Volume 11:
.OLYMPICS.
Yep, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. That's what's on my mind right now. And I've been thinking about it for weeks. It all starts tomorrow, 08/08/08. Every so often, the best athletes from all over the world come together to prove themselves, to represent their sport on the worldwide stage, to represent their country, to participate together in one sport or another.
And of course there's the controversy. It seems the Olympics have always been controversial in one way or another. But if you've had the news on in the last couple months, you've certainly heard repeated mention of problems with China… in reference to human rights, Darfur, Tibet, steroids, smog in Beijing, Iraq's participation… sheesh. But I don't want to make this a political thing. I just want to point out that there IS controversy, just in case you hadn't heard. And then I want to get to the point, right?
Olympics are a microcosm of our world's society. This event, these Olympians… well, they represent both the BEST in us (perseverance, giving your all, making it to the top, "running in such a way as to win the prize…" and maybe a few gold medals) and the WORST in us (pride, cheating, dirty politics, the aforementioned scandals…).
Okay, so what difference does that make? Well, I'd like to ask you to go along with me for a while, and watch the Olympics. Look at the different countries involved. Consider that some of these athletes you see may represent a country where the Word of God is not accessible in their own language. Some may come from a place where Christians are persecuted. It's such a strange idea to think that some of those athletes may never have heard the name of Jesus. The Olympics should be an eye-opening experience for Christians, reminding us that millions of souls are constantly at stake. Followers of Christ must want desperately to see the world won for God's kingdom, for His glory.
So pray for them. And pray for their countries. I keep coming back to a handful of my favorite "world-wide" verses:
Matthew 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached IN THE WHOLE WORLD as a testimony to ALL NATIONS, and then the end will come.
Matthew 28:19-20. Therefore go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS… baptize and teach them…
Luke 24:47. Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to ALL NATIONS, beginning at Jerusalem.
Revelation 15:4. For you [God] alone are holy. ALL NATIONS will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.
I guess what I’m getting at is that we should see these people as representatives of the world - a world that needs God, a world that needs a savior. From England to Brazil to Egypt to China… and yes, even America. We should take this chance to open our eyes to the billions of people they represent, and that all those people will bow their knee to the returning, conquering LORD of LORDS, whether he has become their Savior or not. So yeah, it's time we start praying for salvation. It's time we start praying for the missionaries who go to those countries - for their funds, their safety, their cause. It's time we start praying for the wisdom of those working diligently to translate the Word of God into new tongues and for those who will take it to new tribes and nations for the first time. It's time we start praying for the persecuted churches throughout the world, for their protection, for their boldness in proclaiming the Truth, even when lives are at stake. It's time we start praying for conviction, that God would help US to see all of those people, no matter what color, what nation, what language… as children of God, and as our brothers and sisters.
Let’s pray.
SEVENS: Do not merely listen to the word... do what it says. James 1:22.
Aaron
(Originally published August 7, 2008)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
.FULL. (by DeeDee!)
This is the TENTH installment...
This month, we had a "guest writer," my beautiful bride. I was talking with her about what I should write... and she came up with (in my opinion) an even better idea than the two ideas I had, so I asked her to go ahead and write it! Let her know what you think! Her email is: deedeeshirley at hotmail dot com.
.FULL.
Someone once told me that there are lots of things that we think of as spiritual, but that when we get right down to it, may not be exactly what God wants us to be doing at that time. Like we think that, in order to be spiritual, we need to read our bible, and serve at our church, and visit people at the nursing home, and baby-sit our neighbor’s kids, AND wash the preacher’s dog, AND hold a prayer circle at our house, and, and, and, and the list can go on and on. But God doesn’t just want everything FROM us, He wants the BEST FOR us.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to... GO TO SLEEP.
I reflected on that today, as of course lately I have been running around like a crazy person getting ready for Vacation Bible School. Yesterday about 8:30pm I just totally ran out of steam. I laid down for a few minutes, just to “pull myself together” a little... and I fell asleep. I was in the middle of putting my kids to bed and I FELL ASLEEP!!! Oops. So I slept, the kids went to sleep without me, and all was well, and I slept, and slept, and slept. 11 hours I slept.
