Loving, Being Loved, Worship, & Protecting the Wine {part 3} | Julie Arndt

In part 1 of this series, I shared what God has been showing me about love and how loving is a form of worship. In part 2, I shared some practical life experiences dealing with this subject. The last part of this series is all about protecting the wine.

PROTECTING THE WINE

If our created purpose in life is to love and be loved, doesn’t it make sense that the enemy would do everything he could to disrupt that in our lives? So what are you going to do about it? Some of his tactics are really obvious, but others can be pretty sneaky! Learning to recognize those things that distract you from loving connections is a learning curve, but absolutely worth going after.

There appear to be two kinds of tactics. The first is (believe it or not) the more obvious one, in my opinion. Oh, it can seem sneaky enough at the time, but with some practice, it becomes a lot easier to spot! It starts with offense in the hopes to lead you to bitterness, resentment, distrust, etc. It whispers things in your ear like, “He did that on purpose!” or, “She doesn’t even appreciate how hard I have to work.” or, “They don’t even care.” When you ask the Lord to see that person through His eyes, if what you are hearing is not within their character… Bam! You see the lie right out there in full daylight. You can know, for sure, that it is spiritual opposition trying to walk you in the opposite direction of love. Stand against it. Usually it will go away by simply coming out of agreement with those thoughts and nailing them to the cross where they belong! Oh – and don’t forget to forgive. This is really key to keeping short accounts with others and allowing the conduit of love to remain unobstructed.

The other tactic is not so easy to spot, and this is the one the Lord has really been speaking to me about lately. This tactic can be so subtle, it’s hard to read as a tactic. Usually, it doesn’t even come with “negative” feelings, so it will sometimes sneak into your life without you even realizing it, until you suddenly find yourself in a different place than you wanted to be; the place of complacency. It’s also worth noting, the complacency tactic is often used to try to break down every meaningful relationship you have… spouses, family, friends, churches, and of course, God!

Matt and I recently went to a “Love After Marriage” workshop. During the whole week of being gone, we spent significant time connecting with each other, as well as other Christian couples, encouraging one another to grow in our relationships. We never even turned the TV on in our hotel room. Each night, after the workshop, Matt and I talked and shared, bonding in ways like never before. Every day we could feel ourselves walking closer to love; living a lifestyle of love. The more connected we became, the happier we were. We could sense the “presence” of the other, truly having our spirits unite as one. This continued when we came home… until we turned on the TV. The first night we spent watching TV “together,” we realized something had happened over the course of the evening that made us feel less connected. Now, I’m not going to blame TV for that, but what we realized was that we had so easily slumped back into an old mindset that allowed us to use TV to “clear our minds.” The problem was that there were a lot of good things going around in our heads too! Leaving the “reality” of our life, even for a couple of hours, was enough to diminish our desire to be connected. Somehow, our energy for enjoying each other became redirected to the TV. Intimacy felt less intimate, thus the motivation to be intimate was diminished somewhat.

Thankfully, we had already experienced something greater, so that our spirits recognized the negative shift. (Remember, our spirits crave deep, loving connections.) But I can tell you, had we not been sensitive to that, it would have been very easy to fall back into old habits that did not support our desire for having an intimate connection. After talking through this, we are more intentional to protect our atmosphere from things that walk us in the opposite direction of connected relationships. We didn’t give up TV… we just have to approach it with the right priority and mindset. We need to think about it as a time of sharing the same experience instead of it being a time to sit in a mindless stupor. Even if we watch TV apart from each other, it’s not about what we are doing, but how and why we are doing it.

We have begun to approach all things with this question, “How will this affect my important relationships?” Things that are important are worth protecting. Does it take time? Yep. Is it more work? You bet. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

Matt 9:17 says “Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Our love is the new wine. We need a wineskin that will hold the new wine. Not everything will need to change. But we need to care for and steward the thing that is most important. Our love is what is most important… it is eternal. (Don’t worry… I know we won’t be married in heaven, but I’m sure we will still LOVE each other!!)

What are the things you allow into your atmosphere that propel you toward love? What are the things that get in your way of connected, meaningful relationships?

