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Stay in Your City

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Next time you’re driving, I dare you to be that one person who stays in the far right lane, actually drives the speed limit, or to make a complete stop at the stop sign. Then when you start to get annoyed with this 3 minutes into your drive, look inward. Notice the urgency, the impatience rising up in you, and recognize that it’s not from God.

Are you convicted yet? Same. This came up for me when I got stuck behind a Civic going 52 mph on 66-W. No traffic, no construction, just a leisurely drive 8 miles UNDER the speed limit. Then, a deer took off in front of the Civic and successfully made it across the highway. See, I’m the type that would cry over roadkill and was immediately hit with the reality that if I weren’t behind that Civic I likely would have killed that deer. The worst part was that I wasn’t in a hurry, just frustrated that commutes aren’t instantaneous.

That urgency doesn’t just apply to driving, but it does get louder when you get furloughed, when your stimulus check is nowhere in sight and when you haven’t seen your family in months.

I’m pretty sure most of us have gone through the stages of our “new normal”, including rebelling against it, getting used to it, and then being completely done with it. You may have heard Pastor Tony say this before, but if you want anything bad enough, from a meal, to a date, to a whole new wardrobe, you could have it tonight. But, we can’t immediately have the world return to normal. There’s no expedited delivery fee we can pay for the end of the pandemic, and its driving us crazy. But, in a world driven by immediacy, the intentional act of prayerful patience can be the most profound demonstration of faith.

Back up, don’t miss that, I said, “prayerful patience”. This is important because there’s a distinct difference between grinding our teeth and waiting because there’s literally nothing we can do, and having peace about waiting for the Holy Spirit before we act. It’s not wrong for parents to want their babysitters back, for grandparents to want to see their grandbabies, or for children to want to see their classmates again. Your feelings are completely valid, but know that you can want those things and have peace about the Lord’s timing simultaneously.

The Lord has seemingly called the world to a standstill. Our resistance hasn’t worked, so consider standing still with it. In Luke 24:49, Jesus said to His disciples, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” When He said this, it was in a season of fear and doubt for the disciples, similar to how it is for us. But stay in your city, don’t kill your deer, the power from Heaven is coming.”

 

 

 

 
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.

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ThePauseHEADER

The Pause

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So, what’s the plan?

That has been a frequent question in our household during quarantine; taken as a joke, of course, because our schedules are the complete opposite of being booked. An empty schedule, which at times can feel like an overwhelming and lingering curse – can also be viewed as a huge blessing. If you’re anything like me, you like to plan. Planning is a big part of my life and my planner is essentially my best friend. Generally, my weekly schedule brings me security for my future and overall, I really do enjoy organizing and having at least some knowledge of what is coming up next in my life. I feel like many of us started 2020 with a plan, then life happened in one of the most uniquely confusing ways. We went from plan to pandemic to pause in a matter of three months! Now, it feels like we have been put on pause, in many areas of our lives, and are left to navigate the pause with minimal familiarity. In all honesty, not having a plan for the future has left me uncomfortable and unsure – but in the same breath I can also affirm that not having a plan has brought me increasingly closer to the One who already has the best plan for me.

Life right now feels a lot like stepping into the unknown and that can cause the sight of our purpose to become blurred. But where there is blurred sight, God provides clarity for His planned path for us. God has gifted us with the ability to attain identity and assurance through the power of His word. Where identity is sound, purpose is found.

Ephesians 2:19-22 tells us: you are known, you are a citizen of Heaven, you are a member of God’s royal family. Jesus is the cornerstone that keeps our foundation strong. Joined together we are a holy temple for the Lord, a dwelling place where the Spirit guides.

There’s no doubt about it, life is challenging right now. I want to encourage you to seek guidance from our Great Counselor. Receive God’s peace, comfort, and rest – for He is, and always will be, with you. Embrace this time with Him. Keep His presence and perspective close. Embrace the now, instead of the unknown. There truly is power, purpose, and a plan for the pause!

“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22 NLT  

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!

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Uncomfortable

Designed To Be Uncomfortable

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My teaching career started around the age of 9 in the basement of my childhood home as I “played school” with my sister as my only pupil.

Ironically enough, I am now forced to continue the 7th year of my professional teaching career educating 135 students from my home workspace, which is located in, you guessed it, the basement.

Recent events have led teachers all around the nation to take our skills to a platform that many of us have never navigated before. Not to mention, parents are now the primary vessel through which learning is delivered, causing them to navigate not only parenting, but also their job and teaching all at once. Needless to say, it’s not the most ideal situation for a lot of us.