Then today, I woke up feeling good - refreshed and ready to hit the day head-on. I proceeded to meet the cable man, clean the house, work on VBS and more, but most importantly I played Whack-A-Mole with the girls.
So I guess I didn’t really see it yesterday, but the most spiritual thing I could do for the Lord, right then, was go to sleep - and today the most spiritual thing I could do for the Lord was play with my kids. That’s not an excuse to be lazy; some days the thing the Lord wants from me isn’t nearly as fun as taking a nap, but it is still what he knows is best for me. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) That means that whatever it is we do each day needs to be what He says, so our lives can be full. Not just BUSY, but FULL... full of HIM.
So what is the most spiritual thing you can do today?
Is it time with your family?
Or is it serving His church, or hosting a prayer group?
Could it be reaching out to your neighbor?
Or visiting the nursing home?
...Or is it maybe a nap?
Only you can find out what it is that God wants you to do today. Ask Him.
Hoping you have a day Full of God.
Love, DeeDee
(Originally published July 7, 2008)
This month, we had a "guest writer," my beautiful bride. I was talking with her about what I should write... and she came up with (in my opinion) an even better idea than the two ideas I had, so I asked her to go ahead and write it! Let her know what you think! Her email is: deedeeshirley at hotmail dot com.
.FULL.
Someone once told me that there are lots of things that we think of as spiritual, but that when we get right down to it, may not be exactly what God wants us to be doing at that time. Like we think that, in order to be spiritual, we need to read our bible, and serve at our church, and visit people at the nursing home, and baby-sit our neighbor’s kids, AND wash the preacher’s dog, AND hold a prayer circle at our house, and, and, and, and the list can go on and on. But God doesn’t just want everything FROM us, He wants the BEST FOR us.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to... GO TO SLEEP.
I reflected on that today, as of course lately I have been running around like a crazy person getting ready for Vacation Bible School. Yesterday about 8:30pm I just totally ran out of steam. I laid down for a few minutes, just to “pull myself together” a little... and I fell asleep. I was in the middle of putting my kids to bed and I FELL ASLEEP!!! Oops. So I slept, the kids went to sleep without me, and all was well, and I slept, and slept, and slept. 11 hours I slept.
Then today, I woke up feeling good - refreshed and ready to hit the day head-on. I proceeded to meet the cable man, clean the house, work on VBS and more, but most importantly I played Whack-A-Mole with the girls.
So I guess I didn’t really see it yesterday, but the most spiritual thing I could do for the Lord, right then, was go to sleep - and today the most spiritual thing I could do for the Lord was play with my kids. That’s not an excuse to be lazy; some days the thing the Lord wants from me isn’t nearly as fun as taking a nap, but it is still what he knows is best for me. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) That means that whatever it is we do each day needs to be what He says, so our lives can be full. Not just BUSY, but FULL... full of HIM.
So what is the most spiritual thing you can do today?
Is it time with your family?
Or is it serving His church, or hosting a prayer group?
Could it be reaching out to your neighbor?
Or visiting the nursing home?
...Or is it maybe a nap?
Only you can find out what it is that God wants you to do today. Ask Him.
Hoping you have a day Full of God.
Love, DeeDee
(Originally published July 7, 2008)
Friday, November 7, 2008
.SERVE.
This is the NINTH installment...
.SERVE.
I'm sure I've already written on this topic. It's kind of the central emphasis for Sevens. But I just keep coming back to it. I keep thinking there is something more that needs to be done, something more than needs to be said. I've said before that it's a privilege to serve. And I really think that the people who figure that one thing out, will have a much more fulfilled life than those who live life centered on themselves.
But this last week I've had plenty of opportunity to think about the behavior of service... And the phrase kept bubbling up in my head... TO LOVE IS TO SERVE.
