Mission Statements???

What is a mission statement? Francis Pandolfi writes on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network that " An effective mission statement must be a clear description of where an organization is headed in the future that distinctly sets it apart from other entities making a compelling case for the need it fills." Now, in my mind, the church is the greatest nonprofit organization out there, designed by God to glorify him. Do our mission statements align with God's plan for salvation of his people in all the world, healing them of disease, and sickness as implied in the Great Commission?

Too often we slap mission statements together because they sound appealing to us. They are slogans that we think are related to what the word of God says but, really they have no organized plan for what will be accomplished in our church. Jesus gave us a Gold Standard mission statement that should be the mission statement of every church in the world. The Great Commission is the mission of God's church. We can try and write awesome mission statements about serving the nations, reaching the poor, growing spiritually. But, the reality is that those mission statements are all founded in human reason and expression. Rather, the Great Commission is Jesus' word, God's word, for where our churches should be headed. Pure, simple, and definitely compelling. When you read his words, you know what to do. There is no use messing around with a bunch of words, when Jesus wrote the mission statement for us.

If we lived out the Great Commission, I think our churches would be healthy, thriving, and wonderful places. Jesus is the CEO of the church business. He holds the pen in his hand and signs the documents. When we start adding to what he said, we get into muddy water that effects those that join us. Churches should not need committees to decide what direction they need to go in, the Holy Spirit already gave us instruction in the Bible. If you are a Christian, attend a church, look at your mission statement. Please pray that you see hints of the Great Commission. Not just a mention of it, but actually stated as the founding reason for the progression of the church. Here is what Jesus' mission statement says and it should be the one that our churches follow.

"Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16

Transformation

This morning I feel encouraged. God has been showing me that we do not have to do things in life in our own strength. I can remember running in 4 marathons and the whole time thinking that if I can just push a little harder, breathe a little deeper, mentally engage, I would make it. Basically, it was all about me, and my willpower. Running marathons for me was about what I could accomplish in my own strength. How silly is that? How silly is it for Christian to think that they can do it on their own? When it comes to marathons, sports, work, even being a good wife, friend, and soon to be mother, I think about what I can do to be better.

Today, God stopped me dead in my tracks. I used to fight wanting to be pregnant. Mostly, because I was afraid. I was afraid of my appearance changing, I was afraid of child birth, I was afraid I would lose the connection I have with my husband. Today, I realized how much God has transformed me and my way of thinking. I also think he used those marathons to show me, I cannot do it on my own. No matter how hard I try I will fail. You see, when you carry a child inside of you, you realize, how is this happening?! I am doing nothing to make my child grow. Sure, I eat well, I exercise. But, these things to do cause my child to grow. And, even if you do not believe there is a God, you have to consider it when you are pregnant. When you see your little baby on the screen, you see fingers and toes and a cute little nose that wasn't there before, and you realize, I did nothing to deserve this. And, it hits you, there is a God, there is a God that loves me so much, he gave me this little person as a gift, an amazing life changing gift! I write with tears in my eyes, because I am so thankful. So, thankful that a God has created a life in me, and that he is changing me through the process. No amount of striving, no sprint training, no race training, no diets, can do what is happening to me. There is no amount of work, or childbirth classes, or breathing techniques, that can get me through the process of delivering this baby in the world. It is the strength from a God that loves me.

I have no fear. I have no expectations. All I know is that being pregnant for me is about a lifetime of surrender to my own efforts and expectations. God not only wanted to bring our beautiful baby in the world, he wanted to change me from a scared child to a brave mother. The process is going well. He is making space in my heart to let him do what he needs to. And, I am so grateful that I have to give up striving to look skinny, fearing the unknown, and fearing being alone. It is amazing to think I am giving birth here in Singapore, away from family, and friends. It is another reminder that God is sufficient. Even though the toughest thing about being pregnant is missing my mom to share the experience, God has brought me here to remind me that I can relay on him. I can trust that he will love me enough, he will show me what to do, and he will make me strong.

