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Tag >> General
It is the Easter season. Lent and the cross, that instrument of torturous death, are behind us. We have peered into the empty tomb and are left to wonder. To wonder if his body was stolen away. To wonder where he is. To wonder when we will come face to face with the resurrected Lord. Unlike the disciples, I have not come face to face with my risen lord. Yet, I have seen him. I have seen his hands in the hands of those who prepared bread and soup for Lenten services, meals for Dinner at the Brick and the bread and juice for communion and in the hands that set up tables and chairs, clean, mow, fix, and paint. I have seen his feet in the feet of those who walk with the hurting, the poor and the down trodden. I have seen his back, bloodied and bruised, in the backs of those who lift the burdens of others. I have seen his eyes in the eyes of those who look for justice in the world. I have seen his ears in the ears of those who listen to the cries of those who mourn. I have seen his lips in the lips of those who speak quietly in prayer and those who speak boldly for peace. I have seen him in the actions of those who pour out their lives to help others. I have seen him a thousand times. In beautiful sunsets, mountains, oceans and forests. Yes, I have seen my risen Lord, in the faces of friends and strangers. I have seen him at work in the world and he is beautiful!
Where have you seen him?
My daily devotional quoted the following passage of scripture this morning:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8
As I read these words two questions began to emerge in my mind. The first was when/how do I meditate? And the second was what thoughts regularly fill my mind?
The second question is easier to answer. The thoughts that regularly fill my mind are thoughts of work, kids, and other obligations. What class am I teaching this week? Check email. What book or lesson do I need to read to prepare? What time do I have to go pick up the kids? Feed them an afternoon snack. What afterschool activities do I need to take them to? What am I making for dinner? I’ve got to write newsletter articles. Did I send that email? I need to help Sarah with her homework. Stop at the grocery store to pick up milk and bread. And what am I making for dinner? Clean the house. Fold some clothes. Help Patrick tie his shoes. Did I sign up to make cookies for Patrick’s class? Check email. Write some checks. These are the things that run through my mind all day and night. Did I get everything done today, what do I have to do tomorrow? Rush, rush, rush from one thing to another.
So this call to meditate, to think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report is a challenge to me. Which brings me to the second question; when and how do I meditate? Although I read quite a bit from my Bible and other books in preparation for classes or small groups I am leading, I rarely take the time to just sit and meditate. To contemplate the meaning of what I have read, or seen, or experienced. To let it wash over me and fill my soul. There is a longing in me for this time of meditation and contemplation. A desire to be still and know God.
In this season of Lent I am choosing to take more time to meditate on the good, to find some quiet time each day to contemplate the events of the day and where I have seen God in them. I hope you will join me in this practice of meditation. Let me know what praiseworthy things you uncover as you do.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5
I’ve been thinking a lot about suffering these days. Maybe it’s because it’s Lent and during this season of preparation for Easter, our hearts and minds turn to the suffering of our savior on the cross. Maybe it’s because I recently heard Rob Bell speak in Seattle on the subject of suffering. Or maybe it is because I know so many who are suffering right now.
I know that the writer of Romans was speaking to those who faced persecution for their faith, a very specific kind of suffering. But does all suffering produce this same pattern of perseverance, character and hope? Not many of us escape suffering of some kind or another. When do we suffer? When something beyond our control suddenly alters our lives, the loss of a job, the illness of a family member, the death of one we love. When these things happen it shakes us up. It changes our focus. The things we thought were important become less so. We may ask questions, like, why now? Why him/her? Why?
Our Tuesday night Bible study, “Digging Deeper” had an interesting discussion about this very topic this week. We looked at the early Old Testament theology of retributive justice, which basically says, the good get rewarded and the bad get punished. In moments of crisis we often fall into this kind of theology as we wonder, what did he/she/they/I do to deserve this? That somehow our deal with God is that if we are good, if we follow the rules, bad things will not happen to us. We will not suffer. And yet suffering comes. The prophet Isaiah wrote about the suffering servant in chapter 53. The Messiah, the Anointed One, the sinless Savior, would come and suffer. How could this be? He was perfect, he kept all God’s rules and still he would suffer. This idea took the theology of retributive justice and turned it upside down. Who was this God, who would use suffering to redeem us? And is there something redemptive about our suffering? The writer of Romans seems to think so, suffering produces perseverance. We survive. We move on. We learn to live with the pain. We persevere. And having suffered and survived, builds our character, it adds a depth to our life that a lack of suffering can never produce. We understand the pain of others, because we have been there ourselves. That understanding, compassion, empathy leads us to hope. Hope that others also understand our pain, hope that God will not leave us alone in our suffering. And that hope does not disappoint, because God’s love for us was poured out in a life, a human life, of suffering. He understands exactly what we are going through because he lived, suffered, and died. And then he rose again, promising us that suffering and death is not the end. And he left us another comforter, the Holy Spirit, to be with us as we suffer. And that Holy Spirit manifests every time we come together in community, to comfort one another, to hold on to each other, to say “you are not alone” and “I know how you are feeling.”
