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We’re Giving God’s Gifts

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

[Matthew 10:8 NIV]

David, our summer intern, writes:

I grew up in, by anyone’s account, an extremely wealthy environment. I know people with more money or cars or houses, but by any measure you could dream of, I’m rich. I also grew up a Christian, the son of a pastor and two very devoted Christian parents. Reconciling those two facts was something I struggled to do for a long time.

After all, Matthew says that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” I always thought that there was something in being wealthy that inherently kept us from truly loving God. What I’m learning, though, is that’s not true. It’s not money, cars, or vacation homes that separate us from God, but our devotion to those things. We can serve but one master, and if that master is material, we push God to the side. Money is not the problem- the all-encompassing, life-overhauling need for more money is.

Being detached from the things we have frees us from the shame and guilt associated with them, and also allows us to give them freely. Just before the above verse, Jesus tells a man to “sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). Selling his possessions is not the important part of this charge from Jesus- it’s giving the benefits to the poor. We are called to give without ceasing to those who don’t have as much as we do, and to give as quickly and as easily as we receive.

Rich Mullins is one of my favorite examples of this: A wildly successful Christian musician, every dime he made was given to his church. The church paid him the average salary for someone his age for that year, and gave the rest to charity. He didn’t live in poverty, and lived comfortably, but recognized the money he had didn’t belong to him. It belonged to God, and he gave it freely back.

To me, God’s call regarding material things comes in Matthew 10:8: “freely you have received, freely give.” I have nice things and a comfortable life because God gave them to me, and not because of something I did. The man whose chances are like that of a camel is the man who ignores God all around him in pursuit of the green in front of him. There’s nothing wrong with having money and things, so long as our eyes are fixed on praising God and caring for his people, and not on padding our pocketbooks.

Story posted on Friday, August 15th, 2008 and is filed under Bible, Hope, Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Verses, Missions, Prayer, Grace. | 1 Comment »

We Are Meant to be in Community

Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.

[Matthew 18:19 NIV]

David, our summer intern, writes:

I love sports that involve nations competing. The World Cup, the Olympics, you name it- in terms of getting people excited, competitions like these are on a level of their own. Whether or not you care at all about the sports, the competitive and nationalistic atmosphere is enough to lure anyone into rabid fan-hood, if only for a short time.

As we look to the Olympics, it presents an interesting question: With people from every imaginable background and situation watching, an enormous and influential stage is created. If you had the world’s attention, what would you tell them? As I began to think about this question, one answer became obvious to the point where it was all I could think about. It’s this: we as people are meant to be in community, and it’s united, not divided, that is our rightful and natural state.

The Biblical evidence for this is overwhelming. One of my favorite verses in the Bible, Matthew 18:19, says that “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” We’re not meant to be alone, but rather to gather in God’s name and worship together. Our needs are meant to be met together. The thing I love most about this verse, though, is that I think one reason we’re meant to pray together is that we’re meant to be the answers to prayer. God chooses to use us to meet each other’s needs, to live as brothers and sisters in Christ, and take care of each other.

Ten chapters later, Matthew 28:19, in Jesus’ “Great Commission,” he tells his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” He doesn’t tell them to make disciples of the Jews, or the Palestinians, but all nations.

We live in one world, under one God. Our similarities far outweigh our differences, and the chance to live with and worship God for all eternity is for everyone. We love to compare and to compete, but the world needs to hear more about how alike we are in the only eyes that matter: God’s.

Story posted on Friday, July 18th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, Your Stories, Missions, Life Verse. | 3 Comments »

God Gives Me Freedom

[Jesus speaking] “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

[Mark 8:35 NIV]

David, our summer intern, writes:

We live today in an increasingly lawless, amoral society, one in which you can do anything you want without fear of repercussion. There is tremendous freedom in this, and discerning what that freedom means for Christians has been a long struggle for me.

The Bible promises freedom for all followers of God, but yet imposes laws against certain actions and choices. Freedom, to most people today, means that we can do whatever we want. The Bible promises great freedom, yet tells us that there are many things we can’t do. What gives?

I began to understand when I happened one day upon Mark 8:35, when Jesus says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

I had always thought of freedom as freedom to do whatever I wanted.

True freedom, though, the kind Jesus promises, is both “freedom to” and “freedom from.” Freedom from our earthly desires, our sin, our misguided selfishness. These things lead only to our own destruction, but Jesus promises that if we put our life in his hands, he will free us from them.

Once we turn over control of our lives, and God has reoriented our hearts, we are free to do what is right, what is best for us, and what is best for others.

By learning to trust in God for my own care and salvation, I will be able to selflessly love God and love others the way I am called to.

When we commit ourselves completely to God’s care, we have the freedom to be who we are called to be, and to experience the true joy of living in God’s presence.

Story posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Hope, Praise, Your Stories, Struggles. | 3 Comments »

Marriage Between God and the Church

This is a great mystery, but I understand it to mean Christ and his church. So each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband.

[Ephesians 5:32-33 CEV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

It’s wedding season!

In just a matter of a month I have been to two weddings out of the five I was invited to.

