Sunday - 8:30am, 10:30am, 6:00pm Wednesday - 6:30pm Saturday - 5:00pm Collinsville / Maryville Campus Sunday - 10:00am Millstadt Campus Sunday - 10:00am Scott Campus Sunday - 10:00am Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 NIV Id love to say that I am not an anxious person when stress hits, but that would be untrue. Recently my husband and I received a phone call stating our son, Joshua, was hours from death due to a spider bite and in the ICU at a hospital in Florida. While I was making airline reservations to fy out as quickly as possible, my wonderful husband headed to church to pray with those awesome people that attend the Going Deeper Wednesday night service. In answer to the prayers of my fellow brothers and sisters at Christ Church, God calmed my nerves and gave me His peace. I could sense the power of prayer as I few to Florida, followed by a fast drive to the hospital to be with my son. God answered our prayers and had mercy upon my family. Joshua is recovering well and knows that God saved his life. Praise you Lord for your mercy, grace, power of healing and mighty love. Next time you are hit with stress and fear, lift your prayers to the One who has the power to save! In His Mighty Name, Donna Harrison Editor donnaharrison@mychristchurch.com Senior Pastor: Rev. Shane Bishop Associate Pastor: Rev. Troy Benton Editor: Donna Harrison Proof Reader: Barbara Germany Design: Justin Aymer Cover Photo: Mike Creagh For a complete listing of the Christ Curch Staff and to learn more about Christ Church please visit: www.mychristchurch.com The Flame Online: Get The Flame Magazine online. Free pdf downloads. Email reminders of new editions. Visit www.mychristchurch.com/thefame. Mission Of The Flame: Be inspirational through biblical articles and devotions. Be informative in the announcement of future events that connect people in ministry. Questions about the Flame? Contact Donna Harrison at: donnaharrison@mychristchurch.com The Flame Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine published by Christ Church. 2013, Christ Church. All rights reserved. A Note from the editor Contents 3 - Should A Christian Pray For Gods Vengeance? 4 - What About Holy Hands? 5 - The Proper Way to Pray and Worship 6 - Something Beautiful 7 - The Challenge of Certainty 8 - A Priceless Gift 9 - Getting To Know You 10 - Worship 11 - Adventures in Prayer 12 - Face Forward, Eyes Wide Open 14 - Musings 15 - God At Work O ne of the frst challenges to the modern reader when foraying into the Psalms are the prayers for Gods vengeance upon the writers enemies. I am talking about the knock out their teeth, drive them into the dust and strike them dead kind of prayers. Surely Psalm 58 represents such material well. These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way. They spit poison like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen, ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play. Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD! May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands. May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun. God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats on an open fame. The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. Then at last everyone will say, There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth. Psalm 58:3-11 To say at least, this isharsh. When we read such material, we must fnd the courage to face the obvious question, What are we supposed to do with this stuff? I think there are essentially two options: 1) Determine it to be Pre-Christian Material (which it is) and render the really disturbing stuff in the Old Testament (there is more) null and void due to the advent of Christ and the New Testament. The problem is that if we begin to do theology this way, there is not a place to stop. Before long, in our efforts to adjust those few Biblical passages we cannot reconcile, we give away the whole of the Authority of Scripture. Or 2) Determine the whole of the Bible contains Gods Word and work through the diffcult parts. I choose door number two! I really like the Psalms; they are honest. In many ways, the Psalms are an affront to our attempts to appear better than we are. The authors think things you are not supposed to think, say things you are not supposed to say and express feelings Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor facebook.com/revshane @RevShaneBishop Should A Christian Pray For Gods Vengeance? By Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor you are not supposed to express. When I read Psalm 58, I must confess to the times I have felt that way about my enemies and thought, said and felt similar things. I am not proud of this reality, but it remains a matter of fact. So the question before us at such an inglorious moment is, What now? What do I do when I feel like I shouldnt feel, think what I shouldnt think and say what I shouldnt say? Theologian Walter Brueggemann offers that we have three options: 1) We can act out those feelings. Indeed we see this in acts of violence all over the world today. 2) We can deny those feelings knowing that repressed things come out in unexpected and often unhealthy ways. Or 3) We can give those feelings over to God. Brueggemann suggests that in prayers for vengeance, the author says their piece to God and then leaves it with God. Paul reminds us in Romans that vengeance is Gods to administer, not ours. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. Romans 12:19 It might be good and well to leave our discussion there, but I dont think we can in a Christian context. Somewhere we must factor in what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors. But how do we get from here (prayers against enemies) to there (prayers for enemies)? For me, the answer is simple--one step at a time. Christian prayers for our enemies may start out much like Psalm 56, but if we consistently pray for our enemies, Christ will simply not allow them to stay there. Through consistent prayer, we slowly (even glacially) begin to see others through Jesuss eyes; what was despicable turns to pitiful and what was evil turns to lost. Through prayer, the Christian disposition begins to shift from punish them to save them. In this incremental swing, we move from our will toward our enemies (that their lying tongues turn green and begin to swell) to Gods will for our enemies (that their lives be transformed through life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ). We move from prayers of damnation to prayers for salvation. So should a Christian pray for vengeance upon our enemies? I would suggest it is a terrible place to end but it may be the only place many of us can start. 