Does this ring true for you? Have you experienced moments of redemption in the midst of suffering? When have God’s grace or the community of believers comforted you? Can you, like the writer of Romans, “rejoice” in your sufferings?
Posted by: Office Manager in M&E, General on
Oct 27, 2009
Posted by: Office Manager in M&E, General on
Oct 22, 2009
Thursday, October 22
Well Wednesday lived up to its name and turned out to be a challenging day. We arrived at our new assignment, a home that was supposed to be near completion. After many frustrating starts and stops we made progress by sorting tools, prioritizing needed work and identifying material and tool needs. Cleaning out the garage turned out to be more excitement than expected. We finished the day at the Olive Garden in a driving rainstorm. We awoke this morning to sheets of rain blowing across the compound. The sidewalk flooded quickly making us stay in the breakfast room for awhile. We finally got the call from Galveston saying it was safe to drive over to the island.
Today was a good day of accomplishments. Thresholds were installed, spackling on every wall was done, baseboards were painted, drywall mudding was done in the bathroom, and appliances were installed. This second home is on the far side of Galveston Island, which received the worst of the flooding. Many of the houses have been bulldozed or abandoned. Unemployment in Galveston is at 50% so we see many men sitting and waiting.
Last week we saw the Holy Spirit at work in the conception of Jesus, today we will look at the Baptism of Jesus. In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist says, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." And in verses 16 and 17 Matthew writes, "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
This same spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism, John declares we will be baptized with by Jesus. This is where the term "baptized with the Holy Spirit" originates. How do we get baptized with the Holy Spirit, and when does this happen? Well, remember we saw the Holy Spirit at work in the conception of Jesus. It is clear from scripture that the Holy Spirit was present and actively involved in the life of Jesus from the very beginning. We must remember that there is a difference between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation or evidence of that presence. On the day of Jesus' baptism God allowed us to see a physical manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life. This pattern is repeated throughout the New Testament. It was the same with Jesus' original disciples. The Holy Spirit was present and actively working in the disciples lives, which is why they left their jobs to follow Jesus. But on the day of Pentecost we see a manifestation of the Holy Spirit as it descended upon them as a group. And throughout the book of Acts we see many manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. So, the Holy Spirit is actively involved in your life, even before you believe, leading you to God. The question then becomes, not when am I baptized with the Holy Spirit, but when do I begin to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life? For me, once I had proclaimed my faith in Jesus Christ, I became more aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. I recognized my desire to know God; to become more like Christ; to be kind and gracious to others; and to serve in ministry as the prompting of the Spirit. God has opened my eyes to see the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others as I witness their faithfulness to serve others. How do you see the Spirit working in your life? Or the lives of those around you?
Posted by: Office Manager in M&E, General on
Oct 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009 Greetings from Texas City. We had an awesome day today. The team was united in patience as we had a very slow start to the morning from a prolonged orientation. But once we finally arrived at the worksite we were unstoppable. The first house that we are gutting is a two-story structure that sustained major water damage to the first floor. After removing the contents of the downstairs rooms, we tore out sheet rock up to 4 feet, scraped up linoleum tiles, removed decades old wallpaper, started building a new front stairs and tore out window frames. Our team would like to ask for your prayers for safety and health. We wear masks, eye protection, gloves and earplugs. But we are working with termite shavings, mold, dust, animal droppings and other noxious materials. Tomorrow we will return to the same home to hopefully finish up the process.   