I am excited for the next 5 months. I believe God is going to continue to work out fear in my life and replace it with strength. I am confident that all the striving I like to do will disappear as mist. All the sadness I have without family, friends, and my mom will be wiped away. He is a great God. One that cares, one that always loves, and one that can provide more support than babycenter.com, and some expert on childbirth. God designed this process and me for the process, and he is with me in it. I am so thankful that one day when my child asks, how did you like being pregnant, I can tell him/her that it was the most wonderful, life changing experience in my life. Being pregnant is amazing. It is what I was made for. And, every moment leading up to me having this child, has pointed me to the direction that only God can give me what I need. Only God can create a healthy beautiful baby. And, only God can give me the strength to bring this baby into the world.

Our Inheritance

I have been spending more time reading my Bible lately. And, its really refreshing. I've been learning so much. One thing that I am actually a bit embarrassed that I never really understood was that when Jesus died on the cross his will or inheritance became ours. This seems like a simple point for most Christians. But, the reality of this hit me yesterday. It means that when Jesus died he gave me everything in his will and testament. It is like when a relative dies and all of sudden you have money or rings or things that you didn't expect to have. With Jesus, that means that I have forgiveness, acceptance, healing, goodness, love, all things that are good. I cannot believe that. I'm given it period. There is no bargaining, there is no asking. It is given to me. Isn't that incredible? It was something I never understood. I would think that I would have to pray really hard for healing or for forgiveness. But, the reality is that it is here and now. I just have to walk in it. I can claim these things for my life. I can claim health, health of my children and family, freedom from sinning, forgiveness for my wrongs and those wrongs against me. These things belong to me because of God. These things belong to you because of God.

So, if you feel like you have been waiting for these things. Wait no longer. They are yours, promised by Jesus. Do not be afraid to walk in them. They belong to you because they have been given to you. When you pray for healing, believe that it needs to be claimed. It you are struggling to forgive, claim it in Jesus' name. You see, God is a generous Father. He is not sitting in heaven deciding who to give goodness to. No, he has given it to all who believe in Jesus. It belongs to you. It is your choice to use it or store it.

Discouragement is Slavery

Let's talk about discouragement. It is my favorite place to wallow. I find myself there all too often. But, by God's grace, I have been given a husband that is very rarely discouraged. So, the result of this is that I have grown to be less discouraged over things in the last five years. For that, I am so thankful! But, it is my sin. It is the place I go and decide to go forgetting the gospel and abandoning the ways of the word of God in the Bible. But, it is very clear that being discouraged is really not a place to be. It is actually a place that needs some rebuking.

I can get discouraged over lots of things. This weekend we had a bug in our house. And, when I say bug, I mean think Alien. Nasty stuff. Funny, though, I actually never saw it. Because again, my husband, is amazing. He trapped it and expelled it from our house. But, let me tell you, that discouraged me. I love my kitchen. It is the place I love to be. There is a fresh breeze that blows in from the window. You can look out and see the sun setting. It is an amazing place. And, in one instant, I let discouragement take hold of me. We have traps, we have this really neat insect mist that sprays every minute. It will be ok. But, do you think I have made my way into the kitchen. No. And, for that I am repentant.

Discouragement comes in many forms. It can be the voice inside your head that tells you that you failed at a task, that tells you things won't work out the way they should. Discouragement can look like depression. It can look like the joy has been sucked right out of you. But, you do not have to be a slave to discouragement. You see, Jesus came and wiped away our slavery. We can now embrace the fact that Jesus died on a cross, with people screaming insults, beaten and bruised, and did not give in to discouragement. I'm swallowing that. Jesus suffocated to death and was not discouraged. And, why? Because he had in mind God's plan. God's plan for love for all people, that includes you and me, and your neighbor, and people here in Singapore, and in New Hampshire, and Boston, all around the world.

When we fix our eyes on what Jesus did on the cross, how can we be discouraged? I think the best way to remain encouraged is to read the Bible daily. Not in a "have to" way but in a I really need to way. Whenever I read the Bible, I walk away encouraged. So, when I feel discouraged, I often think, hmm, must not have read my Bible enough. God's promises in the Bible remind us that he is always with us, he loves us, he has good plans, he is a great, mighty, victorious God that never fails. A pity party, I think not.

Let us rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always. For today, is all we have. Discouragement has no place in our hearts, in our minds, and in our souls. No matter our circumstance, God is bigger. No matter that state of our hearts, God is bigger than our hearts. So, if you are anything like me, and find yourself easily discouraged, sit and try and listen to God. Read his words in the Bible and find out the truth. He has set us free. We no longer have to believe lies and find yourself tempted to think the world has better things to offer us when it comes to comfort, security and affirmation. We can be encouraged today knowing that God sustains us always and in all things.

