Just a quick public Valentine’s wish to my bride! In the midst of the whirlwind also known as church planting, you are a friend, counselor and partner. We have never been closer or more in love than we are now. I love you!
Wrapping up from the last 2 days with a look at the word become.
Unfortunately, too many of us would exchange the word become for the word behave. It’s common belief that Christianity is a list of do’s and don’ts. But, it’s so much more than that. It’s not that at all.
Christianity is about a new life. It’s a new start. It’s freedom from sin. Once a person believes and places their faith in Christ (see yesterday’s post for more on that…), we get a whole new nature. The old Ben Shoun is gone. He died in August of 1995. His influence is still hanging around the new one, but he’s long gone. Since that time, God has been shaping me. He didn’t just save me and then throw the 10 commandments at me and wish me the best of luck.
God shapes His people into better and better representations of the life of Jesus Christ, and that takes time. We have our ups and downs, but if we will yield to His power in our lives, we can change. We change on the inside and then live it out, not vice versa.
What do we mean by Believe?
Author AW Tozer said what comes to mind when a person thinks about God is the most important part of them. I completely agree.
Words have meaning. How you define the words you use is so important! When we think of the word God or Jesus, you may define those words in any of the infinite ways. The difficulty with that is that if we really believe eternity is at stake, we better all be communicating clearly!
At Arrowhead we love people. And, if we love people, we must tell them the truth. You can’t say you truly love someone and hide the most important facts about life.
We believe the Bible is completely true and without error. We believe God is Creator and man is sinful. We believe Jesus is the Son of God who lived a sinless life in order to take the punishment of sinful man. We believe you are saved from eternity separated from God in hell through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can find a more detailed look at our doctrinal statement on our website.
Once a person places his faith in Jesus, life is forever changed. We live for Him and experience life to the full. If you’ve never placed your faith in Him and you just want to check that out, you are welcome in our worship services, small groups, and anything else we do. In fact, you are our honored guest.
We believe what we believe is the most important part of who we are. It shapes all of the rest of life. More on that tomorrow.
Wanted to take some time this week to unpack what we mean by the phrase you may see all over our site and all over the place on Sundays. I’ll break it down into 3 separate posts on each B.
Church should be a place to belong, period. The fast pace of life, even in a smaller town, is enough to isolate us if we’re not careful. There’s always somewhere to be and some responsibility to follow through on. Consequently, we run around like crazy in our car, alone. But, God said it’s not good for man to be alone. So, now what? All of us have to make special effort to have quality relationships with friends and family. Enter the local church. If you’re not careful, church can be another item on the agenda, making us even busier. That’s why we value simplicity. Let’s not make everybody busy. Let’s provide a place on Sunday mornings, in small groups, and in some key ways throughout the year for people to slow down and actually get to know one another.
The other element that is so key when we talk about belonging is this: all of us, regardless of background or stage in life, should feel welcome. God isn’t waiting on us to clean up our act so we can fit in. He reaches out to us through His people to come and fit in. Jesus was called a friend of sinners, which is what we all are. People are people, and all of us need a place to belong. We don’t believe we’re all okay and have no need for life-change, but we’ll explore more about that as the week goes on.
Dear MLB,
I’m pulling for you. I really am. I love college football, college basketball, the NFL, and even college baseball. There was a day when you were my preferred way to spend 2 hours in front of the television, but those days are long gone. There was a day when I could name every starter for every team in the MLB. Those days are long gone too.
I promise I want those days to come back. I want my son to want to be as obsessed with you as I was. But come on…THIS HAS GOT TO STOP! Otherwise, you’re just going to be a joke like the NBA.
To end this neverending series of posts about life transition, let’s talk about the loss of a job. Personally, I’ve never had a job that needed to be cut either due to financial difficulty of the company or my performance. I can’t imagine the emotion of a place you’ve called home from 8:00-5:00 (or whatever time you’ve worked) for x number of years telling you they’re going to have to let you go. Most of us at least somewhat enjoy what we do, or we’d find something else to do. Most of us have friendships with the people we work with. To me, that makes job loss really difficult. What counsel would I give if you are struggling with the loss of a job?
Rest assured that God is still your provider. He doesn’t have to make us comfortable, but He will meet our needs. Scale back and live simply. But, trust that He’s going to take care of you.
Find comfort in the community of faith. I can think of at least 3 people who are a part of our infant church who are struggling with the loss of their jobs right now. The same is true in churches everywhere. That kind of community is invaluable. Don’t isolate yourself and think it’s only you.
I speak with no experience on these last 2 posts dealing with transition in life. I do speak with compassion and desire to help, and to see God use a church to bring hope in tough times.
Today let’s talk about divorce.
I heard a pastor say once, “If you put a sign that says “God loves divorced people” on the front of your church, it would be full.” Fullness of the church aside, I believe the heart behind that statement is true. Having friends and family go through divorce, I’ve watched the pain and brokenness that comes as a result. And I know God’s heart breaks for the hurting.
