“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”
–1 Peter 2:16
Living Free
August 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Startled Again by the Cross
August 16, 2012 by Leave a Comment
photography credit: Meredith Elsen
I spent some time yesterday listening to a couple sermons that centered on the cross, most notably Tim Keller’s “He Died for Our Sins” message (it’s free on iTunes if you want to listen).
As I listened to these messages and let the words of Scripture sink into my heart, I was startled again by what the cross of Christ actually means.
Jesus’ death made him, as Keller says, the substitutionary atonement for us. Jesus became our substitute on the cross, and, in effect, we switched places with him. He took what we deserved–death, pain, suffering–and in return, we get what he deserves–life, resurrection, glory.
I’m not sure I have a great picture of what a substitute is; as a teacher, my idea of a substitute is someone who holds down the fort until the real teacher is able to come back.
But Christ as Substitute is the ultimate kind of substitution. Unlike a substitute in a classroom, his substitution is permanent. His substitution is of the sacrificial kind, and, as a sacrifice is wont to do, changes everything about the one who is sacrificing–and the one who is being sacrificed for.
Because Christ stepped in and swapped places with the sinner, the broken, and the wounding, we all of us are now able to be as he is. Fully loved. Made new. Glory-filled.
This cross points to the best news I have ever, ever heard.
Lewis on First Love
August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
“God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love.”
-C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
On Mondays I am Out of Control
August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
For Michael and I, Monday is our day off–our Sabbath. After a full day on Sunday with church, various meetings, or planning, Monday rolls in like a gift. We often sleep in, enjoy a leisurely morning over breakfast, hot drinks (coffee for Michael, tea for me), and the Word, and spend elongated time journaling or praying. We focus on doing things that are refreshing and life-giving, like walking at the Arboretum in the afternoon or reading a book at a coffee shop. It is the only kind of day I know when I do not feel even a little rushed, hurried, or focused on moving on to the next task. The blessing is that this day comes each week.
Taking a true Sabbath has built multiple truths into my heart, most of which get played out in the smaller stage of my life every week. But primary among those truths is the fact that that I am not in control. When I spend six days accomplishing goals, finishing tasks, and moving forward in my job, the seventh day of rest reminds me that I am not the one holding the world together or keeping life in balance. God is on the throne, and he is the only one who has any real control or power over anything. When I stop my working on a recurring and regular day of rest, it tells me that the world gets on very well without me, and that I am not actually needed. This is a very good, very humbling, and very important weekly reminder for my often self-centred soul.
In the grand scheme of the world, I am loved, but not needed. Wanted, but not necessary. Loved by a God who loves enough to die for those he loves, but not needed by him. Wanted by this same God of grace and mercy, but not necessary. The Sabbath reminds me that I was created out of love and am loved because of who He is–not what I do or accomplish. I can be rather than do and still be loved.
And this is very good news indeed.
Why We Take Quarterly Marriage Retreats
August 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Life in ministry can tow the line between wonderful and draining on a daily basis. People want you, call you, text you, message you, and find you when they need you–which can be any time of the day. A pastor (and, by extension, usually his wife, who is also a pastor but often without a title) is meant to be the person who is available when no one else is.
Carrying the “pastor” title can lead to feeling like you are “on call” all the time. Whether someone actually needs you or not, it is easy to begin to feel like you always need to be open to the possibility of being needed. It is the complete opposite of the hourly job I worked right out of college. Then, I worked at a publishing house from 7 am–1 pm; when I got in the car to drive home, I turned my “work brain” off, and drove away. I rarely thought about work until I walked back through the office doors the next morning.
Michael and I have discovered that while we are not actually “on call” all the time with ministry (we take one full day off every week), it can feel like it because we care so much. If we’re not at a meeting or prepping for a Sunday morning, we’re still thinking, talking, and dreaming about what our people need and what our city needs. They need God, of course. We just want to be a bridge from the one to the other. And we want to carry that responsibility lightly but seriously.
The seriously part comes in most days of the week and weeks of the year. We disciple men and women, meet for unofficial marriage counseling, prep sermons and leader’s meetings, share the Gospel and serve the community. But the lightly part is just as important, especially for our marriage.
We take even ministry lightly in the sense that we are not the savior of anyone. There is one Man who is, and only He can save, heal, and deliver. So there is freedom for us to be unavailable from time to time, to go off the grid and be MIA. This is why we take quarterly marriage retreats. They are simple, often close to home, and times when we are disconnected from our ministry life. Because before God called us to official ministry, he called us to each other. And we know that our ministry will only go as far as our marriage. But getting away for two days, to re-focus on each other, makes a world of difference when we’re back to the daily routine.
We come back more present to God, one another, and our ministry. Getting away can be a small miracle in and of itself. We’ve just planned it so that we have these small miracles four times a year.
We are better spouses, friends, and ministers because we get away. Do you get away when you need to?
Finding a Rhythm…
August 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment
After being out of town for three weeks, I’m slowly sliding back into the routine of my normal life–which, to be honest, I love. I’m a homebody, and I’ve spent the first half of this week restocking the fridge, reconnecting with the husband, and catching up with my sister.
What I haven’t slid back into yet is the rhythm of life in ministry. After three weeks away, I have gotten out of step with (and have missed!) the women I disciple, the other families in ministry, and the general awesomeness that is our church community. I’m excited to jump back in. Discipleship meetings, small group meetings, early Sunday mornings, and making the occasional meal for the new moms in our midst–it might sound mundane, but after being gone, mundanity sounds absolutely wonderful.
