WholeHeartedLife

"We're Not Gossiping. We're Networking!"

"I've got something that I need you to pray about..." 

I bet you have been invited before to participate in a discussion where the person starts the conversation with that phrase then TRASHES a person to you? They do it as if they have a concern for the person that they're talking about. Yeah, we can tell how much you care for them by the way that you talk about them behind their back. We can tell how much you care because you'll talk to me about them and you haven't even talked to them. Your compassion is mind boggling!

There's another word for diguising your concern with "prayer": Gossip. (Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 20:19, Proverbs 26:20, Rom 1:29, 2Cor 12:20, 1Tim 5:13, 3John 1:10 YEAH! God talks about gossipers alot!)

Here's the scenario: A person (who seems to be a leader in their church) comes up to you and wants to talk about everything that they think is wrong with a church (be it yours or someone else's) do you listen, or do you ask them the most important question: Have you spoken to him/her/them about this or are you just trying to win me over to your way of thinking?

Gossip is talking negative about something to someone in which they are neither the cause, problem or solution to the issue.

Listen to what Jesus' brother, James, wrote about the power of the tongue: 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt^[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.  (James 3:5,6,9-12 NIV). Remember, when you talk junk about the church, you're talking trash about JESUS' bride.

So, knowing what you now know about gossip, if someone put you in this situation, "What Would You Do?". Discuss.

(by the way... before you give yourself a headache trying to figure out who I'm talking about, give yourself a break. I wrote this months ago when doing a little study on the subject of gossip - hence, all the scripture backup . Seriously. No agenda here except to be used by Jesus to help people live WholeHeartedly - so live!! See ya tomorrow...)

What's Your "Next Step"?

This week on WholeHearted we are talking "Next Steps".

I am SO about "next steps". I love to see people take the "next step" of regular church attendance - the "next step" of identifying with Jesus through baptism - the "next step" of church membership - the "next step" of joining a small group - the "next step" of deciding it's time to grow in my faith. "Next Steps", for me, are one of the highlights of leading people in their journey towards God.

Wednesday Nites at hyde park are about "next steps". There are basically 2 tracks that can be excercised on Wednesday's in the arena of the "Next Step":

Track One: Service.

One of the greatest things that will happen as you become a follower of Jesus is that you take the changes happening in you and allow God to use you to impact others through service. Wednesday is a beautiful time to serve JESUS through our Awana program. Awana is a kidz program that helps kidz to grow in their knowledge of who God is and what He means to them. Because of Awana my 12 year old daughter knows more scripture than most people who are reading this RIGHT NOW! Amazing!

Those who serve in Awana are affecting our future for Jesus. Ready to take the "next step" of service? Let me know.

Track Two: Learning

If you were at hyde park Sunday morning you heard Pastor remind our church that we need to learn to feed ourselves spiritually through reading of scripture and prayer. Becoming a "self-feeder" is one of your most important "next steps" (if you missed Sunday's message I HIGHLY SUGGEST that you check it out here). He went on to say that we want to help those who are learning about God to go deeper in their faith. Our Wednesday nite classes are designed to do that. Here are our current classes:

Class One: If you feel like you need to learn the major teachings of Christianity, Pastor's new class, "Foundations", is for you.

Class Two: Parenting is one of the toughest jobs that we have. We all want to raise kidz who grow up to be great adults (no pressure, right?). If you want to learn about raising "rock-solid" kidz you'll want to check out our class, Value-Packed Parenting.

DivorceCare: Are you struggling with the pain of divorce or separation? DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE DEALING WITH THIS?  Our DivorceCare group is a much needed "next step" for someone dealing with separation - are you willing to help them take the "next step"? Ask about our give-a-way brochures that can tell your friends what they need to know about DivorceCare.

All classes begin at 6:45. You can get more info about classes here.

(by the way: While I'm throwin' links at ya, some of you might be wondering about how to actually take the "next step" of bible study?  Here's a cool tool on our site that you maybe never saw. Enjoy - hope it helps you to take a "next step".)

