JOY-full Disciplemaking

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Jesus left us His Spirit to empower us to spread the gospel and make disciples. He gives us joy and a mission!

When we set our hearts to be obedient to the Lord, the joy comes. God knows the intent of our hearts, so when our minds are made up to make disciples, we are empowered to do it! Just knowing that we are pleasing God should bring smiles to our faces if we are disciples are Christ. Here are three reasons why!

Ambassadors of Christ Jesus are Joyful.

Those who are sent into this world as a representative of Christ have a high and holy calling. It is not to be taken lightly at all. It is a joy and a privilege to serve the One great King. To be His servant is an honor. The goal of ambassadorship is to reconcile others to the Kingdom of God. God has predestined those who will bring Him glory and follow what He has instructed. We were made for this!

Joy is found in Truth

In 3 John 1:4, John states that he finds no greater joy than to see his children walking in truth. When we make disciples we are sharing in their salvation from sin, their reconciliation to the Father and their new mission to follow after Christ themselves. There is no joy in falsehood, no lasting happiness in lies. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Knowing Him and drawing others to him is the most joyful of human experiences.

Disciplemaking is Fulfilling

As God's children pour out in ministry to others, the most amazing thing happens. Our joy becomes FULL. This is no partial joyful experience, but an overflow of gratefulness that defies circumstances. it ruins all other levels of joy you have ever known because this joy is unending. 

Obeying the last command of Christ fills believers and adds fullness to an otherwise empty life. It is the mandate, the reason and the epitome of one's goals and hopes. You cannot get better than that.

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If you want to embrace this type of lifestyle, it begins by receiving Jesus Christ as your Saviour. You cannot please the Lord otherwise. Your sin blocks the way and you cannot lead others to a God you do not have a relationship with.

Once you know Jesus for yourself, you must actually follow Him. He instructs his disciples to confess their sins and to be publicly baptized as a sign of their faith. It does not save you, it tells others that you are saved and unashamed of that decision to identify with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Then join a body of believers that are passionate to obey Jesus' last command to make disciples. Ask Him to empower you to disciple others and joy will come.

Re-JOYcing and Recycling

Rejoice and again I say, Rejoice! Can I equate it to recycling? Just think about it. When we recycle, we are taking something that has previously been used and using it again (perhaps in a different way). When we think of rejoicing, we may often be concerned that it is redundant. We were joyful already, doesn't that count? It sounds like something a teenager might say; but true rejoicing is never redundant, it is recycled!

This week, I struggled to find joy in my sorrow. With three funerals in two weeks, I found it hard to genuinely smile. I may have been a bit short with others and the happiness tank was low. How do you find joy in sorrow? The answer is in the Word. We do not sorrow like those in the world do who have no hope. ( 1 Thessalonians 4:13, KJV) We look forward to heaven and the glory that awaits us. Being full of hope brings joy. Remember that and recycle it.

The older saints in my church used to say "When I think back over my life and all that the Lord has done for me, my soul cries out 'Hallelujah, Thank God for saving me'. The joy that we experience may not come from present circumstances at all. It could be something that we continually thank the Lord for that happened long ago. Or, we could even be rejoicing about what we are thanking God for in advance! When things are recycled, they are not refuse or garbage any longer. They have value.

Our rejoicing has value to God!!

He wants us to be joyful which is why this is listed among the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 6. He expects us to rejoice always, not because things are going good, but because He is good!

Recycling joy is for our collective good as the Body of Christ. We got new garbage cans this past month from the city. They had a great idea to discard all of our trash in a unified way. They encouraged recycling in an effort to keep the community healthier and maintain green spaces. Like the church as a whole, we must maintain our joy not only for our sakes, but for the sake of others. The joy of the Lord is our strength. If you are stronger, so am I!

The Bible tells us that a cheerful countenance and a merry heart works like medicine. It is healthy to be joyful, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22, KJV). The church needs to be a strong body of believers.

So get your joy back. Smile. Understand that not recycling joy is wasteful and only builds up clutter. Let's choose to re-JOYce!

Three ways to EnJOY Life

Life is rich. We need to take the time to enjoy it, but what does enjoyment for the christian look like? Yes, I am really asking. When I was not in the Kingdom of God, my enjoyment came from vices and sin. the fun came from not being caught. It was fun to push limits and to join in with the risky activity of our so-called friends right? So first of all, let's be honest. It was enjoyable and made us temporarily happy. However, you may also have heard that happiness and joy are not the same.

The Bible tells us that Jesus came to give us life, and that more abundantly. The joy that we can experience in Christ is found in the gifts that the Holy Spirt imparts when we receive Him. In Galatians 6, we see that joy is in a list of fruit. So like any fruit, it will need to be nurtured and tended to in order to grow the way that it should. There are three key factors to knowing and experiencing true joy.

