We are a missional people, who serve a missional God. Ours is a vast, overarching purpose, and that purpose is the glory and praise of God.
I get it.
I say "True, and true again."
But I've seen a bit of Gentile legalism creep into the missions mindset. When we veer away from God's heart of grace, even a little bit, we end up far away from the goal in the end. When a missions mindset is birthed from being love-sick, it is powerful. But when it becomes a measuring device with which to rate a church's or believer's quality of devotion, we've slipped into a works mentality that is anti-mission, anti-gospel, and anti-grace.
Missional is forever personal. Every concept you and I carry about our God has to be properly rooted in Genesis - every thought about God and what we imagine His "purposes" to be, must begin with God Himself. God could have created an army with which to accomplish heavenly work, but no. He created one man and one woman, to whom He gave unearned dominion, and with whom He simply would walk and talk in the cool of the day. And He still is lavishing unearned favor to sons and daughters that He simply wants to walk and talk with.
If I make the gospel as personal as God makes it, I am going to sound...maybe...just a little bit...."man centered". Does that mean the gospel I have come to believe is man centered? Not in the least. I will go so far as to say that if I have not made the gospel intensely personal, if I do not bask in the love of God for me personally - me, Sheila Atchley - I will ultimately be a hindrance to the mission.
And I will ultimately be a pain in the behind of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and a sharp ache in the neck of my leadership in my church. Because I will have made it all about "mission" instead of Presence. King David was a man after God's own heart, not because he focused on some big-mission-picture, but rather because all he really wanted, was to be in the presence of God 24/7...so much so, he put the ark in his back yard.
Christ didn't die for a mission. He died for a people. The people He died for, are made up of individuals. Christ paid the ultimate price, for you and for me, and that is forever the Gospel.
Bottom line, I will never...ever...be able to give to you what I don't own for myself. I'd love to give you a lake house and a brand new SUV, but I don't own any of those things.
The gospel of God is all about the unbalanced, crazy, mighty, unending grace of God in the face of Jesus Christ. I have to own that for myself to be able to give that away.
I have to be in the presence of God, up close and very very personal, to have the fragrance of Christ all over me. I have to carry something of the manifest presence to be of any effect whatsoever. Who are we, to think for a moment, that anything of any lasting value can be accomplished apart from the supernatural presence of God? There is no mission without utter, naked intimacy. There are no children, there is no heritage, no reproduction without intimate presence.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that alone will I seek after. Not to be a heavy hitter in some divine Mission Impossible, but rather to be Song of Songs intimate with the God who loves me.
Me. Me, me, me. You heard me. I said the "m" word. Oh, how He loves me! He is jealous for me...
It's Football Time in Tennessee!
It was tons of fun, listening to my boys' bantering back and forth. I love that they want to bring their friends to the house for the game...we grilled hamburgers, I made home made cole slaw, Tim passed football with all the guys while Sarah and I walked her puppy Amber...the weather has been absolutely picture-perfect, and there is a delightful nip in the air. We may set record lows this evening...but not quite chili weather.
Hope springs eternal in a University of Tennessee Volunteer heart. A Tennessee football fan, a true one, is no band-wagoner. We stay true. We've a new coach who seems like he will be a man we can be proud of (after the Year That Never Was, with the Worst Leader Ever. Last year, we had a "coach" - term used loosely - who came in declaring his love and committment to the team, only to leave abruptly. Of course, he justified himself the whole way. People like him always do. No matter. A man is forever characterized by how and why he leaves, whether it be how he leaves a party, a relationship, a neighborhood, a church, a coaching job, or a life. Our former team leader has indeed become a byword and a source of unending, scathing amusement to an entire city...no one respects him, no one ever will. Because of the way he left.)
And now, the crickets softly chirp outside the window by my bed. My puppy is by my side. My team won - and watching them run through the 'T' as the game began was thrilling for us all. We hooted and hollered. As I prepare my heart for gathering for worship with all my friends tomorrow morning, I'm smiling.
The lines have most definitely fallen in good places for me, I have such a goodly heritage. God has given me sons and daughters and a husband and friends and football, and I find that to be a lovingkindness above and beyond measure.
It's a GIRL!
(babies make us so happy we're singing - and it's a good thing, since we're having one, and our church family is expecting FOUR!)
Please let me introduce you to the most fun couple you will ever meet - Michael and Megan. All of Harvest Church adores them, you'd love them to. They discovered a few months ago that they are expecting a wee one, in January!
They found out today that their baby is a.......GIRL!
Her name?
(oh, it is so precious, it almost stops my heart. Are you ready for this?)
Her name is Gabriella Grace Ann Cummins. We will all have the blessing of calling her Gabbi Grace.
::happy squeak::
You have to know how perfect this name is for the little daughter of Michael and Megan Cummins!
In Which Rambo Wants to Say...
Rambo says it will be a long road, but he is willing to walk it, and he asks for your patience.
He says "Sorry."
We are very proud of him, and support him in his journey towards becoming a more generous, kind hearted doggie-soul.
Guess What Tomorrow Is?
September First.
That's all. But that's wonderful. Oh, how I love me some September.
Soooo...to cheer myself upon summer's passing (funny, I've never needed cheering up about the end of August before)...and in honor of All Things Home and Autumn....and to remind myself of what I love about the Harvest Season - I usually do not mind the summer "holidays" being over - I want to share with you a tiny excerpt from the delightful book "Mrs. Miniver". Such a sweet, well written book every domestic artisan is bound to enjoy and resonate with...
