What Are You Chasing?

DIGGING DEEPER         02/23/2015   What Are You Chasing?             Musician Shawn McDonald shares about being honest with yourself   Excerpt from Chasing God by Angie Smith One can hardly deny the appeal of a good chase. It’s beautiful in concept: we seek after that which eludes us, longing for something just out of reach. Anticipation builds as our hearts beat faster, wondering if we are about to turn the final corner and catch the object of our affection. Our minds are wild with possibility and we’re intoxicated by the sense of adventure. Before we know it, we’ve forgotten the objective because we’re caught up in the thrill of wondering. Either that, or we simply give up and forego the chase altogether because we’re exhausted and discouraged. It can only end in one of two ways: either we catch up or we give up. And despite the outcome, it’s safe to say that our running was based on the presumption that we want something more than it wants us. For most of my Christian life, I have been chasing God. I have piled up commentaries, memorized scholar’s words, and watched how others walk with Him, all the while keeping journals of the bread crumbs I think He’s leaving for me as I go. I’ve stacked up the “required” pile with false obligations and bloated assumptions, and I’ve scorned the mystery with my desperate need for control. I know I’m not alone. We try to fill in the gray instead of living in the black and white. We shape theology to suit our taste, our times, our situations, and our desires. It’s the mess we’ve made by desiring to understand Him more than we want to know Him, and we’re growing more exhausted than inspired every day. And maybe you, like me, have been spending your time going after the wrong objectives (without realizing it) and it’s left you weary of the whole process. What was meant to be a gift has become an obligation, a source of guilt, or a way to fight fear. I assure you, I have been there. And it took quite a bit of time on my knees before I realized I was needlessly exhausted and unsure of my role as a follower of Christ.       For most of my Christian life, I have been chasing God     Don’t misunderstand me; we are not called to be passive in our journey with Christ. In fact, being a disciple of Christ necessitates that we press forward until we can hardly believe we can do it anymore. The problem comes when we use our energy in ways He never asked us to because we’re more concerned with our own feeble sketches of God than we are with God Himself. We rely on our standards, our rules, our opinions, our agendas, and our measurements of holiness instead of His. And as the books pile one on top of another, so do the questions. It’s the difference between following and chasing. The key that finally turned the door of my faith was understanding that we are called to one and not the other. We stare at the rest of the pew, wondering why we aren’t as far along as they are, secretly resenting those who unswervingly claim their faith while we enter another Bible study group, hoping something will stick. If I just do this, I’ll catch Him. My misguided understanding of responsibility, control, and ability led me to despair of all the wrong failures and to celebrate successes that God Himself doesn’t recognize as such. It’s what happens when you try to use religion to fill in the gaps of your faith. Religion is what we build with our own hands when we can’t stand to feel like observers. And when it crumbles, we blame God. We have determined the man-made ceiling to be our own instead of the heavens themselves, and we have allowed our insatiable hunger for understanding to strangle the mystery we’re supposed to embrace.       By Angie Smith         K-LOVE - 5700 West Oaks Blvd. Rocklin, CA 95765 - (800) 525-LOVE (5683)     FACEBOOK     TWITTER     YOUTUBE     LISTEN ONLINE     FAQS       We hope you found this message to be useful. This email was sent as part of your membership at Educational Media Foundation, the parent company of K-LOVE Radio. Your email address is not sold to or shared with a third party. We sometimes use third parties to fulfill services for us, like email sending or music survey tests. In those cases they will have access to your information for the strict purpose of fulfilling their tasks. 5700 West Oaks Blvd., Rocklin, CA 95765 This email was sent to you at: lisatim93.labellabling@blogger.com Click here if you wish to Unsubscribe or click here to Edit your profile.

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Do You Desire to Be Loved?

DIGGING DEEPER         02/16/2015   The Desire to Be Loved             Love Languages by Gary Chapman   Spoken For: Embracing Who You Are and Whose You Are by Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke. One bright April morning Alyssa and I (Robin) were busy in my kitchen preparing food for a youth event at church. All the windows were open. A gentle breeze cooled us. The television was on in the background, but we weren't paying much attention. I reached for the remote to turn it off but accidentally changed the channel. "Oh, wait," Alyssa said. "Leave it there. I love this part." I had happened upon an oldie-but-goodie chick flick at just the right moment. It was one of my favorites too. Alyssa and I stopped what we were doing. We stood together in a sweet silence and watched as the fair maiden ran into the arms of her hero. We sighed and looked at each other. Alyssa had tears in her eyes. So did I. We pointed at each other and laughed. "Why are we crying?" I asked. “I’m sure we've both seen this a dozen times." "I know," Alyssa said wistfully. "But it's such a great love story. And love stories get me every time." It's true, isn't it? Love stories draw us in. Honestly, who doesn't love a good love story? The pursuit. The suspense. The drama. The mystery. We cry, we laugh, we cheer—all for love. We are captivated by our favorite movies, television shows, and books when the romantic elements capture our imaginations and enliven our hopes.       He desires to be with us forever     Even if you don't see yourself as a girlie girl and didn't have a favorite Disney princess when you were growing up, you know in your core that you want to be loved like the heroines in all the best films and stories. You want to see love conquer all. The desire to be loved, cherished, and adored never goes away. All of us long to believe someone is out there who wants us. Someone who will come for us. Someone who will take the role of the hero in our lives and love us, deeply love us, not for what we do or how we look but simply for who we are. What if you could know that you are loved that intensely? You are sought after. You are the bride-to-be in a love story that's unfolding in your life right this minute. You are spoken for. This love story began once upon a time long ago before you were even born. Almighty God, the Creator of the galaxies, thought of you. He carefully fashioned you-your voice, your fingers, your mind, even every one of your eyelashes. He carefully and deliberately crafted you. For all time there only has been and only will be one of you. He saw all your days before you took your first breath. He knows all your thoughts before you speak them. He knows every­ thing about you. From the very beginning you were known, and you were wanted. He is pursuing you like a tenacious bridegroom with a perfect proposal. He has set his affections on you. Why? Because he loves you, and he will never stop loving you. You are his first love, and he wants you back. How do you respond to such unwavering, unending, unstoppable love? The Bible is a love letter written to us. Through that love letter God makes it clear that He desires to be with us forever.        By Robin Jones Gunn and Alyssa Joy Bethke.         K-LOVE - 5700 West Oaks Blvd. Rocklin, CA 95765 - (800) 525-LOVE (5683)     FACEBOOK     TWITTER     YOUTUBE     LISTEN ONLINE     FAQS       We hope you found this message to be useful. This email was sent as part of your membership at Educational Media Foundation, the parent company of K-LOVE Radio. Your email address is not sold to or shared with a third party. We sometimes use third parties to fulfill services for us, like email sending or music survey tests. In those cases they will have access to your information for the strict purpose of fulfilling their tasks. 5700 West Oaks Blvd., Rocklin, CA 95765 This email was sent to you at: lisatim93.labellabling@blogger.com Click here if you wish to Unsubscribe or click here to Edit your profile.

