Recently, I received some challenging news regarding my current employment. I need to make a decision whether to continue my counseling with my current practice group or establish my own private practice. The director of our practice group has been talking to the clinicians in our four locations about his plans to retire in a few years. However, we assumed we had at least two years before we had to decide what to do after the practice closed it's doors. Apparently, finances have become challenging to the point where the director felt it necessary to make some hard decisions. As a result, the site where my office is located needs to be eliminated this year. My initial reaction was one of anger and then fear began to set in. The news took me completely by surprise and I began to think of the financial implications. My husband is planning to retire at the beginning of next year which leaves me as the sole income earner apart from his social security benefits.
What was I going to do?
I decided to gather as much information as possible before making a final decision as to how soon to leave the practice. In the meantime, a friend had invited me to a concert with contemporary Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. The opening act was a fellow artist who has been a long time friend of Mr. Chapman's and his name is Geoff Moore. Before introducing a new song he had written for his upcoming album, Geoff Moore talked about his lifelong struggle with anxiety. He stated he had difficulty not being able to predict what was going to happen in his life in the future. A turning point came upon reading author Oswald Chamber's devotional book entitled, "My Utmost For His Highest." This particular devotional is a classic and has been a favorite standard of followers of Christ for many years. One line in particular became Geoff Moore's "saving grace" and has encouraged him during his times of doubt and fear. Oswald Chambers states, "When you don't know what to do, trust God and do the next thing. Take the next obvious step in front of you and trust God to lead you." Those words truly ministered to my spirit and helped me to take a new and different perspective on my situation.
Abraham trusted God
I am reminded of Abraham who trusted God and left all he knew to go to the promised land although he lived there as a sojourner. (Genesis 12; Hebrews 11:8-9) As a result of his obedience we are told, "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6 NIV) Abraham in essence did what Oswald Chambers encouraged believers to do, "trust God and do the next thing." What about you? Can you take the next step of faith in an unknown situation and trust God to be with you? As I prayerfully consider the next step to take, I can rest in the knowledge that God will go before me, leading me down the next path in my life's journey towards the kingdom of God.
Shalom,
Pastor Sheree
Last month our church almost closed it's doors for lack of financial support. However, the few faithful attendees rallied to pull together enough funds to pay the rent for the month of March. The reality is although we managed to continue to worship, we knew we were on "borrowed" time. Our lead pastors had been prayerfully considering relocating to another town. So, we began in earnest to contact other churches and potential properties that would be open to renting to our small church body. There was a sense that of all the possible locations we were considering, Auburn, MA. kept coming to mind. So we focused our efforts towards that town. In speaking to my spiritual director about our dilemma, he posed a question to me. He in essence had me think about our situation as reflecting the Israelite's challenge as they faced the Red Sea with the Egyptians in hot pursuit behind them.(Exodus 14) The question I was to consider was like Moses, we as a church were at our "Red Sea" moment, so how was I going to pray?
How was I going to pray?
I admit I was stymied and couldn't really come up with a reasonable answer. My spiritual director went on to comment that many Christians when they pray tend to try and hedge their bets with God. They pray for His will to be done, which is appropriate as that needs to be our heart's desire. However, the underlying intention is more like an attempt to try and brace themselves for ultimately being disappointed. Moses had brought the Israelites out of Egypt according to God's will but now it looked like their journey was going to come to an abrupt end. Likewise, our church had been planted and survived many challenges in Southbridge, MA. for over 5 1/2 years and now it seemed like the doors would be closed for good, despite the fact that the remaining congregants wanted to continue to minister as a body for the Lord. Additionally, my husband and I had been through our own "wilderness experience" searching for a new church home for over two years. When we came to New Vision Church, we knew we had arrived at "home." Now we were feeling "betrayed" in the sense that God was going to send us back out into the wilderness. My spiritual director went on to challenge me as he put it, "to pray as if a situation already is, until God says it is not." In other words, no hedging our bets. We were to believe God was going to find us a new church home in Auburn before the end of March until it turned out otherwise. When I returned home, I looked at the passage in Exodus 14 and realized how much my attitude reflected the Israelite's thinking that God brought us to this point to figuratively speaking "let us die." I decided to listen to God's word to Moses in that moment and adopt a different mindset. Moses told the Israelites, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today....the Lord will fight for you; you need only be still." (Exodus 14:13a,14)
The Lord will fight for you!
I am happy to report that the Lord indeed has found us our new church home in Auburn. We will be sharing a space with another church which has graciously blessed us. Easter is less than two weeks away and there was another prayer of desperation that was lifted to God in a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus, in His time of anguish knowing He was going to the cross prayed, "Abba, Father, everything is possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36) Jesus wasn't hedging His bets with God. He knew what the outcome was going to be and was confident that He would see the deliverance the Lord would bring to Him through the resurrection. So, the challenge before us all, this Holy Week, is how will we pray in our "Red Sea" moments? How will we pray in our personal gardens of Gethsemane? Will we trust God for the outcomes we desire until He says "it is not?" Let us commit to praying in a new way this Easter and watch the fruit of the resurrection bring forth new life in our situations and circumstances.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
Pastor Sheree
Valentine's Day is once again upon us and the mad rush is underway to buy those last minute tokens that serve as our "expressions" of love. If the average person were asked the question, "What is love?" the answers would run the gamut from the tangible to the intangible. Some would reply that love is a feeling. Others would respond that love is flowers, a diamond ring, or some other tangible representation that defines love. However, if the question were asked "Who is love?" there may be some blank stares or head scratching in searching for an answer. The reality is the Bible provides us with the answer to the question who is love? 1 John 4:16b states simply, "God is love."
God loved us first.
God demonstrated that love in the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. God represents the purest form of love which is called in the Greek "agape" love. Agape love is totally unconditional regardless of what we have done or will do. Agape love does not demand that it be earned through perfection or performance. We as human beings are not fully capable of demonstrating agape love because of our sinfulness but it is the kind of love God seeks to have His followers emulate. In fact 1 John goes on to tell us that all love ultimately comes from God and genuine love is never self-generated by His creatures. "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19) The token expressions given to those with whom we have a loving relationship are nice but they do not last forever. Flowers eventually wilt and die and candy is eaten leaving behind no tangible evidence of Valentine's Day. Even our "loving feelings" can vary on a day to day basis. However, God's love is not confined to token symbols that fade but God's love in seen in the symbol of the cross and ultimately in the One who died for our sins so that our relationship with God could be restored.
Love has a name.
Singer/songwriter Kathy Troccoli has a song entitled "Love Has A Name." The chorus goes, "Love has a name, love has a face, and when you know love, you know you're not the same. Love never dies, love never leaves, and when hope is gone, love will believe. Love every day, gives love away, love has a name--Jesus." I encourage you this Valentine's Day to experience the depth of true love found in Jesus Christ.
In His Love,
Pastor Sheree
If you would like to listen to Kathy Troccoli's song "Love Has A Name" enter the following in your search engine. https://youtu.be/cuT2j34Hdd8
