Hope

Annual Marriage Retreat

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment
Our annual marriage retreat is scheduled for February 3 – 5, 2012. Register today!

Do you wonder if there are ways to connect more deeply with your mate? Do you long for more intimate connections on every level, emotionally, physically, spiritually? Well so does the Lord. He longs for the two of you to experience intimacy with Him and each other.

This retreat is a time to explore ways to make that connection real.

Whether you are barely speaking, or deeply in love, the intention of this retreat is to help us connect our marriage to God’s heart. Every year the material is different, but the desire is the same, to grow more in love with God and each other.

With all that pulls against you and your marriage, this time away is a chance to discover new ways, new habits, new beginnings that help you grow closer together.

“Perfect love casts out fear.” We want to learn how to live in this place for a lifetime.

To hear a testimony from a previous attendee check out the video

Retreat price includes two nights lodging in private suites, 4 meals and teaching sessions.

Retreat will be held at Smokey Mountain Christian Village.

Seeing, and Speaking, Truth

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Charis and I were watching a football game with Chuck and of course being bombarded with the ads as well. There were two ads that continued to repeat in the same order every couple of minutes. Then it hit me.

“Charis, watch this ad. What is the guy doing?” I asked. She proceeded to tell me how he  “thinks he is all cool, and doing all that rapping and talking about how good he is because of his shoes. And he got all those different colors. He doesn’t need so many pairs.”

“Do shoes make you cool?” I asked.

“No mom, but that’s all he’s talking about. ”

“Okay now watch this one.”  We sat in silence watching the ad, again, but this time focused on its message even though both ads had already washed over us at least four times before. Pay attention to what you are soaking in.

“Charis do you see the difference between these two men? One is about the outside appearance. He is saying,  what I wear makes me cool. It’s all about him, what he gets, what he wants. But this  second ad is about a man who is giving to others. It is about him being strong and brave because he is serving others. His value is on the inside pouring out.”

Oh, the difference between sports shoes and the Marines. But in a two-minute time capsule the great war was revealed. It’s not the argument surrounding materialism vs the military. Those are secondary opinions. It is the war of shallow self focus vs a surrendered life of sacrifice.  When we think we have to own, or wear, or look on the outside a certain way, to feel right on the inside, we have been deceived by our enemy. It’s that simple.

Our worth is who we are in God, to God, through God. It is the truth we possess on the inside that creates our strength, power, beauty, love. Indeed our worth.

You know this. You just unwrapped Christmas presents. Regardless of the wrapping, you judged the gift by what was IN the box. Not the paper and bows.

You are the dwelling place of the The Most High God. No pair of sneakers will substitute for, or add to, this great gift inside you. And honestly, nothing will satisfy our aching hearts like His presence. Are we seeing, and speaking, this truth to ourselves and the next generation?

Every time we turn our hearts toward heaven, every time we breathe a prayer of thanks, or ask in faith, we are strengthened to live inside out.  May it be so.

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:25

Reorder Your Life.

/ Jana / Leave a comment

This is a weighty statement. It is not one you can just blow past or check off. But when the question is: how can I live my life with more of You, more peace, more connection, and this is God’s answer…what do you do? What will you do?

It stopped me cold in my tracks.

If minutiae is a demonic distraction, if fretting is evil, if my busyness  just avoids the rest and trust in the Almighty, if there is more and all I have to do is reorder my life — then how and where do I begin?

This blows new year’s resolutions right out of the water. This requires a surrender of supposed needs, desires, wants, isms, have-to’s and ought-to’s.

Think of Abraham. Think of Deborah. Think of Paul.  Their lives were as loaded, strained, demanding, and draining as ours. And, God totally interrupted their lives for a holy calling. I don’t think the calling was the “outcome.”  I think the calling was saying yes when God asked them: Will you do whatever I ask? This is before the outcome was known. Maybe we deceive ourselves and think we will respond to God when He calls us to “big” things. But it is the “yes” in the moment He is after. Will you lay aside whatever YOU think is important to follow Him?

Think of Jesus.  He actually knew and understood the outcome of His calling. Yet he was not hurried. He was not distracted from the person in front of Him, though the masses pressed in. Nor was He distracted by the person in front of Him, though they wanted  more and more from Him. He was utterly present, and completely surrendered to His Father to live and move according to His will. His surrendered intimacy changed and challenged the status quo. He lived a “reordered” life. We can too.

But it might kill us in the process.  What I mean is, it might kill the whims and excuses, the fads and phones, the complaints and crammed calendars. How about just keeping up with all the “stuff”?  I don’t know about you, but I am ready for some of this to die off, not to become monks or hermits and withdraw from life. But to shed the layers of lies that keep us from our God and each other.

He and I are still talking about exactly how to “reorder” when I have obligations and others depending on me. But the first step was my “yes.” Yes Jesus, I am willing to do whatever it takes to have more of You.  I will gladly trade the American manic panic lifestyle if I can have more of His presence.  How about you?

