God, rescues him in a gentle, loving way. God starts by letting Elijah rest and fills him with food. Quickly, Elijah gains tremendous strength and is able to do something not many of us could do. He travels by foot 40 days and 40 nights. Wow!

Are you amazed at what God can do for you? We can be empty, out of strength and filled with worry yet God steps in and creates an “epic” ending to a situation. Our “epic” hero.

Get up and eat! I can give you strength! –GOD

QUOTE: Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” – Charles Spurgeon (Maybe when I am lacking strength, it’s because I am not lacking worries.)

BIBLE VERSE: “The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night” (1 Kings 19:7-9 NIV).

A Personalized 2012

By Carin LeRoy –

Now that we’ve entered another New Year, what resolutions will you make for 2012? Usually they are something practical like lose weight, de-clutter the house, take a vacation or eat healthier. But have you considered what type of spiritual resolutions you might make to grow stronger in your walk with God? Let’s consider a few thoughts.

Prayer. That’s never been my personal strong point, and who doesn’t need to think about that one? Keep a notebook of one-line requests and pray through them briefly. Save a space to write out the date when the prayer was answered. Or write out your prayers to keep your mind from wandering and read them as you pray.

Faith. Which of us can’t use more of that? Ask God to give you the ability this year to trust Him more. Even the apostles asked God to increase their faith (Luke 17:5). Be active in helping your faith to grow this year. Stand on promises in Scripture that will build up your faith.

Thankfulness. Instead of focusing on the negative, let’s learn what it means to have a grateful heart. Not only should we thank God for His blessing to us, but show appreciation to those around us. A person who is gracious and appreciative can change someone’s day. Be that person.

Think through spiritual resolutions that you want to consider this year, and personalize it. This list provides only a few ideas to get you started. Ask Him what He wants to change in your life. There is always room for more growth, and God has a plan to take you to the next step in your relationship with Him. So grab a steaming cup of coffee and find a quiet place. Sit down with a Bible and notebook and get started. Let’s see what God has in store for 2012!

BIBLE VERSE: “In Him and through faith in Him, we approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12 NIV).

PRAYER: Lord, thank You for another new year. Help make this a year of growth in my life and strengthen my relationship with You. Show me the areas that need change, strengthen my faith and give me a heart to listen to Your voice.

In Your Anger Sin Not

By Judy Davis –

Recently my husband bought a new Nook reader. To hook this reader up to our router he needed a password. He asked, “Honey, I need the password for our router, can you pull it up on the computer?” I thought to myself, “Where is this password?” as I looked in my file of passwords and it was not there. Oops, I hated to tell him I had no idea where this password was. After searching all day on two computers, I found absolutely nothing. Needless to say he was upset.

To make matters worse, our daughter, Cindi, walked in the door. She searched diligently looking for the password to this router. She said, “Mom, dad is so mad, you need to find the password.” I told her, “Cindi, I have searched every document looking for it and cannot find it. Dad is just going to have to get over it. He needs to take the Nook back to the place he bought it and buy his books from their site.”

My husband and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary that same week. It was a blessing to receive so many beautiful anniversary wishes especially from our Facebook friends and family. God has blessed our marriage with three children, five grandchildren and a great granddaughter.

Later, we took Cindi out to lunch trying to forget the whole situation. We went to her favorite Japanese restaurant. When she left to go home she looked back at me, and said, “Happy Anniversary, Mom!”

On top of everything, our dog got a hold of my ballpoint pen. She got ink all over my new carpet. After trying to clean it I finally had to call a carpet cleaner costing $71.00.

What do you do when anger sets in? And it can quickly. The key is to forgive, move on, and learn to cope with the situation. Also, after it is all over, take a few minutes to laugh at the whole thing. Have you ever had to forgive your dog?

Never did find the password. We even tried installing the CD for the router and this did not work. However, we learned a valuable lesson: Always write down any passwords. We ended up taking the Nook, laptop, router and CD to a computer shop and the problem was resolved costing us $75.00.

It has not always been an easy journey, but we know the importance of not holding on to anger. It causes bitterness, unforgiveness and illness. Later, my husband apologized for getting so upset over such a trivial matter.

Knowing the importance of beginning our day with devotional and Bible reading, we also know the importance of praying for our day.

Our marriage has been an adventure! We make sure before going to bed to not have any anger in our heart towards each other and any one who may offend us. “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” Ephesians 4:26.

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