It’s uncomfortable which is how I know it’s right where God wants it.

I won’t bore you all with educational theory, but learning is an activity rooted in being uncomfortable. It’s kind of the point. When you are learning, there is very little that is familiar about your cognitive environment because it’s new; you’ve never learned it before. This is why so many of us give up on new things because it’s hard and it requires practice! Learning something new is designed to be uncomfortable.

Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (NIV)

You know what this verse tells me? It tells me that The Lord is the ultimate teacher of the year. He knows that when it comes down to learning something, it’s not about the standardized tests, the lessons, or the grades, it’s about teaching with a loving eye.

Could it be that God is using this time to disrupt all of us into a better way in which we should go about teaching kids? I have no doubt.

Since the start of this pandemic, I’ve seen parents and teachers, who are often at odds with each other, coming together to continue some semblance of educational normalcy for kids. As a result, I’ve seen kids, many of whom were completely disengaged during the school year, completely blow me away with their creativity and kind words. Without our routines and traditions, we are forced to focus in on what’s truly best for kids. When it comes down to it, that’s the heart of teaching: doing what’s best for kids. It’s teaching with a loving eye as the Lord does for us. Whether you realize it or not, in the world of education, that is immense progress because it’s something that so many of us had lost sight of.

As uncomfortable as we all are, it means we are learning, and as we learn change is sure to follow. The world of education will never be the same again, and that’s a good thing.

 


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.

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GodPromises

God Promises Laughter

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“The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. And Sarah declared, ‘God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.’” Genesis 21:1, 6

 

Mother’s Day can be complicated… or maybe complex is a better description.

This Sunday, as we celebrate the incredible influence that mothers have on our lives, the imagery of a bouquet comes to mind. The most stunning bouquets are those with a variety of flowers, colors, and textures… all brought together in one beautiful arrangement, meant to be a gift.

One of my favorite mothers in the Bible is Sarah. Her story begins at the end of Genesis chapter 11. Sarah was Abraham’s wife, and she was barren. What an introduction. She was identified by what she was and what she wasn’t. Can you relate?

When God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations, Sarah realized her inadequacy. She felt so inadequate she told Abraham to have a child with her servant. (Spoiler alert – that didn’t end well.) But God was not intimidated by what Sarah was not. He came back to Abraham and clarified his promise. “But God said, “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son indeed, and you shall name him Isaac (laughter).” Genesis 17:19

Abraham would be the father of many nations… and Sarah would be the mother. Abraham couldn’t have God’s promise without her. God was not going to leave Sarah out… he promised her laughter.

Sarah’s story of motherhood is extremely complex. Longing. Love. Loss. Jealousy. Inadequacy. Pride. Humility. Honor. Joy. Hope. Fear. Laughter. Each of these complex moments made up an incredible bouquet of God’s goodness in Sarah’s life, and He fulfilled His promise to her.

We all have our first experiences with Mother’s Day as children. Maybe you celebrated your mom with flowers and breakfast in bed or maybe you felt the ache of loss or the shame of what “should be” but definitely was not. Then girls become women and we experience another layer of complexity because motherhood has a profound impact on our own identity… what we are and what we are not.

Maybe you recognize some of the “flowers” from Sarah’s bouquet in your own. Whether you are looking forward to motherhood, are engulfed in it, are looking back on a season of it, or don’t think it is for you, I’m guessing you have some pretty complex moments in your bouquet. But that is just it. Motherhood is not a “one size fits all” arrangement. It is unique and complex and beautiful. And it is a gift that we can give the world around us.

I have a wonderful mom who has loved us sacrificially and is always willing to do anything she can for me. I have a wonderful mother-in-love who believes in me and cheers me on. I have spiritual mothers who have defined my life so profoundly that I would not be who I am today without their influence (some of them have biological children and some do not.) I have two sons who are the best of me and have also made me grapple with my worst. I have been blessed to invest in the lives of teenagers over the years, and pray I have deposited something lasting in them.

All of this is motherhood. It is giving life. It is giving our life away. It is complex moments… memories… maybes. It will look unique for each of us, but if we invite God to gather up all those complex pieces of our story into a big bouquet, we will discovery beauty. We have something to give. We can experience God’s promise of laughter that is custom made just for us.

This Mother’s Day, I want to encourage you to embrace the complexity of your story. Let God meet you in this moment and give you laughter. Let others laugh with you as you give your life and love away.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the beautiful women who love and live and laugh with us.