What Would You Do? (Part 2)

Today we will continue with our "WWYD" series, if you missed yesterday's entry you can read it here. Each day I'm presenting a true-to-life situation (something that really happened) and we'll discuss by sharing what you would have done in the situation when you add a comment by pressing the bottom "comment" tab. Here's today's situation...

I have a friend who attended a hyde park service a couple of weeks ago. On this particular Sunday he was sitting with some family who attends a different service than he does. As the service began a young family came into the worship experience and sat on the pew in front of he and his family. One of the members of his family commented that he thought that they were new as he had never seen them with us before. The family had some children, one of which was pretty young (in the 2-ish range). On the same pew with the family was a person who normally attends that service and according to my friends family member, normally sits where they were on this particular day.

As the service went on the youngest child was having a hard time staying still. While the child's mother was trying her best to control the situation, the person next to her would look at the mom with an obviously aggravated/disgusted look (you know, the old, "can't you control that kid?!?" look). This happened a number of times until the mother eventually took the child and left the worship center, leaving the husband and other child, never to return for the remainder of the service.

My friend and his family member were discouraged because of the harshness and insensitivity of the regular hyde park attender and the fact that, to the best of their knowledge, the family hasn't returned (they have looked and haven't recognized them yet). I know that this is an assumption, but the hyde park attender put more pressure on an already stressful situation. That makes me sad.

Let's suppose that you were the hyde park attender who was sitting next to this new family and experienced this. What could you have done to help instead of heap on pressure? What Would You Do? Discuss.

"We're Not Gossiping, We're Networking!"

"I've got something that I need you to pray about..." 

I bet you have been invited before to participate in a discussion where the person starts the conversation with that phrase then TRASHES a person to you? They do it as if they have a concern for the person that they're talking about. Yeah, we can tell how much you care for them by the way that you talk about them behind their back. We can tell how much you care because you'll talk to me about them and you haven't even talked to them. Your compassion is mind boggling!

There's another word for diguising your concern with "prayer": Gossip. (Proverbs 11:13, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 20:19, Proverbs 26:20, Rom 1:29, 2Cor 12:20, 1Tim 5:13, 3John 1:10 YEAH! God talks about gossipers alot!)

Here's the scenario: A person (who seems to be a leader in their church) comes up to you and wants to talk about everything that they think is wrong with a church (be it yours or someone else's) do you listen, or do you ask them the most important question: Have you spoken to him/her/them about this or are you just trying to win me over to your way of thinking?

Gossip is talking negative about something to someone in which they are neither the cause, problem or solution to the issue.

Listen to what Jesus' brother, James, wrote about the power of the tongue: 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt^[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.  (James 3:5,6,9-12 NIV). Remember, when you talk junk about the church, you're talking trash about JESUS' bride.

So, knowing what you now know about gossip, if someone put you in this situation, "What Would You Do?". Discuss.

(by the way... before you give yourself a headache trying to figure out who I'm talking about, give yourself a break. I wrote this months ago when doing a little study on the subject of gossip - hence, all the scripture backup . Seriously. No agenda here except to be used by Jesus to help people live WholeHeartedly - so live!! See ya tomorrow...)

What Would You Do? (Part One)

This week we're gonna participate in a series titled, "What Would You Do?". Each day I'll present a true-to-life situation (something that really happened) and you answer by sharing what you would have done in the situation. I have a friend who shared this issue with me a couple of weeks ago. The following personally happened to him and really wanted to know what he should have done in this circumstance. Here it is:

My friend attended a concert the other week with some of his friends. The concert was mainly attended by Christians from that area as the artist(s) performing were Contemporary Christian artists. The concert was at an outdoor venue and was free to the public.

