KNOWING

i was born “KNOWING”

i knew how to sing and sang on pitch before i can remember

i knew how to engage people of all ages in conversation as soon as i could talk

i knew the way into the kingdom of God and completely embraced it by the age of six

            for every time i fell, literally and figuratively, i knew why

BUT

for all the ways that “KNOWING” made my life easier, blessed, different, special

there were 1000 ways it made it harder

i’ve wasted and squandered countless hours

            on being a “know-it-all”

            on crying – fighting – pouting because i didn’t “know what to do”

            on covering up a myriad of things because

                        i was afraid it … i would become “known”

KNOWING – instinctively understanding …

            what to do – what to say – where to go – how to react – when to leave – when to stay

A submitted KNOWING

            Blesses Me – Blesses Others – Blesses God

An UN-submitted KNOWING IS sin!

God in His gracious, loving, patient way is showing me, teaching me, allowing me to discover ways that my “KNOWING” is wrong … even a kind of “UN- KNOWING” or “NOT KNOWING”. He’s revealed Himself, His KNOWING, as sufficient, reliable, and trustworthy.

Now … today …

                                                 i live in the land of “i don’t know”

                                        amongst a people who say “you know”

                                                in a world that is “dying to know”

and yet …

            in the midst of NOT KNOWING

i can rest quietly, content, and confident

                                    because i know  …

i am KNOWN

BE PREPARED

by Barbara Chadwick

I am reading a book on the life of Tim Tebow, the quarterback. It is very interesting to me, not because of all the football action he describes (I’m blond after all and just don’t get all that!) but because of how God has worked in his life.

Did you know that his mother was told that she should abort him? A doctor told her that “it” was just a “mass of fetal tissue” or a “tumor.” Amazing!

But, Tim says, “In the delivery room, my parents tell me that I entered the world without much fanfare, followed immediately by a blood clot that was bigger than I was.” The physician (a different doctor) told his dad, “Mr Tebow, your child is a miracle baby. I can’t explain how it happened, but despite all odds, he beat them. Only a small part of the placenta was attached, but it was just enough to keep your baby nourished all these months.”

In chapter nine he quotes Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. That has been a mantra for him. He always pushes himself to do his best work.

In chapter ten he talks about being prepared:
“Being a competitor, I wanted to be out there helping and felt that I was ready to be involved whenever the coaches felt they needed me. The hardest part was no knowing – warming up to stay ready and then not knowing when your number will be called. It was a ‘wait, then hurry up, and then wait again’ situation, like much of life. You never know when an opportunity to help, to do something good, to lift up someone, or some situation will come your way. Always be prepared so that you can do your best when it’s time.”

Today I played the piano for a funeral of a friend - a godly man who was an example of Christ’s love and compassion to all who knew him. I made a number of mistakes and remembered this quote from Tim Tebow. I felt a little ashamed because I realized I had let too many hours of too many days slip by without practicing or touching the piano. God gave each of us talents and He expects us to develop them and be prepared to use them.

Chapter sixteen begins with a quote from Luke 12:48:  From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more. His parents instilled this truth into all their children and they all put every effort into whatever work they undertook. Tim is a hard worker. He pushes himself to always set new records and give back to God what God has entrusted to him.

What a great example. Thank God for my Christian friend who was an example to family and friends and thank God for Christian sports figures who point to Christ in their actions.

IS GOD GLORIFIED IN YOUR LIFE?

By Barbara Chadwick

We went to a couple’s retreat in Walden, CO this week-end. Great fellowship and good food and just getting out of town was just what we needed.

Here are some things we learned.  (The italics are the words of the speaker.)

Christians are to be dispensers of grace (Ephesians 1:4-7)

Is your speech filled with grace?  Do your actions show the love of Christ in your heart?  Does your attitude bless people? During your regular daily routine, how often are you aware of God’s presence in your life? We need to pray for God to nudge us with a reminder that He’s still there and that He wants us to reflect His grace and love.

Our great hope is the basis of our rejoicing even in the midst of trials (I Peter 1:6-7) “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

So I say, keep your eyes on this hope. Fix your eyes on Jesus

Important truths about trials:

      -          Trials are temporary

-          Trials are necessary

-          Trials are purposeful

Comfort one another with these words: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus…. May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through… The one who calls you is faithful…”                                              I Thessalonians 4:16-18; 23a;24a.

So I say, FINISH STRONG! And may God be glorified in your words, your actions and your attitudes.

Stay Connected

Stay Connected

By BarbaraChadwick

A message popped up on the computer screen: “You must plug into a power source immediately.”