Posted by: Office Manager in M&E, General on
Oct 20, 2009
Hello Send Team, We are sitting in the Break Room waiting to start our first orientation. Everyone arrived without any problems yesterday. We met the 6 people on the team from West Newton, PA and settled into our bunks. Because there are only 7 women and 9 men, there is plenty of room to spread out in the trailers. We also met Pat and Chester who are our Presbyterian Disaster Assistance hosts. Today we woke up to beautiful clear, cool skies. We all attended church at 10:30 in their lovely sanctuary. After church we headed out to see Galveston. We had a great lunch at Gaidos, a restaurant on the Seawall. After a stroll on the beach we drove around the island to get oriented for our work tomorrow. We will start working tomorrow at 8:30 am. Everyone is ready and excited to get started. We have been told that we will be removing drywall up to four feet. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for this opportunity to serve in Galveston.  
We spent the summer looking at Biblical passages from the Old Testament about the Holy Spirit. We learned that the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation process; in equipping those individuals who had been called by God to engage in certain activities or tasks; and that the Holy Spirit was sent by God to provide encouragement when the task was difficult. Now let us turn to the New Testament and see what more we can learn about the person of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was present in the opening pages of the Old Testament in the story of creation and here he is in the opening pages of the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 1:18-23 states, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’”
Similar to his role in the creation process, the Holy Spirit works to create a new life in this passage as well. Only this life will be like no other life in the history of mankind. This life is God clothed in human flesh. This life will save us from our sins. This life is God with us! Not above us; not off in the distance somewhere watching us; or manipulating us; this is God with us. He will live as we live; experience what we experience. He will know hunger, joy, pain, desire, anger, passion, love and death. Every aspect of the human condition will be his. And later, when this same Jesus promises to send us another comforter, we can be sure that he truly knows why we need comforting, and how to comfort us, because he was there. How does this story speak to you about the Holy Spirit?
Posted by: Stephanie Hankey in General on
Sep 2, 2009
On Sunday, August 16 WPC commissioned one of our very own to serve as a missionary for the 2009-2010 year--Hannah Holtgeerts. Hannah was raised and baptized at WPC. We have had the unique privilege of having her among us and now, with God's blessing, we send her out to serve God's people in Costa Rica. Hannah is serving with Christ for the City International in Costa Rica--the same place she and her family served when she was twelve. She is teaching computer and math skills to young women in La Carpio--a Nicaraugan refugee settlement near San Jose.
This fall, WPC will undertake a 40 Day campaign to consider what it means to be in community and to serve a larger community. In worship we'll be hearing more about the campaign, but here's a quick rundown... Beginning September 13 and continuing through October 25 we're asking EVERY (yes, that's right!) WPC attender to participate in a Small Group. We've got eight groups that already exist that will take in new members and we're starting eight new groups. That means we have room for 160 people in small groups! That's a huge goal. We've set the goal so big so that when the goal is achieved we'll clearly know that it was God who brought it to fruition.
We continue to look at the person and work of the Holy Spirit in both the Old and New Testaments. Today's encounter comes to us from the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 31:14 says, "The LORD said to Moses, ‘Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him.' So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the Tent of Meeting." And verse23 says, "The LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: ‘Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.'" Then in Deuteronomy 34 verse 9 we read, "Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses." In these passages we see the mantle of leadership being passed from Moses to Joshua. We see that God has chosen who will lead his people and God chooses to place the spirit of wisdom on Joshua. God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous and promises to be with him as he leads the people into the land promised to their forefathers. This was no easy task for Joshua. The land they were to take possession of was already inhabited and they would have to defeat them militarily. We are also talking about moving somewhere between 600,000 and 2,000,000 men, women, and children across the Jordan River and into Canaan. Yet, the God of the universe, the God who has brought all things into being, who created the world and all that is in it promises to be with Joshua as he leads God's chosen people. This promise appears to be enough for Joshua to do what God is asking, and the people recognize God's spirit in Joshua and follow him. Has God called you to do a specific task? What is it? Do you believe that if he has called you, he will give you his spirit to equip you for that job? Does knowing that the God of the universe promises to be with you, give you the confidence to be strong and courageous in the face of your circumstances?
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 24, 2009
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 23, 2009
 
We started our day in a different manner today as we joined up with one of our hosts named Merle and we visited a dinosaur track site at 7:00 a.m. The early morning shadows on the tracks made them easier to see. They're estimated to be 167 million years old! We then ate breakfast together in Greybull before eventually making it to the jobsite at 9:30.