First, no one can know real joy apart from Christ. Without a real relationship with God, joy will escape you since it is not based on circumstances. For example, Jesus endured the cross....the cross now!...for the JOY that would follow afterwards. I cannot imagine having torture in my future and even thinking about joy at the same time, but Jesus did. How?

Your physical body longs to protect itself and so does your mind. We put up barriers to assure our own safety all the time. It is a good thing. However, walking in the spirit makes us weak and prone to hurt and harm. Jesus actually says to take up your own cross and to follow Him! That is not an easy road. To help an addict, one needs to walk alongside them for a very long time and endure their setbacks and words spoken in anger, but the thrill of recovery far outweighs the battle endured to get there. Jesus does this for us and that is His joy. When we serve others and lead them to Him, that is our joy.

Secondly, ponder the present, not the past. When we live in the past which may hold things like unforgiveness and bad memories, we set ourselves up for disappointment in the future. Those things should propel us, not paralyze us. This is why the bible tells those who follow Christ to encourage each other with thoughts of the future, of heaven and eternal life. When we realize that this life is merely temporal, it changes our perspectives.

All the things that God has allowed in your life up to this point is a set-up for eternal bliss! The Lord had to take you that way. He had to allow those people into your life in that season. That marriage (and then perhaps divorce) was framing your testimony. Think of it like a really good movie. If life were perfect for the characters, the plot would be weak. Without the twists and turns, the tears and the amazing delivery, it would be boring and joy-less. Now, don't get me wrong...God does not allow hardship for His enjoyment. His delight is not in watching us squirm, it is watching Himself step in and be the hero. He loves it when we acknowledge that He was there all along.

Last, but not least, enjoying life happens best when we share it with others. In 3 John 1:4, we see that the author finds joy that his children are walking in truth. We also see the joy of a father who receives his prodigal son. We are told to "count it all joy" when we endure trials and persecutions from others as well. Doing life with others produces joy. It is in tried and true relationships where we find joy most.

Spend some time meditating on making your life joyful this week!

Sacred Holidays - A Right Perspective of Holidays, Rituals and Traditions

Traditions, holidays and celebrations - Oh, how we love them! From landmark birthdays to Christmas, we find reasons to rejoice, sing, laugh and give gifts. God implemented times of feasting and partying in the Old Testament. It was His idea to set apart spaces of time for events such as these.

Holy days were times of remembrance and eating and great fellowship among God's people. They celebrated Passover, Esther's brave saving of the Jewish population and took days of rest. However, I wonder if our parties have changed into tradition and unspoken law that is more harmful to us than helpful these days.

For example, some birthday traditions are extreme where people spend extraordinary amounts of money all in celebration of themselves. In some celebrations, people become so drunk that they cannot even recall the event they attended. Some christians and churches demand tradition and it becomes legalistic instead of celebratory. This should not be.

Recently, I have read the book "Sacred Holidays: Less Chaos, More Jesus" by Becky Kiser. I was pleasantly reminded of how we miss the opportunities to rejoice in celebration as God intends. In the book, Becky explains that it is to be used as a reference for us to examine the reasons why we celebrate and to reframe our holidays in a God-honoring way.

Our traditions and rituals should never compete with the Word of God. It should be enhanced and compliment our walk with Christ.

Do not let your traditions be in vain. Do not make idols from your symbolic remembrances. As Christ followers, we do not push Christ aside or lay down our Holy Hats to have a girls trip. Real fun is knowing and living out righteousness in everywhere we go and in everything we do. We rejoice because of Jesus not in spite of Him!

God is > Our Hearts: How NOT to be emotionally driven

God is greater than our hearts. he should be at the center of all we do if we claim to belong to Him. I learned this the hard way.

When I first started dating, I was consistently led by my emotions. He was cute. I was cute. We would make a cute couple. We could get married, make cute babies, have lots of grandchildren, etc.. My heart would lead me down this whole trail of possibilities without caring about if it was the Lord's will for my life or not. Add hormones and you have a set-up for disaster!

During one relationship prior to marriage, I was so emotionally attached that I lost hours and hours of sleep waiting for this guy to call me. Then I would fall asleep on him because I was afraid that I would miss something he said. Everyday was spent obsessing over our next date, next phone call or text message. I couldn't concentrate. I didn't read my bible daily anymore and if I did, I would cut it short because my mind and my heart belonged to this guy who didn't even end up being "The One". He wanted me in bed in his mom's basement - seriously! I was so clueless, and heartbroken too. Smh...When I met Maurice, I was tempted to go down that same road, but I purposefully prayed throughout that relationship. It also helped that he was a praying man too and was looking for a wife, not a toy!