Rejoice in the Lord always, AGAIN, I say, REJOICE! Philippians 4:4

Crazy Love? Or Crazy?

I've been reading this book Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. We were introduced to it at the church we are going to and have a book study on it tonight. I enjoy it. Some of the chapters include, "stop praying, and "forget about God's will for your life." When I first started reading it, I thought, wow this guy is saying what I have been thinking about the American church for the past year. But, then, as I explored my heart more, I realized that God was convicting me and hopefully Mr. Chan, of too much criticizing. You see, as I was reading, I realized what good is it if we just get in one camp or the other. What good is it if we gang up on all the people that aren't loving God purely, aren't being genuine about their faith, etc. Isn't that the same as a Pharisee. In no way am I against his book, I actually really like it! But, it made me think about my attitude and what I say about church. You see, most people that are going to church genuinely want to know God. Sure, they may be checking a box when they go, or may think it brings them special powers for the week, but they go! And, when we go to meet God at church, that means he can work on us! And, I rejoice for that! So, I guess the point I'm trying to make in all of this is that yes, the American church as flaws. Yes, we are not living with God in mind all the time, but that is why Jesus dying on a cross and being so gracious too us is all that more powerful. If we spend time judging others on if they are lukewarm, we miss the point. At any given moment, we forget about God. It is our nature. We cannot will it to be better. We cannot force ourselves to love God more. Its just not biblical. So, if we get up on a soap box, which I am guilty of doing many times, and blame others for their lack of fervor, we are committing an injustice towards our brothers and sisters. Instead of telling people to love God more passionately, shouldn't we show them? And, that is where I conclude. Neither Francis Chan, or the lukewarm Christians have it right. I sure as heck don't. But, the reality is that we have to prayerfully ask God for more love in our hearts to actually show others what it looks like. Maybe this is the point of Crazy Love. But, the reality is the less talking and more doing, I think the better off we will be. And, with that said, I'm done writing ;)

I want to be good!

Why do we spend so much time trying to be good Christians? I grew up thinking that I had to do the right things or else something bad would happen to me. If I swore, I was surely going to get a horrible disease. And, I chose to think of others in this light. Well, they must have done something wrong to deserve a life like that! But, then, I started to read what God had to say about it all, in the Bible. I began to realize that he does see good and he does see evil. But, when we say that we love him, he no longer sees the bad, he only sees the good. So, my point remains, why do we keep trying to be good, if we already are!

The problem with trying to be good is that we inadvertently use a measuring stick for those around us. We start looking at others thinking, wow they are really living up to God's standards when they do cool things like share the gospel with someone, go on a mission trip, or serve the homeless. We also then look at others and think, well, I'm not as bad as they are, I mean they always give their opinion and argue with people in public, I'm so much more self controlled. These measures are what destroy our progress in God's plan. We become worriers, control freaks, busybodies, jealous, and prideful. We lose sight of the intent behind God making us followers of him.

The joy I find behind believing the gospel is that God no longer sees his followers as bad. When we sin, sure he sees it, but he has already forgiven it! When he sees good works, he gives himself a pat on the back because he made us do it. There is so much freedom knowing that my sister Joan is valued just as much as I am. There is nothing that she does that splits her relationship with God as true of my relationship with him. And, my brother John, who just became a Christian, and is struggling to get out of his relationship with drugs, and sometimes fails, is seen in the same light as me... the light of Jesus.

There is no golden hero Christian. We are all the same. We have been justified by Jesus on the cross. Our sins are taken away. And, God can see straight through us. So, when you put the coin in the basket, don't look to your right and left and see what everyone else is doing. God knows. Don't think you can add a single thing to God by doing all the right things. He actually doesn't care about that. He cares about what is going on inside your heart. He cares about your attitude towards him and others. There is a battle that rages on inside of us to be good. It is a desire that is flamed by the truth of wanting to know God. If you desire to be good, it is because you truly desire to know more about God.

