Currently on my mind...

I recently purchased a new devotional... it's called Coffee with God written by Sarah Arthur. In today's devotion she says, 

'Often when I sit down to write these devos, I'm tempted to hunt around for those select scripture verses that buttress my worldview or strengthen some argument, rather than engage the Bible on its own terms.'

I love that. How true it is! Too often we look for the particular verse or story to help build an argument... often times this turns into taking a verse out of context which in the end only causes greater problems. God is not impressed with with our ability to spin and weave an argument from bits and pieces of the Bible. He wants us to know the WHOLE THING. The beginning, the end, and everything in between. When we read, we truly need to come to the Word in His terms... with open hearts and minds- ready for surprises... ready for Him to blow our minds. In 2 Timothy we read that 

¹⁶  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Here's the thing though... if we don't know it to its completeness, how can we use it to teach or even argue?

You've got to know it. You've got to know every aspect of it to be able to truly defend both the Bible and your faith. 

This is the point where I have a thought contrary to some... I have in fact, read most of the Harry Potter books. (I've even seen the movies.) Now I know that seems shocking as most know that I was raised in a home where we weren't even allowed to watch 'Bewitched'. Honestly though, I'm really not even a fan of Harry Potter stuff. However, it's become a great point of discussion between believers and nonbelievers... and sometimes even between believers and other believers. I will stand by my opinion that I don't think it's really a great book to devote time to reading, nor would I really want my kids reading it until they were old enough to truly comprehend the literature (but that's a different topic to be discussed in person).  I digress... I am not a fan of Harry Potter books, therefore I read them and watch the movies. Wait, What?! 

When I do get into a discussion about such literature; I have to be able to defend both my viewpoint and my faith. I may have to make assertions about the books and/or movies to help defend my viewpoint... and if I don't know the books/movies, how can I make educated arguments for or against? If I were to get into an argument with J.K Rowling about the topic of her books and had not read them, I would look like a bumbling fool. How does that help my life's testimony? 

In the same way, if we were to get into an argument with an atheist who has read the Bible cover to cover (yea... some do that just so they can try and prove you wrong) , but did not know it well enough to defend my faith, once again we look like bumbling fools.

And so we come back to the importance of studying the Word.

My prayer is that we come to the Word with open hearts and minds... that we may understand it fully (or as much as our human minds can possibly comprehend) and be able to defend it... seeing both sides of the argument-- and yet professing the superiority of Christ both from the word, and in our lives. 

-Kristina

Pickles' Patch Article: 'Burdens'

In a few short weeks I will be embarking on a new adventure! I have accepted a call to work with a church in Winchester, Virginia as their children's minister. They are a brand new church and my job will be to help them build a program for their children from the ground up. As you can imagine, this experience has the potential to be scary and nerve-racking as I have no job, will be sleeping on a couch for the first few months, and will be living far from my family and friends. But never fear, because the Lord is near! I have no worries about the future as I have cast all my burdens upon Christ. I learned to do this a long time ago; and that is the story I'd like to share with you today!

My eldest brother Petar first introduced me to the world of backpacking several years ago. With nothing but a pack on your back filled with food, water, and clothes for the trip; we trek several miles into the woods and get lost in the splendor of God's creation. For my first time we took a short 5-6 mile backpacking trip. The trip was almost too easy, with little hills, clear skies the whole way, and not a snake in sight! I left the woods that weekend feeling refreshed and in love with this new sport. I decided to go on another backpacking trip or two. It was on one of those fateful trips that I learned a great lesson in life.

We had decided to pursue a longer hike through the Smoky Mountains... so my brother Petar, his best friend Christian, and Christian's coworker Robert, decided we would do an 'easy' 20+ mile hike. 'Oh, there might be a few hills,' they had said, 'but not too bad.' So I said, 'LET'S GO!' Packed with plenty of water, food, clothes and a hammock, we began our journey into the Smoky Mountains. The first day started with an easy 7 mile hike down the mountain to our first campsite. It felt so good to be back in the woods, I practically ran the whole way down! We set up our camp and began preparing some dinner when my brother and his best friend walked over to Robert and I. They informed us that they may have done some miscalculating and that the following day's hike might be a little higher and harder than we had anticipated. That night I braced myself for the following day, knowing it couldn't be 'that bad' and feeling ready for the journey. 'I' could do this... 'I' had done it before... hadn't they seem 'me' practically run down the mountain?