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 22, 2009
Today was the midpoint of our trip and we all feel exhausted. After an 8:30 a.m. delivery of concrete to finish off a sidewalk alongside the church, we then pressed forward to complete the hanging of sheetrock inside the multi-purpose room. In addition, we installed the doors and trimmed out the windows outside. Now the siding awaits us.
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 21, 2009
 
Hi Everyone,
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 20, 2009
 
The construction site at the back of the Shell Community Church was very active today as we built forms for a new sidewalk, installed insulation, began installing soffits, and started hanging sheetrock on the ceiling. Tomorrow we hope to finish the soffits and complete all the sheetrock, except for the utility room which still needs to be plumbed. Overall, the job has been very enjoyable with a variety of tasks and a lot of productivity. Although we were warm throughout the day, it was never overbearing and a lot of our work is indoors or in the shade. Just before we stopped work for the day, our missing load of siding and windows/doors arrived. That means Wednesday we will likely begin our anticipated task of installing siding - our original assignment.
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 19, 2009
Our team of five members arrived just in time for dinner on Sunday, July 19th, at the construction site in Shell, WY. [Many thanks to the Stoner family who loaned us their mini-van that now has another 1,037 miles on the odometer. We plan to drive in reverse all the way home to return it to its original mileage!] The town is settled in a valley with a descent through the Bighorn Mountain Range about two hours south of Billings, MT. Just after we arrived, a brief thunder storm greeted us to cool off the evening. We then met up with our leader at the nearby eatery called "Dirty Annie's" where we ate dinner.
We continue to look at the person and work of the Holy Spirit in both the Old and New Testaments. Today's encounter comes to us from the book of Numbers chapter 11. This is a long portion of scripture, so I will not re-type the whole passage here, but I do suggest that you look it up and read the entire chapter to get a better feel for the story. Moses is leading the people in the desert and the people begin to grumble about having only manna to eat. They complain of having no meat and remember the fish they had in Egypt. Moses becomes frustrated with their complaining and asks God to relieve him of this burden of leading the people, even if it means his own death. In verses 16-17 God answers Moses: "The Lord said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.'" Some further discussion ensues between God and Moses, with Moses questioning where all the meat would come from and we pick up in verse 23 with God's response. "The LORD answered Moses, ‘Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.' So Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.
Posted by: Jeff Holtgeerts in M&E, General on
Jul 12, 2009
On Saturday, July 18th, five of us will begin our 900 mile drive east to the small town of Shell, WY. We've been invited by the Shell Community (Presbyterian) Church, pastored Becky Anderson previously from Quilcene Presbyterian, to assist in their summer construction project. By the time we arrive, we'll be the third team to help out and our job will be to install windows, doors, and siding on their church addition project. The original building is over 100 years old and this project will finally bring indoor plumbing to the church. The outhouse behind the church will no longer be needed.
On Sunday, July 12 Westminster will commission its 12th Mission Team in as many years. Each year our Mission and Evangelism Committee chooses a location and announces the trip location in February. We alternate by year between a local trip (costs less) and a out of state trip (transportation costs are higher). This year we are delighted to be offering two trips in the same year. During July 18-26 five of WPC's men (3 current Session members) will be headed to Shell, WY to help the First Presbyterian Church to complete an indoor bathroom for their church. These men will share their experiences with the congregation on Sunday, August 2.
Last week we looked at a passage from Genesis and one from Revelation, today we will look at the following passage from Exodus 31:1-11 "Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent - the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand - and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.'" To put this passage in context, God is instructing Moses about the construction of the Tabernacle that the Israelites will carry with them during their time in the wilderness, to set up everywhere they go, a place to meet with God and worship him. The Tabernacle will be a place where the glory of God will reside. Moses will enter the Tabernacle to meet with God. God chooses Bezalel to be the one in charge of this major construction project and he equips Bezalel with all the necessary talents and abilities to complete the job. The very first thing God does for Bezalel is to fill him with his own Spirit, the very Spirit of God. This filling with the Spirit of God is manifested in the artistic skills Bezalel will require to fulfill his calling. In this passage we see that God is in charge, God chooses who he will fill and in what way the Spirit will be manifested within that person. The Spirit of God will assist in the building of the Tabernacle, bringing the people to God in a very concrete way, and bringing glory to God through the worship that will happen there. The filling of the Spirit of God within a person always brings gifts, and always brings glory to God. Let the Spirit come! Let us be the living tabernacle glorifying God in all we do!
