The Time is Short

Something terrible has rocked our community, or at least the part of the community that reaches me and my family. People are shocked. Sentiment that I hear reflects disbelief. Tragedy abounds.

I don't know the details. I don't know the "how's" or the "why's" and I will never know. It's not my business any way.

The question that haunts my mind right now is "where was the hope that is only found in Jesus?" And I wonder if I have allowed Jesus shine in my life every day in such a way that it would have made a difference to people that are now grieving and confused.

Of one thing I am certain: the time is simply TOO short for me to not live every day with Jesus leading me, directing me, and guiding my every thought and action.

Somebody needs Jesus today. God, please let Him be seen in me.
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Lead A Worthy Life

I was reading Ephesians and I was reminded by Paul of how I am to live each day.  In Ephesians 4:1 Paul writes, "I  . . . beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God." (NLT)

A number of words and phrases have lately encouraged me that I am to be different from the world, that people are to see something in me that they want in their own life, something that reflects God and not me.  We're begin a new series Wednesday night called The Sacred Echo and the premise of this study is that God repeats Himself because He loves us, He wants a relationship with us, and He wants us to hear what He has to say.  Based on this I can say that God is gently reminding me that  I am to live a life worthy of my calling in Him.  

Christianity is free to us.  Jesus died on the cross and by God's grace we are saved.  However, Christianity is not cheap.  It is not a calling that I am to take lightly or treat with the same regard that I treat my digital discount-key card to the local retail store. 

This week my prayer and my plan is to take a good look at my daily activities to make sure that I am living a life that is worthy of the calling.  I'm praying that God will help me to hear His voice so that I take the extra minute and think before I speak and pray before  I act.  

I encourage you to make this your prayer and your plan this week also.  Let's live a life worthy of the calling of Christ.  When we do this we  will no longer be immature like children . . . instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and  more like Christ (Ephesians 4:14a, 15)

Hallelujah!  

Fw: Perry Noble: What Is Holding You Back?

Forwarding Perry Noble's blog from today; it's great and very timely.

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From: "Perry Noble | Leadership, Vision & CreativityPerry Noble | Leadership, Vision & Creativity" <hello@newspring.cc>

Sender: noreply+feedproxy@google.com

Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:34:45 +0000

To: <michellejchastain@gmail.com>

Subject: Perry Noble: What Is Holding You Back?

Perry Noble: What Is Holding You Back?

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What Is Holding You Back? Posted: 26 Aug 2010 04:09 AM PDT I don’t think people fall short of what God has for them because He isn’t revealing Himself…I think many do so because He does reveal Himself, but in Him doing so we are forced to face several things that MUST be overcame if we are going to achieve what He has for us…such as… Fear People…never listen to people who are not doing anything tell you that you cannot do anything Lack of faith…Jesus will never ask you to do anything easy Procrastination lie #1 – Fear If you don’t say “oh crap” when God reveals what He wants for your life…then you probably didn’t hear from God! We will never become who God has called us to be and do what He has called us to do if we do not face our fears. David faced his fear and stepped out to face Goliath. Moses faced his fear of not being able to speak and went before Pharoah. Noah faced his fear of not knowing how to build a boat People that accomplish great things for God MUST fight through their fears because reality is than God has never asked anyone to do anything that was easy (other than receiving Christ!) #2 – People When you want to do something great for God there will always be LOTS of people who try to tell you why you can’t do what HE said you can do!  My advice…never listen to anyone who is not doing anything tell you that you cannot do anything.  OR…in other words, NEVER take dance instructions from a person who just stands against the wall and does nothing but criticize those who are trying to stay in rhythm. #3 – The Procrastination Lie I know so many people who swear than “one day” they are going to do what they “know” God has called them to do…but…”one day” for most people NEVER comes…because in their minds “one day” is when everything is in place and doing what God has called them to do does not require any step of faith at all. “I will do it one day” is a lie that we tell ourselves in order to justify our disobedience.  God doesn’t speak to hear Himself talk…His word is not to be considered but to be obeyed. #4 – Underestimation of Him Working Through You! If God has called you then He has also equipped you and will sustain you.  Of course the task at hand is large and seems “impossible,” that is why Zechariah 4:6 says it is by HIS Spirit and II Corinthians 12:9 says that HIS power is made perfect in our weakness!!!  He didn’t call us because we are “able,” we are nothing more than common jars of clay (see II Corinthians 4:7) that He wants to use for HIS glory…and He has a history of take ordinary people (Acts 4:13) and doing extraordinary things through them!