3 O ur Flame editor has challenged me once again to attack a topic of some controversy. What about Holy hands being lifted in church for worship? Is it appropriate? Is it expected? Is it something people connected with Christ are called to do? If I dont raise my hands in church, does it mean I dont worship God fully? I think its helpful to explore the lifting of hands in other contexts to consider those questions. Its very natural to raise our hands in celebration for a victory in the arena of sports. I have observed this to be especially true in recent World Cup soccer action. Every goal scored results in hands lifted high on the field and in the stands. It happens spontaneously. Nobody questions raised hands at a sporting event. Somehow wanting to celebrate with a victorious team is an occasion for lifting hands. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. (Exodus 17:11) Another clearly appropriate act of raising hands is the act of surrender. Surrender is a voluntary willingness to submit to authority when defeat appears inevitable. Throughout the history of warfare, an expression of empty lifted hands has signaled a plea for life in conditions where failure to surrender will likely result in death. Somehow wanting to surrender is an occasion for lifting hands. Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place. (Psalm 28:2) Remember being in school and wanting to ask a question or contribute to the discussion? What did you do? The teacher looks for raised hands as expressions of willingness to participate and contribute with either questions or answers. We are taught at an early age a want for recognition warrants the raising of hands. Somehow wanting to be heard is an occasion for lifting hands. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees. (Psalm 119:48) What About Holy Hands? By Dave Merrill Dave Merrill facebook.com/davemerrill819 What about lifting a hand to help others? We have an inborn desire to protect those whom we love from danger and steer them away from sin. We protect one another with systems of accountability, mentoring, and encouragement. When we lift a hand to help another we are fulfilling Christs command to love our neighbor. Somehow a desire to help others is an occasion for lifting hands. If you say, The Lord is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:9-12) Perhaps my favorite lifting of hands became obvious to me as a father and a grandfather. My children and grandchildren raised their hands even before they were able to walk or talk as an expression of wanting to be held. They intuitively knew to reach out results in an embrace of love and acceptance. Somehow wanting to be loved is an occasion for lifting hands. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:3-5) Do you look for a way to celebrate the joy of victory in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Are you called to surrender your life to the Lord of Lords without whom death is inevitable? Do you want to be heard and understood by our teacher and counselor, the Holy Spirit? Are you prepared to encourage, love, and help others? Do you desire to be loved and held by a heavenly Father who cares for you? We do all these things as acts of praise to God. LIFT YOUR HANDS!! I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. (Psalm 63:4) 4 C ount the number of hairs on your head. Multiply that number by 1000. The answer will begin to come close to the number of correct ways to pray and to worship. However, there is just one purpose for both: to be in relationship with the mighty God who stands by to lead me in the fulfillment of His purposes in my life. Worship draws me into His throne room where I am free to sing and shout my love. Prayer draws me to His side where He can put His arm around me, incline His ear, and say, Yes, my child, what is on your mind? A single purpose with tens of thousands of ways to draw near. I hope you will allow me to share some experiences in prayer and worship with this understanding: Any true act of prayer and worship is the proper way. Any word(s) or any song(s) that takes you into Gods court is the one for you. I am disturbed when I hear people say they do not know how to pray or how to worship. The purpose is to be in relationship with a mighty God--not in how you do it. Worrying about whether I am doing it right is of the world, not in a desire to relate to the King of Kings. I am reminded of the parable of the widows mite. While others around her gave much (and bragged much), the widow gave generously of what she had. Prayer and worship work that same way. Give generously of yourself. It is not about the words or the beauty of the music. It has everything to do with the condition of the heart. I have experienced just about every imaginable type of worship. I have seen worshipers with one hand or two hands thrown into the air, heads back, and tears streaming down faces. I have witnessed dancing, jumping, pacing, and falling over. I have sung in my soul, Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place. I have seen His mighty power and His grace. I have been in worship when there was no singing and no preaching yet God was so close I could feel His breath on the back of my neck. At other extremes I was thrust into His presence through the powerful chords of an organ in a reverberating cathedral space. I will always remember how close I felt to God as I listened to a choir rehearsing for Christmas Eve mass in St. Peters basilica in Rome. But I have felt just as close in my little clapboard country church with its Spartan trappings. When Virginia sang as she played a somewhat out of tune piano, she worshiped and I was able to worship with her. My prayer