Menu

Contributor

HeavyWeightsHeader

Deceptively Heavy Weights

[et_pb_section transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” admin_label=”section” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” admin_label=”row” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ disabled=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” admin_label=”BLOG CONTENT” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_before=”/*pullquotes css*/|| ||/*Pull quote text styling*/||blockquote.et-pullquote p {||font-size: 22px;||line-height: 35px;||font-style: italic;||letter-spacing: 1px;||color: #666;||font-weight: 300;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with open quotation mark*/|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote{||position: relative;||border-left: none;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with top border*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.topborder, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.topborder{||border-left: none;||border-top-width: 5px;||border-top-style: solid;||padding: 5px;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with dark background*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark{||border-left: none;||padding: 10px;||background: #333;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark p, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark p {||color: #fff;||}|| ||@media all and (min-width: 700px) {|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote{||padding: 0 20px;||max-width: 300px;||}|| ||/*Pull quote Left*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left{|| float: left;|| margin: 20px 20px 20px -10%;||}||/*Pull quote Right*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.right{|| float: right;|| margin: 20px -10% 20px 20px;||}||}” custom_css_main_element=”/*pullquotes css*/|| ||/*Pull quote text styling*/||blockquote.et-pullquote p {||font-size: 22px;||line-height: 35px;||font-style: italic;||letter-spacing: 1px;||color: #666;||font-weight: 300;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with open quotation mark*/|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote{||position: relative;||border-left: none;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with top border*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.topborder, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.topborder{||border-left: none;||border-top-width: 5px;||border-top-style: solid;||padding: 5px;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with dark background*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark{||border-left: none;||padding: 10px;||background: #333;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark p, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark p {||color: #fff;||}|| ||@media all and (min-width: 700px) {|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote{||padding: 0 20px;||max-width: 300px;||}|| ||/*Pull quote Left*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left{|| float: left;|| margin: 20px 20px 20px -10%;||}||/*Pull quote Right*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.right{|| float: right;|| margin: 20px -10% 20px 20px;||}||}” custom_css_after=”/*pullquotes css*/|| ||/*Pull quote text styling*/||blockquote.et-pullquote p {||font-size: 22px;||line-height: 35px;||font-style: italic;||letter-spacing: 1px;||color: #666;||font-weight: 300;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with open quotation mark*/|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote{||position: relative;||border-left: none;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.right.quote:before {|| content: %22201C%22;|| font-size: 75px;|| position: absolute;|| top: 10px;|| left: -16px;|| font-family: lato;|| color: #888;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with top border*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.topborder, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.topborder{||border-left: none;||border-top-width: 5px;||border-top-style: solid;||padding: 5px;||}|| ||/*Pull quotes with dark background*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark{||border-left: none;||padding: 10px;||background: #333;||}|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote.left.dark p, blockquote.et-pullquote.right.dark p {||color: #fff;||}|| ||@media all and (min-width: 700px) {|| ||blockquote.et-pullquote{||padding: 0 20px;||max-width: 300px;||}|| ||/*Pull quote Left*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.left{|| float: left;|| margin: 20px 20px 20px -10%;||}||/*Pull quote Right*/||blockquote.et-pullquote.right{|| float: right;|| margin: 20px -10% 20px 20px;||}||}” disabled=”off”]

 

Going to the gym is really fun until it’s not. I know some of y’all actually enjoy working out, and although that sounds fake to me, that’s fine; you do you! I am not one of those people though. I work out because I don’t want to die an early death due to a sedentary lifestyle, but don’t be deceived: I hate every second of it. 

Nonetheless, one of the things I’ve learned from working out is that I think I’m a lot stronger than I actually am. In my exercise classes, we are often instructed to pick out a set of hand weights that best fit our needs and personal strengths. The thing about hand weights is that they’re incredibly deceptive. Sure, they’re only 4 pounds each when you carry them into the classroom but multiply that by all the reps you do in exercise class along with the rest of your body weight and they might as well be 40 pounds each. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to scale down my hand weights halfway through the exercise segment just so I could successfully get through it without giving up. 

I feel like a lot of us do this in our real lives as well. We come across a situation that’s hard or stressful, and in our human nature we think we can take it on and fix it to our desired end. But as time goes on, the weight gets heavier on us and we realize, “Wait, I can’t actually carry this like I thought I was going to be able to.” 