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Do Over

In the first grade I was a leggy little girl with dark brown hair, big brown eyes., and the glow of summer still on my skin. And I loved to talk.  At Easter that year I had a beautiful dress in baby blue and it had a crenelin and I knew that I looked fancy and grown up in my dress.

After Easter, I wore my beautiful, blue, snazzy dress to school I was convinced that I could not possibly get in trouble for talking that day. I looked too good! Alas, before I could say "back to school" I was in the corner.  How did I end up there?  I looked the part of a well behaved girl but I hadn't changed my habits and my talking was still my talking and it landed me in trouble.

Fast forward to today.  I promised you that I would give you an update on my direction from God to be quiet and I have to tell you honestly that so far, I've been a dismal failure. Oh, I celebrate victory in the first day or two but then as the directive has become commonplace I've slid back back into my chatty old self.

Thank God for do-overs.  

Just like my first grade teachers (there were actually two of them) didn't make me stand in the corner forever and they didn't berate me for talking too much, God doesn't give up on me.  He takes me in His gentle yet firm hands and lets me know that He has given me a direction and that He will be best served if I pay attention to it and put it into action in my life. 

Do you need a do-over today?  If you do, tell your Father about it.  Be open.  Be honest.  Let Him know that you have messed up and you are willing to do it again on His terms this time. 

Your do-over day could be the best day yet of your life.  I know I'm finding that mine is! 

You're in Good Hands

(This is for Amanda - I owe her so many apologies for my fledgling attempts at parenting!  I have more love for her today than the day that they placed in her in my arms and thankfully she still loves me, too)  

AllState insurance will tell you that, "You're in Good Hands with AllState".  The message?  That you can trust them.  They have what it takes to walk with you through accidents and disasters and they are going to take better care of you than anyone else could ever imagine doing.  


This is the message we need to let our children know.  We need to tell them that they are in good hands. 

Point 3 from this week's message is:  Remember your child being able to trust you is more important than you being able to trust your child.  I have known this for a long time; my daughter is 21 and through our trials and victories this is a lesson that has been hammered home.  Sometimes I was good at it, sometimes I failed miserably.  However, thanks to God's grace and mercy, we have reached the point of her adulthood with a strong and trusting relationship. 


Don't get me wrong - your children and my children can be trustworthy people of great integrity.  However, they deserve to know that when they mess up (and mess up they will, no matter how small or large the egregious choice may be or what consequences this will bring) they need to know that they can find safety in the arms and hearts of their parents.  They need to know that  we'll be parents, that they can be kids, and we'll see whatever comes their way together, with God, in love. 

Today, find a way to let your children know that they're in good hands with you. 

Love Changes Everything

Pastor Jeff said something today during the sermon that made me really stop and think.  He referenced Deuteronomy 6:5 which reads "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" and then he said that we have to love God first and then serve Him. 

Don't let the instruction in this verse pass you by unnoticed; process it.  Love God first and then serve Him.

Jeff said during his sermon [my paraphrase] that when we don't love God we begin to resent the things that He commands us to do.  When we don't love Him first there are all kinds of emotions and feelings that we have that are not good. Bottom line is that love is what motivates us to serve God and obey His commands.  Love  changes everything.  God will most effectively use us when we offer ourselves in love.  Love is what motivated Jesus to die on the cross.  Love changed our lives. 

