DAY 4: Disconnecting from Discontent

There's that thing in everyone's life that makes you blissfully happy. There are moments that are easy to point to and say, "I was excited" or "That made me smile"--those "Facebook" moments that we're all proud of where there's an obvious sense of euphoria and excitement about life and/or it's events. And, as I drove home from one such moment today, I reflected on the day that I had with a silly smile on my face.

You see, we spent the day exploring this part of Madagascar. How many people get to say that?! We had spent the day having a cultural tour that left me in a state of sweet exhaustion and somewhat overwhelmed. We learned to do this natural paper art with dried flowers, cooked (and ate) traditional Malagasy snacks, participated in rice farming from field to plate, became basket weavers, and met some of the most beautiful people along the way. Yep...it was definitely worthy of 140 characters of tweeting.

But what struck me the most as we interacted with the people we met was something intangible. Looking at the smile of the fisherman in the village we visited with whose home on stilts was creatively arranged to have 3 "rooms" for he, his wife and child or the silent pride in the eyes of the rice farming woman raising 5 children with a husband who works a long distance from home and she sees only once a month or the elder/shepherdess of the church whose 2-part home houses a total of 17 people (near and extended family) I was struck. I can make no suppositions about their happiness and imagine that life has not always been kind to/easy for any of them, but I could discern that they were at peace and CONTENT. They were proud of their families, proud of their traditions, eager to share. They welcomed us with such grace and shared their lives as though they were something precious...because they are.

It is not to say that they don't strive for more. Being content has nothing to do with that 140-character blissful happiness. The definitions of contentedness speak of satisfaction, not stagnation. You could see that they strive for more by the way that they worked diligently to provide for their families and the communities around them. But you could also see that they possessed that very thing that Paul boasts about. Paul who spent much of the time in the bible imprisoned said that he had learned to be content in whatever state he was in (Philippians 4:11).

So many people would notice the poverty of the places we saw, but what I saw most was the peace. You can't bottle that. You can't sell it. You can't pay for it. Peace is priceless. Most of us have more than they have, yet we spend so much time just missing that space of contentment and peace as we search for all of the material trappings of life. In our desire to not stagnate, we don't just strive but we lust after those things that we desire. It's a dangerous yet fine tightrope that many of us fail to stay on--falling because of dissatisfaction and discontent. We allow discontent to sour our moods to make enjoyment of even the little things in life like playing in the mud or splashing like children in a pond virtually impossible.

Today's trip was a reminder to me that I pass along to you: We are privileged beyond measure. Not because of any things we may possess beyond others. No. Our privilege lies in the fact that we have the key to disconnecting the power that discontent has on our lives permanently if we so choose. Paul finishes his famous thought on contentedness with a well-known verse that I think we fail to fully grasp. He says, "In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:12b-13) You have a choice. You can choose to be strengthened and charged in the satisfaction and peace that comes from the power of Christ, or you can choose to be drained by discontent. You can choose your focus. You can choose to give voice to the places of joy in your life and silence discontent. You can choose to meditate on what you lack and where your life is missing something or you can find strength and satisfaction in the small things that remind you that life is good. Be encouraged today to make the decision to disconnect from discontent and plug into small joys and underlying peace that comes with being content.

Lord, help us today to choose you in our focus. Help us to meditate on those small good things that bring us joy and peace. Help us disconnect from the power that discontent has on our lives. Help us to choose contentment in this day. Amen.

Blessings,
Pastor Andrea

DAY 3: Demolishing Walls of Shame

Today, I felt the Lord prompting me to share something about an event in my past with a group that I don't share often. It isn't a secret but it used to be. I used to tremble at the idea of people knowing about this place of shame. So it's one of those things that I don't talk about often. The reason is because for years I felt such shame associated with these particular events of my life. For many years, it was an aspect of my life that I always figured was better left in the past unless specifically prompted to bring it out into the present. But what I remarked on today (and have actually noticed the last few years of my life) is that the more I share and live transparently before people, the less I feel ensnared in the bondage that the enemy hopes to keep most of us in. Every time I have shared, I felt as though I was personally deconstructing the devil's wall of shame. His goal is to post the misfortunes, failures and tragedies of our lives on his wall. Our goal needs to be to tear it down!

Whether it is something we did or something done to us, he desires for us to constantly be judging ourselves and judging God's love for us by a clean wall. But what I know to be true is that's not how God operates. He does not remind us of our tragedy nor of our sins. The Bible tells us that "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is (God's) faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)

This means that there's nothing too great or too tragic or too shameful for God. And today as I shared, it occurred to me that I had stopped feeling shame years ago. Consequently, I was able to share with clarity and boldness...knowing that what I shared was out of obedience to the Lord. Furthermore, the sound of peace in my own heart and weightlessness of liberty washed over me even as I spoke. For I have found that what is beyond shame is a freedom in the spirit that can be rivaled by none.

Today, it's demolition time! Be encouraged to release the spaces of shame that have you tied in knots. Let me be a testament to you that the freedom from embracing every aspect of your life as one of the building blocks that is "working together for your good" (Romans 8:28), is well worth facing the fear of vulnerability. In the middle of the truth of who you are and all that you have been through, YOU ARE ENOUGH! You are valuable and your shame does not define you. And if that's just too much for you to think about right away, simply pray and ask that the Lord silence the enemy and give you the strength to face your truth in the absence of shame...

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; 

in your righteousness deliver me! Incline your ear to me;

rescue me speedily! Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me!

...I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; 

rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! 

Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! 

O Lord, let me not be put to shame, for I call upon you; 

let the wicked be put to shame; let them go silently to Sheol. 

Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt. 

Psalm 31:1,2,14-18

Blessings,
Pastor A

Fasting The Furious (40 Day Journey Out of Negativity)

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Do you ever feel as though negative thoughts or emotions are getting more and more airplay on the channel of your life? Today marks the start of the Lenten season and we've decided to switch the station and tune into something different for the next 40 days. There are so many people who have prayed and made decisions on foods to sacrifice and places to become more disciplined in their lives. For us, we're calling a fast to those "furious" side of life--NEGATIVITY. 



Beginning today, we'll spend some time exploring various negative emotions in an effort to conquer the hold they sometimes have on our lives. It is our prayer that, come Easter, we will be celebrating together our Risen Savior with genuine joy and purity of heart. Join in as you see fit and make a conscious decision to pray and fast around those negative places that have set up residence in your heart. 

Ready? Let's do it...