experience follows a similar pattern. I have prayed with one hand or both hands held high because I wanted to open myself to my mighty God. I have felt so hurt and lost that I buried my face in my pew seat. I have prayed with my eyes wide open; driving a car with my eyes closed in prayer is not a good thing. My prayers in the car are just as valid as the times I have been in a church house with my eyes closed, hands folded on my lap, and my head bowed. I have prayed in silence and with soft music in the background. I have even laughed as I prayed. I have prayed with my arms around a group of men while tears flowed and my nose ran. I have thrown myself on the floor before the cross, every time feeling Gods presence. Not every experience was a mountaintop one. There have been days when my prayers clattered to the floor empty of meaning and energy. There have been days when I have attempted to be in an attitude of worship when I yawned and nodded. I walked away feeling empty and thinking myself to be a phony and unworthy of Gods love for me. Through it all, I believe my worship is genuine. I believe I am free before a grace-filled God. Jesus has set me free when He called to me, Come and dine. There is nothing sweeter than Gods love being poured all over me as I pray and worship. During those times I am abandoned in His presence. I get the good-all-overs. Let go and let God has meaning when there is less of me and more of Him. And so, my friends, when you worship and pray do not worry about anything: instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (Phil. 4:6) Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Phil. 4:8) There is nothing to fear, nothing to block your way as your spirit joins hands with His Spirit as you let go and let God talk with you as you pray and worship. The Proper Way to Pray and Worship By Bernie Kneale Rev. Bernie Kneale Email: bkneale@accessus.net 5 Something Beautiful By Shannon Peiffer O f all the hymns I have sang over the years, the one I most relate to is Something Beautiful. I cannot make it through this song without sobbing, as it just means so much to me. It reminds me of the greatest transformation God has made in my life. As in Isaiah chapter 61, the Lord created beauty from ashes by taking this broken soul and making her whole again. At the age of 13 I accepted Christ as my savior. I spent the next four years carrying a Bible to school with me and pouring over scripture. Unfortunately, I made some decisions that led me down a path I had not anticipated. Not unlike many young girls, I got wrapped up with the wrong man. He claimed to be a Christian, but produced no fruit. Matthew 7:16-18, You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. He lied to shield my nave eyes from his drug problem and made me accomplice to his thefts. I found myself falling deeper into the wrong crowd. I was embarrassed and ashamed at who I had become, but I had no way to get out. I had lost all hope of rescue. I began to pray that God would liberate me from the mess I had made, but I never projected what He would do next. I finally found the courage to take a step in the right direction. Five years into the relationship and a year and a half into a marriage, I was a different person. I fled in search of freedom, but what I found was redemption. For the first time in my life, I was on my own. I still prayed every day and read my Bible, but I was certain there was nothing left for God to use. I gave up my hopes and dreams of being a vessel for Him. For six months, I explored my freedom, until I felt God calling me home. Immediately, I set out on packing my things to pursue what God had in store. The day I was heading home, there came a knock on my door. If the phone had not rang, I would have missed it, but Gods timing is perfect. I opened my door to the man who would set in motion every event that would subsequently change my life for the glory of the Lord. It was a huge turning point. This Christian man helped me undo all the bad that had been done. His goodness encouraged me to be a better person. His love gave me the courage to keep going strong. He showed me God loved me and that I had a chance to start anew. Once my only dream had been to be a wife and mother in a strong Christian family; a dream I had never believed had the hope of becoming a reality. Now my dream has come true. I am a home schooling mother of three strong boys, who have a father who loves and honors God and his family. I have everything I had ever truly hoped for out of life, but never thought possible, because God never gave up on me. Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion, He understood! All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful of my life. If there ever were dreams that were lofty and noble, they were my dreams at the start. And hope for lifes best were the hopes that I harbor down deep in my heart, but my dreams turned to ashes and my castles crumbled, my fortune turned to loss. So I wrapped it all in the rags of my life and laid it at the cross. Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion, He understood! All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful of my life. Thank you, Lord, for seeing me as something worth redeeming. Shannon Peiffer facebook.com/shannon.peiffer.5 6 The Challenge of Certainty By Troy Benton, Associate Pastor T his month, those of us privileged to write for The Flame were given a series of questions to tackle. Heres the one I pulled: How can we know we are hearing from God and not following our desires or being deceived by Satan when we pray for direction in our lives? As I began to grapple with the question, I thought in to myself, Id love to read the person who has figured this one out! I further remembered my humanness and reverted to watching basketball again. I was certain I held no ability to answer this daunting question. My life experiences did not provide any insightsor does it? There are a ton of people who know the whats. They know what job they will be doing, the what of how many kids they will have, the what city they will live in, and other whats that speak of functions in their lives. Whether the whats of ones life are clear, the whys