RESTORE: Restored From Within

Whether it is the first of the year or maybe a life changing birthday, people have a tendency to want to make a change in their life. Sometimes that change can come easy, where other times it is much more difficult. On occasion the change agent will be like an asteroid hitting the earth; creating a huge reason for change.

To change your body weight/figure in order to fit into a certain size clothes may only be enough motivation to achieve the goal. However, if the reason for the change is to create a healthier lifestyle, then the change will be more likely to stay and the pounds will likely come off, naturally.

Regardless of the change that will take place, it must come from within. The "mind" or "heart" is the anchor for which the change must stem from to have a greater effect.

Sunday, we looked at Romans 12:2 as a means to transform our minds, not wanting to conform to this world. Being something different than the world is as much of a challenge as it is a reward. Here are some applications to choose from to use this week...  

• Draw Closer ~ When you spend time with people and become closer to them you start to understand them more. The closer you draw to God you will start to understand Him more. The text describes the principle of being able to recognize what God wants and you will respond quickly. I think this is spot on. I can remember the times in my life which I was closer to God and it seemed to spill over into other areas. It was exciting!
• Rid of the Old ~ A few years ago I was restoring our bathroom. It needed it because there had been a leak in the shower area. This was a first for me and the project presented itself with plenty of challenges. There was more damage than I had planned on. I needed to rid the project of the mold and dry rot that was behind the wall. To start to restore/transform, we must rid ourselves of that which is the old and found deeper than the surface. May your process of riddance be successful!
• Opened Eyes ~ We must be able to see the need for change before we can change effectively. With closed eyes we will not be as likely to see God being active in their life. We will overlook things that come into our life as "not from God" when, they likely could have been from Him. I love to see where God is at in my life; how He is directing me to people who need to know of Him. May you keep your eyes opened to see the possibilities!

Are these types of things a challenge for you? For many it can definitely be a challenge, but the outcomes can be awesome. The great part is that God will present you with an overflowing amount of examples that show He is working with you in your life. I either go to bed or wake up (or sometimes both) looking forward to what is going to come forth in the next day. I look forward to today!

Now, it's your turn...what will you be open to? or How has God been working?

A Continuing Restoration - John 17:20-21

Times are changing and so is the church.  One can either fight against the current, and probably be washed away, or to enjoy the ride.

Some of you may be thinking that if one "enjoys the ride" they are just taking the easy route and if they won't stand for something, they'll fall for anything.  However, that is not the direction for which I am coming.

I am not an experienced boat paddler, so I don't know what it is really like to go against a current.  What I do have some experience in is swimming.  I remember having to tread water, either for a class or for enjoyment (to stay afloat).  I wasn't able to do it forever, after a short time it is tiring.  I have experienced this feeling when it comes to trying to be "right" in my spiritual life.  Trying to make the "name" of the place I attend be "right", simply because I was told it was.  All the while, seeing other places be more passionate, free, expressive, which resulted in excitement and growth.

I often thought to myself, "Why can't we have that kind of passion?"  Then, I would realize, it tends to be because we are putting so much effort staking our "rightness" claim that all the passionate energy is sucked out of us.  It is kind of like when you have been "spring cleaning" or doing yard work all day, the last thing you want to do is to return to those activities again anytime soon.  

Yesterday, we continued our series of "Words of Wisdom from the Workshop" by looking at our "Continuing Restoration", a lesson I heard at the Tulsa Workshop by Patrick Mead.  And here are some applications to choose from to use this week...

1. Appreciate Your Heritage ~ We all come from different backgrounds which has shaped us to where we are today.  Appreciate the ones that have gone before, their victories, their blunders, their blazed trails, etc.  Then, think about how you will be a part of that which will help define the future for the next generations.
2. Humble Yourself ~ Were you a part of a group that "bought the corner" on being "right" when it comes to your total view of scripture?  I thought I was part owner of that "corner" for many years, but am realizing daily that the "corner" I thought I part ownership in was not the "right" one.
3. Research Your Heritage ~ After doing some research in the "names" of those who were founders of my heritage I realized some of the things they helped found were not anything like what I see today.  What a wake up call!
4. Why Get Together ~ "We don't get together so that God will like us...He already does".  Maybe you need to rethink why you attend a religious setting on Sunday morning, it shouldn't be so that you can check off things in order to have God like you.  He isn't some bully that you are trying to give your lunch money to in order to have safety in life.  God already does like you or he wouldn't have sent Jesus to die for a world of sinners, like you and I!

The churches will continue to change.  Hymns may fade out.  Pews may fade out.  Evangelistic methods will change.  As culture changes, so must the church.  Staying the same is not going to keep people's attention.  If the church digs its heels in to this "rightness" claim, it may be jerked forward into something it had no idea was coming.

Looking forward to the future changes...