 

The Manger Moment: The Common Denominator

/ Jana / Leave a comment

The manger scene is a wonder to ponder with the poorest of the poor in the shepherds and the richest of the rich in the magi. What a spectrum of humanity it is. Not unlike our own spectrum of Salvation Army bells ringing for donations and registers ringing up designer gadgets and clothing. Yet we will all come to “the moment.” And it will be the same moment for us all, rich or poor.

The gifts will all been opened, and the glee for the “next” will subside.  From the meager gifts of the Angel Tree recipients to the gaudy gifts of the materialists,  the packages will lie unwrapped in a heap, exposed for what they are: more stuff.

And then the moment comes. The manger moment.  In that split second  we ask, we all ask, whether young or old, wealthy or wanting, we ask, “is this all there is?”

This is the very answer they were given at the manger.  Here, wrapped in his mother’s arms, “is all there is.” Jesus is the all in all. He is the first and the last. The rich who became poor only to become rich. He is ancient of Days who became a newborn, the servant who became King. The crucified who rose again. He is the embodiment of the question “is this all there is?” To which He boldly answers, Yes I am. I am the way the truth and the life.

A new song on the radio declares a glorious truth much like the angels did on that first morning:  “our Salvation has a name.”

He is Jesus, Savior,
Son of God, the King of Kings.”
Our salvation has a name.

Jesus, Savior,
Precious Lord of Everything.
Our whole world’s about to change,
And it will never be the same.

He  is one thing that binds us all together… “But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10  Beyond the gifts, and the goodies, and the yummies, and the laughter, tears, torment, and longings, Jesus is the great joy that fills in our spirits like no gift card can. Jesus is joy. And He is ours for the taking, if we will only believe.

Don’t miss the answer of the manger moment. Our world will never be the same. Your world will never be the same.

Unhindered Encounter

/ Lyschel / Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

The Unhindered Encounter is a candid conversation about how we’ve formed our definition of beauty, what it is costing us emotionally, how it effects our choices in relationships, how porn poisons our perceptions and how our God has more than pat answers to offer to all of this.  It is a powerful weekend to be washed by Truth.

At the Unhindered Encounter we use live worship, teaching, the Bible, multi-media, meditation, and friend-talk to unveil the honest questions that plague us as women. Questions about beauty, worth, sex, men. But we also spend time asking God what he thinks about us and these questions.  Read more about this event here.

Friday Night March2, 7pm-9:30pm

Saturday Morning March 3, 9am-1pm

FREE ADMISSION!

A Great Light

/ Jana / Leave a comment

I was adding ornaments to my tree this morning. I had to laugh. They look like miniature disco balls. But they also looked liked mosaics. Broken shards delicately placed together to form a whole new piece of art.  And when the little white Christmas lights hit them, “Voila!”

Sparkles. Colors. Reflections bouncing everywhere. Grabbing color from the tree and other nearby ornaments, it became so much more in the light.

You were made to reflect the light. Not be the center or source of light, but close enough to reflect and bounce and dare I say it, dance in the light.

No wonder then that Jesus is called the great light that has come into the world. No wonder the darkness can not overcome Him. No wonder we look and feel so much better when we are close to Him. He came so we could reflect Him. Brilliantly, beautifullly, eternally.

And just as an exclamation point to this thought, I came back to the tree a little later in the morning and the sun was shining on the tree…talk about glowing!

So shine baby, shine.

“Blessed is the people who know the joyful sound;
they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance.”  Psalm 89:15

 

First Things First

/ Jana / 1 Comment

Since the beginning of November, God has been bringing the story of two fish and five loaves ( John 6) around and around. From  different perspectives and places, He just keeps teaching and revealing. And the bottom line: give thanks and believe.

Don’t look at the circumstances: 5,000 people needing to be fed (15,000 if you count women and children). Don’t look at what you’ve got in your hand: two fish and five loaves.  Look at Who you are with. The Son of the Most High God.

And what does He do? He looks to heaven and gives thanks for what God is about to do. Then as calmly as can be, the disciples began distributing. And they just kept on distributing. There were 12 baskets of leftovers. Not 12 cups. Twelve baskets.  This is after everyone has had their fill. There was no Black Friday stampeding here. Everyone had enough and there were leftovers even.

Who is this God, who is this Jesus, who is this Spirit that can impact our natural world with their supernatural power? The same God that is with you today.

Don’t look at the crowds or  your meager offering. Look to heaven, give thanks and then do what He has told you to do. He is faithful.

Here are some pearls from Abiding Glory on Sunday about gratitude that God has been expanding for me.

1) “Kingdom protocol is first “God, thank you” then please.” “ Jesus always thanked God first before He asked anything. We are instructed to “enter his courts with thanksgiving” then we proceed to the inner courts for petitions. This is a weighty concept but will change your faith life and your prayer life.

2) “Gratitude is never invisible or silent.” I love this. It is not enough to be thankful, you must express it. To God, to others. We often expect God and other people to “know” we are grateful.  But both you and the other person are blessed when you tell them, show them you are thankful. Already this week, I have been very conscious about expressing my thanks to Him and those who bless me.