Jesus, thank you for loving us first so that we can love!! Holy Spirit, we ask that you give us grace to walk in love. Stir our hearts to do the things that are healthy for our important relationships. And show us those things that try to trap us into offense or lure us into complacency. Teach us how to value and protect the wine! We want to love like You. Not just because it is the right response, but because there is so much joy and satisfaction in living as we were created to live.

Loving, Being Loved, Worship, & Protecting the Wine {part 2} | Julie Arndt

In part 1 I talked about loving, being loved, and how it relates to worship. In this next part I want to give some practical ways these principles have worked out in my life.

LOVING MY HUSBAND

If you read any of my facebook posts, by now you may be gagging at all the “ooey, gooey, lovey, dovey” things Matt and I say about each other. LOL… It’s OK, because it’s not your relationship. BUT, we have been discovering something about love that makes us so completely happy and joy-filled with one another. When we invite Holy Spirit into our most intimate moments and love each other through His eyes, WOWZERS!! We are finally understanding Song of Solomon like never before, even if my neck is not “like the tower of David built with courses of stone.” It has unlocked new places in our hearts that allow us to love deeper and more true. Couple this with a heart of worship, loving God for the gift He has given to us through the other person, and we are not only happy but satisfied in being with the other.

You know how sometimes you learn a spiritual principle that works itself into the natural? In this case, loving from God’s perspective has helped us love each other more intimately. BUT, we are finding the reverse to be true as well! The more we love each other (body, soul, and spirit), the more we are finding ourselves in love with God! Interesting! We are worshiping more and finding our hearts so full of thanksgiving for what God has done… even in the little, everyday sort-of-life things. So marvelous! How did God know that “two becoming one” could have such a direct affect on how we love?! He is so clever!

LOVING OTHERS

It’s kind of funny, but once you turn on love, it’s hard to keep it out of every area of life. I think that is because it is so right and good… so completing as it answers our purpose in life. Once you drink in intimacy, you become a junky for true, pure love. Your heart can’t help it really… this is why you were created; to be an object of His affection and to give back out of the fullness which has been deposited.

LOVING THROUGH GRIEF

Last week was a sad, tough one for our family. We had to say goodbye to one of our beloved pets, Buddy. Buddy actually taught me a lot about perfect, unconditional love. When I looked into Buddy’s adoring eyes, I could see the love of his Creator. Buddy was one of the best dogs I have ever known. He wasn’t clingy, just affectionate. He always had time and energy to love. He really was everyone’s favorite because even if someone didn’t feel like petting him, his love gaze would melt their heart and hook them in. Before they knew it, they were loving on him and all was right with the world. So you can imagine how very difficult a decision it was for us to end Buddy’s pain and suffering. Even in his last moments of life, he gazed at us with loving, trusting eyes and that little grin he would get on his face when he was being loved in return.

As we were giving him back to the ground, even as my heart was so heavy with pain, I could feel God’s love swirling around me. There was such a sense of worship in my heart, which surprised me. And then God spoke to me. He helped me see that when I love like He loves, even to something without a “spirit”, this is an act of worship. Caring for His creation is worship!

Grieving is a part of life on this side of heaven. But as I lean into the memory of love, even though it’s painful, God’s grace is there and it’s beautiful. I could even sense God grieving with me, which makes me love Him that much more! How precious it is to have One who so completely understands us!

Watch for my next post about how we “protect the wine.”

Loving, Being Loved, Worship, & Protecting the Wine {part 1} | Julie Arndt

Have you ever noticed how children who are in the presence of God become loving and affectionate? Our kids were certainly like this. Whenever our family was in a time of intimate worship, our kids would start leaning on us, hugging us, kissing us, squeezing us… it was so wonderful! (What parent doesn’t love that??!!)

Why do you think that happens? I believe it is because Love gives birth to love.

John said it well, we love because He first loved us! (1 John 4:19)

LOVE

When I first began to receive God’s amazing love for me, I became empowered to love Him back. Even more amazingly, this truth had an exponential factor... the more I received, the more I was able to give back. So simple, yet so epic! There are no words to describe that feeling of utter bliss and ecstasy that comes from being so completely loved! It is a foundational truth that must be understood and experienced in order to live in the fullness of grace and peace.