Genesis 1:1-2 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." And Revelation 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!' And let him who hears say, ‘Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." I first found myself looking at these two scriptures together during a study for lent and was struck that the Bible begins and ends with references to water. But I also noticed they both mention the Spirit as well. In the first verse we see the Spirit of God hovering over his creation and in the verse from Revelation, we hear the Spirit inviting us to come and partake of the waters of life. What can these two references teach us about the Spirit? The word "hovering" or "hover" is only used in two other places in the Bible and both times it refers to the protective action of birds over their young. The Spirit hovers protectively over that which God has created. Does it mean the Spirit will keep bad things from happening to us? I don't think so. My reality says otherwise. But have you ever watched a parent with a child learning to walk? As a parent of young children myself, I know what it is to be right there, watching, waiting, hovering over my kids; knowing that with each tentative step, something bad might happen to them. Sometimes even allowing them to fall, get hurt, experience something negative so they can learn to walk and yet never be out of my presence. So as soon as they fall and cry I can scoop them up and make it all better with a hug and a kiss. As a created being that imagery brings me comfort. And remember when Jesus told his disciples he would be leaving them, he promised that he would send another "comforter" to be with them. God does not leave us alone, the Spirit is always there hovering over us, ready to comfort us whenever we have need. And what about the verse from Revelation? It also refers to the Spirit interacting with God's creation. This time instead of offering comfort, the Spirit calls us to "take the free gift of the water of life." This introduces two key themes of the role of Spirit that we will find throughout scripture as we study. The first is gifts: the Spirit is involved with delivering the gifts of God to his creation. And the second is pointing us to Christ. Jesus also offered the water of life to those who believed in him, and described himself as "the life". When the Spirit invites us to come and "take the free gift of the water of life" he is offering the life that is found in Jesus, the streams of living water that Jesus produces in us. The Spirit is saying, "come, come to God." The Spirit is always gently leading us to God. And the gifts he offers are always freely given and intended for the glory of God. Comfort and Invitation. Hovering and leading. The beginning and the end. Come, let us learn more of the Spirit of God together.
My story continues: I graduated High School, started college, and like many young people do, drifted away from my faith. Okay, drifted doesn't really describe it accurately. I stopped attending church, became a groupie of a local new wave/punk rock band that spent way too much time at various dance clubs (bars) at the Jersey Shore, drank to excess, shaved half my head, and basically behaved badly. Several years later I recognized I did not like the direction I was headed and began returning to my faith. In 1988 I moved to Washington State and within a year began attending a small non-denominational church. In this church I found people who reminded me of the folks I had known in High School all those years before. They had that same undefined quality about them that reflected a deeper relationship with God than I had experienced in my own life. The services allowed a great deal of freedom for manifestations of the Spirit, with speaking in tongues, interpretation, prophecy, healing, words of knowledge and words of wisdom happening often. At the close of each service members would come forward for prayer and would sometimes fall to the ground during the prayer (slain in the Spirit). Seeing all of this as part of an official worship service was new to me. After attending for a few months, I approached the Pastor, desiring to be re-baptized (I had been baptized as an infant) as an outward expression of my re-commitment to Christ. He agreed and in July of 1989 I was baptized by emersion in Heart Lake. I continued to seek more of God in my life and not long after that while singing songs of praise in worship, I began to sing in tongues (a language I had not learned and did not understand). The feeling of God's presence in the room and within me was so strong, joyous and generated such a love for God that I can hardly describe it. I did not feel possessed, out of control, or less myself. In fact it was as if I was more myself than I had ever been. My spirit was in perfect tune (not my singing, just my spirit) with God's and all I wanted to do was stand there and praise Him all day long. The song ended and I stopped singing but the joy and love of God did not go away. And I knew that God had given me a way to deepen my relationship with Him, a gift that from that day to this enriches my prayer life, increases my joy in the Lord, and overwhelms my heart with praise of His grace and love. I believe this gift is available to anyone who desires it. For some, you may already experience God in a deep, intimate, satisfying way and feel no need for anything more; for others, you may long for more of God in your life and this manifestation of the Spirit may be your answer. Pray, seek God, ask and He will answer. Next week we begin our study with the very first mention of the Spirit, Genesis 1:1-2.