When we trust Jesus, we rest because we are no longer carrying a weight that we were never designed to carry.

Pastor Dharius Daniels puts it like this, “Control is an illusion. Control is reserved for the Sovereign One. When you and I take on the responsibility and the weight of control, we’re taking on God-weight, and then we’re carrying on weight we are not conditioned to carry.” 

It’s in these moments where it’s best to realign our focus to the One who does have control and who can carry life’s weights.

Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Then Jesus said, Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

When we let God carry what only He is able to carry, our souls find the rest that they long for – but it requires our trust. Although trust is hard to relinquish, it’s what we were designed to do. When we trust Jesus, we rest because we are no longer carrying a weight that we were never designed to carry. Make no mistake though, rest in Jesus doesn’t always look like being completely content with the uncertainty of the future. What it does look like is continually choosing to trust that the One who knows the end from the beginning promises to work all things together for my good. And if it’s not good yet, then He’s not done yet.

 

Megan French is the Central Middle School Director for the Life Church. Her other day job is teaching 8th grade English at Ronald Reagan Middle School. She is passionate about reading, writing, and boy bands.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” admin_label=”row” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ disabled=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” admin_label=”RECENT POSTS TITLE” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”33,46,26,12,20,40,43,13,79,31,17,45,28,11,112,48,21,1,25,35″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” admin_label=”Grid” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

CommonGroundHeader

Common Ground

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”BLOG CONTENT” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

Have you ever met a stranger and you struggle to come up with meaningful conversation? The awkward silence and pending social catastrophe can be too much to bear. Will they like me? Will I say something silly? Does my breath smell ok? Yes, I know I am being slightly dramatic, but I think you catch my drift.

Some of us overcome this fear by prying deeper, while others leave the fleeting initial interaction happy with shallow small talk. Either way, there looms a point where you have to decide if the conversation is worth having. Do I really want to know this person, or am I just going through the simple pleasantries?

Meeting new people can be hard, and finding common ground can prove more difficult.

If you press through, at some point you’ll discover the spark, the passion, that thing, and the conversation takes on a new trajectory. It’s as if the moment of mutual discovery was a gift, and the genesis for a new-found friendship.

“I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT

As Paul begins to establish the church in Corinth, we come across this verse, in a series of foundational and unifying statements. He encourages the Corinthians believers to be “unified in thought and purpose”. Paul knows these believers come from many different walks of life, have been taught by different teachers, and are in the early stages of their faith.

So what is it that unifies them? Is it worth saying? Will they even understand?

To that end I graciously submit a simple truth in a complex time. That simple, unifying truth is this: Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

That may seem too simple to be impactful, but let’s dig a little deeper. For these believers in Corinth, this simple truth seemed to elude them regularly. They argued over who was the best teacher of this truth. They consistently reverted to the deceptive and destructive secular culture trying to sabotage this truth. They publicly quarreled over the most trivial things, and for whatever reason seemed to forget that Christ is the reason they found themselves together in the first place. Paul swiftly and intently reminds them to keep Christ at the center by standing on his apostolic authority given by the aforementioned Man.

I am particularly challenged, especially since isolation is a path easily taken. The difficulty of navigating disagreement seems too strenuous and the divisive political climate is tumultuous to say the least. It just seems so much easier to keep my faith to myself, ironically when most of my disagreements have been with people who read the same Bible I do. My mind is constantly filled with thoughts of acceptance and rejection, agreement and disagreement, peace and strife, right and wrong. I am so busy getting caught up in complex insecurities and fears, I forget this most simple truth and its invitation to relationship.

Like the Corinthian church, we are at that precipice of decision in navigating a time where faith and unity seem out of place. Sometimes we forget what our “yes” to Jesus actually means. We all share this common thread; that faith which began with Jesus. His life and death bring us new life, and we are now the righteousness of God and joint heirs with Christ. When we said “yes” to Jesus, our common ground was established, and the beauty of this discovery is the foundation for something much more impactful: Discipleship.

 

Bryant Stokes is currently the Manassas Campus Worship Director. Something he wouldn’t trade for the world. If there is one thing you should know about him. He loves Jesus and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”RECENT POSTS TITLE” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Grid” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”33,46,26,12,20,40,43,13,79,31,17,45,28,11,112,48,21,1,25,35″ show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

WorkIsWorthIt1920x1080

The Work is Worth It

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

I have a love-hate relationship with Hollywood’s portrayal of love. While I know it’s problematic because it’s portrayed as something easy, completely based on a feeling, and as a matter of chance, the hopeless romantic in me can’t help but be drawn to it. Unfortunately, for a lot of us the latter wins out, and for this reason, the world has an incorrect expectation of what love is.

