The WALL

If you find yourself hitting a WALL in your faith Journey, how do you move forward? Last week we talked about the WALL being a crisis of faith.  Something in life that stops us dead in our tracks.  The only way forward is through the WALL.   Hebrews chapter 12:7-8 says “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  For what son is not disciplined by his Father?  If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”  When you find yourself stuck at the WALL, God may want to do some kind of surgery beneath the surface in your heart.  St John of the Cross wrote about the WALL, calling it the Dark Night of the Soul.  He said when enter this time the Lord wants to remove our idolatries or deadly attachments.  Here are some of those deadly areas he addresses:

Pride (being Judgmental and impatient with the faults of others), avarice (suffering discontentment), luxury (taking more pleasure in spiritual blessing than God himself), wrath (becoming easily irritated, impatient), spiritual gluttony (resisting the path of the cross), spiritual envy (always comparing) and sloth (running from what is hard). 

This week Scott Makin is going to be teaching on the rhythms or structures we need in our life to boost our spiritual growth and maturity.  Come prepared to allow Christ to speak to your heart about the below the surface issues in out lives.

See you Sunday,

Alex

FOO to FOG

 We all hide just like Adam and Eve hid in the garden.  I hide behind popularity.  What do you hide behind?  Last week we talked about the three temptations of Christ.... relevancy, popularity and power.  The RX for getting to our real self before God and others is contemplative prayer, confession, forgiveness and service. These are practices that allow us to come out of hiding to become our real selves.   We cannot be in true relationship with God and others when we are in hiding.  It is only when we become our real selves that we can start experiencing our true life in Christ. 

In Christ we belong to a new family of God (FOG).  We also have a family of origin (FOO).   Much of who we are, good or bad, is due to our family of origin.  We want to get to the bottom of  the FOO issues that keep us from moving forward in our relationship with God and His family.  In preparation for Sunday, read Genesis chapter 50:15-21.  Joseph had some FOO issues kicking in his life.

See you tomorrow at the Day of Healing and then at church,

Alex

 P.S.  

·      Daylight Saving Time ends 2 a.m. Sunday, so it's time to set clocks back one hour-and gain another hour of sleep.

·      Brent Dawes will be teaching about biblical principles of finances in the Christian Companions class beginning with an overview this week. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join this class.