Step away from the measuring stick. Let go of the word good and replace it with JUSTIFIED, MADE RIGHTEOUS. No work of art is as perfect as the one that God does inside our hearts. He looks at us and sees a masterpiece. He does not see broken bits, loose ends, and strings. No, he sees a perfect work of art on display for all to see. And, we ought to think of each other in that light. No matter what we look like on the outside, there is a major work happening on the inside. We should acknowledge that taking place in each person that follows Jesus and love them for it.

Whom do you prefer?

Do you prefer others? The Bible teaches us that we are to look to others with preference. Romans 12 is where I get this information. What a difficult challenge you may think? How do I actually prefer those around me over myself? Well, the answer is by God's grace. We cannot wake up and think, man, I am really going to love people today. I am going to try super hard to love that person that always talks about themselves today. Oh, and in Bible study, I am going to say only kind words to others. Yep, that's what I will do today. It doesn't work that way my friends. Preference for others, comes from God.

When we read Romans 12, we can be hit with a deluge of thoughts like, I should be better at this. But, there is an amazing verse included in this section that spells it out for us. Hold on to this friends.

"Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him." Romans 12:3 (MSG)

We do not add anything to God when we act good to others. Actually, we distract others from the true God. It is only when we allow God to act through us that we fulfill his plan. It is hard for us to understand because we do not think like God. So, if you find yourself struggling with these verses, you should! God's grace is something we cannot understand fully.

But, how do we apply this to life? How do we go on living and preferring others? I think the answer is by spending time with God each day, hearing what he has to say. We do not have to plead with God to help us love. He will do it. We just need to give him attention. We need to let him do work in us. If you find yourself having trouble loving, sit, listen to God. He will show you something about yourself that needs work and that he is planning on fixing. Sometimes, he will ask you to do something about it, like give a cloak to your enemy, or he may just make you aware of it. But, try not to try to love. Its like a horrible romantic comedy where two people force themselves into a relationship so that they can have a happy ending.

To prefer can also mean to put forward or present. That is what I suggest we do. Present those that we need to love to God. Explain how we feel about them and listen to God as he changes our heart towards them. Preferring requires submission. We must submit ourselves to God's grace and let him change the things he needs to and renew our hearts.

Do not be discouraged when you find it hard to love. Rather, relay on God and his power to help you. You do not add a single thing to God by being a good person. Therefore, give it up, and let God do the work of love, its his main occupation.

Identity Lost in Competitiveness

I should be sleeping but, I cannot. Not because of jet lag or anything of the sort. But, because I woke up thinking and praying for my sister-in-law Sarah. She completed a marathon yesterday after many months of hard training. It seems as if things were going as planned and then she developed plantar fasciitis. But, she did not let that stop her, she ended up running a personal record. And, for that, I sit, awake rejoicing, thanking God, and so happy for her.

If I was living by the world's standards, my reaction could be quite different. You see, we are told to compete with others, we are told that people are obstacles that we must overcome. We stop looking at the people around us as people to love, cherish, embrace, and we see them just as an opponent. While running with Sarah this winter, I learned that people are so much more than that. I also learned that competitiveness stems out of not knowing your identity in Jesus. When we know that we belong to Jesus, we love others. We do not try and beat them. But, rather we come beside them, encourage them, and run the race with them.

I am so happy this morning. I happy that Sarah is happy. I know how much she wanted to do well, maybe for the wrong reasons ;) but, I know her heart. I know that it may be imperfect, but she trained and worked hard so that she could finish well. And, I love her for that. That is how God looks at us. He is happy when he looks down at us trying to run with perseverance this life set before us. He knows that sometimes our motives are out of whack, but he loves us anyway. God is so gracious to us. But, because we see as the world sees, sometimes we miss that.

So, I want to encourage you, to see yourself as workmanship of God that isn't completed yet, but well on its way to being something marvelous. Don't fall into the trap that you are made of junk. When you do, you will end up sad, competitive, and lonely. None of those things are what God wants for you life. Rather, look to him for love and support. He will show you that you are much more than a medal or a prize. Most of all, ask him to help you love people. I am so thankful for the way that God has moved in my relationship with Sarah. Instead of competing with one another, we have found a way to love and support one another. This is only an act of God. And, because of that I sit up rejoicing, and praising God for what he has done for her! That my friends is true joy in this life.

Find your identity in God. Stop believing the lies you have been told. Embrace the truth that God loves you, works on you, and is never finished making you who he wants you to be...