That got me to thinking:

As a Christian we cannot operate without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. There are times when I feel that my Christianity is very shallow. It seems that my prayers don’t go past the ceiling. I try in my own might to make my spirit in tune with God’s Spirit and it doesn’t happen. I’m in a real funk – not really good to help or encourage anyone. Jesus told His disciples, I am going to send you what the Father has promised (the Holy Spirit) but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:49

Then there are times when I’m actually physically weak – ill. My brain says: “You can’t do this or that thing in church. You don’t have the strength.”  Then I’m reminded of when the Lord told Paul, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.  2 Corinthians 12:8

The apostle Paul talked a lot about the power of God in our lives. He told Timothy,  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  2 Tim 1:7

He told the Ephesians, I pray that out of his glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Ephesians 3:16-21

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

I pray that we will stay connected to our Power Source – Jesus.

Citizens of Heaven
by Dr. Kenneth Chadwick

We are bombarded on all sides these days with political messages. Elect me and I will bring in the millennial reign. I know what is wrong and I can fix it better than anyone else. Promises, promises and more promises is what we are fed on a regular basis.

 What is wrong with America cannot be fixed by the Democrats or the Republicans separately or collectively. What is wrong is sin and needs a sin solution. The solution is found in one person alone. That was the person Jesus Christ who died and was raised on Easter Sunday.

I am not saying that you should not vote and vote wisely. What I am saying is that a political solution will not solve a spiritual problem. Col 3:1 “So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.” He was raised from the dead and in baptism we have been raised with him we need to seek the things of God. We are citizens of another country and are not of this earth. Php 3:20 “but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God Is On The Mountain
By Barbara Chadwick

The mountains where we live are beautiful. 
The trees, the rock formations, the lakes and streams,
the animals and the birds show the majesty of God’s creation.
The air is cool and refreshing.
It is quiet and peaceful.
Most of the time.

But when there’s 5 feet of snow on the ground and you want to go to church or you need some food from the store it quits looking beautiful and just seems hard.  Or when the wind blows 90 miles an hour and the house shakes it doesn’t feel peaceful and quiet it feels uneasy and fitful. Or when a bear is on your porch you don’t see the majesty of the creation you just feel scared.

Or when your husband is having a heart attack and you need to get him to the hospital it seems like a long way to town. On that day I wasn’t admiring the mountains, the trees or the rocks. I was praying as I drove. The Lord rode with us all the way.

Did you ever hear the song, God On The Mountain by Tracy Dartt? It’s a simple song but has a powerful message:
Verse 1
Life is easy when you’re up on the mountain and you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known. But then things change and you’re down in the valley, don’t lose faith, child, you are never alone.
Chorus
For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley, when things go wrong, He’ll make them right; And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times, The God of the day is still God in the night.
Verse 2
We talk of faith when we’re up on the mountain, but the talk comes easy when life’s at its best;    
 it's down in the valley of trials and temptation, that’s when faith is really put to the test.

Isaiah 65:24 - It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Part of a Song
by Barbara Chadwick

Photo from http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advocacy/wp-content/uploads/songbird-1.jpg

As we were driving to town one day I heard a few notes of a bird’s song. It was so pretty I wished we could have stopped to hear the rest.

Now isn’t it amazing that driving along the country highway 74E at 55 miles per hour with all our windows and vents closed we could hear part of that bird’s song?

Isn’t it that way in life too? We go along singing our song, blessing others and being blessed in return but something happens. The evil one whispers in our ears, “Do you really think things are that rosy?” and we begin to get negative about things. We begin to close off all our receptors to the Holy Spirit and the joy He brings to our hearts. When we hear negative comments we nod our heads in agreement. When we hear criticism of anyone we concur. When someone says something positive we say, “Yes, but there’s this ugly thing …”

There is a woman in our church. At first I thought, “What a pretty lady” because she is very attractive and outgoing. But as I got to know her I began to realize I didn’t even want to be around her because she was so negative and critical. What happened to her song?

Then there is another woman – not nearly as pretty but just as outgoing. I look forward to seeing her every Sunday. She always has a smile and something positive and happy to say. I love her song.

You know in the grocery store how you overhear someone? When it’s a grumble it makes you feel bad that you heard that part of their song but when you hear someone laugh it’s like a tinkling of a bell and you involuntarily smile. You feel blessed that you overheard part of their song.

From Exodus to Revelation the scriptures instruct us to sing a new song. How happy our hearts are when we can sing to the Lord. Our songs (our words and language) need to encourage and lift.

Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to, Be imitators of God…as dearly beloved children and live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Then in verse 19 we’re told to Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So you’re not going to go about your days as if you’re in a musical singing every word. But live your days as a fragrant offering to the Lord, loving and encouraging others and always giving thanks to God for everything so that if someone hears even a part of your song they will be lifted up.