Super Saturday: Let's Focus on Moving On

Gary made a big announcement in church last Sunday.

He's accepted a call to First Reformed Church in Platte, South Dakota.

Our time here at Trinity Reformed Church in Allison, Iowa is not over yet. We'll be here til the end of May, but we are definitely entering a time of transition.

It's time to start packing boxes. Time to give things away, sell a few things, and even throw away some stuff. It's time to move on.

Moving on is an expected part of being in ministry, but it's always difficult.

The excitement of going to a new church and community is tempered by some sadness about leaving a church and community we've grown to love.

So why do we do it? Why go through the hard work of moving and the pain of leaving friends behind?

It's because God leads us. He has plans for us and for the church we will be serving. None of us knows what those plans are yet, but we can trust Him.

The easiest thing would be to stay in one place for years and years (and I know some ministers do feel called to that), but the best thing is to stay open to moving on when God calls.

All of us can live that way. 

You may not be a pastor, but you can stay open to going where God wants you to go. 

Maybe that will mean a cross-country move to start a new job. 

Maybe it will mean a trip overseas to do mission work. 

Maybe it will mean staying right where you are physically, but you'll find it's time to move on from something that's been holding you back emotionally or spiritually.

Who knows? God does.

He loves you and He has great plans for your life. Think of the adventures you'll have as you stay open to moving on with Him.  

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." (Psalm 32:8 NIV)

Are you open to moving on when God calls? How can focusing on God help you to follow Him wherever He leads?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Throwing Things

I did a children's message this past Sunday. (Click here to watch...at least the first few minutes.)

In case you couldn't watch the video, I'll try to explain. I showed the kids an egg carton and asked them what was in it. "Eggs!" they all chimed. "Yes!" I confirmed. I asked how their parents put eggs into the shopping cart. I raised the carton and asked if they threw them into the cart and proceeded to throw it with all my force toward the ground. 

Or so I thought. Evidently, empty egg cartons don't fall very well. This one flew through the air and bumped right into a nice young mom's head. 

Everyone laughed. I laughed as I retrieved the carton and apologized to poor Erin. I went on with the rest of the message, explaining that if the carton had been full of eggs they probably would have broken. I also had a single egg which we passed around gently and talked about how important it is to treat others gently, too, because we can "break" them when we are unkind.

I said things like "I hate you!" and "You're so stupid!" and then cracked the egg into a bowl and showed them the result. They seemed to understand as we talked about gentleness and how important it is to let others see that in our lives when we say we follow Christ.

I've thought often about throwing things this week.

Now, of course, I didn't mean to hit anyone with my egg carton, but it happened in spite of my good intentions. I needed to apologize and move on.

Sometimes our words or actions hurt someone, even though we were trying to do something good. We say things or do things and someone takes it the wrong way. People get hurt.

We need to apologize and move on.

Sometimes our words or actions hurt someone, even though we were just careless and didn't mean to do any harm. We tease or tell a joke. Our words fly around and hit someone the wrong way. People get hurt.

We need to apologize or ask forgiveness and make things right.

Sometimes, hopefully not very often, our words or actions hurt someone, and we meant for it to hurt. We take aim and throw with all our might. We know exactly what to say and how to say it so it does the most damage. People get hurt.

We need to ask forgiveness and make things right. 

Friends, we need to practice love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

And never throw things during a children's message.     

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if anyone has any grievance against someone. Forgive as the LORD forgave you." (Colossians 3:12-13 NIV)

Do you ever throw around your words or actions and hurt people? How can focusing on God help you to be more gentle and careful?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Brene' Brown

I have been binge-watching Brene' Brown TED talks and other interviews with her on Youtube this week.

It all started when I was looking for something to show and discuss at Fresh Hope on Thursday night. I found a great video by Brene' called Why Your Critics Aren't the Ones Who Count.

I watched it several times and wrote up some questions for our discussion. It was so good, I just knew it would help those of us who were meeting to get support and encouragement for our mental health.

After soaking up that talk, I went on to watch lots of other talks and interviews with Brene'.

A thought that kept popping up was the fact that shame and other negative emotions can often keep us "small," afraid to face criticism and judgment.

(Image from theshamelady.com)

Maybe that's why I often go through my day avoiding difficult, but ultimately fulfilling, tasks like writing articles and books. I fill my hours with trivial pursuits instead of getting serious about reaching my goals.

I find myself thinking "One of these days, I'll _________," but those days never seem to arrive. I keep spinning my wheels and don't make progress on much of anything.

It seems kind of silly that I even use inspiring TED talks to avoid doing the good work that God has called me to. 

Brene' Brown and other speakers can teach us and inspire us to grow emotionally. 

Chris Freytag and other coaches can teach us and inspire us to grow (or shrink) physically.

Beth Moore and other speakers can teach us and inspire us to grow spiritually.

