Unified

By Donna McCrary –

“Get out your Hymnals and turn to page 52 and let’s sing Victory in Jesus,” the man at the front of the crowd announced. His comment was met with a quiet chuckle as everyone in their Sunday best gathered around the side of the river bank for their spring baptism. In unison the crowd’s voices harmonized the lyrics of the song. Without missing a word, I quietly joined the crowd. This song was a favorite in the church that I grew up in. The quaint church I was visiting is very similar to the one from my childhood, wooden pews, hymnals, family oriented, traditional.

As each believer waded into the chilly water proclaiming their new life in Christ I was moved to tears by their heart and passion. From young to old they were sharing their excitement and freedom in Christ. I looked at my husband and whispered, “Unified”. He responded with a smiled and a quiet, “Yes”.

Unified was the name of the band that just rocked the house at our current church. By rocked, I mean flashing lights, thumping drums, smoke machines and a crowd jumping as they raised their hands in praise. The music is not the only difference in the two methods of worship, but one word continued to invade my thoughts – unified.

God’s Word says in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” We are unified as the body of Christ – the church.

We are united by our faith in Jesus Christ birth, life and death on the cross. We are united by the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. We are united by an eternal destination in heaven. There are so many things that unite us as a body of believers.

Would the world see the church in a different light if we started living as a unified body of Christ followers?

Just asking…

PRAYER: “Thank you God for Your Spirit. May a deep passion and desire begin in me to stand united in the truth of Your Word with other believers so others will know You. ”

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one: I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23 NIV).

No Bingo in June

By Hally Franz –

Did you ever wonder how much money is spent on weddings each year? More precisely, have you pondered how much is spent during the month of June on weddings? I don’t have the answers, but we all know it’s a chunk of change. Weddings are big business!

There are the dresses, the décor, the music and the venues. There are meals, pictures, attendant gifts, flowers and party favors. Some weddings include themes, and some even become part of reality television. While current trends in weddings may be a retailer’s dream, I hope that this year’s June weddings fill life-long dreams for the couples who walk down the aisle (or, the beach, brick road or garden path).

I know a very special June bride. She is the daughter of a dear friend, and she was a great babysitter for my children when they were small. In fact, my 10-year-old daughter, Rosaline, has been asked to be a junior bridesmaid for Jessica, and she is super excited. We had a shower for Jess a few weeks ago. I was remembering the shower, and it occurred to me that there is a certain discord in one of the games that we played that day. I called it Bridal Bingo.

Bingo is a game of chance. It requires no work, preparation or special set of skills or characteristics. Isn’t that the reverse of marriage! Successful marriage is very much related to the work that the partners put into it. And, most definitely, there should be some preparations made prior to the wedding day. Aside from the actual planning of the event, couples must prepare by talking through issues they’ll face as a married couple. They should consider the lifestyle they want for their family including where they will live and worship, whether they will have or adopt children, work and leisure questions, and a host of other concerns. Addressing those topics takes time and energy. Aside from work and planning, successful marriages are built by two partners who demonstrate maturity, generosity, kindness and caring toward one another. Marriage isn’t for the poorly prepared or ill-tempered.

No, indeed! Weddings may be big business, but marriages ought not to be risky business. As for my special June bride, I have every confidence that she and her husband-to-be have taken time to lay a foundation for a successful marriage, as well as an awesome wedding day.

PRAYER: Merciful and Mighty Father, bless this year’s brides and grooms with the qualities of wisdom and kindness, commitment and caring as they begin their lives together, so that their unions may bring honor and glory to You.

“With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3 NKJV).

Sky Mall and the Things We Buy

By Peter Lundell –

On a recent flight I browsed the Sky Mall catalog, which exists to showcase things every satisfied person ought to have. My favorites:

A showerhead that lights up with different colors, which “can feel as enjoyable and relaxing as being in a spa.” Oh, really?

A toilet seat with a sensor that automatically raises and lowers the seat and lid, because “some men have a hard time remembering to put the toilet seat down after use.” Humph. Men.

The world’s largest CD storage towers that can hold my “2,262 CDs” or “936 DVDs.” But there are only 365 days in a year.                                                                                                                            

A cherry wood luxury showcase for my “24 watches. Over 4 million sold world-wide.” Guess I should have one too—after I buy another 23 watches.

A portable staircase to help my older dog get onto its favorite bed or sofa. (So I don’t have to lift my pet.) Lucky me.