that provide the backdrop to the first part of this theorem makes all the difference on how a person accepts the truth of their lives. I have not met anyone who has held prior knowledge of what the future fifty years of their lives are going to release-reveal-reset with specifics like a puzzle they have put together a million times before I have however, met some who had begun to have a good view of at least what the puzzle of life was to begin to look like for them. These persons, these mentors hold who hold an outlining view of their walk and work in life, have used one resource to discern or clarify or identify what they heard about the elements of their lives as direction from God or deception from the enemy. Here are a few insights from these persons: AN EVER-LIVING PRAYER LIFE is the key! These persons insist that a constant prayer dialogue with God is the doorway God uses to help tell truth or reveal deception on all matters of life, especially the direction and proper requests of ones life. This tool has brought forth the following: A BIG RULER! Using the right ruler in the right way is also a key. Discernment is not for trivial matters. Dont attempt to discern which tie to buy or whether you should spend another thirty minutes with friends; decide. Discernment in prayer discipline that is focused on life matters, not living details of small nature. Dont get super-spiritual about stuff that is only about superlatives. BIG RESULTS! Discernment will deliver evidence that ones request will glorify both God and neighbor. This one requires careful handling. Everyones life will not affect tens of millions of lives outwardly. Get comfortable with the truth that you may not be the person who will be the best-known in history! Your request for direction or some resource must be for the purpose of having big results for God and those who you are doing life within context. Chill. Be good being you! BIG OPPORTUNITIES! How many new doorways does your request invite you to peek your head in? Discernment is about life-change. Deciding whether it is Gods will, the enemys tempting, or your own ego will bring forth good or bad. Ready yourself and those who do life with you for whatever the results bring and prepare to embrace them. Either way, they will offer new insights to who you are and what God is preparing you to be. We are never finished being formed until we are before God in heaven. BIG BLESSINGS! Discernment has refined each one of these persons/mentors. Each person I asked about their use of discernment stated they would never have become the person they are now without implementing this tool. Between growing in some areas, and growing out of others, discernment pruned them into better people. Each one said that discernment leaves no one as a child of grace, but a seasoned citizen for the Kingdom of God. Anxiety is replaced with contentment, discomfort is replaced with determination, and confusion is replaced with a carefully built faith in God that is like bedrock. Each who offered insights pointed to the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Roman church (chapter 8) as the best instruction on how to use this tool. You put this tool into play by engaging in frequent prayer, informing your prayer life with Gods word to reshape how you view and hear Gods voiceor something else. Finally, gaining skill of the use of this tool can only be achieved by practice. You will, just like all of us do, make mistakes in gaining clarity. Practice doesnt make perfect in this action, but it does present us as better in the process of discernment. Get goingNOW! Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 8:12, NRSV Rev. Troy Benton, Associate Pastor facebook.com/tmbenton @revtroy 7 A Priceless Gift By Matt Denny M y wife and I bought our daughter a Rainbow-Loom for Christmas this last year. The loom allows our daughter to make bracelets, necklaces, and belts out of penny-sized rubber bands. For the next few months after Christmas, every member of our household would receive gifts from our daughter in the form of about a dozen bracelets a week. (My wife and I received the additional gift of learning how to spot tiny rubber bands in the carpet before you use the vacuum.) These bracelets are nice, but essentially worthless. The rubber bands cost roughly half a cent apiece. My daughter can crank out a bracelet in less than 10 minutes. If someone paid her minimum wage to make them, she would earn about $1.00 per bracelet. That brings the price of a single bracelet to $1.50. Like I said . . . they are basically worthless. A funny thing happened to me when my daughter started giving me these bracelets thoughI started wearing them. I wore them to work. I wore them on Sundays when I would lead worship. I would go back into the house to get 1 (or 2, or 3, or 4 . . .) if I got in the car and saw my wrist was naked. I even started asking my daughter if she would make bracelets with specific color combinations. I said earlier they are worthlessso why did I love them so much? If you are a parent, you know the answer. I love those bracelets because I love the person that made them, and I know she made them because she loves me. Each bracelet my daughter made for me was an expression of her love for me. The gift itself had no monetary value (and actually kind-of hurts to wear sometimes), but it is a tangible symbol of the love someone has for me. It is an amazing example of something worthless becoming something priceless because of who it was made by and who it was made for. If we are being honest, kids cannot give parents anything they need, yet we cherish every gift they give us. I think this reality paints a picture that allows us to understand how our worship can mean something to God. The Bible tells us God is our all- knowing and all-powerful Father. There is literally nothing we can offer Him that He does not already have. Yet throughout the Old and New Testament, the people of God are called to offer Him worship. What makes our worship pleasing to God? How are we supposed to do it? I want to get at this by looking at it backwards. In other words: What does the wrong worship look like? We get a good look at the wrong worship in