Category Archives: Discipleship

Blogs about discipleship

Sweeping is my Superpower

This week has been one of those quiet, down weeks. Sounds refreshing doesn’t it? However, it is because we have had a run of poison oak in the house. My handsome hubby has always been susceptible to it, a bit of kryptonite for my personal superman, and it appears, one of my daughters takes after him. So, we have hung out at home battling fevers, taking soothing baths, slathering on calamine, and not sleeping.

My other daughter has chosen to hang out with her polka-dotted sister instead of friends which makes this mom’s heart soar. Having pity on this discouraged itchy girl myself, I have done her home chores… or found out how undone they were may be more accurate.

While sweeping minutes ago, I was having the mom conversation in my head about how I am going to have to show her the correct way to do this chore. She is supposed to be my clean-freak; I should not have to come up behind her to check. She is old enough to sweep without supervision. You know these internal mom conversations, right? Tell me I am not alone in this. Then the thought struck me…

Isn’t this the same conversation God has about us!?!

Ouch.

Not sure about you but I have had quite a few years now to figure some things out myself and yet there I go making mistakes and breaking commandments; essentially not following God’s instructions on how to do the job.Cosette-sweeping-les-miserables-emile-bayard-1862

Granted, I have the sweeping thing down but God isn’t concerned about my sweeping superpower, is He?

Do I put in the amount of care into God’s instruction that I expect my little child to put into a task that, granted makes my feet sing, doesn’t even rate?

Not like I should.

My girls have seven chores and I expect them all to be to my standard when they are through. God has two standards of which I mess up plenty, To love God and to love others (Matthew 22:36-40). Whose standard should we be focused on anyhow? Definitely not mine.

So I wanted to encourage you out there today, don’t seek perfection in some task you have set to your subpar standard. Seek to do what matters, obeying God & His law, and loving Him & His people. His standard is better and will make you happier than clean floors.

Until next time,

Trisha

Some Are Silver and the Other Gold

Do you remember that little childhood jingle?

Recently, I have been thinking about a particular old friend of mine. You know, the kind made of gold? I am reminded that no matter how many years pass, or distance between certain friends, they will always have a special place in my heart. A particular one of late has been on my heart and she has been a blessing in my life. Yet, have I told her that? Who knows, probably not.

Don’t we do that in life?

Don’t we miss opportunities to tell those we love and cherish in our lives how much they mean to us. Haven’t we overlooked the importance of telling them how they have made positive impacts on our lives and inspired us to be better versions of ourselves? Over the years I have told stories about particular gold friends of mine, including the one I am eluding to in this blog. And yet, due to to distance she has never been in that room to hear me say it. Isn’t that the way it goes…

In numerous speeches, devotions, or stories in a class I taught over the years I have shared how a friend has shaped my life all the while intending to tell them one day.

I guess today is that day.

Life marches on; life gets busy. We grow up, marry, bring children into our lives as our own or by being fabulous aunties, travel, get dogs, discover dark chocolate, and the healing effects of a piping hot cup of Starbucks. While drifting along in our own life’s current so is everyone else. Sadly, some of these people in my life have already passed. I never got to tell them they mattered to me. I think they knew but this saddens me anyhow.

In society we tend to be polarized on ideologies or hobbies, and are ready to pounce on people when they differ from our thinking yet, we let moments of affirming someone pass by. Which one really matters? Should we not spend more energy on encouraging the people in our lives?

1 Thessalonians 5 : 9-11
For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Some are Silver and the Other Gold
www.femalefriendshipclub.com

I am pledging to work harder at this. There is a lot of 2015 left and I am choosing to look back on it and say I told them I loved them, said thank you, and encouraged those gold friends in my life.

Anyone want to join me? Who is your gold friend? Share a story on a positive difference someone made in your life today!

God’s In Your Cheering Section

Time Flies…

March is nearly over already; can you believe it? A quarter of the year has come and gone. Many of us then have recovered from Christmas, Christmas hang over of bills and decor, New Years excitement, Cupids arrows and settled back into mundane normal life routines. The days of dreaming of the things we were going to do better, change for the better, learn something new, have a new adventure, or whatever endless romantic ideas of the New Year bliss have fizzled.
Right?

My question then is how do we hang on to those refreshing, inspiring, hopeful ideas of betterment for 2015?

Some may wonder why I would choose to bring up this topic now, it has been well discussed and long fizzled. That is exactly why it is time. With Easter around the corner, what better time is there for reflection? Our Saviors mission was fulfilled; how are we honoring our lives to Christ?

Reflection

Did you have a chance to reflect on 2014? The holidays and post season can be busy in numerous ways for all of us. Have you made time to sit still and reflect about what has been before you look toward what could be?

There is a lot of year left!