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The Secret to a Happier Relationship Part 2

DIGGING DEEPER         02/09/2015   The Secret to a Happier Relationship         Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages: The Little Things that Make a Big Difference by Shaunti Feldhahn 6 Keys of What Looking Higher Looks Like 1. They Worship Together - Overwhelmingly, those Yes! couples who brought up reliance on God said they attended church together. Instead of a belief in God being the key factor, the commitment to do something about it—starting with going to church together—seems to be the key component in a happy marriage. 2. They Are Plugged Into a Faith Community - One very clear habit of the Yes! couples was a mutual friendship with other positive, supportive couples, including mentors. So it makes sense that churchgoing Yes! couples were highly likely to mention the need not just to go to church but also to be plugged in and active in their faith community. These couples mentioned being in home groups together, doing group Bible studies, engaging in service projects together, and so on—all of which are venues that provide opportunities to befriend, get support from, and share life with others. 3. They Share Key Values - Although I certainly spoke to some Yes! couples where the two partners identified with two different faiths, I found that to be a less common situation. One of the reasons that many committed churchgoing Yes! couples were happy is that both spouses were trying to adhere to a higher, external standard (the Bible) that they both agreed on, and thus they weren’t as likely to have a severe clash of values about important life topics such as parenting, sex, and money. 4. They Focus on Serving Their Spouses, Rather Than on Being Served - The importance of a focus on serving rather than being served received multiple mentions regardless of whether or not the person I was talking to was a person of faith. But the vast majority of Christian couples I interviewed brought it up.       Look to God for fulfillment and security     5. They Look to God for That Power to Be Selfless— Because It Doesn’t Come Naturally! - The Yes! couples mentioned the deepdown struggle [to be selfless]. But they also frequently mentioned the answer— and it wasn’t simple willpower. Because if selfishness is indeed (as the Bible says) deep down in our natures, it would be pretty hard to generate enough willpower to consistently do the selfless, loving, giving thing. Every. Single. Time. Now, obviously, none of us can truly be perfectly selfless! But the Bible does give hope that a higher power is available to help. For example, in one of his letters, the apostle Paul wrote, “See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else.” He then promises, “God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.” I’m sure that is why many of the Yes! couples) emphasized the need to rely on God’s power—not our o wn. 6. Ultimately, They Trust God for the Outcome - I have spoken to enough couples on both ends of the happiness spectrum to know that it can be scary to commit to meeting your spouse’s needs regardless of whether you expect to get your own needs met. But a powerful paradox can be hiding in that exchange. In fact, trusting God instead of another to meet your needs might be the most enduring security-producing choice you ever make. How About Door Number Three? Ultimately, it was clear that looking higher allowed the happiest marriages to flourish because each partner was looking to God for fulfillment and security and was not looking to marriage for something it was not designed to deliver. A large number of Yes! couples emphasized that although it is wonderful to want and to work for happy marriages, expecting marriage (or our spouses) to make us happy is a trap, since there is no human relationship that holds the key to happiness. Only God can provide that ultimate fulfillment we are all longing for.       By Shaunti Feldhahn         K-LOVE - 5700 West Oaks Blvd. Rocklin, CA 95765 - (800) 525-LOVE (5683)     FACEBOOK     TWITTER     YOUTUBE     LISTEN ONLINE     FAQS       We hope you found this message to be useful. This email was sent as part of your membership at Educational Media Foundation, the parent company of K-LOVE Radio. Your email address is not sold to or shared with a third party. We sometimes use third parties to fulfill services for us, like email sending or music survey tests. In those cases they will have access to your information for the strict purpose of fulfilling their tasks. 5700 West Oaks Blvd., Rocklin, CA 95765 This email was sent to you at: lisatim93.labellabling@blogger.com Click here if you wish to Unsubscribe or click here to Edit your profile.