the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 1:11-17, God essentially tells His people to stop worshipping Him. He informs them that their offerings, services, and prayers have become a burden to Him. He doesnt want them anymore. Why? They were not authentic. They were not gifts given from the loved to the lover. Israel was going through the religious motions and living the rest of their lives apart from God. God goes on to tell the people their hands are full of blood, injustice reigned in their land, and no one was looking out for the oppressed. At best the peoples worship had become an empty ritual; at worst, a bribe aimed at placating God. In the same way I cherish gifts from my children, God delights in the worship of those who love and delight in Him. If you authentically love the Lord, He delights in your worship. It doesnt matter how well you sing. It doesnt matter how eloquent your prayers are. It doesnt matter how much Gods tithe and your offerings are. If they are gifts from a heart that loves God, He delights in them. Thankfully, the Bible gives us guidance so we can know if we authentically love God. Christ told His disciples that if someone loves Him, they will obey His teaching. (John 14:23) When Micah asked what he should bring to the Lord as an offering, the answer was not thousands of animals or gallons of precious oil. In Micah 6:8 2 we are told God wants us to, act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. The precious gifts you offer up to God (that is, your worship) are not precious because of what they are. They are precious to God because of who you are and because of who He is to you! Authentic worship, offered from a heart in love with God, is what God desires. Matt Denny facebook.com/mattmistie.denny 8 Getting To Know YOU Name: Carrie Gaxiola Job Title: Welcome Ministries Coordinator Job Description: To lead and inspire Welcome Ministry volunteer teams to minister to guests and members through dynamic, engaging and radical hospitality. What made you decide to attend this church? We had been attending a church where we werent getting connected and were looking for a new church home. My husband pastored a church in Sparta several years back and knew Pastor Shane and Fred Bishop. They would have No Greater Love board meetings at our church. One of our kids suggested we visit Christ Church. When we pulled up to the doors, I introduced myself; Shane stuck his head in the car and addressed my husband by name after several years of not seeing him. It was just what we needed after a long spell of church diffculties. We have been here ever since. What extremely difficult life situation have you overcome and how did you do it? Over a period of about a year, I lost 3 babies through miscarriage (Ive had 5 miscarriages altogether) and we lost both of our mothers. That was a rough one, but constant crying out to God and worshipping Him in the dark places is what carried me through. When you think about God what is the first thing that comes to mind? Unlimited love and peace What super power would you most like to have, and why? What do you mean? I have 8 kids...I already have super powers! Where are you from? I am a born and raised Valley Girl. Southern California! Born in North Hollywood, raised in Burbank and graduated in Anaheim. I spent Grad Night at Disneyland and my summers on the beaches, then went in the Air Force in 1978. What drives you crazy? Laziness and lying. And when my kids argue with me. Yep, that sums it up. What jobs have you done? I worked at a Pup N Taco in high school (yes, hot dogs and tacos), a daycare, I was in the Air Force for 12 years (drove a truck, Medical Technician and Medical Admin), Census Bureau, clean houses, was a Field Supervisor in the Pick Your Own department at Eckerts, Pastors wife and retail. I have been a stay-at-home mom for the larger part of our marriage and thats the best job I have had! And now am privileged to be working for Christ Church. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where would it be? Italy. My family tree has a lot of Italians. My second choice would be anywhere with a beautiful beach. If you could change places with a Bible character, who would you choose? Why? I would choose the guys on the road to Emmaeus. They got to talk with Jesus after He was resurrected. They reasoned with Him over the scriptures. Their hearts burned within them as they walked along the way with Him. I want my heart to burn within me over knowing Jesus and learning from Him. What would you do if you didnt have to work? I would sleep in till 9 a.m. (I usually get up at 6 am) I would make sure I exercised every day. I would help my kids with anything they needed. I would help young moms. I would make food for other people whether they were sick, overwhelmed and stressed, had a new baby. I like to cook for others. If you have a meal on your table for your family, it takes away some stressors of life. Then, if I did all that, I would ride a bike along the beach with my husband and enjoy the sun and sand. What drives you every day? My family. I grew up in a very dysfunctional home and I longed for peace and stability. Obviously without Christ, we couldnt have that. When I married my husband, we agreed that our family would center on Jesus and the Word of God. We havent had a cake walk, by any means, and lots of heartache over the years, but we always have that foundation we stand on and Id say we have established a new generation. I love my family and would do anything for them. 9 By Rev. Don Frazure, Pastor of Worship Arts I ve just returned from a mission trip to Honduras where I got to spend some time leading and observing worship at our sister church in San Pedro Sula. Experiencing worship in different settings and cultures has always been intriguing for me. This time, since it was my second time to lead worship there, I was able to pay more attention to the way people worshipped instead of focusing on the fact that we didnt speak (or sing) the same language. Here are a few of my observations. First, when they show up for worship, they really show up. I mean they are 100% there in mind and spirit, not merely physically in the building. I also didnt see