Worldly love is conditional. It is tied to outcomes and it is fleeting. So many of us, Christians included, are chasing this type of love but the reality of the situation is, it’s not really God’s version of love at all.

“Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.” – 1 John 4:11-12 (NLT)

The part I’m most interested in is not that we “ought to” love others; that’s a given. The part I’m most interested in is that last part. The Bible says that if we love each other the way God loves, his love is brought to full expression in us. In other words, we get a front row seat to experience a taste of God’s love for us.

A lot of us are like, “Yes! Sign me up for that! I want to fully experience God’s love!” Problem is, I don’t think we realize what we are signing up for because God’s brand of love is work. God’s brand of love is sacrificial; it puts needs of others before self. God’s brand of love is enduring even when it’s hard. God’s brand of love is unconditional; it constantly forgives. Loving like God is not easy and one of the reasons for this is because it can hurt.

God loves fully flawed humans unconditionally and sacrifices for us – neither of which we deserve. When we do that for others, we get a taste of what it’s like for God to love us, and it’s not rainbows and butterflies. Whenever I’ve tried to love like God in this way, it’s hurt my heart greatly because often the other party doesn’t really “deserve” it. But that’s the point isn’t it? Love isn’t like the movies; it’s hard and it hurts.

I think part of the reason we see God when we truly love others is because of how we get a glimpse into His heart for us. We get to see first-hand what it’s like for God when we “let Him down” because we are flawed. We get to see first-hand that even though we definitely do not deserve it, God chooses to love us anyway. We get a fuller understanding of God’s love for us because we get to experience the other side of it: the giving side. This understanding of love helps us, and others, to see God, and for this reason alone, the work is worth it.

 

Megan French is the Central Middle School Director for the Life Church. Her other day job is teaching 8th grade English at Ronald Reagan Middle School. She is passionate about reading, writing, and boy bands.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]
[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

1920x1080_WheresYourFoucs

Where’s Your Focus?

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

When I turned sixteen, I had saved enough money to buy my first car. It cost me less than $1000, had some rust, and yeah, occasionally had oil leaking out of the radio, but whatever; It was mine and I had the freedom to hop in that car and just go! Of course, it wasn’t as exciting for the other drivers on the road. You see, although I had excitement to spare with my newfound freedom, I hadn’t yet mastered how to use the mirrors. In fact, I’m probably single-handedly responsible for more accidents than I’d like to admit to in the Hampton Roads area.

When I was nineteen, I moved to Australia. And if you aren’t already aware, Australians drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. To make things even more complicated, I drove a stick shift. That means I had to shift gears with my left hand and push the clutch in with the opposite foot than I was used to. Another complication was every time I tried to hit the turn signal I’d accidentally turn on the windshield wipers because they too were on the opposite side. So, if another driver saw my windshield wipers, they were supposed to somehow know that I was turning. What a mess!!!

What I learned from that experience was that while the fundamentals of driving were still the same – you start the car, stop at red lights, go at green lights and yield to other drivers – enough things were different to make it a whole new experience. A whole new scary experience! So, I learned to focus on the mirrors. In fact, I quickly developed a whole new appreciation for how important focusing on the car’s mirrors were in order for me to navigate safely through the most difficult driving situations.

You see, when everything around us is chaotic, uncertain and unfamiliar, it’s crucial to put our focus on something that doesn’t change. So, what can we find to focus on that doesn’t change while the world around us does? God’s mercy! What can I look at no matter what is happening around me? God’s mercy. It’s a mind-transforming focus for our mental health in times of crisis.

In Romans 12:1-2 Paul “urges” us that “in view of God’s mercy” we “offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” as our “true and proper worship” and “don’t conform to the pattern of this world”. But to do this successfully, it’s all dependent on our focus.

The world has a pattern along with a wrong view of God. The world sees him as judgmental, harsh, dismissive and apathetic. But the correct understanding of God’s character keeps his mercy in view. He loves me. He is good. He is for me.

When we fix our attention on how merciful God is toward us, everything is a response to that, and no circumstance has the power to change my ability to be transformed no matter what I’m facing.

