Friday, August 27, 2010

C.H.U.R.C.H.

The Lord gave me an acronym for the Church. The interesting thing is He gave me the beginning of it almost 8 years ago but didn’t finish it until the early hours of the morning today. Here is the Acronym:

C: Christ

H: Healing

U: Unruly

R: Rebellious

C: Children

H: Here

The interesting thing to me is I have been waiting 8 years for the last part of that acronym. Then as plain as day my Loving Heavenly Father told me that is what His Church should be doing walking in our healing HERE.

We all have been unruly, rebellious children and some of us are still being pretty unruly and rebellious instead of walking in the healing that Christ has provided for us HERE.

What is this Healing? It is Healing from being separated from God. Healing from the world (oh wait but we live in this world and we are only human is what most people would say) but I challenge that when Christ heals us we start a journey. I think of a time when our Pastor’s son broke his leg and the Dr. said after the cast came off it was important for him to use that leg. See his leg had been bound for so long that he became use to not using it. The Dr. said if he didn’t use it then the leg would become literally useless and there was the danger it would not be usable again. It was painful in the beginning for him to use that leg. But the more he used it the more he was walking in the healing that had already occurred in his leg.

I propose that each of us have areas in our lives that we have been bound so long that even when Christ heals us, we have become use to not using that area which had been bound. We must retrain yourselves to understand we are not bound any longer and to use what our Savior Jesus Christ has set free. Remember Joseph told his brothers that what his brothers meant for evil that God used for good.

Lastly, I want us to remember that Christ is a TOTAL HEALER…He wants to heal us spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We talked the other night about the ten lepers (Luke 17:12-19) and how only one came back to express gratitude and give Glory to God. All the lepers received physical healing but only the one that went back received TOTAL HEALING. I find it interesting the one who came back was a Samaritan.

My final question and our challenge is are we doing church as normal or are we an alive, vital, and active part of the THE C.H.U.R.C.H?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Been a little while…

It has been a couple weeks since I have written a blog. I have been really busy with school, work, and getting our daughter back to college for her sophomore year.

God has been moving and I am asking Him to let me see Him each day. The last couple weeks there have been test for me. The test had me relying on God for His answers.

God gave me a devotion to share with the prayer group this past week. It was on interruption or divine appointment…maybe it will be shared here in the near future. There was even a test in this act of whether I would trust God or fall back onto Plan B. Choosing to obey God is always the best and most awesome choice.

I encourage you to read 1st Chronicles 29:11. It should be that God is in control at all times.

Have a blessed week.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Hope in the grieving….

The phrase, “Hope in the grieving” became a reality for me this week along with many of my friends. Cheyenne went home to be with the Lord after a valiant and good fight. She was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer a little over a year ago. This young lady was amazing during this time of torture and tribulation.  Yet, she still sang praises to her Jesus through all the chemo, radiation, and the side effects.

Cheyenne touched a great number of lives and I for one know that I will never be the same from knowing this sweet child of God. I have been reading a book entitled, “Christian Atheist” by Craig Groeschel. In this book, Pastor Craig talks about being a THIRD LINE CHRISTIAN.

Pastor Craig shares the following in the “Christian Atheist”:

The FIRST LINE CHRISTIAN has this mind-set:I believe in God and the gospel of Christ enough to benefit from it.”

This is the bless me attitude. A pastor friend of mine said the other night this is where we all start….babies needing to learn to crawl but this is not where God intended for us to stay.

The SECOND LINE CHRISTIAN has this mind-set: “I believe in God and Christ’s gospel enough to contribute comfortably.”

Think of a toddler, they will share as long as it doesn’t cause them to be uncomfortable.

THEN THERE IS THE THIRD LINE CHRISTIAN: “I believe in God and Christ’s gospel enough to give my life to it.”

This person lives with the attitude I’m willing to give my whole life to His cause. I desire nothing more than I desire all of God.

Some may be wondering why I bring this up….because as I read those words in this book this week; God spoke to my heart and said that is exactly what Cheyenne did. She crossed that Third Line and became a THIRD LINE CHRISTIAN. However, she didn’t cross that line on the wee morning hours of July 28th, when she went home to be with the Lord.

Cheyenne crossed that Third Line a long time ago and I believe she is in heaven right now cheering each of us to cross the Third Line for it is definitely worth it and she is proved it with her life. Our challenge is will we cross that Third Line and join Cheyenne in being a THIRD LINE CHRISTIAN?

In loving honor and memory of Cheyenne Elise Bauer: April 1998-July 2010. We love and miss her but have hope in our grieving for she is with her Savior and in no more pain.