He said that near him was a lady. The lady was not the normal christian concert attendee as she didn't look like the majority of the crowd (tattoos and piercings and her style of dress) and had obviously been drinking (you could smell the alcohol on her). My friend said that the woman had made her way closer to the stage and was holding up her cigarette lighter, smoking and swaying to the music. She wasn't doing anything to anybody - just enjoying the concert. Then "IT" happened...

The people (read: christians) around her started getting mad and alerting security. They wanted the woman kicked out (she was polluting their christian "little c" gathering with her sinful presence - at least that's my synopsis). Now remember, the purpose of the concert was said to be "evangelistic" which is why it was a free outdoor show. My friend thought that the people were wrong for treating this woman in that matter ("isn't that why they were doing the show - to share the gospel with her?") but didn't really know what to do -

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Discuss.

In the Meantime

Like some of you I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my One Year Chronological Bible to come in. In the meantime, I began my journey in my regular bible but then remembered a resource that LifeChurch.tv had:

YouVersion (i used it this morning). I especially enjoyed the journal function on the right side of the page.

Here's a couple of things i love about YouVersion:

1. it's FREE
2. it's easy to use
3. it has a journal function right there beside where you're reading (it's secure, no one will read your journal)
4. if you click on a verse you're studying, possible commentaries appear on the right side.
5. it has a Yearly bible plan
6. it has multiple versions that you can choose to read from
7. Did i mention it's free?

So, for those of you looking for a free yearly bible reading plan and don't mind reading online you can do that here.

New You?

Do you struggle with "starting over" with God? Feeling unworthy? Don't know where to begin?Rememember, God knew that you weren't capable of living up to His ways and sent JESUS to make a way for us all to be new - JESUS makes all things new.

When you and i fail (because we're sinners) i go to Him; i ask His forgiveness that He might cleanse me and make me new...

So many people have a hard time starting over. We put it off - THEN - we feel like we "missed" our opportunity to do so and we say, "i'll do it next Monday" (like a diet) - except, for many because of guilt, Monday never comes...

It's a new year, a perfect time to start over. You can't change - you need Him to change you (that's why you always fail - you're trying to do this thing on your own!) "God, change my thoughts, my heart, my ways. Make your attitude my attitude, take control of my eyes. Lord, may Your Spirit change me... and when I mess up (i know that i will) give me the humility to quickly return to You and admit it. I ask this in JESUS Name. Remember...

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) 17What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!

Romans 5:11 (NLT) 11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) 2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

Your Reading "Plan" for '08?

You know, i've been thinking a lot about what my reading plan for '08 will be. I read A LOT of scripture in 2007 but read book by book...i like to change things up, you know. So i was googling to see what the internet had to offer and found this:

Read through the bible in One Year site here

If I have one thing to say about this it's this: KEEP IT FRESH! Don't allow reading to be a chore but think of it as food for your Spirit. Maybe you need to change things up a bit - try a different translation than what you normally read (i usually change translations for daily reading yearly). Knowing that some of you would be looking for a "new" plan to help you dig deeper into scripture so here's what I'm suggesting:

NIV One Year Chronological Bible, softcover By Tyndale House Grasp the flow of Bible history as you journey through God's Word in a year. The complete NIV text, including books, chapters and verse are rearranged in chronological order, along with maps and transition statements help you understand the Bible better than ever. (this version is also available in the New Living Translation - i believe that I'll use it for my daily reading this year)

The One Year Chronological Bible, NLT, Softcover By Tyndale House This devotional Bible is ideal for anyone who wants to read the Bible in the order the events actually happened. It not only gets readers through the Bible in a year, it also arranges it in chronological order. Helpful dating information is also included. The One Year Chronological Bible will give readers a fresh look at the Bible this year. And last (but certainly not least) is for those of you who would like to listen to the bible this year. I hear that the product below is really, really great! (and it's marked down). I know this, it seems that it will bring it to life! Inspired by...The Bible Experience Complete Audio Bible on CD Inspired by...The Bible Experience is an inspiring audio Bible that features an unprecedented cast of nearly 400 of today's distinguished Hollywood actors, actresses, and musicians. It also features movie-quality sound effects and background music. This fully dramatized version of the TNIV New Testament was developed by entertainment veterans, and is a ground-breaking undertaking. The phenomenal quality draws you into Scripture and makes the Bible come alive in a new way you have never experienced before. 2007 Audies Audiobook of the Year Award Winner! Of course, we have some of the "EveryDay with Jesus Bibles" available at Guest Services. It doesn't really matter what you do, just make sure that you have a plan because... WHEN YOU FAIL TO PLAN YOU'RE ACTUALLY PLANNING: TO FAIL