 

 

Suzanne Odum serves as an assistant campus pastor at our Warrenton location and also oversees the Ministries of The Life Church. Her passion is to empower people to pursue their God-given dreams. She’s also a huge fan of The Godfather trilogy and can quote almost every line!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

FewThingsMatterHeader

Few Things Matter

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

Have you ever heard people at church talking about going on mission trips, the thirteen small groups they’re in, and how they’ve somehow managed to make it on to all 123 days of prayer? Then thought to yourself, “Well they’re just a better Christian than I am”. Same, and I tried really hard to be that “better Christian” before I realized there’s no such thing. I’ve been serving at the church since my very first Sunday attending. I don’t think there was a Sunday I was there that I haven’t served. I tried to serve throughout the week, on my days off, between meetings at work, and driving home. I became consumed with what I was doing and not who I was doing it for.

In Luke 10, Jesus was traveling and met sisters Mary and Martha. Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said”, and Martha was, “distracted by all the preparations that had to be made”. The word used for “the preparations” means, “serving”. Martha was so distracted serving Jesus she forgot the importance of being with Jesus. While it’s easy to judge Martha, the truth is I was Martha, and many of us find ourselves ending up the same way. Servitude may not be your distraction, but distraction, one way or another, is ever present and can easily become an avenue for distance in our relationship with Jesus. Distractions can be anything from friendships to career goals. Not all of these are bad, they just shouldn’t be worshiped. It can be hard to recognize how much distance you’ve gained, but one way to gauge where you are in that relationship is to pay attention to your train of thought and see where it goes. Are you fixated by someone you follow on Instagram and constantly thinking about how to make your life more like theirs? Are you still focused on work on a Sunday morning? Your priorities will quickly become evident when you stop to listen to them.

Putting Jesus first is something to be worked towards, our distractions are loud and will drown out His words if we let them. Martha came to Jesus saying, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” Jesus responded, “You are worried and upset about many things, but few things matter, indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha went to Jesus. She may have been distracted and preoccupied, but she went to Jesus. Stop what you’re doing and go to Jesus. When Mary stopped to listen, she was simultaneously going against the cultural norms that would have had her making preparations with Martha. Jesus transcends our cultural norms, our relationships, our ambitions because when we go to Him, he will become the lens through which we see everything else.

 

 

Melanie Floresca is Blog Writer and member of the Manassas Campus Prayer Team. She works as a job coach for individuals with disabilities and has been spending her quarantine cooking, crafting, and writing letters to as many people as she can.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]
[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

2020vision1920x1080_2

Better Than 20/20 Vision

,

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Post Content” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

I’m a planner. I love setting goals and working towards achieving them. There’s a feeling of excitement as I reach each step toward that goal, and a feeling of accomplishment when I’ve succeeded. I think many of us feel that way about a project or goal we have. But what happens when our plans don’t work out the way we planned, or when they stop completely? I’ve had this happen many times in my life, and to be honest, I didn’t always have the best attitude. I’ve gotten better over the years, but it still happens.

We are currently in the midst of moving. Selling and buying a home definitely ranks up there with being one of the most stressful events in life. Last week, something else came up in our process which put us back at the beginning. I went through all the emotions from being sad, to crying, to being mad, to questioning if we were supposed to be doing this at all. Then I stopped my emotional rollercoaster and prayed. God very kindly and gently said, “You’ve lost focus, Kimberly, and you’ve taken your eyes off Jesus.” Ouch! It was true! I was looking at what was going on around me which was so discouraging. I needed to redirect my focus and get clear vision on Jesus again!

20/20 vision is normal vision. In the year 2020, I’ve needed more than normal vision. My eyes had to be on Jesus! In this seemingly uncertain time in our world, He is the only One certain. In a time where our nation is divided on so many issues, He is the only One that brings unity and peace!

Proverbs 29:18 TPT says, “When there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the word, heaven’s bliss fills your soul.”

Jesus is the Word made flesh. When we have a revelation of Him, and have a relationship with Him, He not only saves our soul and makes us right with God, but also gives us peace, hope, and life. He will help us plan our path and will give us direction, but it goes deeper than that. He will give us a clear understanding of His Word and clear vision into the things around us.