We may find ourselves wrapped up in something else emotionally too like in a tv show or a book. We may be spending too much of our energy becoming emotionally invested in shopping, activities or parties. When we start wishing that we could stop, we have probably gone too far from our center. Our emotions and desires can be deceptive and cause us to be led away from God's best for us. The enemy knows how to manipulate your desires in a way that is distorted and pulls us apart from the narrow road. So the closer we are to God, the better.

The solution is to stay close to God and to keep Him central to your whole life! We have all had that experience of feeling so close to God after a church service or worship experience, only to have that joy stolen the next day. Do not let the enemy make you feel guilty for needing God regularly. You may need to pray daily, hourly or moment-by-moment. That is why the bible says to "pray without ceasing". (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV)  We need to. We ought to.

Keeping God central is not just putting Him first then doing whatever we want. 

It is seeking Him first, next, during and after. If you cannot find a place for God in whatever activity that you find yourself doing, is it really worth it? He demands our whole lives, not just the parts that we are willing to hand over today. That is why God's relationship to us is compare to marriage. (Ephesians 5:25-27, KJV) You surrender your body to your spouse and they do the same. You are no longer two, but one.

It may look like asking God if it is His will for you to stay at your current job, then waiting for a response. Then the Lord may direct you to look around at other opportunities. Then you keep praying for clarification and clear discernment of His will. A certain position may seem great to you, but you do not move until you know for sure that the Lord has opened that door for you. You pray again. You ask for the job in faith, but you are willing to not pursue it if God says the same. Then you apply and get an offer. You pray again before saying yes. You wait in faith and then say yes!

You see the process? Your heart has desires, but it is deceitfully wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV) Without constant prayer we could be easily led astray, like a dumb sheep. Make God your GPS, not your emotions.

Let's not live our lives in regret. God is greater than our hearts. Do not be emotionally driven. Your heart is safe with Him!

How to Talk to Teens about Sex, Marriage and Relationships

We play a lot of games in our home. With two boys growing quickly into men, we find ourselves working hard to keep the lines of communication open. Games are a great way to do that for us. We have been surprised at how often they will ask the most amazing questions. We have come to realize that games provide a fantastic opportunity to impart wisdom and character into the lives of our children (while we still have the chance). 

There are two brands that we would like to recommend to your family. Harvest Time Partners (Harvesttimepartners.com) and Breakout Games (breakoutgames.com). They both offer various unique and fun games. They encourage group play, conversation and thinking skills that are crucial for young people to develop as they mature into adulthood. 

Video games, online games, board games and ANY game is a great way to spark conversation, but the other way is just as easy and it's FREE!

The second way to talk to your teens about marriage and other things is simply to talk to them!! Sure there are books, videos and games but here are three ways to talk to them - like with just you and nothing else.

1. Share your experiences. One of the best ways that we have reached our sons has been to simply tell the story of our sex journey, marriage, victories and defeats. NOTHING beats a real life example of following God through this part of life. Our kids need to know that we are not perfect. They also need to know that they can live holy despite what the world impresses on them.

2. Pray with them. Yup. Prayer is talking and you can communicate a lot through your prayers in their hearing. Let them hear your concern to God for them and their future. Ask for His forgiveness and let your children hear you quote the Word of God back to God Himself. Family prayer does not have to be long or elaborate. Talk to God about your real worries, fears and hopes. You will be teaching them as you do so. Lord willing, they will do the same with your future grandchildren.

3. Talk about media. While we scroll the internet, listen to radio in the car, watch tv or a movie, we discuss the implications of their behavior or the words to that song. Ask questions during commercials or in between songs like: Why is this a bad idea for someone who says they are a christian? Would you be able to tell that this person follows Jesus if this was their lifestyle? What consequences or rewards do you think that taking this action will have in the future? If you repeat these lyrics out loud would the Bible agree? Why or why not?

We hope this was helpful! What other ideas do YOU have for discussing these topics with your teens? We would love to hear your suggestions in the comments.

How We Cancelled Debt and Built our House in 5 Years

We had college degrees and a heap of debt when we got married. We were living on love in our one-bedroom apartment in the city. We had taken no financial courses or seminars and were trying to live by God's principles. We understood that it was important to save, give, reap and sow. Here is the story of how we went from debt to homeowners.

In July 2001, we were married. Maurice had already rented our apartment and I had started my first nursing job. With one income we survived for almost nine months when Maurice finally landed a great job in his field. Our first lesson was that we were ONE. I didn't plan on being the breadwinner, but my husband had saved enough prior to our wedding so that our financial life would not depend solely on me while he searched for the right opportunity.