 


Pastor Jenny Baird is the Youth Central Director and Pastors our Winchester Campus alongside her husband Shawn. She loves anything Magnolia (Chip & Joanna Gaines) related, bird-themed, Hallmark, and truffle-infused popcorn. Youth is her passion and she absolutely loves growing her leaders to impact the next generation.

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1920x1080_OnTheShore

On The Shore

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I really want a cheeseburger.

Trust me, I know how easy it is to get a cheeseburger right now, but we all know what I really miss. I want to go get a cheeseburger. I want to walk into a restaurant, sit down in a booth that might have been cleaned 2 shifts ago, and wait an hour and a half to order something I can make in my own home for half the price.

It’s strange what you miss when things change. Even though there are a hundred things I hated about pre-pandemic life, I find myself longing for the days I could subject myself to the traffic, the long lines, the feuding sports teams I can barely will myself to care about.

When we’re subjected to change, we’re often tempted to return to what we know. In times like this, when things seem so uncertain, familiar just looks so enticing. When plans fail, when life gets hard, or doesn’t turn out the way we hoped, it’s often easier to slide back into old habits even when those habits caused us trouble in the past.

Right now, there’s much talk of how we wish things were back to the way they were. But God has much better plans for us than regression.

The Apostle John records a story of his friend Peter dealing with exactly this. Before he was Jesus’ disciple, Peter was a fisherman. After 3 years experiencing incredible miracles, Jesus was crucified, and Peter abandoned him. When Jesus returned, Peter felt he had thrown away his chance, and returned to the familiar life of a fisherman. (John 21:1-3).

Then John records something incredible:

“At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.” (John 21:4-6)

In the midst of Peter’s pain and confusion, Jesus steps in and asks Peter to try His way. And when Peter recognizes Jesus as the man on the shore, Jesus calls him back into the relationship that would propel him into his future. (John 21:11-12).

Jesus views change differently than us. In this passage, we see a Jesus who never loses sight of His plan. When change comes, we often look backwards, but what about the future the change will bring? Yes, life is difficult because of the pandemic, and yes, life before was much easier, but Jesus isn’t concerned with where we’ve been. He is focused on what’s ahead, and wants us to move with Him. So instead of finding ways to return to the old, let’s join God in looking forward to what good changes this season will bring. Jesus is standing on the shore, calling us to lean in and trust Him with the future.

 


Dieter is the newly installed Blog Team Coordinator for the Life Church. He and his new wife Becca married on January 18th, 2020, (impeccable timing, if you ask them) They are keeping themselves busy during the pandemic with board games, long walks, and more board games.

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Your Light Has Come

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As a child I was incredibly afraid of the dark. There wasn’t a thing you could say to me that would subside that fear. I can recount many nights where sleep was scarce, and the “night” time crawled by at a glacial pace. I dreaded bedtime because it also meant the unavoidable dark and that thought was bone-chilling.

One night my parents came into my room and had one of “those” talks. My dad sternly began with this question, “Do you think I would ever let anything happen to you?” I knew the answer was no but the fear I felt stood in protest. No matter how many nights went by I couldn’t seem to shake the lingering doubt in my father’s question.

One night, fear and I had a fight, and because I knew my mother to be a fiercely praying woman, my words were exactly this. I yelled at the top of my little boy lungs, “JESUS SAID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ME ALONE!!”. Everyone in the house woke up and the lights revealed an emotionally stirred, tear drenched boy winning the internal struggle with fear.

May I propose to you that doubt and fear live in the dark. Like me, sometimes we question the validity of our Heavenly Father’s promises because of what we’ve experienced no matter what the situation may be. There is no question that we all have seasons of our lives that can be filled with confusion, doubt, fear, angst, anxiety, etc. Let me introduce you to doubting Thomas.

After being with Jesus as His disciple and making prolific statements to his loyalty and mission, Thomas experienced Jesus’ death and burial. Yet, somehow, he seemed to be absent when Jesus was back from the grave and visited the other disciples in miraculous form, according to John 20. The sun would set eight times before Thomas would have an encounter that propelled his faith in the man named Jesus. On the ninth day, Thomas experienced a reality that couldn’t be shaken.

Jesus invites us to experience the truth of who He says He is, like Thomas. His words are not empty, and He will certainly never leave you behind in the dark to struggle with doubt and fear. He will appear at just the right time to prove just how powerful He is. All you have to do is come out from under the covers and see the light and life that is Jesus. The faith filled victorious boy in me says you will win if you fight!

The bible describes Jesus as the complete fulfillment of the law and the embodiment of God’s redeeming plan for the earth. I want to challenge you to put God’s words to the test. Stop repeating mantras of fear that will keep you paralyzed and in states of unrest but instead declare the Word of the Lord over your life and circumstances.