Saturday morning we awoke and began packing up the camp. We started our hike with an easy pace, stopping every so often to catch our breath and rest our feet. Up the mountain we continued... on and on... on... and on... and on.... it was at this point that something weird happened. I began to get tired. My pack seemed to be weighing a little extra heavy on my back, almost as if with every mile we climbed, someone was putting extra rocks in my pack. Pretty soon even the breaks didn't help. Pretty soon the breaks made it even worse... because every time we stopped, it was harder to get back up. We kept climbing though. At this point my legs became tired from the high altitude of the climb. My back was hurting from the heaviness of my pack. My lungs were struggling for air. My entire body seemed to be sweating from every pore it had. Pretty soon I felt nauseous from the exhaustion of this climb. Robert and I decided to take another break while Petar and Christian continued up the mountain. And that's when it happened.

That's when I reached my lowest point- in a very high point of the mountain.

As I sat against the hill, (since the path that curved up the mountain was only a foot and a half wide, FILLED with snakes...) in a large patch of poison ivy (well, maybe just grass... but it very well could have been!) , I had an emotional meltdown. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't go back down the mountain, because I'd still have to go back up those 7 miles I had trekked the first day. I couldn't stay in the middle of that trail, because there was nowhere to set up my hammock unless I wanted to roll down the mountain in the middle of the night. I definitely couldn't keep going up the mountain... my body simply didn't allow it. My pack was too heavy, my legs hurt too much... I couldn't even imagine how much of the hike was left.

*

Still sitting there, sulking in my own pity party, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was my brother Petar. He was coming around the bend of the hill up ahead. He was almost running... and what's this? He didn't have his pack. As he came closer, I could finally make out what he was saying... 'Guys! You're so close! You are SO close! The top is just around the corner! You don't even know JUST HOW CLOSE YOU ARE!'

My brother came up to me, reached for my pack, and put it upon his back. He helped me up to my feet and just kept repeating how close to the top we really were. Slowly, but with a new fervor, I began to follow my brother, tears streaming down my face, as he carried my pack the rest of the way up the mountain. He was right, the top really was around the corner, and reaching that top was a monumental moment in my life. I had done it! I had climbed my highest mountain. I had made it to the top... but unlike my thoughts the night before, I had NOT done it alone. It was with my brother carrying my pack that I had made it to the top. It was with someone else carrying my burdens, that I was able to reach the summit.

Can you guess what lesson I learned that day? You probably already know what I'm going to say... but I'll say it anyway. Psalm 55:22 says, 'Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you'.

You can't do it alone. We can't do it alone. We weren't meant to do it alone. God sent His own beloved Son to die on the cross, to bear our burdens, so that we may have life everlasting on the top of that summit. We weren't brought into this life to try and make the journey on our own. It is with Christ and through His blood that we can continue on this journey. Sometimes God will even call us to make a journey that's uncomfortable, like that one I'm about to take. But that's the beauty of casting all our burdens on Christ. Even though it will still be a difficult journey, and the hike may be hard, it is so much easier when we allow God to not only carry our burden, but be our guide.

 First day's hike!

 "Help me up guys!"

"hold on hold on...let me get the camera!" Click, click ... click click click click clickety click ... "OK, now give me your hand."

 ...And so the trek begins...

Beauty.

 Mountain: Conquered.

Gone Fishin'

As some of you know, I learned how to fish this summer.

It was one of many goals I had set for myself before the summer even began.

The first few weeks of camp had passed, and I had honestly simply forgotten about my desire to learn to fish. Then one evening I had walked down to the beach to spend some alone time with God on the big rock, when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a fishing pole that had been left in the sand by a camper. Immediately my first thought was, ’Oh goodness… this is how stuff gets broken.’ So I picked up the pole and walked back to the office having completely forgotten why I had gone to the beach in the first place.