Spending time reading the Bible, and praying and talking to God, helps us clearly see His love for us, His protection over us, His desire for us, and helps us move forward in all He’s asking of us. We don’t live in fear of what is going on around us when we see Jesus! He is for us, He goes before us, and He is with us. As we focus our vision on Him, we can love freely, serve wholeheartedly, and make an impact in our world. With our eyes on Jesus, we have better than 20/20 vision; we have prophetic vision of the revealed Word!

 

 

Kim Burnell is Assistant Campus Pastor at The Life Church Winchester. She’s passionate about God’s Word, people finding life in Jesus, and encouraging others along life’s journey. She’s been married to her high-school sweetheart, Ed Burnell, for 36 years. They have 5 children and 8 grandchildren, and she says when this social distancing is over, there will be snuggles for days!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

sowloveHEADER

Sowing Love

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

During quarantine I have been doing a lot of gardening! Something I have learned is that plants are, generally, not self-sustainable. They need to be taken care of. They need water and sun – and some of them need a specific amount of such (and for the record – yes, I have accidentally over and under watered a few plants along my newly acquired hobby).

In Mark 12, Jesus was approached by the teachers of the law and they asked Him which of all the commandments was the most important. Jesus’ answer was simple and clear: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment than these,” – Mark 12:30-31.

I love how Jesus answered this question with more than they had expected. Not only did He respond with one of the most important commandments, but He intentionally responded with two. Jesus made it a point to ensure the wisdom He provided would encourage people not only live a life of love for God, but also for others before themselves.

In Matthew 13, Jesus teaches about the parable of the sower. Jesus went to a lake where He stood in a boat, on the water, to teach people on the shore. In this parable, Jesus told the story of a farmer who went out to plant seed. A few different things happened as he was scattering the seed:

  1. Some fell along the way where the birds ate it.
  2. Some fell on rocky places where the plant did not have the ability to grow deep roots.
  3. Some fell among thorns, which eventually choked the new plants.
  4. Some other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:1-9)

Now, I know for a fact that this farmer did not just throw some seed down and watch it grow; there is much more to the farming process than that. This farmer had to intentionally create a good place for the seed to grow and in addition the farmer needed to take care and tend to the crop to ensure it did not die.

I feel like, in a way, we can take this story and use it to analyze how we love our neighbors. When we show love to someone, do we just throw down some seed and wait for it to sprout? Or do we dig, till, and cultivate to ensure the love we sow will be maintained? As you walk through this week ask yourself – where are you planting love and how do you plan to sustain it?

Jesus dedicated His life to love others so much so that He gave His own life for it. Jesus is love. So, when you love your neighbor, whomever it may be, you provide an opportunity for love (Jesus) and kindness to be the foundation and cultivation of that relationship. Then from that one intentional encounter, a domino effect of love has the chance to grow – perhaps a hundred, sixty, or thirty times that which it was sown.

“Let everything you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14

 

 

Kayleigh D’Abadie is a blog writer and a member of the Manassas campus worship team at The Life Church. She is also a student at George Mason University pursuing her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys crafting, being outside in nature, and is always up for new adventures!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Don'tLookAway1920x1080

Don’t Look Away

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

In 1997, a researcher named Arthur Aron made two complete strangers fall in love in a laboratory in Berkley, California in 90 minutes. He used no tricks, had no sophisticated pairing algorithm, no alcohol or drugs were used, and the subjects did not even share a meal. His secret? He simply sat his subjects down across a table from each other and gave them 36 questions to ask each other. The questions were designed to gradually become more intense, with each question requiring an increase in vulnerability. Then, the subjects ended their session by staring directly into each other’s eyes for 4 minutes without saying a word. That’s it.

Two of his subjects ended up getting married.

Why? Dr. Aron’s theory is that there is a connection between behaving relationally close and feeling relationally close. So, if you want to get close to someone, you have to act the way you want to feel.

I was reminded of Dr. Aron’s study when I recently read a famous passage in Acts 3 of Peter and the beggar at the gate called Beautiful. Having grown up in Sunday school, I have burned into my mind the phrase, “silver and gold have I not…”. But what jumped out to me this time were the three preceding verses. You have this poor man who cannot walk begging outside the temple. He sees Peter and John coming to the temple, asks them for money, but isn’t making eye contact with them. Peter and John have to literally say to the man in verse 4, “look at us”.

How broken this man must have been.