I'll close with some of Paul's most famous words; these phrases remind us what love really brings to the table in our lives.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  I Corinthians 13:1-3

God is HUGE

We've been studying the names of God on Wednesday nights and we're drawing to the close of this interesting time together.  I will tell you openly that I thought I had a concept of who God is but studying His names has brought out so much to me that I had not taken the time to learn about my Father. 

We have talked about God our healer, God our peace, God our banner, God who supplies my needs.  We have discussed the strong names of God, the caring names of God, and even our Master/servant relationship with God.  All of these studies have been fascinating to me. 

Last night, though, we learned about Elohim, the Strong Creator, and it was incredible.  As I prepared for this class my mind was racing but discussing it with my brothers and sisters in Christ really blew my mind!  Some of the things that we discussed are

God is life:  He is not only the source of all life, He is life.  Everything exists because He is in it.  Sounds simple, doesn't it?  Think about it for a minute, though.  Everything that we know is because He is.  Wow. 

God is self-existent:  He was around before anything, even before the beginning of creation.  No one created God. 

God is bigger than space and time:  God has no boundaries, no limitations, by space or time.  He's bigger than either of those because He created them both.  I'm a self-proclaimed calendar junkie and scheduler extraordinaire.  To think that God doesn't have to be limited by 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week is a lot for my mind to digest. 

I hope that these tidbits have whetted your appetite to learn more about God.  Check out the concordance of your Bible or go to this link My Father's Names.  God is fascinating and He wants us to know Him more. 

Check Him out for yourself today.  He's change your life!!!

Who Loves You, Baby?

I love reading my Bible.  God is so good and He speaks to me me when I read His word.  Sometimes there are obvious things to learn:  thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill and so on.  We all need to know these things.  What truly fascinates me is the Michelle-designed encouragement that God gives me through His word.  It is mind blowing to me that God can take a sentence or phrase that countless numbers of people have read and translate it, through His Holy Spirit, into words that are meant exclusively for me. 

I have waited my whole life for someone to love me in a unique and unfailing way.  I think that we all desire this type of love - perfect, unfailing, divine love.  As much as we want our family and friends to provide this for us, they simply cannot do it.  We're human.  We fail sometimes or we disappoint or we just miss the boat on what our loved ones would wish for us to do or say. 

Not so with God.  He loves me with a perfect love.  He never misses an opportunity to tell me He loves me.  He has surrounded me with the beauty of His creation and the glory of nature to remind me of this.  He has placed people in my life who, in His wisdom He knows that I need,  These folks are on many days they are my earthly reminders of my heavenly father.  God thinks about me. 

I wish I could pour my heart out into this blog because I am truly overwhelmed by the love that God has for me.  We teach personalization of scripture in the 201 class and I think it's appropriate to end today's offering to you with an example of this.  Today, personalize John 3:16.  Who loves you, baby?  Your heavenly father loves you - that's who!  

[Traditional - NIV] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16



[Personalized] For God so loved Michelle that he gave his one and only Son [for Michelle], that when Michelle believes in him [she] shall not perish but [she]have eternal life.  John 3:16

Your Whole Life - God's Got You Covered

You often hear Proverbs 3:5-6 quoted but if you open your Bible and read a little further you will see that God, in His infinite wisdom, puts several verses together that cover our entire life. I thought I would post them for you today. Oh, yeah, for the record? God will make your paths straight even if you're covered in tattoos.

Proverbs 3:5-10 (New Living Translation)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

The Heat Ain't Just Outside in August

In case you have somehow missed local weather for the last couple of months, it has been HOT!  Temperatures have been in the high 90s and good ol' Atlanta humidity at it's southern finest have combined to make being outdoors simply oppressive.  Walking to your car in the mornings is enough to take your breath away.  Your clothes stick to your person.  People are hiding inside where conditions are more comfortable and they are not forced to face the unpleasant conditions caused by the heat. 