You see, the last several days, I've been at Woodland Christian Camp, with about 70 middle schoolers. And boy, there was plenty of opportunity to serve there. Many of the young people were really struggling, figuring out how to live out their faith. And no two were going into it with the same life story. They struggled in so many different areas: guilt, loss, deceit, self-centeredness, confusion, anger, self esteem, general awkward-ness, and all the other stuff that comes with new hormones...
So I just asked God to help me look with compassion on each of them, asked Him to show me opportunities to love them by serving them. And He did. I pray I didn't miss any of His leading.
I pray you'll do the same for your situation. Who are the "struggling middle school campers" in your life? And what wisdom and guidance can you give them? How can you serve them, showing them the love of our Lord through your actions?
Romans 12:9 says "Love must be sincere." But listen to The Message: it says "Love from the center of who you are. Don't fake it." That's just another verse that brings this idea into sharp focus again. You can PRETEND to love someone, and even say it to them, but in order to REALLY love, to love from the CENTER of who you are, you're going to have to DO something about it. You're going to have to ACT. So... to say it again, the result is this: to love is to serve.
TO LOVE IS TO SERVE. TO LOVE IS TO SERVE.
I'm still tired from this week, cause really I'm a wimp, and all that "real work" wore me out. Serving makes my back hurt! :) But boy, it's very fulfilling. Like I said, those who figure out that it's a privilege to serve will end up being fulfilled, happy people. It destroys your chance to have a negative spirit, simply because the heart of a servant does not usually cohabitate with a negative spirit within the same person.
I hope this little devotional thought has also served you in some small way. Because it is a privilege to serve you, if you know what I mean...
SEVENS: Do not merely listen to the word... do what it says. James 1:22.
Aaron
(Originally published June 7, 2008)
.SERVE.
I'm sure I've already written on this topic. It's kind of the central emphasis for Sevens. But I just keep coming back to it. I keep thinking there is something more that needs to be done, something more than needs to be said. I've said before that it's a privilege to serve. And I really think that the people who figure that one thing out, will have a much more fulfilled life than those who live life centered on themselves.
But this last week I've had plenty of opportunity to think about the behavior of service... And the phrase kept bubbling up in my head... TO LOVE IS TO SERVE.
You see, the last several days, I've been at Woodland Christian Camp, with about 70 middle schoolers. And boy, there was plenty of opportunity to serve there. Many of the young people were really struggling, figuring out how to live out their faith. And no two were going into it with the same life story. They struggled in so many different areas: guilt, loss, deceit, self-centeredness, confusion, anger, self esteem, general awkward-ness, and all the other stuff that comes with new hormones...
So I just asked God to help me look with compassion on each of them, asked Him to show me opportunities to love them by serving them. And He did. I pray I didn't miss any of His leading.
I pray you'll do the same for your situation. Who are the "struggling middle school campers" in your life? And what wisdom and guidance can you give them? How can you serve them, showing them the love of our Lord through your actions?
Romans 12:9 says "Love must be sincere." But listen to The Message: it says "Love from the center of who you are. Don't fake it." That's just another verse that brings this idea into sharp focus again. You can PRETEND to love someone, and even say it to them, but in order to REALLY love, to love from the CENTER of who you are, you're going to have to DO something about it. You're going to have to ACT. So... to say it again, the result is this: to love is to serve.
TO LOVE IS TO SERVE. TO LOVE IS TO SERVE.
I'm still tired from this week, cause really I'm a wimp, and all that "real work" wore me out. Serving makes my back hurt! :) But boy, it's very fulfilling. Like I said, those who figure out that it's a privilege to serve will end up being fulfilled, happy people. It destroys your chance to have a negative spirit, simply because the heart of a servant does not usually cohabitate with a negative spirit within the same person.
I hope this little devotional thought has also served you in some small way. Because it is a privilege to serve you, if you know what I mean...
SEVENS: Do not merely listen to the word... do what it says. James 1:22.
Aaron
(Originally published June 7, 2008)
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