When I got back to the office, I was looking at the pole… and the wheels started churning… I knew it was hotdog night, and I remembered how one of the National Guard guys had used a hot dog for bait when he went fishing in the river. In that moment, I decided, THAT’S IT! I’m going to teach myself how to fish!

With a new fervor I quickly skipped to the kitchen, found a hotdog and some old trout bait left from a previous camp, and began the quick trek back to the river.

I spent the first 15 minutes figuring out how the pole actually worked… playing with the release button, trying to cast farther than two feet in front of me, even untangling my first fishing line knot. About 20 minutes into the experience, I was able to finally cast. I didn’t actually know how to bait the line so I just stuck some trout bait on the hook and cast hoping I was right. I waited a minute or two, and reeled the line back in. I wasn’t really surprised I hadn’t caught anything; I mean I really wasn’t even sure if I was doing it right. But I wasn’t about to quit, so I put some more bait on the hook and cast it out again. As I began to reel in the line this time, I felt a slight tug. I pulled a little, thinking it had just gotten caught on a branch (which had happened a couple of times before). I brought the line in a little, and there went that little tug again! I gripped my pole in utmost disbelief… had I actually caught one? Had I actually caught a fish? On my very first time? IMPOSSIBLE!

I looked towards the end of the line in the river… and there is was.. a little fish no more than 6 inches, fighting for its life. I kept reeling it in, pulling the pole up, and reeling it in some more (the few fishing commercials I had seen had always done that… so I assumed it was some sort of technique to catching fish). Finally after a battle of two minutes (which to me seemed like 30 minutes) I had the fish out of the river and hanging on my pole.

And then it hit me.

Now that I had caught the fish, I had to actually take it off the hook.

I fruitlessly looked around me in hopes that someone had seem my catch and would be able to lend a hand in this very vital part of the catch. But alas, everyone was still at supper. I quickly thought, ’Well… I can’t just leave it here’. So I did the only thing I could… I grabbed the fish with my hand, covering it with my flannel, and using my other hand jerked the hook from the fish. I then put it back in the river and watched it swim away; ecstatic over the events that had just occurred.

A few weeks later as I recalled that eventful night, I was reminded of the verse in Matthew where Jesus calls out to Simon and Andrew- ’Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ (Matthew 4:18-19) And I started thinking about the parallels between my fishing expedition and the fishing we had been called to do as believers. And this is where the thought train has taken me thus far…

I wanted to fish. And when the opportunity presented itself, I decided to just do it! I drew upon past experiences and things I had seen/read to figure out the basics. I even played around with the pole to figure out the mechanisms of the reel and how to work it. And once I was ready to cast, I did it. But I cast my bait without actually expecting to catch anything because, well… I was completely inexperienced and brand new at the whole fishing thing. But that didn’t matter, because within the first few minutes, I caught my first fish! And that’s when the problem actually started… I had caught the fish, but had no idea what to do with it.

And that’s when it hit me.

When I first started counseling for camp, I knew the basics. I knew the Sunday school answers, and the Roman road. I knew how to help ’bring a child to Christ’. But what I lacked was the follow through.

I truly believe that this is a problem that plaques us today. Too often we except Christ and a role in ministry, and knowing just enough; cast out that line; not actually expecting to catch anything…and then when we do; we are unprepared for what comes next.

And so my two thoughts:

1. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WHEN YOU DECIDE TO GO FISH???
   1. I still can’t get over it… what did I think would happen when I threw out a line with yummy fish food… into a river of fish?!? ((I feel like this point pretty well explains itself… what do you expect to happen when you share the Gospel with others…?? Do you not have enough faith to know that there will be people who hear, believe, and turn to Jesus??))
2. And now we come to the importance of not only studying the word, but understanding it… and continually pursuing Christ so that we may be able to follow through with new believers… help guide them in their new faith and life, instead of just throwing them back into the river to fend for themselves among the sharks. It is our duty, our calling as believers to not only catch the men; but make disciples of them! Jesus really puts it best in Matthew…

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

To wrap up my reflection of what I have named ‘My First Encounter with Fish’, I leave you with this…

11 Command and teach these things. 12  Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14  Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16  Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:11-16)

Spend time in prayer… study the word… evaluate your spiritual life constantly… be accountable for your faith… and be ready for whatever the Lord sends your way…

Expect Something.