God molds us, refining us for His purpose, to grow spiritually, to be Christ-like. This brings us tears, laughter, joy, heartache, pain… life. Where has your walk been?

Are you closer to Him now than this time last year?

To go forward we all must learn from our history. History repeats itself unless we learn from it. Taking an honest inventory, a hindsight of ourselves, allows us to say what we did well, what had its ups and downs, and what needs an overhaul or was non-existent in our lives.

Grab a pencil and notepad and answer
What worked?
What did not?
Why?

Going Forward

Great! To continue this momentum, look at where you want to go in your spiritual journey this year. Do you simply want to tweet an area from last year? Do you want to dive deeper unsteady, work on prayer life, get into missions, do community volunteer work? The ideas are endless. What people group tugs your heart? What social issue gets you fired up? there lies you passion. God may have already be tugging at your heart in an area. If not, put something on paper and be ready for God to work and guide you as the year progresses.

We are called to be in a relationship with the one true God. Relationships are a two way street, right? No one likes to talk to the person you can’t get a word in because it is all about them. Have you been doing all the talking? Maybe no one is talking, have you drifted away like long lost friends? It could be time to put God back in His rightful place as priority one in our lives. Sometimes we can get a little to “busy” and forget to nurture our relationship, can’t we? This can happen in any relationship, relationship are work aren’t they? It’s okay, He is there, just reach out.

We are instructed to read, meditate, memorize, study, and hear the Word of God. If you don’t know what to write down about where you want to better this year this is a great place to begin. No one does all of these perfectly! I certainly don’t! Whatever else is going on our lives, once thing is for sure, the condition of our heart is a direct reflection of the time spent in God’s Word.
So, be bold! Write down where you want to grow spiritually this year. Aim for the moon and if you land on a high mountain top instead it is still further than you are right now, is it not!?! Fear is not of God, God is loving and merciful and that does not create fear.

We have evaluated the past, looked toward future betterment but what about the present, right?

The Journey

How do we get from A to B? This is the meat of our journey. Here memories are made, growth occurs, and life happens.

What does the betterment of ourselves entail? This is critical to consider. If we cannot put a plan to action, a life application, we are sure to not get this off the ground. Without applying our goals to life we will be attacking the same ideas this time next year. Spend some time reflecting on what you need to make this reflection time a reality. Do you need resources, a mentor, a bible study, carve out quiet time, note cards, or to put pod casts on your iPhone?
Looking at the methods to make your desires successful, who can you ask to keep you accountable? We are not meant to walk alone.

Vulnerability is not a weakness but a strength because it propels us to be real with ourselves, hear what others see in us ( and it may be awesome!) and keep us on track for a great change! Do you have a mentor to help grow and encourage you? Are there conversation you need to have with your family? Will your changes create change in the home, this warrants being humble and honest about where you are and what you want to do better. This way the people around you are united in your success.

A last item to consider is your time frame.We have been discussing the 2015 year but a year, or in this case 9 months, is a long time. Are there mile stones in between? Having successes along the way could go a long way to keeping us encouraged when we trip up, and we will! The important part is getting back up and dusting ourselves off.

Making the Most…

Hang in there my friends. It is a New Year. God’s mercies are new EVERYDAY! How amazing, humbling, and encouraging it that? Don’t be straddled with what was but cling and move forward with what is and what will be. Have faith of a mustard seed to move mountains because you have an amazing God in your cheering section.

And you have me.

God's In Your Cheering Section
God’s In Your Cheering Section

For those who are working on something or are going to work on something this year, share with us! I would love to hear about the great things happening in our live and I can be an accountability partner too.

Coffee is cold now so until next time…

Trisha

Conflict in Contexts

I am sitting here with my morning coffee, Verona Starbucks with a splash of french vanilla creamer, listening to my kiddos in the backgrounds while doing my Lay Minister studies.  In my studies I came across this bullet point below and realized this has been a subject of conversation all around me lately.

What scripture(s) do you think you or others use out of context with when looking at other passages in the Bible?  Or maybe you don’t think this happens at all?  I would love to hear your thoughts and even what is in your cup this morning.

**Interpret a passage in the light of all other Scripture.  Do not use an

obscure passage to disprove one with clear and obvious meaning, and

do not interpret a passage in such a way as to make it deny what we

know to be true of God from other scripture.  For example, the

interpretation of 1 Tim. 2:15 must be in light of John 3:16.

 

Faith & Fish and Loaves

A sermon recently delivered a message on Feeding the Five Thousand from Mark 6:30-44.  It is a passage we have all heard several times over if you have spent any time in church.  If not, no worries I’ll break it down through this time together.

Grab your Cup of Joe and settle in.