The first wedding was very lush and had every detail to it attended to. My husband and I arrived as guests of the bride and groom. I decided to take my camera with me and snapped several shots of the glowing couple and their guests.

We met a couple that was a mirror image of us, only they were based on the West coast. The food was delectable, the atmosphere was melodic and the air spoke of love. Both families rejoiced in the union of their son and daughter.

For the second wedding, my husband and I knew the groom, and he had asked us to film and photograph the event for them. We did so as a gift to the bride and groom.

It’s a totally different experience to work a wedding, than to attend a wedding … literally, it’s night and day. We hustled, we ran, we got dirty.

Unfortunately the night before it was pouring rain and the wedding was outside. It made for a muddy procession.

All the same, it was magical. Seeing the bride transform from an ordinary pretty girl to a vision of absolute beauty was really a treat.

As I snapped away toward the end of the evening, my husband and I couldn’t help but think of our own wedding and just how in its truest form it represents God and His beloved, the church.

There is something magical, whimsical, honest and endearing about the love that God has for us as a unit, but when we unite with Him and hold fast to His Word, it’s something utterly powerful. Here’s to an amazing spring!

Story posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, God's Love, Your Stories, Verses. | 1 Comment »

The Power of Praying With My Husband

I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

[Jeremiah 10:23 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

Recently my husband and I were looking through some old journals that we each had when we were courting, and we started to tell each other what we were feeling at those exact moments and how badly we wanted to get married.

It felt like our wedding day would never come! Now looking back it makes both of us laugh, but at that time it was extremely frustrating.

I remember how much we prayed over our marriage and all the steps we had to take soon after (moving, buying a home, etc). It was probably the craziest time we have ever been through, but some how it all went smoothly and without a hitch.

The one thing we both agreed on that helped tremendously was prayer and diving head first into His Word. We sought His face and His will through it all.

We didn’t want to take a step without knowing that He wanted us to.

Now two years later we still make time every day, even if it is just 10 minutes here and there, to pray and read the Bible together. If he travels, or if I travel, we call each other and pray together.

Even with the bumps on the road, we know that God will guide us down that road and then some.

Story posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, Your Stories, Prayer. | 2 Comments »

Finding My Identity, Growing In Self-Esteem

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

[Psalm 139:13-14 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

The other night I caught myself cleaning the house, and during one of my many breaks, a song by Ginny Owens came on called “True Story.” It’s one of my favorites, but I hardly ever really listened to the lyrics.

The chorus melted my heart. I must admit, it made me say “Oh wow.”

You see my imperfections
Still You say I’m a masterpiece
A marvelous reflection
The image of Yourself in me
You paint with strokes of grace
Undoing my disguise
You say beauty lies in the true story

She nailed it right on! God sees all my imperfections: my stubborn mind, my doubting heart, my constant learning soul. Through it all, He sees His reflection.

He takes every label that I have placed on myself and slowly but surely He peels them apart till they are no more.

As a young child I dealt with self-esteem issues. Daughter of parents who were immigrants, I didn’t speak fluent English until the age of 11, my hair was a frizz ball and my clothes were often hand-me-downs.

In my parents attempt to have me in the best schools possible, I was always in schools where little girls had the latest brand-name clothing, had perfect smooth hair and could speak more than English, but also French.

As I grew older and was finally able to tame my wild hair, learn English to the point it became my first language and had a part time job where I was able to buy some clothes for school … I learned that I was never the daughter of immigrants, but the daughter of a mighty King.

It took me a bit to accept that. Geesh, I still deal with it today! It’s something that on a daily basis I have to remind myself of … that I have a God who loves every curl on my head, and then some. Amazing isn’t it?

Story posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, God's Love, Praise, Your Stories, Struggles. | 5 Comments »

We're Celebrating Jesus This Easter

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

[Acts 10: 39-41 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

For the past week or so I’ve been studying Acts 10: 39-41. Given that Easter is this Sunday, I seem to realize more and more how incredible of a sacrifice our Lord and Savior made for all of us … even someone like me.

As I grow older I notice how much every holiday, including Easter, often gets thrown into the masses with chocolates, candy, egg hunts, wicker baskets and, oddly enough, a rabbit.

All of them have their significance, but for me and for my family, we take this time to recognize that Jesus in all His glory was able to rise from the dead on the third day. Not something you see every day!

These verses (Acts 10: 39-41) really get to my core, mainly because they note how not all of the people of Jerusalem saw Jesus rise up, but only those who believed and “ate and drank with him.” It made me ask the following questions to myself: “How often do you eat and drink with your Lord?” “Do you take in your daily bread?” “Are you seeing Him resurrect in your life today?”

Everything within me rejoices that I have a Lord who is still alive today and is willing and able to resurrect broken homes, relationships, financial burdens and even more than I can imagine.

Story posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Verses, Grace. | 2 Comments »

I Must Praise God

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

[Psalm 34:1-3 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

Ever have one of those days when nothing is going right? When just by getting out of bed you wish you could crawl right back in?

Today was one of those mornings when it took everything within me to get out of bed. In my head the stream of excuses started to flow: “I didn’t get enough sleep”; “Just 5 more minutes”; “It can’t be 6:30 already!”