But something really amazing begin to happen to me… the more love I received and gave back to God, the more I realized how much love I had to give to others. And this is really where the rubber meets the road! Because until I realized that God gave me everything I needed to love others, I was not able to live life to its fullest. Getting rid of the fear, “I may give too much love away,” or, “it’s not safe to love from the deepest part of me,” helped me break partnership with and overcome a victim mindset. I am not in danger of living a love-depleted life! I was designed to love! I am no longer crippled from enjoying covenant relationships… AND Jesus has given me back the honor of experiencing sheer joy as I love others just because they are God’s beloved created ones.

WORSHIP

God has really been talking to me about how loving is a form of worship. Of course, most of us would already agree that loving God is a part of worship. But what about how we love each other? What about how we love the things He has created… you know, trees, animals, nature, our bodies, our dreams? I believe we worship God every time we honor and appreciate those things which He has placed here for our pleasure, those things which He loving created for us to enjoy and steward. Agreeing with God’s plans and appreciating His ideas and designs for our lives certainly seems like worship to me.

Some of these things have been a journey for me over a period of time, and some are newer concepts that I am enjoying as I explore the vastness of God’s riches and glory. In my next post I will talk more about some of the beautiful ways these truths are currently being worked out in my life.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will be posted tomorrow!

Opportunity Knocks | Jen Chaput

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

-Colossians 3:23

There aren’t many things I genuinely dislike doing. Any number of kitchen-related activities immediately come to mind, but after that the list tapers off pretty quickly. A few Sundays ago I was reminded of some things that used to top my list.

I was teaching Gideon’s Gang and we were talking about Paul’s life as told through some select chapters in Acts. It chronicled his travels and preaching, but what struck me the most was just his journey of life. It reminded me of something God put on my heart so many years ago. He reminded me that Paul’s mindset of ministry was that we are minute-by-missionaries. We shouldn't see our lives broken up into compartmentalized ministry outlets.  Instead, we can see each moment as a stream of events that make way for God's presence in our lives and the lives around us.

Back in the day [because 5 years ago was practically another lifetime], I was at the end of my college career and preparing for a wedding. I had to find some kind of job to fill the time before classes started in the spring and also wanted to boost our income. During my earlier years at Bethel, my sister-in-law Ann had asked me to work for her at a learning center (day care), but I was already employed by the school and frankly, I was uninterested in being with kids. My philosophy about children was pretty simple – they’re great, when they are some else’s. I was too busy focusing my heart on teens because as a youth ministry student, they were who I was called to minister!

Since I only foresaw employment at the learning center as a placeholder until I graduated, I agreed to work with Ann. I’d be lying if I said I immediately flourished in the alien environment. It took a lot of work for me to warm up to my new surroundings. But as I did, God was able to speak to me about my presence there. Sure, I was helping out a sister and aiding teachers as a sub, but I was also in a position of influence over the children in the class. I was a smiling face to a child that had no support at home. I was a pray-er over a child who was out of control. I was an opportunity for God to reach out and love a child that never felt cared for before. When my heart was changed from obligation to opportunity, I was changed. I wasn’t perfect, but I was aware that every time I interacted with a child, I could give away the love Jesus had given me.

I know that sharing Jesus can feel like a chore when you’re burned out, busy, and are ministering out of obedience or obligation. But you have the same opportunity today that I had 5 years ago. You may not feel like where you are in life speaks to your dreams and desires or even God-given talents, but you were made to give Jesus’ love away to all people. And if you’re like me, you have to learn that our kids are people, too! Just smaller.

Over the past few years, I’ve experienced a lot of changes that would not have been as easy had I not allowed God to tell me that I wasn’t just made for what I believe I was “called to.” I was made for living His love and sharing it with everyone I met, no matter what circumstance I was meeting them. If I had ignored God’s heart for being totally enveloped in His love, and open to sharing it the way He saw fit, I probably wouldn’t be part of this church, let alone the Kids Ministry!

Don’t let the goodness of living God’s love in every area of your life, expected or unexpected, pass you by. Now I know that our big and little brothers and sisters in Christ should get the best from us. And you should get the best of what God is offering you through your circumstances.

It is waiting for you.

Running After Your Dreams, Part 2 | Sally Perry

Yesterday, Sally shared with us about how she began to rediscover her dreams for her life.  Here's is the second part of her story:

The testimony that was posted yesterday was read in church the day after I ran in The Color Run.  For those of you don't know, The Color Run is a 5k where volunteers stand at each kilometer you complete to douse you with a cornstarch color mixture, leaving you a total colorful mess by the end of the race.