Just for reference, this story along with Feeding of the Four Thousand is found in all four gospels.  Here is the location in the other three Feeding the Five Thousand: Matthew 14:13-2, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14.  Feeding of the Four Thousand is just beyond in all passages.

As I was listening to this passage of scripture, something new came to mind.  It is this…as the disciples passed out the fish and loaves was their faith little and grew as they saw the miracle unfold?

At this point in the gospel the disciples are still working out who Jesus is, I mean REALLY is.  They are still walking and growing spiritually alongside Jesus.  Remember Christianity is not a race but a lifetime path.  The disciples demonstrate this throughout this passage.

Jesus used miracles to demonstrate His deity and clearly taking two fish and five loaves of bread to feed five thousand men would classify as a miracle in my book.  I struggle to adjust portions when cooking for a known amount of people I invited for dinner.

In this passage, we find Jesus, disciples, five thousand people who have come to see Jesus from many nearby cities at the Sea of Galilee, and only two fish and five loaves of bread they found, according to John, from a little boy.

Let me set the scene a little more.  These people are following Jesus to the Sea because they saw or have heard of the healing miracles he performed in the previous town. The disciples were with Jesus then too.  The people following Jesus clearly believed something was special about Him as did the disciples but the question remains- to what extent?

What extent do we believe Jesus is special?  Do we know, I mean REALLY know, Him?

It is the Passover Feast, which is why it was important to feed the people and not merely speak to them and send them on their way or any number of ways it could have played out.  Jesus and the disciples recognized the need.

Doesn’t He always take care of our needs?

The disciples thought to go and take a measly 200 denarii and buy bread to feed them something.  There were no plans or faith that Jesus, their Rabbi who just miraculously performed healing miracles, would sustain their hunger on His own deity.  After all of the previous miracles the disciples did not then reply, here you go rabbi, I have faith you will do great miracles with this little amount of food.  They said we have only five loaves and two fish.

Jesus takes the measly bit of food that would satisfy three or four people today and blesses and breaks the food and hands it out to the disciples in twelves baskets.  So here come 12 baskets, one for each disciple, suddenly full of food.

At this point what are the disciples thinking?  Have you ever thought about it?

Why is my basket so full, did I get most or all of the food?  Do the other baskets have any to hand out?  Were they comparing and judging bounty?  Were they relying on faith and miracles?

Do we rely on the foundation of faith in our lives?

Do we take whatever God has given us and see scarcity instead of blessings and miracles?

Here is where my ponderings get going.  Did the disciples start with little faith as they passed out the bread?  I see it going something like this.  The disciples pass out to the first row of men only a small piece of bread and a bite of fish.  Sparse is the name of this game because seriously how is this measly basket going to feed even the next two rows let alone the masses awaiting their feast.  Ha, feast, this won’t even dull the hunger pangs.

John 6:35 says, “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

Do we believe this?  Does our life reflect our belief or our lack of faith?  Did the disciples demonstrate this at the beginning of feeding the five thousand…I don’t think so.

The passage plays out in my mind like this… the five thousand men were instructed to and sitting in groups of fifty or one hundred.  As the disciples made their way to the next group I think their faith picked up.  I think disbelief at how the bread and fish continued to pour out among their feast guests settled in as they continued from group to group.

Wouldn’t you be amazed?

If there are fifty to one hundred people per group of five thousand total there are roughly fifty to seventy-five groups.  The disciples possibly only have 4-7 groups of their own to feed.  Not too many groups but they are full of people and only one basket.

How many communion trays go around our congregation of significantly less people?

In my mind, I can visualize the disciples growing in their faith as they witness and participate in this miracle!  How miraculous is our providing God!  I think by the end they are bewildered and awe struck by the Son of God they follow and learn from.  Were they thinking now about how boundless our Sovereign Lord and Savior is?

Do we not do this in our own lives?  Do we not begin a task, journey, or trial and think, “How Lord?”

Do we not enjoy hindsight and say, “What a mighty and awesome God we serve, here is my testimony on what He has done or is doing in my life?”

I think this day was just like this for the disciples.  Just as we walk with God, learn about Him more intimately, growing in our faith, so did the disciples.

Here is my point.

If the disciples, the very eyewitnesses to our beloved Jesus and gospel grew in their faith daily, messed up daily, can’t we?  Have grace with yourselves my friends.  This is a journey.  Just as you grow deeper in your earthly relationships, so do you in Christ and your relationship with the Father.  He loves you, cares about you.  Knows your needs just as in this passage and will care for you.

Seek Him.

Again, I repeat, does our God-breathed scripture not read, John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

As you get to know Him more intimately, your faith will grow too.  Allow Him to come into your life and work miracles.  Unload your burdens on Him for His yoke is light.

1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

He cares for you.

My coffee needs a refill, until next time.

Trisha