The truth is that marriage was intended to be permanent. God makes two people one in a covenant of marriage. Whatever comes, His ideal situation is that we would stay together. That should be the commitment we make. I do believe in the cases of adultery and abandonment (we’ll unpack what those cases may look like some other time) that Jesus made it clear that divorce is permissible.
Divorce has consequences. So, at Arrowhead you’ll hear us talk a lot about our passion to see marriages restored. It’s possible, but only through Jesus and His plan for marriage.
You’ll also hear us talk a lot about being an agent of hope for people who struggle through a divorce. Don’t let divorce bring isolation. Instead, let it bring a new opportunity for friends and family to come alongside you and help hold you up. It’s God’s plan for His people.
Nothing in my life has brought about more spiritual thoughts and understanding of how God views me like the birth of my son. I love seeing and interacting with new parents because I know what they’re going through. It’s cliche, I know, but there really is no way to describe it until you’ve got one of your own. Here are just a few things God has taught me since Eli came along.
He loved me before I ever knew He did. The first time I saw Eli, he was nasty. Sorry for the mental picture here, but babies look like aliens covered in slime when they enter the world. Still, my heart melted. I loved him instantly. He had no idea, and he obviously still doesn’t understand Sara and I’s love for him. But we just do. It took me 17 years before I comprehended God’s love in any tangible way, and I’m so thankful he loved me even when I didn’t know it.
He loves me unconditionally. Let’s make this clear: my son is a sinner. He’s almost as rebellious as he is cute. Even if that leaves me scrambling for a parenting book, it doesn’t change my love for Eli. No matter how far away he runs, he’ll always be my son. It’s so comforting to know God sees me this way.
He protects me even if it hurts for a while. There are times when it’s just not a good idea to give Eli the knife he’s reaching for. There are times when he needs discipline. There are times when he needs a shot. He often doesn’t want what’s good for him, but it’s our job as parents to make those decisions for him. This helps me understand my prayer life in a much deeper way.
If you are a new parent or have one on the way, enjoy the ride! It’s hard, but it’s fun. Whatever you do, make time to reflect on your feelings for your kids and make the correlation to God’s love for you. Matthew 7:11 is an awesome truth.
Once again, check out what we’re doin’ here in this transition series of posts.
The transition from singleness to marriage.
Spiritual seekers are everywhere when you decide to tie the knot. The first year of marriage can be tough. It definitely was for Sara and I. It’s very easy for questions of whether or not you married the right person to creep in. But, here’s the thing: that doesn’t matter anymore! You and I covenant with ourselves and our spouse before our Lord to make it work! If you don’t have that as the bedrock of your marriage, you will want to quit.
Little things and big things drive can drive a wedge between you - who cleans the house, who cooks, who mows the yard, how do you manage finances, do the cups go upside down or rightside up in the cabinet - aahh…everything gets on your nerves.
One of the greatest truths that motivates Sara and I is the fact that God doesn’t necessarily intend to make you happy as much as He intends it to make you holy. God wants to make us like Jesus, and He’s using everyone in our lives to do that, including your spouse. There is satisfaction and incredible joy in marriage but there are also tough times. The good and bad are for our sanctification.
God’s Word is so practical when it comes to marriage. Meditate on Ephesians 5! Memorize it. Ask God to use it in your life to lay a foundation for Biblical marriage. I absolutely can’t overstate the fact that God’s plan for marriage works.
Check out what we’re doing here: Got a little sidetracked last week. Sorry…
Today let’s talk about the transition from college to the real world.
New jobs, new friendships as we leave old ones behind, maybe a new home away from mom and dad. Lots of changes come with this transition. 4-5 years in college fly by, and all of a sudden we feel unequipped to handle life in the real world. Trying to figure out how life works is not so easy. Our parents made it look that way, but it wasn’t for them either.
There’s a lot of spiritual questioning that comes along with this transition. Your faith either has to become completely real to you or it very well may die out. Questions are everywhere, and they’re usuallly somewhat practical in nature. How do I navigate the job market? What kind of insurance do I need and what the heck is a “deductible?” Is this the person I’m supposed to marry? The list goes on. Here are 3 pieces of counsel I’d give during this transition.
1. Find a mentor. Lots of older adults are more than willing to help. It could be a parent or it could be someone else. Whoever it is, make sure they’re a spiritual leader. There’s too much at stake to listen to what the world has to say about money, relationships, and church. Ask the person to meet with you regularly. Bounce all kinds of questions off of them.
2. Stay out of debt. Don’t let the fact that you now have a “real job” with a little money in your pocket cause you to overspend. Debt on a home can be fine as long as it’s within your means, but automobile debt and especially credit card debt can spiral out of control fast!
3. Find someone to hold you accountable to spiritual growth. If you’re not married (or even if you are), the individualism that you experience in this stage of life is dangerous. Without a church, small group, and close friend who’s got your back, you can quickly close yourself off to the outside world. Sin issues can creep up and you can keep them hidden. All of us need somebody to challenge and encourage us.