The heat ain't only outdoors; there is a lot of it in life, too.  Experiences and conditions can cause us to be uncomfortable.  Relentless repetitions of the demands of schedules, workloads, and relationships weigh on us.  Circumstances take our breath away.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:9, "so let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up."  Paul is telling us to keep on keeping on and, in staying with my recent affinity for the 70s, to keep on truckin'

Remember, the heat doesn't last forever.  Just as the temperate fall follows the summer with blessed relief from the heat, perseverance in Jesus brings us rewards.  Keep on truckin!

The Faberge Organic Effect

Does anybody besides me remember Faberge Organic shampoo and conditioner?  You know, Joe Namath did television ads for them for a while and the girls had the most beautiful (and almost impossible to achieve) Farrah-Fawcett-esque hair.  The tag line from the while commercials:  "I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on . . . " would play while the images on your television multiplied by twos until the screen was full of small squares of people.  The idea was that this stuff was so good that you had to tell everyone else about it and that they were going to love it.  This is the Faberge Organic Effect.

Fast forward to August 11, 2010, at  Stockbridge Community Church.  We were taking prayer requests in our Wednesday night group and someone was mentioned and we started trying to figure out how theses folks got invited to SCC.   Do you know what we determined?  They were invited via the Faberge Organic Effect. Someone else came to SCC, felt loved, belonged, and told someone else.  What they found was so good that they couldn't keep it to themselves.  They had to tell others.  I did it.  I know plenty of people who have done it. 

We have to tell other people about Jesus.  That's the only way that they are likely to know about Him.  Romans 10:14 says "and how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?" 

It's our job to tell the people that we encounter about Jesus.  It's our place to show Him to others by the way that we live. 

Put the Faberge Organic Effect into play in your life and let me know the outcome.  I can't wait to hear what happens when you tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on . . .

Thanks for the Herd

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about the fact that I feel like God is telling me to be quiet.  I may have also mentioned that I find this funny and ironic.  My confession to you is this:  I am struggling with being quiet.  I would even go so far as to say that since God has told me to do this that I am possibly saying more than before.  I forgot, and do forget, to be quiet.

I think that this is happening for a number of reasons; a couple of these reasons are that it's easy to be excited about a word from God and then forget what He said if I'm not really applying it to my life and seeking His direction constantly.  I also have to tell you that I let my guard down.  I guess I got a little too confident or smug and forgot that after God gave me a word He expected the appropriate actions from my side.  1 Peter 5:8 tells us to be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

I guess me and Satan looked like a film of a lion chasing a gazelle during a National Geographic special on this topic; I was the slow one and I was prey.  But I have to say, thanks for the herd. 

Unlike the poor ol' gazelle described above who meets an unpleasant demise, I have the body of Christ.  I have friends who are prayer warriors in whom I have confided I know that they are lifting me up in prayer; they are encouraging me.  I can worship and praise and learn and grow with my church family on Sunday mornings.  I am blessed by the Wednesday night folks who always teach me so much more than I ever offer to them. 

Church, we are blessed by our Christian family.  Remember today to be thankful for the herd. 

Follwership

I saw a quote today that by A. Maureen Carroll that reads We don't need any more leadership training; we need some followership training. (Side note: if you can find out who A. Maureen Carroll is, please let me know - I'm having difficulties finding out who she is.)

Anyway . . . I bring this quote to your attention because I agree with this sentiment. Don't get me wrong. We need leaders. As a matter of fact, we need good, godly leaders. However, our leaders need a leader and that leader is God. He is

• Jehovah, LORD.
• Adonai, Master
• Jehovah El Elyon, God Most High
• Jehovah El Elohim, The Lord God of Gods

All of us need to learn followership. All of us.

This is a day and age of "my way is right" and "I don't like your rules so I will make my own". People don't like being told what to do. As Christians, however, we are called to follow. And we have, as our example, the life of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Spotless Lamb, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus is a follower. He followed the will of the Father, even to death on a cross. Luke 22:42 tell us that Jesus, agonizing so fiercely about what was waiting that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground, asked the Father to remove this cup from Him, but then He told God that "not my will but Yours be done".