them check-out during the service. Whatever circumstances and distractions they have seem to disappear when worship begins. They focus entirely on singing, clapping, dancing, prayer, giving, learning and loving each other throughout the service. Next, Hondurans also arrive expecting something special to happen. They come to worship ready to meet God. They begin worship fully engaged with the presence of the Holy Spirit who is already in the house. There was no warm-up period, no pre- worship lets ease into this worship time. They stepped right into the enveloping atmosphere of the presence of God. Also, time did not matter. Whether it was the start time for the service or ending, neither was important to them in any case. The length of the service was also unimportant to them. Worship began and ended on Gods time, not by the clock on the wall. Sure there were distractions such as kids running around, outside noise, the HEAT - but maybe those were only distractions to me. It can be easy for me to oversimplify the experience by dismissing their worship as that of third world people who really have nothing better to do. If I did that, then I would miss the point of my observations entirely. Regardless of the world we come from, worship should be the only thing that we have that is indeed better to do. So with these observations, Im trying to look at how I worship and see if I can learn a thing or two. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. Psalm 46:10 Worship in the moment I fnd that if Im not careful, I will show up to worship, even to lead worship and though Im physically present, my mind and spirit is elsewhere. Work, family, fnances, relationships all compete for my attention and that doesnt stop during times of worship. Ive
begun the practice of beginning my Sunday mornings by quieting my mind just as the Psalmist reminds me to do. To be still and center on God. Worship with abandon How often are we more concerned with what people around us might think if we just abandon ourselves to worship - raising our hands, clapping, singing, dancing (it can happen). When I think that way, Im reminded of Davids retort to Michal about his display of worship when he said in 2 Samuel 6:21-22, I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! We have every reason and even more to celebrate each time we gather together. Our Savior is alive and His love is greater than anything in this world. Now I want to be authentic in my worship. I want it to be from the heart and not just for show. However, I sometimes think Im more concerned about what people think about my worship rather than being more concerned with giving it to my Lord. Expectant Worship For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20 How often do we come to worship expecting to meet God? Do we anticipate that? One of the things I pray for each week with the worship team before we step out on stage is that we will experience something special during worship. Something that is only a product of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Worship is not just a gathering of people of like faith to go through the motions of worship. It is a gathering of the people of God, to collectively express their adoration, confession, thankfulness and supplications to a living and present Holy God. As you think on worship, be sure to remember that although we gather together as a group for corporate worship, it is also between you and God. I think that if we focus on worship, abandon ourselves to worship and are expectant in worship, then the times we gather together will not only be inspirational, but life-changing events that connect us in deeper ways to Jesus Christ. Worship (San Pedro Sula Style) Rev. Don Frazure, Pastor Of Worship Arts @donfrazure 10 By Debby Creagh, Parish Nurse Coordinator W here do you experience God the most? In solitude? In worship? In studying the Word? In relationships? In prayer? In conversation? In nature? In music? When do you feel enveloped by Gods presence? What are you doing when that happens? For me, being in prayer in any form is when I feel closest to God. However, He also uses nature to speak to me of His majesty and presence in my life. I remember going through a tunnel into the grandeur of Yosemite Valley in California. The huge granite mountains, lush green valley, fowing river and waterfalls, beautiful, crystal clear blue sky, huge trees, the smell of the woods, all combined to give me a sense that I had just entered Gods throne room! Majestic splendor, awe-inspiring, overwhelming evidence of Gods creation were all around me. It was hard to even breathe! Okay, that may have been the altitude but, it drew me immediately to my knees in my heart in worship. The handiwork of God was everywhere! Prayer, on the other hand, lets me experience God on a much more intimate and personal level. It is in those moments that I know that I am utterly dependent on God for every aspect of my life and totally loved. He made me and wants a relationship with meHe gets me! Weird sense of humor and all. God creates us all uniquely. Each of us is the only one He made with a distinct set of DNA. It only makes sense that we all have a one-of-a-kind relationship with God. He knows each of us intimately and wants to be in communication with us. How cool is that!? Just like any relationship, it takes time to get to know a person. God knows us intimately, but it is a lifelong process for us to know Him. We do that through reading the Bible, studying, prayer, worship, fasting, life experiences, and relationships with other people. At a fundamental level, prayer is the ongoing, two-way conversation with the One who loves us the most. There are two basic parts, as with any communicationspeaking and listening. Some authors on the subject of prayer that I have read think listening is the key to our lifelong relationship with God. Our heavenly Father is much more concerned with our being rather than our doings. The busyness in our lives often crowds out