Declare over your life, that your light has come.

No more living in darkness. YOUR LIGHT HAS COME

No more living in doubt and fear. YOUR LIGHT HAS COME.

No more anxiety and stress. YOUR LIGHT HAS COME.

As you declare the word of the Lord, you see the work of the Lord.

 



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!

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Peace in the Midst

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“I wish none of this had happened.”

In Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo laments over a burden he wasn’t supposed to bear, traveling a path he didn’t plan. Gandalf tells him many have felt that way, but “all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”[1]

That’s a fictional story. This is real life and I’m sure many of us have said, “I wish none of this had happened.” What are we doing with the time we’ve been given?

We’ve been in our homes for over a month, and before COVID-19, many of us would’ve enjoyed thirty days at home. But we didn’t plan this, and people are sick, many are dying, and this time seems uncertain.

What happens when life isn’t what we hoped, or we’re thrust into a situation we didn’t plan, or our dreams crumble? Grief, fear, and anger can overtake us. It can cause us to question ourselves, our goals, and even question God.

I have felt like this before. But I learned that even though my plan didn’t turn out the way I thought, God was with me in the midst of my pain, and He had a beautiful plan for me in the middle of the storm. If I could just push past my very real feelings and trust Him through the pain and doubt, I would see Him and see He was with me making a way!

The disciples, I’m sure, felt that way when Jesus died. They saw Jesus’ victory different than the way of the cross. He died and they fled, and on that Sunday morning when Jesus arose, they were hiding behind locked doors, afraid of being found, and believing Jesus was dead.

John 20:19-23 shows us Jesus’ first appearance to His disciples. Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” As He shows them His wounds, they are overcome with joy. Why? Nothing changed on the outside of that locked room. The Jewish leaders were still looking for them. But something changed inside the room. They saw Jesus and all fear was gone.

Again, Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” I believe Jesus said this twice to make a point. It was more than, “Hello guys! I’m here.” He said it again to bring them assurance, to bring peace to their spirit. He wanted them to leave that place of hiding, but they couldn’t do that full of fear. They needed His peace.

So, what are we doing with the time we’ve been given? Though we can’t change what is going on around us, we can have that same peace by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s press in, push past our fear, our anxiousness, and even our doubt, and ask Jesus to breathe His peace on us.

Take courage! Jesus lives! He is with you. Peace be with you.

[1] Tolkien, FotR, The Shadow of the Past



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!

 

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Three Little Words

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“But at least…”

I have found myself saying these three little words a lot over the past few weeks, more than any other time I can remember. They always show up in the same part of a conversation. They are preceded by something the pandemic has made worse in my life and are often accompanied by their sister statement “I can’t complain”. Then these three little words are always immediately followed by a dutiful recitation of something that is still good in my life that I probably should be grateful for.

Now, there is nothing wrong with gratitude, but what I have noticed is that when I use these three little words, I am not engaging in real gratitude. Instead, I have been using these three little words to quickly move past a moment that reveal our collective current reality:

I am suffering. And so are you.

This season is taking something from us. It’s different for each of us, but the reality is the same. We are suffering.

Human beings have an aversion to suffering. We hate it, we resist it, we run from it. But what happens when there’s nowhere to run? When everywhere we would normally turn for distraction and comfort is closed, cancelled or deemed “non-essential”?

The beauty of Easter arriving for us in this moment is that Easter reminds us of what anchors our hope. Christian hope is not blind optimism, it is found a person named Jesus who makes the God of the universe tangible. And in this pandemic moment, the Easter story reveals something about God that has anchored my hope in the middle of our suffering. It reveals that God understands my suffering.

The cross was not just any form of death. The cross was horrific, barbaric, and designed to inflict both maximum physical pain and psychological torture. Jesus died slowly, painfully and in total humiliation. Jesus knew all of this was coming, and yet he accepted the suffering to bridge the gap created by my sin. The prophet Isaiah, looking forward hundreds of years to the life of Jesus, described him this way, “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.”

Your suffering is not abstract to God because he knows what it is to suffer pain, shame, rejection and isolation.

So if you are in pain, embarrassed about your situation or struggling with any part of this pandemic, know today that God feels what you are feeling. You are completely seen by your Heavenly Father. Don’t run from him. Don’t slip into easy denial. Be honest with God about how you really feel, what has really been taken and what you are really going through. Gratitude is indeed powerful, but it is most powerful in the light of reality. Because Easter reminds us that when you bring your real pain to God you are not just bringing to a God who understands, but a God who is victorious even over death itself.


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.