I finally opened my eyes and just started to pray, thanking the Lord for such an amazing day. I continued to praise Him through my shower and while eating breakfast. I put my iPod on and heard some worship songs on my train ride in.

On the train, people were pushing every which way, and then the train was delayed. Several people kept grunting, and by the time we got to my stop, I was pushed out of the train before I could walk out. By the time I got to work, I was trying my best to forget the ride in.

I sat at my desk and read my morning devotional. I was not only wide awake by now, but knew God had a word for me.

As I read Psalm 34, I had to remember that in all things I must praise God. Of course a bad commute into work isn’t the end of the world, but at times these little instances can end up ruining my day.

Keeping my eyes set on Him tends to be my biggest challenge, because when I see the slew of emails come in and the phone calls, the requests, the deadlines, the reports that are due … it can become challenging at times. But I know within myself that the God who allowed me to wake up this morning will give me wisdom to carry out my day.

Story posted on Friday, February 15th, 2008 and is filed under Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Verses, Struggles. | 3 Comments »

Why Did Things Go Wrong?

Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

[Isaiah 30: 20-21 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

A recent conversation with an old friend reminded me of several years back when I was living in Nashville, TN, with my roommate Heather and all the struggles we endured.

It was a time in my life when I had moved to this city to pursue a job offer that was given to me, but as time passed I found myself drowning so heavily in debt that I thought I’d never get out of it.

I was constantly depressed and often wondered why God had placed me in such a horrible position. I knew that I was sent to Nashville for a purpose, and knew I heard Him tell me that I had to be there, but then why did everything go so wrong?

Heather and I would often go to church and had many friends who encouraged us and often helped us out financially in order to buy groceries and pay the rent, but I still questioned Him. Why am I here? Why are you doing this?

Also during my time in Nashville, I was raped. This was the final straw for me. I felt like I had been completely forsaken and that God had forgotten all about me. Surely He had if he allowed this to happen.

There were days when I didn’t even get out of bed because I didn’t feel there was a need to. I wouldn’t eat or talk to anyone.

No one knew what I had gone through for quite some time until Heather and I started talking about prayer. That evening I broke down. I told her everything that had happened. Heather and I cried for hours about it and I had never felt more loved and more broken than at that moment.

Through a mutual friend of ours I was able to report the rape to the local police and also go to a Christian counselor, who reminded me that I was precious and loved. After that experience, I moved back home with my family in Florida and was able to find rest and refuge in my parents’ home.

Since then I have not forgotten what happened on that day. But as the years have passed, I have been able to forgive the man who did this to me and grow stronger in my relationship with Christ, my Father.

God blessed me with a husband who loves me and accepts me for who I am, not for what I have been through. I’m no longer in debt, and I have learned to trust God more in my walk with Him, no matter what happens.

Story posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 and is filed under Hope, Team Corner, Praise, Your Stories, Struggles, Verses, Most Popular Stories. | 3 Comments »

Christmas Joy: The Birth of Life

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

[Isaiah 7:14 NIV]

Abby, our program manager, writes:

I can still remember the day that my niece was born as if it were yesterday. The morning of September 7th we all marched over to the hospital to meet up with my sister-in-law, my brother and my very anxious 3-year-old nephew, who could not stop boasting that soon he would be a big brother.

The entire nursery was buzzing with whispers, laughter and pacing from our family. The grandparents waited near the window to catch a glimpse of the new addition to our family. After an hour of waiting, there she was in all her glory. This precious, crying, bundle of joy.

All of us felt we couldn’t love something so small so much. It was a burst of energy that exploded in the room. The cameras zoomed and snapped the best possible picture of this new baby girl.

My brother could not believe his eyes and my nephew was jumping up and down trying to see who he was a big brother to. When she was finally brought to the room where my sister-in-law was, my nephew (along with the rest of the family) had completely fallen in love.

That moment often made me think of the birth of Jesus and the moments leading up to it. The thoughts both Mary and Joseph had … their family members, their friends and their neighbors. It was
different.

I can imagine the remarks, “A virgin giving birth?” “How is this possible?” “Surely she is lying!” Within Mary’s heart, the purest of joy and love for her baby and yet having to flee in order to save the life of her unborn child. Joseph carrying on this responsibility of becoming a father to a son he did not help conceive, the Son of the Most Holy.

I can almost imagine that the moment Mary gave birth though, that burst of excitement and joy flooded the manger. In that most intimate moment, the Holy Lamb had been born to save humanity. WOW! Just writing it brings tears to my eyes.

This holiday season is filled with thoughts of finding that perfect present for loved ones, how many stockings we have to fill, Christmas cards we have to send and the list can truly go on and on. Trust me; it’s on my mind too!

I want to challenge you though to take a moment during this season to really think about the “reason for the season.” A small bundle of joy came in all innocence to die for our sins and live selflessly so that we may have eternal life. It’s amazing isn’t it?

Hope you and your loved ones have a Christmas to remember!

Story posted on Friday, December 21st, 2007 and is filed under Team Corner, Bible, Praise, Your Stories, Verses. | 3 Comments »