We have to remember, though, that Brene', Chris, and Beth aren't going to do the work for us. We are the ones that have to choose different ways of thinking. We are the ones that have to spend some time moving our bodies and making healthy food choices. We are the ones that have to open our Bibles and spend quality time with the maker of our souls.

I'm ready to quit spinning in place. It's time to move forward, emotionally, physically, and spiritually...maybe after one more TED talk.

"Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint [I'm determined], and I know I will not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50:7 NIV)

Do you sometimes do things that keep you from moving forward in life? How can focusing on God help you to quit avoiding hard work and begin facing it so you can move ahead? 

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Birthdays

It was my birthday on Tuesday.

It was a nice day, but we didn't really do anything special. We got Little Caesars Pizza while we were out running some errands and going to appointments.

When I got home, I had this beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me - a gift from our women's group at Trinity.

I saw lots of Facebook greetings throughout the day, and I received some really nice cards (and a box of Peeps bunnies - I loved it but it was gone in less than a day!).

It wasn't a milestone birthday, so it passed pretty much like any other day.

I know some people who love to celebrate their birthdays, no matter what the number of candles there are on the cake. 

In the days since my birthday, I've given that a little thought. I think I need to make a bigger deal of that special day. I'm another year older and (hopefully) another year wiser. I've made it through bad days and I've enjoyed tons of good days. 

That's something to celebrate!

I was listening to some music by Chris Rice the other night and I got stuck on some lyrics. They keep running through my brain, so I think I'll share them here with you:

"Every day is a gift you've been given

Make the most of your life every minute you're living" 

You can google "Life Means So Much" by Chris Rice to see the entire song.

As someone who deals with depression at times, I haven't always seen my life as a gift. Sometimes I see it as a burden, something to be endured. 

Ever so slowly, I'm learning to change that. I don't let myself stay in that kind of mindset for very long. I'm trying to choose better ways of thinking.

Every day is a gift, especially birthdays.

"For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life." (Proverbs 9:11 NIV)

Do you enjoy celebrating birthdays? How can focusing on God help you to see each day as a gift and make the most of each day you're given?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Staying Hungry

I lost four pounds this week! (We won't talk about the five pounds I gained last week while I was on the mission trip)

I was pretty shocked when I weighed myself this morning and saw such a big loss. 

How did I do it? I added some extra walking to my morning exercise routine and I stayed hungry most of the week.

We don't like to feel hungry, do we? Usually, at the first rumble of our stomachs we run to the fridge or cupboard to find something to eat.

I have to admit, I haven't even felt hunger very much in recent months. I had gotten into the habit of grazing my way through the day. 

I went to the pantry for crackers, M&Ms, and whatever else caught my eye between meals.

I didn't feel hungry when it came time for a meal with my family, but I ate it anyway.

When I weighed myself on Sunday, I was finally disgusted enough with my bad habits to do something about it.

I thought back to my "Weigh Down Workshop" days (I took the class back in Rock Rapids, Iowa in the early 90s). I had lost weight easily and happily by applying the principle of "Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full."

So that's what I did this week. I tried to savor my food a little more instead of inhaling it. I was mindful of my hunger, but not bothered by it. I ignored it if it was close to a meal time, otherwise I ate a little something. It felt good to actually be hungry when I got to a meal. I stopped before I felt full.

Gary and I even went to Texas Roadhouse one night. I ate delicious Tater Skins, rolls with butter, most of a salad (I made sure I ate the eggs, croutons, etc. that I love and I left some of the lettuce so I had room for the rest of my meal), my whole sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, and a few bites of my barbecued chicken (I took most of it home like I usually do).

It felt great to walk out of there full, but not uncomfortably stuffed.

Now, I don't think four pounds in one week is going to be happening very often (I don't even think it's healthy to lose too much weight too fast), but it was encouraging for me to see that kind of progress today. It reminds me that how much I move and what I put in my mouth matters.

Another thing that helped, I think, is that I've been spending a little bit of time every morning reading the Bible before I go over to exercise.

I think it has made a big difference in how I'm thinking. My mind is set more on what God wants for me instead of just what I want. I know He wants me to have a healthy body, so it's been a little easier to make better choices about when and how much I eat.

Another thing that's been helping is that I'm reading a great book by Amy Simpson called, "Blessed Are the Unsatisfied." It has reminded me that we'll never be completely satisfied here in this world. We can be content with what we have, but we'll always have that sense of lacking something until we get to heaven someday.

When we run to the cupboard but we aren't truly hungry, it's time to stop and think. Maybe what we're craving is not chocolate chip cookies at all. Maybe we feel that void inside and we need to spend some time filling it with God instead. Grab your Bible and chew on that for a while (Gwen Shamblin says something like that in "Weigh Down Workshop.")

I think I'm going to have another great week, unless someone buys me a box of Peeps. 

"God - you're my God! I can't get enough of you! I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts." (Psalm 63:1 The Message)

Do you feel hungry when you eat? How can focusing on God help you to get more comfortable with physical hunger and concentrate more on relieving your spiritual hunger?