"It was lovely", thought Mrs. Miniver, nodding good-bye to the flower-woman and carrying her big sheaf of chrysanthemums down the street with a kind of ceremonious joy, as though it were a cornucopia; it was lovely, this settling down again, this tidying away of the summer into its box, this taking up of the thread of one’s life where the holidays (irrelevant interlude) had made one drop it. Not that she didn’t enjoy the holidays: but she always felt — and it was, perhaps, the measure of her peculiar happiness — a little relieved when they were over. Her normal life pleased her so well that she was half afraid to step out of its frame in case one day she should find herself unable to get back. The spell might break, the atmosphere be impossible to recapture.
Yes, summer is three weeks from over. It is back to our version of "normal life". For this cottage - it means back to one more year of lessons, lesson planning, and some semblance of routine. Back to meal planning, careful scheduling, fall wardrobe evaluations, and extra curricular obligations.
Oh, and it means college football.
I'm pleased.
5 Tips for Beating Fatigue. No, I'd rather call this - Dime Day, in which Sheila Gives Her Two Cents, Five Times...
I am reluctant to call this post "5 Tips for Beating Fatigue". Why, I don't know. It sounds too all-knowing, I suppose. So, this is "dime day". This is where I give you my "two cents worth" - five thoughts, worth two cents apiece equals a dime.
I've read many articles about overcoming tiredness. I've read a couple of whole books about dealing successfully with fatigue. The articles especially sort of sound the same, and I began to wonder if the writers don't have "google syndrome"....you know, where you google something and then write about it. Everyone starts to sound like everyone else on the world wide web.
Can't tell you how many times I've figured out that someone just googled something, and then thought they had the tiger by the tail, becoming a Mr. or Mrs. Let Me InformYou....a veritable fount of wisdom. "The whole context of that is thus and thus."
Whole? Really? Hoo boy. I've even seen people google their theology.
"Let's see what "research" I can do on grace..."
There is a hollowness to googled information, or any information merely "looked up" and not lived out...it lacks flesh and bone...it is two dimensional....and it doesn't ring true to the discerning ear. Ask any high school English teacher or any college professor.
So yeah, Mr. or Ms. Google-It. It may have been a lot of years ago, but I did read the book. I've invested several months or even years into what I am saying - not sure how long it took you to google it. Thanks but...I sort of knew most of what you are saying before there was google. But I appreciate the....tip.
Obviously, there is a place for googling for information. To be able to google for fuller, deeper resources on your subject is a fantastic time saver. I love seeing all the books out there on, say, French interior design. Or Swedish. And so long as you are not pretending to have done actual research, by all means, google away, and tell me what you found!
That said, I didn't google any of this stuff. Rather, I have lived it, and am still living it, however imperfectly. Without further ado, here is your dime's worth!
1. Drink plenty of water. You'd be surprised how tired you feel when your body is slightly dehydrated. Trust me, you can live in a state of mild dehydration, and wonder why you feel so whipped.
2. Do something happy! Do something you enjoy - each and every day. Intersperse your work with small pleasures. I schedule my happy interludes - right into my day. My days can be pretty intense, between home schooling a challenging teenager, and ministry, and life in general. My days can be extremely routine in their intensity. That is a combination that makes for bone tiredness.
So, when I make up my "to do list" each day, I write down and schedule in things that please me. Every single day. I don't just let it happen, however it happens, whatever it might be...I know exactly the things I want to do this week, and I plan them. I plan them according to my whims and moods for the week. This is important. This week, I plan to knit, bake some bread, plant some lettuce, take off to some thrift stores, and readreadreadreadread. I keep a long list of small things that bring me joy, and when I am stuck or peevish, I pick from the list and just do it. This one bit of advice alone is worth ten dollars, not just two cents!
3. Work. Believe it or not, (most of you believe me, I know) this is key. Don't spend the majority of your time doing whatever you feel like doing. Avoid that sense of mid-life entitlement - or empty nest entitlement. Or "the kids are finally all in school" entitlement. Or "I've worked for years, and now I don't have to" entitlement. There's lots of ways to feel entitled to slack off. But it won't infuse you with energy. You were created for work - work that glorifies God. Spend your day accomplishing! Work and work some more, and work most of the day - and schedule in the things you enjoy around the edges and little breaks in your day. Keep the big picture in your mind as you work - know that what you do in your work fits in with your dearest ideals and objectives. Tiredness is not your enemy...mind numbing boredom is.
4. Push through. I am befuddled at the women who simply stop when they feel tired. You have reserves of energy you have not begun to tap, if you normally stop when you feel tired. If you push through the tiredness and keep working, the vast majority of the time you will catch a second wind.
And did you know you have a third, fourth, and even sometimes fifth wind waiting to be called upon? Unless you are sick or extremely sleep deprived, you have energy reserves that are begging to be tapped. Your human body has energy rythms that rise, peak, and drop off...only to rise, peak, and drop off again...and again...all in one day's time. Next time you feel tired, try pushing through it. You'd be surprised how conditioned we are to take breaks when we are weary!
You can rest tonight. And we can all rest when we're dead.
5. B-complex vitamins. Liquid form only, taken sublingually. Wal-Mart sells a brand that runs about $6 or $7 dollars (versus twenty-something for other brands in health food stores) and it is the same thing as the very expensive liquid B's. Works for me, anyway.
Well, I want to tell you to get sunlight, and to repair your strained relationships, deal with your emotional issues, and address your thought life...but I've limited myself to a dime. Next time, it'll be "dollar day", okay?
Of Writing and Socks...or Scarves
Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.
~Dorothy Day
~Dorothy Day
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| Binding off a scarf I finished knitting this evening... Because of my Word for this year 2010. How are you daily manifesting the presence of The Creator in your life? |
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