KEY POINTS:

* Save lots of money before you get married (for AFTER the wedding and honeymoon). Do not go broke or in major debt for this one-time event. Focus more on the marriage than the wedding festivities!

* Our money was OUR money from the start. One of the first things that we did was to open a joint checking and savings account.

* We agreed not to go over a certain spending limit in our checking. We were free to spend on whatever we wanted within that limit.

* No credit cards. We paid for everything cash or debit card from our bank.

After that first year, we made it a point to live low. We would not purchase a new tv or cable. We did not have fancy cars (at all!). We began to tackle our college debt and pay off the cars we had already purchased. We had to assess our current eating habits too. We decided that one thing that we would do for ourselves was to eat out since we were saving money in other ways. Our second lesson was learning to do life without comparing ourselves to others. We had to strive for MINIMALISM.

KEY POINTS:

* Buy at the thrift stores. We knew how to be abased and we knew how to abound. The higher end stores were off-limits to us for a long while. I also did a lot of sewing. We mended socks and borrowed clothing for special occasions.

* Stretch meals. We often saved our leftovers from restaurants and made them a different way to avoid boredom with food. We also used coupons and discounts when we could. We did not order out much at all.

* We said NO to many things like trips, retreats, church events (it would require extra gas), conferences or anything that was not required. You have to learn to discern between what is good and what is best.

* Keeping all of our dental and doctor appointments helped us to maximize our insurance and stay healthy. Getting sick is one of the fastest ways to lose money!

Those five years flew by and our goal was to have a house by then. I was expecting to purchase a nice used home and to have already started having children. That was not God's plan. We lost our first child. Read about that HERE. We were devastated, but got pregnant again just 3 short months later. It was time to move.

Maurice felt that the Lord was leading us to build a home. I was very surprised. I didn't think we could afford it. We still had college debt, but it was rapidly shrinking on our plan. We began to research, pray about it and look around.

KEY POINTS:

* Do not jump at every financial opportunity. We almost missed our blessing because other home offers were tempting. Patience is key. Only your house is your house.

* Trust each other to hear from the Lord regarding big financial purchases, especially wives. My job was to fast and pray for my husband to not move until the Lord said so and we both had peace.

* Be careful not to compare your money status to those around you. We had friends who had all the things but were drowning in debt all around us. They bought the truck, were taking trips and taking pics at all the fancy restaurants. We had to stay in our focused lane.

Your commitment to your marriage will show up in your money

* Your commitment to your marriage will show up in your money. God was first for us. We gave to our church and to the poor together. We saved our money together. We were honest about purchases together. Without our mutual goal of homeownership, we would have strayed from our commitment.

* We decided not to buy each other gifts for a while. We agreed that our home would be our gift to each other. After all, who can top that?

In a serious of nothing-but-God events, we found the perfect location with the first home on the lot! We were given the option to have our home custom-built in a design that we could choose ourselves (which is rare). Once the decision was made, we actually had the funds to begin work right away.

Foregoing all those other nice things and living a minimalistic lifestyle was finally paying off! NO ONE we knew had EVER built a home from scratch like this. We negotiated our mortgage based on the income that we were making at the time. Knowing that we were trying to squash debt, we decided on payment plan that was a bit of a squeeze. Our ultimate goal was to be homeOWNERS (not homepayers) for the next 30 years.

* Mark out exactly when your mortgage payments will be complete. You need to see it on a calendar. Goals are goals no matter how far away.

* Do not accrue more unnecessary debt. I wanted to go back to school for another degree. We could not afford it, so I prayed about it and got tuition reimbursement from my employer. If the blessing is yours, the Lord will make it known.

*Negotiate. If you do not do your research, you can end up hurting yourself. We talked with several banks until we got the terms that we were at peace with.

The only people that I knew that actually paid off their home were my grandparents who were genius entrepreneurs. However, we couldn't even credit that wisdom to what was happening with us. We saw God guiding every step.

Our first home was built quickly and we got more house for our money than even the builders expected. They literally could not build what we agreed on without making our home more spacious on their dime! Nothing but GOD. Our new home had almost 2k square feet, three bedrooms, a storage room, 2.5 baths, an attached two-car garage, a front and back porch and a basement within 5 years of our marriage. In about 3 years after that we paid off ALL of our college debt.

We know that everyone does not have a story like this. Life happens, but when you seek first the Kingdom of God, all these things will be added unto you. We praise the Lord for our home, but it is just a thing. We wanted to use it for the glory of God and we feel that this is the reason that we were blessed in this way.

Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 2 Corinthians 9:15

We want to hear your story and answer your questions too! Please leave us a comment and we will respond as soon as possible.

*** Congrats to the couple who won our Valentine's Day giveaway!! It was just in time for their anniversary. Yay!!