I set out to run a 5k two years ago, and after many stops and starts on training I got serious and signed up for this one.   I had worked up to running from one minute at a time to 5-6 minutes at a time. I went from a 21 minute walk/jog mile to 17 minutes.  The closer I got to the 5k, I started to experience injuries and setbacks in my training.  I just wanted to forget the whole thing.  I had intentions of running this, getting it over with and never speaking of running again.

For months, I knew that there was something spiritual about me running this.  I didn't understand what it was, but it felt like it was big.  So the good news?  I finished.  The bad news was that almost immediately into the run, I felt my leg pulling a little and it felt like a rubber band getting ready to break, and my feet felt like I was literally walking barefoot on hot coals.   I was totally not prepared for running on the uneven, cruel pavement.  I literally was afraid to run at that point, like something was going to break if I did.  Disappointment in myself doesn't even begin to explain the feeling I had.    

However, as I was walking to the finish line I was kind of lamenting to God, “What the heck was this all about God?”  "Seriously, this is my big “spiritual breakthrough”...this is a joke.”  I felt like God said, “This isn't the ending, it's a beginning.”  I know for me things are so much sweeter when I can look back and see how far I've come.   I will never forget the feeling I had of not being able to run the 5k. 

But instead of self-loathing, I believe it has changed my thinking about goals and dreams.  Before I even finished I thought, I'm coming back and doing this until I can run it.  So I will sign up next year.  I won't be näive about what it will take this time.  I also learned that I am no longer the girl who would take this disappointment home and use it as an excuse to give up.  To drown my sorrows in chocolate and donuts.  That girl died this weekend.  I am a fighter.  I know that now.  That is what my weekend was about.  

Dreams don't always turn out exactly how you think they should go, but this went exactly as I needed it to and exactly how God intended it, and that is good enough for me.   I won't quit dreaming.  And, I won't quit running either.

Running After Your Dreams, Part 1 | Sally Perry

This was read to the congregation during the July 29 service.  Sally wrote her thought about the Dream Culture class that she has attended this year.:

To be honest (which I always prefer), when my husband, John, told me that he signed us up for this "dream class", I was like, "REALLY?"  Great, totally in a sarcastic way.  I mean, come on, I don't have time to dream.  In case you don't know me,  I am a bit of a pessimist.  In fact, the glass half full/half-empty thing doesn't even apply to me.  I told John one day, "If my glass ever got close to half-full somebody would come by and kick it over."  Yep, thats me.  Jesus is working on fixing that little flaw in me.

I remember dreaming at a child.  Wonderful, fun awesome things that I would do in my life.  I had great plans of where I would go, where I would live, what awesome things I would do.  Then...life happened.  To make a long story short, I got bitter and was certain God didn't care about my dreams.  So, when I showed up that first Thursday night, I was, to say the least, skeptical and seriously a bit irritated that John had gotten me into this.

I was pretty honest about how I felt.  Okay, maybe not at the first class (I had to give a good first impression to some people I barley knew).  Then when we were told to come up with 100 dreams, I thought, "yeah right".  As I started to read the book and listen to the others in the class, I realized I wasn't that much different.  Everyone had had their struggles.  When I started praying and pondering about those dreams I thought were dead I began to realize some were the same I had as a child.  Some were new that reflected where I am in my life and some came out of nowhere.  I actually began to think, "hey, maybe God put that there for a reason," "maybe, just maybe, if I start to put one foot in front of the other with God's help I could see some of those dreams come to pass".

So, that is why I am unable to be here to give this testimony.  Because this weekend, I am putting one foot in front of the other to achieve one of my dreams.  I am in Indianapolis running my first 5K.  Yep, thats right, the non-athletic girl that couldn't climb the rope in gym class, the girl that had knee surgery at 14 due to a torn cartilage and freaky birth defect on my left knee.  Now why would God care about me running a 5K?  Because He loves me!  I have many more dreams on my list that would seem much more important to the Kingdom, but God knows this is important to me.