It's time to follow. It's time to realize that our way is not always the right way. It’s time to subject our stubborn, fierce, and faulted wills to His.

Embrace followership. You’re in great company!

Non-Negotiable

My son, James, and I had a pretty interesting conversation last night. As conversations tend to do, like a lazy river twisting this way and that, the topics that we discussed veered here and there until we landed in a spot where we decided to stay for a while.

The topic: is God's Word Negotiable?

Before you throw out the glaringly obvious answer of "NO!" and look at me with that did-she-really-put-that-in-writing-look, you have to know that I agree with you and with that answer.  However,  I do not always live that way.

God has been telling me some things over the last year and a half that I know to be from Him.  The funny thing is that some of the things He has told me are time definite and I truly think that there is type of  blessing from God on the horizon if I do what He says, but rather than act I still chose to regale Him with "good reasons" why I can't follow His direct command to me.  So over the course of this time, I've been dancing the guilt-and-shame-I-can't-hear-You dance.  You know the one.  We've all done it and it's a lot more work and so much harder dancing this jig than walking in obedience is 

Poor God.  I'll bet He rolls His eyes a lot when He looks at me. 

But He is so good and He loves us so much and He doesn't give up on us.  He said to me a couple of weeks ago, "Michelle, if you really think it's my Word, is it negotiable?" 


With one simple question God put all of my cheap excuses in the garbage.  I said very much out loud and from my heart, "No, God, it's not negotiable."  And in the amazing way that only God brings, the immediate freedom from guilt and shame that follow confession and forgiveness overwhelmed me.  My heart was lightened, my burden gone (I guess my dance ticket was gone!)  I have started to do those things that I have known for sometime now that I need to do.  And simple obedience to God's word has already brought about a better life because I am living with in His freedom.  

What about you?  What do you need to do today?  You don't need the devil as a dance partner when you can walk in the light of God.  Whatever God is saying to you, do it.  It'll set you free. 

Wimpy, Wimpy, Wimpy

Sometimes I pray wimpy prayers.  I hate to admit that, but I do.  I say, "Dear Father, if You would only heal so-and-so" or "if You would only intervene in this crisis" or something of the sort.  Really stinking wimpy prayers.  And because of things I have experienced in my past, I afraid that I'm bothering God, as if He really isn't interested in talking to me or that I am taking valuable time that could belong to someone more important.

Enter the 90 Day New Testament Challenge  and what God has to say to me.  Luke writes to Theophilus in chapter 18, verses 35-43, about something that happens to Jesus and the Disciples are walking.  A blind man is sitting on the side of the road when Jesus & Co. are passing his way.  This unnamed man hears a commotion so he asks someone what's going on.  I imagine that this man, who is a beggar, sits in dirty clothing.  He's probably unkempt and a little smelly so whoever answers this question likely dismisses this guy as quickly as the terse answer that he provides to this lowest class citizen.

Does a short answer hush our smelly beggar  friend?  Au contraire!  Our blind companion begins to shout at Jesus.  "Have mercy on me, Son of David!"  The crowd tries to hush him but he only screams louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stops and asks the man, "What do you want me to do?"  Smelly, blind, beggar man says, "Lord, I want to see!"  The reply of Jesus?  "All right, receive your sight.  Your faith has healed you."

So what does any of this have to do with me and my wimpy prayers?  Everything!  This man who (I am assuming) never even met Jesus before screams at our Lord until He stops walking and then he tells Him quite directly what He wants.  He has heard about Jesus, he knows Who He is, and He knows what He is capable of doing. So he is direct with Jesus in telling Him what his needs are.

When I get to heaven I hope that I can meet smelly, blind, beggar man.  I want to tell him, "Thank You" for setting an example and allowing me to dismiss my wimpy prayers.