Eye contact is profoundly powerful. The first social interactions that all of us had involved no words, only sounds and faces. Psychologists disagree on the exact percentage of communication that is non-verbal, but they all agree that the number is above 50%. For this man to not even have the ability within himself to look his fellow man in the face is profoundly sad.

And yet what is convicting about this passage for me personally is how Peter and John react to this man. Because they do not just offer him healing, they also offer him dignity. They look him in the eye and say, “I don’t have money, but how would you like to walk?”

It’s so easy to walk through our world and turn a blind eye to the pain. To not ask questions of the hurting. To avert our gaze in the presence of injustice. To avoid problems and conversations that have no easy answers. And yet it is often those very problems and conversations that our world needs the people of God to wade into the most. But if we won’t relationally and lovingly engage broken people, we will sacrifice the relational platform the miraculous power of God requires.

Maybe the reason this story has been personally convicting for me is that I’m an introvert. I’m quiet, new people can make me uncomfortable, and so averting your gaze can become a self-protective habit for people like me. But I also want to be a follower of Jesus that loves the people in my community the way God loves the people in my community. I think I have some distance to travel on that journey, and maybe you do too. If that’s the case, Dr. Aron’s research gives us the first step on that journey. Let’s be a church that looks our neighbors in the eye and moves towards the hurting and broken. Let’s be a church that acts the way we want to feel.

 

 

Tony Lutyk is the Campus Pastor at The Life Church Manassas. He’s an excellent leader and communicator who has a talent for throwing in some wit and humor when he preaches. He’s passionate about God’s Word, seeing people reach their full potential in Christ, and he misses hockey more than he can adequately express.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

SimpleTrust

Simple Trust

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off” border_color=”#ffffff”]

 

I was reading Matthew a few weeks ago, and I was stopped by something I haven’t been able to shake from my mind since. It was the story of a Roman captain who had a sick servant and went to Jesus asking for his servant to be healed. Jesus told him he’d go with him to heal his servant, but the captain said no, because he knew that if Jesus just declared it to be so, it would happen. Then, this came next:

Taken aback, Jesus said, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel…” (Matt 8:10 msg)

It stopped me because of the words, “simple trust.” Now, if you ask me the word “trust,” is anything but simple. For example, let’s look at the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition:

Definition of trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

“Assured reliance.” I don’t know about you but for me those words are hard to see as “simple,” especially when the person you are asked to have “simple trust” in is an invisible being and especially in the middle of a global pandemic. I mean this captain is saying to Jesus he will have blind trust in him, why? Because he knows from experience that when he gives orders to his men, he doesn’t have to follow them to ensure it gets done, he knows it will happen because he trusts them to make sure it does. I don’t know about you, but in my life I have experienced both being trusted to accomplish something and trusting someone else to accomplish what I’ve told them to do, and being able to have sure trust over something that is personally important to me is hard, and anything but simple. And yet Jesus not only did what the captain asked but praised him for it:

“This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions—streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting down at God’s kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Matt 8:11 msg)

So, I’m sitting here going, “Why does it seem so easy for this captain to blindly trust Jesus, and yet it feels so hard in my own life?” I mean, nothing in life seems to be going the way I wanted it to, and all I feel is a lot of bitterness, anger, sadness, and grief over everything I had planned that is not happening. Then I remember something else Jesus said, 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28,30 NIV)

And,:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt 22:37-38 NIV)

The truth is, it is simple. We over complicate it when we force God to fit into what we think is our perfectly well-formed plan tied up in a pretty bow. We complicate it when we as imperfect humans say to a perfect God (irony not lost here), “I’ll trust you only under these circumstances.” Jesus taught us the secret to simple trust in those previous two verses. Love God with everything we have. Doing this means that we lay everything at His feet. All our bitterness, anger, grief, stubbornness, “perfectly” formed plans, etc., and take up His yoke. Which honestly doesn’t seem easy, but it is because if we are honest the only reason it doesn’t seem to be is that we don’t want to let go of control. Simple trust is letting go of our control and saying yes to simply loving God every second of every day.