If you are skeptical and beaten down like I was, I encourage you to start seeking God concerning your dreams.  You may be surprised what comes to light.  The world told me this chubby girl couldn't run. Christ says I can do ALL things through Him. Believe in your dreams. HE does!!! 

(Stay tuned for Part 2, tomorrow!)

A note from Kate:

This weekend, we are hosting the Dreaming With God conference at Open Door.  If you are looking to reawaken you dreams, and see what dreams God can't wait to fulfill in your life, we invite you to come and spend a couple days dreaming with Him!  To register, visit dreaming.opendoorcf.org.

Finding the Wonder | Julie Arndt

The other day I dove into a task that was long overdue… cleaning up my worship song book. Out with the old and in with the new! But what I found as I thumbed through the pages of our worship history surprised me.

Let me just start by saying, the worship team learns a LOT of songs; good songs, songs that didn’t really work out as we’d hoped, GREAT songs, and songs that seem to take us to a place of glory. This last group are the songs I want to talk about.

There are only a few songs that really seem to transcend time. What I mean by that is this: there are some songs that are so good, they never seem to get old. You know what I’m talking about, like “How Great Is Our God,” or “Great Is They Faithfulness.” Two songs written decades apart, yet both stir our desire to lay everything we have down so that all we can do is worship and love on Creator God, Faithful Father.

Then there are songs that seem to be for a season in time. Maybe it’s the fresh revelation of God’s glory, or an attribute we see in God that makes it so special. It’s that go-to song that you know will carry people to the throne room. And then one Sunday, it happens. The go-to song didn’t bring people in! What?! This song always inspires people to rise up and worship. Sigh...

Why does that happen? And what do you do with songs like that? Purging those songs that used to be so amazing and inspiring are like trying to throw away your kids handmade projects from school. Every single one of them has a wonderful memory attached, yet they seem to have outlived their time. And then it hits me… It was never about the handmade project, it was always about the love you shared between the two of you as you marveled over their gift… globby glue, crooked glittery bling, and all.

Yes! That’s it! It was never about the song… it was always about the wonder and amazement you found in the moment. That moment when your heart touched on the greatness of God and cried out that nothing matter more than this very holy moment! Nothing compared to the greatness of God! Nothing in life is better than this! Nothing! Although the song helped you get to that place of revelation, the revelation wasn’t in the song. The revelation was in Him! The song only held the memory of the encounter. Wow, how my spirit longs for these kinds of encounters!

And finally, like a bud slowly opening to reveal its hidden beauty, I began to see the beauty in hungering for more. Certainly God is with us. Surely He favors us with His presence. After all, Jesus said that everything that was His is now ours! But is it possible that we can become desensitized to His presence simply by having the same kind of encounters over and over again? Do we cease to see the wonder in His faithfulness, just because we have grown to know Him as Faithful? Just like with those songs that brought so much grace for the revelation of that moment… how do we maintain the innocence of wonder? How do we mature in our understanding of God without losing the gift of amazement in all that He is? How do we talk to God face to face, sit on His lap, walk hand in hand with Holy Spirit, yet still recognize His holiness and deity?

Grace. The operational power of Christ working in us!

Ask for the grace to know the wonder and the beauty of His holiness. I think this is what we are really asking for when we sing, “show me Your glory!” We are asking for God to reveal what no eye has seen… to hear what no ear has heard… to understand what no mind can comprehend. Like children eagerly awaiting Christmas morning, we long to feel the total amazement of being in the presence of the Holy One! For us, this is where our spirit is most at home. Look for a fresh, new encounter with Him. Don’t be satisfied with what you have already… be jealous for more!

This can only be revealed to us through grace. Can you imagine the pleasure God has in our asking? Revealing Himself to His created ones is the fulfillment of His greatest desire.

If this is your heart’s cry, then pray this prayer with me. Holy Spirit, we want to see Your glory! We ask for grace that increases our hunger for You. We receive Your grace to find the wonder of You. We long to be amazed and in awe of Your Holiness. Wash our eyes in Your love so that we can see You. Bathe our ears in truth that we can know You. Fan the flame within our hearts so that our passions and desires can only be satisfied with more of You! Amen.

Ahhh… it’s so good to know, it’s never been about the wineskin (the song), it’s always been about the New Wine! …and I’m one thirsty girl!!