What's Your Legacy Gonna Be like?

(10:20 - Tuesday nite) Do you ever just sit back, amazed at God, and think, "YOU are so awesome!"?

That's how i feel tonite. God is amazing. Not that you didn't know that - but can we ever say that enough? Well, that's exactly how I feel tonite.

This evening we participated in George Lindsey "Bear" Collins Homegoing Celebration and it was awesome - not because the preacher was hot (he was), not because the choir sounded great (they were), not because the band was unbelievable (yep!)... it was the power of God working, drawing, convicting, empowering, equipping (and all the rest of the "ings" that He was doing!). The service went great but not because of anything we made happen - Bear wrote his own service and he did a great job - the letter he wrote was an unbelievable touch to an already touching service. And then, at the end, he basically gave his own invitation - it was an amazing touch. Thank You, Lord for technology!

The reason i'm amazed is that 1. the church was standing room only! Everybody wanted to be a part of this evening and 2. when pastor gave the invitation a bunch of people responded that they had received JESUS. That's what a Celebration Service is all about - Celebrating Jesus and People Coming to Him!

Please continue to pray for this family that their faith grow stronger as the days go by...

I wonder - if I died tomorrow what kind of a legacy I WOULD leave behind? What about You - what do you hope people say about you when you leave this world? You comment and give yours and i'll follow.

Yesterday's Notes - Today's encouragement...

The "heart" of this post began in yesterday's post about seasons - I really became aware about how easy it is to totally miss the significance of the season that you're in.

Monday was a breakthrough day for me in that I realized that my "focus" on going to another level was too "focused" on feelings and surroundings, not to mention the actions of others. I made mention in response to one of the comments that "focusing on going to another level is very similar to watching the hands of a clock 'tick away' because you can't wait to do something - it's Christmas eve when you're 8 years old (you better go to sleep because if Santa comes and you're still awake...). It is so easy to focus on your feelings, weaknesses and failures. Quit focusing on where you're going and DO NOW because NOW is the foundation your future is built upon.

Here's the application that I have used to understand "this season":

• What has God been teaching me? Get out your notes, your bible, whatever you use to listen to the Lord... go back over the period of time that you've been dealing with this and look at what God has taught you - you will likely find what you're looking for in there.
  
  Do you journal when you study the bible? "i don't know how..." or "i don't have time" or probably the most prevalent will be "i've never done that before..." You don't have to be a bible scholar or an author to journal (remember, journaling is not for others to see - it's a conversation between you and JESUS). Journaling is nothing more than writing down the thoughts that you have as you study the scriptures. (I have a bible that has huge margins for journaling and i write the thoughts down right next to the scripture that spurred the thought - really easy...)
  
• Don't make it difficult. If you're anything like me, you'll try to make the simple complext (after all, we're talking about the Creator of the Universe) but truly, The most profound stuff that God teaches me is SO minor - small enough that if I'm not careful I'll miss it. What ROCKED MY WORLD was something God showed me last week but I didn't "catch it" - when I felt led to go back and read what I wrote last week it FLOORED ME! "how could i not get that?!?"

You know, the thing that I learned from this is that there MUST BE A WAY for me (and you) to go back and see what we've learned because if we can't review how can we REALLY learn it? (think school - can you read it once and really "get it"?) If you've never seen the need to journal, how will yesterday's Words encourage you today?