 

 

Laura Victoria is the Communications Director for The Life Church. You can catch her doing anything from reading a good fiction novel or baking, to hiking/being outdoors, to watching anything Jane Austen related or Avatar: The Last Airbender. She has a passion for the church, creativity, and helping people find freedom in Jesus.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog admin_label=”Blog” fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

HeavyLove1920x1080

Heavy Love

,

[et_pb_section transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px” custom_padding_phone=”0px|||” padding_mobile=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off” admin_label=”section” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”0px|||” custom_padding_phone=”|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” admin_label=”row” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ disabled=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” admin_label=”Text” text_font_size_phone=”18px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_phone=”2em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|desktop” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” custom_margin=”0px|||” custom_margin_phone=”||0px|” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” disabled=”off”]

 

No doubt we are living in tense and turbulent times. Whether on the side of ignorance or advocacy, our current social climate is a storm few are ready to trek into. What do I say? What do I do? Who do I talk to about what I’m feeling?

No matter how well crafted the argument I may have, it will not be received without the driving force of change; Love. Intellect pales in comparison to a love expressed. Jesus knew it. He knew it to a depth that he was willing to give his life for it.

But it’s just a simple four letter word?!

Somehow, Paul an apostle of Christ, articulates this incredible revelation as he writes to the church in Corinth. A church planted in a region dominated by intellectual thinkers, savvy businessmen and loose morals. A church filled with people who had ideas about how things should go, how to handle civil disputes, and which teacher knew more concerning the hidden meanings in God’s word. Sounds all too relevant if you ask me. It’s ok, I’m not talking to you I’m talking to your neighbor! Secular culture can be erosive to the simplest things in life. So I offer you this…

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT

Next time you part your lips to say anything to anyone: if it is not laced with love, BE QUIET! To the atrocious injustices that flood the news, let love be your motivator for change, or STAY AT HOME! Simple statements, big action. As a Christian, that is the weight of your discipleship. A heavy love.

Injustice cannot stand when I love my brother and I hold myself accountable to a fierce love that was freely given to me. So, let’s not beat around the bush, the deeper question still arises. Do I love my brother? For some people who are reading this article your love is biased to people who look like you, or live where you live, or more deceptively dangerous you hold a color-blind love.

Peter, another apostle of Christ became afraid to eat with Gentiles in mixed company according to Galatians 2. Peter had an excuse for his divisive behavior, fear of rejection from other Jewish leaders. Paul confronts this contagious hypocrisy and superiority complex head on.

“When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?” Galatians 2:14 NLT

This distinction is important because at that time it was culturally frowned upon to eat with someone who wasn’t Jewish. When we realize the breadth of the unifying power of the cross we also recognize its depth of power for ALL people. Jesus died for me as a black man just as much as you. To discredit the difference is to amplify division. It is foolish for you to be Christian and understand the power of the cross if your private thoughts and public actions remain divisive. Injustice of the black community is injustice to the community as a whole. Let’s call it what it is: prejudice and racism. Ignorance to the pain of your brother is a silent crime, whether through willful overlooking or deflection. It then becomes way too easy to ignore a pain you are not a victim of. I challenge us all to see each other, skin color included, with the eyes of God. Through the eyes of love. Take up the pain of people who were excluded and, in this case, ignored. The justice that comes with love can never be silenced. This LOVE WILL NEVER BE POLITICIZED but those who carry it can be. I know I’m ruffling those subjective feathers now.

Paul defends this love and the understanding of it not only to his ministry equal but to those who are learning the faith. There is a responsibility to this heavy love. To express it properly, without reservation and without labels. Inherent in this love is an accountability to our differences and thus the far-reaching power of the cross.

 

 

Bryant Stokes is currently the Manassas Campus Worship Director, something he wouldn’t trade for the world. If there is one thing you should know about him, he loves Jesus and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies!

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” use_custom_gutter=”off” gutter_width=”3″ custom_padding=”100px|||” padding_mobile=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” make_equal=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” parallax_1=”off” parallax_method_1=”on” parallax_2=”off” parallax_method_2=”on” parallax_3=”off” parallax_method_3=”on” parallax_4=”off” parallax_method_4=”on” admin_label=”row” disabled=”off”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ disabled=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on”][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” admin_label=”Text” use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]

RECENT POSTS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”46,20,33,26,12,40,43,13,79,31,17,11,28,35,25,1,21,48,112,45″ meta_date=”M j, Y” show_thumbnail=”on” show_content=”off” show_more=”off” show_author=”on” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_comments=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”0″ use_overlay=”on” hover_icon=”$” background_layout=”light” use_dropshadow=”off” admin_label=”Blog” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1px” border_style=”solid” disabled=”off”]
[/et_pb_blog][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Load More