the time we need to be quiet and let God speak. We will ask for things, but do we listen for the answers? Hearing God is often a case of our having an attitude of being open to Gods answers to our prayers. In his book, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God, Dallas Willard states that after he asks God to speak to him, I devote the next hour or so to some kind of activity that neither engrosses my attention with other things nor allows me to be intensely focused on the matter in question. He gives examples of housework, gardening, and doing errands as those activities. The object is to keep listening. Sometimes the answer is immediate, and sometimes it has to be asked again. Each of us needs to fnd where, when, and how we best hear God. What works for me may be completely different for you. At the beginning of the article I asked a series of questions. As you think about what your answers are, realize God wants to be in communication with you. God says in Zephaniah 3:17 that as His child you are greatly loved by Him and He rejoices over you with singing! If you are not sure when you most feel like you are in Gods presence, try some different things and ask God to show you what pleases Him in your time with Him. As Dallas Willard states, it takes practice and experience to know Gods voice. To hit the mark, set a simple goal to spend 5-10 min with God each day however it is that God leads you to do with no distractions. I should add a warning here: being in Gods presence and hearing His voice is addictive! How could it not be in the presence of His perfect love for you? Do we deserve it? No. Do we need it? YES! My experience is that in short order, 5-10 minutes will fy by and you will fnd yourself wanting and spending more time with the Lover of your soul! Need help getting started? Read a good book on prayer, read 2-3 verses in the Bible and ask God what He wants you to know about them and reread them, go for a walk and take God with you, play some worship music and open your heart to hear God. Still having trouble? Ask a Christian that you know has a strong prayer life for some suggestions. Its up to you to experience and build your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Go for it! May Gods love and grace surround and uplift you as you seek to know Him with all of who you are. Amen Adventures in Prayer Debby Creagh, Parish Nurse debbycreagh@mychristchurch.com 11 W hat kind of worship does God want? It isnt hard to find that people have many conflicting views on what makes for an appropriate worship service. In preparation for this article, I found highly opinionated discussions online arguing many topics, such as music, scripture, ritual, frequency of service, marble and gold, statues and symbols, and even the carpet color! But are those questions what we really should be focused on, or do we still struggle with the basics? Are those debates what keep people from understanding what worship should really be about? Jesus made points of argument against the worship practices of the church leaders of His time. In Matthew 15:8-9 for example, Jesus says These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. You could likely find such people at any church; perhaps even you have personally drifted back and forth in your worship sincerity sometimes. I know I have. Thankfully, there are a few points that I can quote which should help answer these questions. First point, you have to show up. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them, says Matthew 18:20. No different than any other task, there is strength in numbers when we unite for a common cause. The best comparison I can think of is my love of St. Louis Blues hockey. I really love the game! If you have ever experienced it, there is a huge difference in going to a game at Scottrade Center and watching it live, compared to watching a game on TV at home. Its about the cold, and the smell of the ice, the sounds of the crowd, the camaraderie of the fans surrounding you. Instantly you become friends with people sitting nearby as you discuss an amazing shot or penalty call. You are there, in the moment, with the team a few feet away and youre in it to win it! Every Sunday morning, I choose to come to Christ Church. Some sing, others dont. Some pray, some dont. Some feel Jesus presence, some dont. But we are all here together, Face Forward, Eyes Wide Open By Matt Rygelski united for a common cause, and were in it to win it. We need one another for support in this spiritual journey. We need people around us who challenge us to think about our beliefs. Saint and sinner sit side-by-side, just like we allow Chicago Blackhawks fans to sit in our arena every once in a while. Its a fellowship, a communion table, that God invited us all yes, even those who arent hockey fans. Second point, according to Jesus radical teaching, we have to surrender and put God first. Worship puts us back into proper alignment. Working in the IT industry, an analogy that comes to mind is that its like backing up all your important data and updating your virus protection software every Sunday. We are human beings who love to create distractions, and those distractions often lead to more distractions, and before you know it your life is filled with nothing but distraction. Worship brings humility by acknowledging that you are human. You are not perfect, but you are in good company of imperfect people who embrace and work to understand the teachings of Jesus to live a more enriched life. Its a life that is full of sounds not muffled by the distractions, the depression, the hollowness of going it alone. When you surrender to the idea of living in the past or anxiety about the future, jump in to the experience of that moment when the worship music strikes a chord in your heart or the sermon resonates with an ongoing struggle of yoursliving in that moment is when you might catch a glimpse of the face of God. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. Mark 10:15 Our 19-month old son allows me to remember what worship is about. In his eyes, I see wonder and amazement. His favorite phrase is What is that? as he explores his world and points at random things. It is then I realize I have no idea what half of the things we own are officially called. How many times I walked past that object and didnt give it a second look, but my son calls 12 Matt Rygelski facebook.com/mrygelski me out on it as his What is that? is less of a question as to its name but more of a question of Why do you own that? So much junkso much distraction. A 19-month old is teaching me how to see. Third point Jesus tells us, its a thanksgiving. In the Bible, there were only a few references to worship styles that I could find and it was this one that I believe best summarizes what is expected of the followers of Christ: Above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:14-17 A friend of mine posted a story on Facebook this week. Dr. Steve McSwain has written a few books on spirituality and he is a distinguished speaker. His world recently was turned upside down. Last week, he experienced a heart attack. When he posted this event to his 500+ followers, the comments rolled in with apologies and sympathies. After thirty or so, he responded: Right now Im somewhere 39,000 feet over Georgia looking out the window from this comfortable seat and I cant keep the tears from flowing. The lady next to me must think I just lost my best friend or something. What she does not know is that these are tears of sheer joy, bliss like Ive never known. I am freer today than Ive ever been. Im free of me. I am so grateful for all that has transpired in the last week. I do not think God sent this to teach me a lesson, but oh what Ive learned is more valuable to me than all the gold of Fort Knox. Ever heard of the miracle of Jesus walking on water in the midst of the raging storm? The real miracle was Jesus capacity to live fully in this moment, no matter how the moment appeared. Even in the midst of a storm, He was present with it, embracing, accepting, and living into it, rather than trying to escape from it. What kind of worship does God want? We organize regularly so He is praised. 13 Carie Bradshaw (618) 593-3258 carie@cariebradshaw.com Providing Our Community and Military/VA with Options Carie Bradshaw (618) 593-3258 carie@cariebradshaw.com PREFERRED Providing Our Community and Military/VA with Options Christ Church Business Owners Advertise Here You can help Christ Church produce the Flame magazine by becoming a sponsor. Call us at 618-277-4659 for details. Musings By Pat Mace I t is hard for a Christian to know how to think and act in todays world. We are told that the answer to our problems is more energy. But it becomes hard when we look at what kind of energy, for what use and at what cost to whom. The Christian understands the greed, the voraciousness, the evil which seems to be turning the world toward destruction, but he or she also understands the possibility of a redeemed and redemptive humanity at peace in a good earth. Should Christians side with the doomsayers or with the utopians? What kind of a tomorrow should the Christian want and work toward? How should Christians live in the face of the obvious needs of their fellow creatures, both human and non- human? One answer stresses the separation of the church from the world and even from the earth. Today those who hold this view stress the evil of technology, the corruption of the political process, etc. The other response is made by those who see the institutions and the abilities of humans as gifts of God. Clearly, we can all see powers misused in exploitative trade relationships, destructive mining, and devastation of the habitat of non-human creatures. But that power also confirms the second answer, we can see in the technology which can be so destructive, a potential to care for, and steward the earth. We represent the best and finest of Gods creation, for we alone can see the natural beauty of the world, appreciate it, learn from it, weep for it and seek to conserve and protect it. How then should Christians live on the earth? New Members -------------------------------- June 2014 James T. Evans Janice Evans Willard (Bud) Evans John Schilling Jean Smith Jim Smith Matthew Staszewski Angela M. Yuhas Christopher A. Schwertman Karie A. Schwertman Amber Schwertman Bill Kampmeyer Kathryn (Kate) Kampmeyer July 2014 Lisa K. Dixon Logan M. Beck Member Passing -------------------------------- Thelma Charley June 12 Norma Elizabeth Osborn Soeteber August 5 Weddings -------------------------------- Joshua D. Veath & Justine M. Lunte June 20 Christopher M. Monroe & Jennifer R. Mueller August 2 Baptisms -------------------------------- June 2014 Hailey M. Hindman July 2014 Logan M. Beck Attendance -------------------------------- July Worship Avg = 1,933 July Connection Avg = 466 2014 Avg Worship = 2,029 Finances -------------------------------- Tithes & Offerings - $1,486,872 Expenses & Mortgage - $1,475,216 Remaining Debt - $5,247,808 (Financials are as of 06/30/14) 100,000 Hours -------------------------------- The people of Christ Church have committed to serve our community with 100,000 hours of service. We have served: 44,025.55 hrs (as of 03/01/14) Log your hours at mychristchurch.com/100k God At Work 15 Scott Campus Exterior - Under Renovation Christ Church SCOTT CAMPUS Coming Soon! Sundays - beginning September 14th Adult Sunday School 9AM Nursery & Childrens Ministries KIDS Worship Service 10AM Scott Campus Worship Space - Under Renovation
The Scriptures: The Antidote for a Chaotic and Turbulent World: How the Nonfictional Word of God Can Be Applied for Everyday Living in Times of Chaos and Unrest
Scripture on Creation by Richard L. Mayhue Three Searches for the "Historical Jesus" but no Biblical Christ: The Rise of the Searches (Part 1) (7-42) by F. David Farnell This is a two-part series. Part One covers the rise of three periods of activity known as “searching for the ‘historical Jesus.’” Its overarching purpose is a deliberate attempt to destroy the influence of the gospels and the church upon society. While this purpose is openly and honestly admitted by theological liberals, evangelicals who participate now in the “third” quest are far less candid as to its design. Part Two will cover this growing evangelical participation in searching. These searches started with the rise in dominance of the ideology of historical criticism over two hundred years ago and are a natural consequence of the innate historical skepticism replete in them. The first two searches ended as declared fail