Expect great things. We serve a risen Savior… EXPECT Him to be HIM and work a miracle in the lives you are trying to reach. Expect to catch when you cast… and be ready for whatever that something is… and the best way to do that is by drawing close to God every single day. It’s a lot easier to fish if you expect to catch something… cause let’s be honest; even if you don’t catch a fish, you can come back the next day and try again… but at least you’ll be ready for the day you catch the big one!

In Hebrews 10 it says:

23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Expect SOMETHING! Do not be discouraged if you don’t catch anything today, but keep trying… encourage one another, and keep on fishing!

Disconnected.

On my phone there is a wifi setting. It's a 3G phone, but if you want internet service without the charge, simply turn on the wifi setting; and you can browse without being charged the outrageous data rates. With this setting though, you have to pay attention and be really careful. Occasionally, if the internet connection is not very strong or is wavering; my wifi setting will still be 'on' but read 'disconnected'. Basically what this means is that my phone 'recognizes' that there is potential for receiving and sending information, but there is something wrong with the connection that is not allowing the proper exchange to occur.

As I sat this morning staring at the 'disconnected' sign on my phone; it dawned on me... how often as Christians do we live like that? We've got the internet connection potential...we go to church, we tithe our money, we do the week-long mission trip in some far-off land, we even help in the nursery... but at the end of the day; we are completely 'disconnected' from Jesus. We are disconnected from the world.

We are 'on' but 'disconnected'.

And how do I know it's true? … confession time: I've lived it.

During my junior year of college, I went through a period of spiritual disconnect. I was still going to church, still praying daily, still knew all the right answers to all the Sunday school questions... I was still thinking about God 24 hours a day.. 7 days a week. But at the end of the day, when I was all alone in my apartment, with no one to see me or hear me, the tears of anguish would come. And I would just cry myself to sleep. Every night. For about 2 months. I was 'on'... but I was just plain 'disconnected'. I wasn't digging into the word, nor allowing God to do the work He wanted to do. I was praying, but not actually listening. I wasn't truly dying to myself. And the saddest part? I knew how to change it.. how to 'connect back'... I just kept choosing not to.

I kept this disconnect hidden, until the one day. I had walked into the Christian center, walked back to say hey to my campus minister. (I hadn't actually had intentions of staying, just say hey and go.) I walked through his door, and by the time the door had swung shut, the tears began to flow. Sitting there I released the disconnect I had been feeling. How I still loved the Lord with all my heart, and how I knew all the answers to all the Sunday school questions... but I just simply couldn't bring myself to make a healthy connection. I was struggling. ((I know it's a hard thing to understand or accept... but even the most spiritually mature (and I'm not even talking about myself), but even the most spiritually mature folk just struggle sometimes. See the book Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God by Craig Groeschel)) Through pouring out all my emotions to another human being that I trusted (not to judge, but just listen and understand the struggles) I was able to realize where my connection had faltered and how I could and would reconnect it. I walked out of his office, went back to my apartment, and cried again.

I would like to tell you that everyday I took little steps back to the connection, but well... that's the beauty of a reset button. When I hit the reset button on the router, the connection almost immediately restores itself and my phone is a functioning machine again. And so, that's what I did. I cried that night, not because I was sad or struggling, but because I was crying out to God to forgive me. In my spiritual life, I pushed the reset button, and my connection became restored. It still wavers sometimes... cause I am human and all, but man is it strong. Not to mention that God is quick to restore it after a storm of any sorts. And I am forever grateful for that.

While peoples' spiritual disconnects may be different from the one I experienced; the main idea I'm attempting to convey is that we need to continually be diligent is recognizing the state of our spiritual connection. I urge you not to be 'on' and 'disconnected'; but rather strive to experience connection and transformation through knowing, thinking and speaking who you are in Christ.

Find your IP address in Christ, and it'll be a whole lot easier to maintain the connection.