Then there are the skeleton gnomes (midget skeletons with red caps), along with statuary of zombies, and replicas of King Tut’s Egyptian Throne and the Peeing Boy of Brussels. How inspiring.

Oh, how happy I would be if I owned all these things. How happy many people seem to think they will be.

By design, our consumer culture keeps adults thinking and buying like insatiable children.

Then Jesus comes along and tells us to give things up, even our lives. Who would want to follow Him? Seriously, Jesus is not attractive to materialists—which is one reason so many reconfigure Jesus as a palatable religious icon in their own image.

Yet the human heart—whatever it believes—still yearns for something deeper and more enduring. No one can adequately fill the vacuum inside it except the God who put it there in the first place.

So, how filled is your vacuum?

PRAYER: Lord, keep my heart on Your Kingdom, my eyes on the unseen, my mind on the eternal. And let me not be seduced by the allure of possessions.

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21 NIV).

Two Better Than One

By Carin LeRoy –

Living in the tropics can have its challenges. When my husband and I lived there, we endured heat that hovered each day in the high 90s in the shade, with an equally high humidity. After awhile, we adjusted to the extreme temperature. If the thermometer dropped into the 70s, I’d run to put on a sweater.

On one of our vacations, we went to the highlands area to enjoy different scenery and a cooler climate. Once we settled in, the mountain town had a cold snap. (By “cold,” I mean temperatures in the 40s-50s!). The change in temperature shocked our system. Since we weren’t equipped with clothes to keep us warm, we put on several layers and crawled in the twin beds of our rented room. Neither of us could stay warm that night, so we ended up keeping each other warm by squeezing into the same bed. My husband’s feet were so cold, he even slept with his shoes on!That is a night neither of us will forget as we shivered through the night.

Ecclesiastes 4:11 says, “if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?” That night we experienced the literal interpretation of that verse. This passage in Ecclesiastes starts out by saying that “two are better than one.” This simple principle applies to all areas of life. The church, the body of Christ, is a perfect example of God’s expectations for His people. We are not meant to exist alone, but together. God creates us to live in community.

The first thing God did for Adam was to create Eve – a help mate and companion. When Christ used the disciples to build the early church, they often traveled in pairs on their missionary journeys. We may feel we can tackle something on our own, but there are times we might accomplish much more for the Lord by working together with others. Even the apostle Paul requested Mark’s help to come out and assist him in the work (II Timothy 4:11).

Remember that God created the body of Christ for our benefit and for His glory. Let’s learn to utilize each other’s strengths and rely on one another.

PRAYER: Lord, thank You that you have created us to live in community. Help me to be sensitive to know when others need my help. Give me a willingness to rely on others and utilize their strength when I need it.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up! But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? Though one be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not easy broken,” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV).

A Good Soldier Loves

By Donna McCrary –

A good soldier has endured the training, gained vast knowledge and skills for combat on the battlefield. At a moment’s notice he is called on to strike down the enemy with deadly force. A good soldier knows, understands, and respects the power he has been given. He does not use his power and knowledge to harm but to protect. A good soldier must always be true to the objective of his mission. Anytime a soldier becomes prideful, deceitful or corrupt he will destroy the very lives he is charged to protect. A good soldier learns that the greatest knowledge and skill he has to guide him is love. If a good soldier chooses love he will always accomplish his mission.

Timothy’s church in Ephesus was a church full of good soldiers who endured, labored, tested, and tolerated many issues in their time. In the end their works proved their hate of evil things. In other words, they were known as soldiers who engaged the enemy on the battlefield and fought for truth at all cost (Revelation 2:2-3).

The soldiers at Ephesus were hardcore in their beliefs; however, as they endured they forgot the main purpose of their mission. They lost sight of the ultimate goal – to love (Revelation 2:4-5).

As we learn to be always faithful we must never forget the responsibility of a good soldier. Even though we possess vast knowledge and skills, we must always remember that Jesus’ love conquers. So as we enter into the battle, we must first chose love.

AUTHOR QUOTE: “It is a sad to realize that Christians today are known more for what they are against than what they stand for.”

“If I speak the language of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing and if I donated all my goods to feed the poor and if I give my body to be burned but do not have love I gain nothing. Love is patient love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful is not conceited does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth; bears all things; believes all things; hopes all things; Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:1-8 HCSB).

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