3) “Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. Without it, you soon begin to take your blessing for granted.“ Ouch. This one hits way too close to home. Everything we have is a gift from God. EVERYTHING.  Be sure to sit in a posture of thanks rather than “I deserve this.”

4) “Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends.”  It is hard to be thankful and be demanding at the same time. We are consumed in our country, and the Church, with our rights, our privileges. When “you owe me” turns into “I am so blessed,” things shift in our soul.

5) “Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing or create a blessing in almost any circumstance.” I don’t know about you, but I want this to be my life motto.  Because the opposite affect scares me to death: Negative people can miss a blessing, minimize a blessing and destroy a blessing in almost any circumstance.

Let us be the people who remember the goodness of our God. Look to Him. Give thanks. Live in His blessing.

 

The Power of Praise

/ Jana / 2 Comments

Supernatural.  This is the word of the year for me. Hopefully it will be the reality of the rest of my life, and your life because it is one of the many ways to describe the beautiful, awesome, mighty God who lives in us and with us. As I explore the “how” of the supernatural way of living, it always comes back to worship.

This is not  something you get, or work for. It is an overflow of being with the Supernatural One.

God is not a magic genie, or a slot machine, or a formula to ensure success. He is a person who is moved to love and compassion. Just as any lover reacts to being loved, He responds to us when we love on Him. Enter worship and praise.  I guess you could loosely say that worship is God’s “love language.”  Smile.

On our last beach date, the Lord put into place a vision so big, so crazy God-like, that I know only He could pull off. It is truly supernatural. And He also revealed that the journey will have to be saturated in our worship. Not duty, not human smarts or effort, not rabbit’s foot suspicion, but true hearts that are abandoned in worship of the One who brings all dreams to life.

I am asking you to join us November 1st for WGR’s first official celebration as a non-profit ministry. We’re calling it, “An Offering of Praise.” When the Lord brought the word “offerings” to mind, I spent time in the Bible looking at God’s people, old and new testament. Before and after great endeavors, people would bring praise and offerings as a visible way of acknowledging all the Lord has done and would do. It was a beautiful picture of how we bring something of ourselves, our thanks and our money, and present it to the Lord. Both are outward signs of our hearts being connected to Him. They don’t call it a “love offering” for nothing. Our shared loved of God, changes the world.

I can’t tell you how I am busting to share this vision of hope and radical impact in our world. I can’t tell you how much I want us to enter into this season of rejoicing over all He has done. I am so grateful that we can bring our riches, some spiritual, some material, to build the Kingdom together.

“Fund raising then is a very rich and beautiful activity.  It is an integral part of our ministry.  In fund raising we discover that we are all poor and that we are all rich, and in ministering to each other – each from the riches that he or she possesses – we work together to build the Kingdom.  The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of the poor.

“How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. Henri Nouwen

Save the Date!
An Offering of Praise
November 1st, 6:30 to 8:15 p.m.
Abiding Glory Church
Midpark Drive, Knoxville, TN

Okay, Enough Already!

/ laurajones / 2 Comments

Do you ever just get knocked down by the world and its ridiculous attacks? Are you ever just shocked at how big  and how deep the Lie goes about the Value of a Woman?

I don’t know whether to cry, scream or throw up. When the first offer and photo came through my email, I tried to stuff the outrage down.  And now the email offer has resurfaced. But instead of it being a onesy thing now it is a GROUP thing. Classes of women groping and balancing. What am I so pissed about?

Pole dancing classes. Are you kidding me???  Do we not have enough porn shoved down our throats without trying to mimic the deception even more? Are you not already tired enough of trying to keep up with the world’s faulty concept of beauty?  The dieting, the surgery, the self-loathing? The comparison, the envy, the jealousy that leads to even more harmful acting out?

Really women? Really? Is this our sum total?

Does this woman’s posture do anything but reduce us to body parts for consumption? Ask most men to look at this photo, or better have him recall a time on film or DVD when he watched pole dancing,  and see if women grinding to poles makes him rise to anything remotely holy….
I am all about a woman being and feeling healthy and assured of her own worth. I am all about the “wow” factor of the female race. I am all about blow-the-house-down great sex. But I am also 100% convinced that women who try to imitate porn stars (women and men who are in need themselves of rescuing) look to the wrong source for inspiration and definition.  The women I talk to don’t need help being “sexed”. We need help being loved and cherished and adored for who we are, not just for the way we contort our frames around steel.
Is anybody hearing me? Did anyone even flinch when this offer came through?
We were watching a harmless movie with Salem and they snuck in a 30-second clip of pole dancing and men gawking. Her natural disgust and shock was immediate. “What is that?” she asked incredulous.  “Men and women wasting their strength and beauty on empty sex.” I said.   “Gross.” said the 13-yr-old.

Yep. It’s gross.

Women, what we need is how to tap into the real beauty, the passion, the fire that God has for us. In this place of true intimacy, we don’t feel like objects. We feel valued and enjoyed by our Maker. Then we can move to share that with our husbands. But we don’t create intimacy by imitating prostitutes.
“The man and woman were both naked and they felt no shame.”