I begin our study of the third person of the trinity by sharing my own story. I grew up attending a Methodist Church with my family in NJ, and at age 13 made a decision to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. During High School I began attending a Bible study in the home of a couple who had recently left our church to attend the Assembly of God Church, the subject of which was the Holy Spirit. We looked up each Bible reference to the Holy Spirit read and discussed it. When we got to the New Testament and were reading all those references about speaking in tongues (languages you do not know), interpretation of tongues (declaring the meaning of a spoken tongue to a group), prophecy, and healing, I had lots of questions. I listened to the adults in the group explain about the outpouring of the power of God to the believers. I listened to them as they prayed and spoke in tongues and interpreted tongues within the group. Hearing them pray in tongues was a little weird at first, but it was not the only thing different about this group of believers. I began to notice something else about this group. They loved Jesus. They didn't just talk about loving Jesus, you could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices as they talked about God. They had the same sense of excitement about Jesus that my high school girlfriends had about their boyfriends. And there was something deeper, more intimate about their relationship with God. And when the group read and talked about scripture it came alive in ways that it never had for me before. Not only did I want whatever they had, I wanted to share it with everyone I knew. We had been using some cassette tapes (how old am I?!) to help guide us in our study and I asked if I could borrow one of them to play for my Senior High Youth Group. I took the cassette to my Youth Group meeting and played it for the group, expecting everyone to be as excited as I was about this new insight into the working of the Holy Spirit. The group had lots of questions, not all of which I could answer. They went home and asked their parents, who promptly called the Pastor to ask what kind of crazy stuff was being taught at the Youth Group. The Pastor called my mother and strongly encouraged her to prevent me from attending this Bible Study. My mother was very upset after that call and of course wanted to talk to me. Bless her heart, my mother asked what we were studying. I explained that we were learning about the Holy Spirit. She asked what had made the Pastor so upset about the Holy Spirit and I did my best to share what I had learned about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I will never forget what my mother said next. She said, "Well, I don't understand about all that stuff, but since you have been going to that Bible study I have only seen positive changes in your behavior, so I will not forbid you to go. Just don't let me get any more phone calls from the Pastor." I continued to attend that Bible study for a few more months, but I did not share any more of what I learned or experienced with my Youth Group and the Pastor never called my mother about me again. In spite of the time I spent with this group of believers, I did not receive the gift of tongues, interpretation, prophecy etc. at that time. But my story does not end with this High School experience. To be continued. . .
Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, the birth of the church through the receiving of the Holy Spirit. As Presbyterians talking about the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit can sometimes make us nervous. But our guest Pastor assured us that the Holy Spirit is God's power working in our lives. It enables us to do the work God has called us to. And what about all those other manifestations of the Spirit, tongues, interpretation, prophecy and healing, they really make us nervous. We do not understand what these gifts are and our lack of understanding leads to uneasiness and sometimes fear. So in an effort to help my fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord be less fearful and more at ease with these manifestations of the Holy Spirit, I would like to propose two things. Beginning today in this blog, I will share my story about the role the Holy Spirit has played in my life and I will attempt to offer an on-line Bible Study exploring all the scripture references to the Holy Spirit, Old and New Testament. We will take them one at a time, read, comment, hopefully converse and by the end we will all have a better understanding of what these manifestations are and when, how and why they should be used in the church today. Join me in the conversation, post your comments and questions and together we will get to know the third person of the trinity.
Posted by: Stephani in General on
May 27, 2009
Reading: Psalm 73 "One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD. Then the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
Posted by: Stephani in General on
May 27, 2009
Reading: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, 11a
A Time for Everything
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die, A time to plant and a time to uproot,
Posted by: Stephani in General on
May 27, 2009
Read: Isaiah 6:8
The scripture I would like to share with you is Isaiah 6:8. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Earlier in this story the Prophet Isaiah shows God that he is unclean and full of sin. But right before this passage, his sins were washed away and Isaiah 6:8 begins with God calling a familiar call. "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" My question is, will we answer? Or will we even try to hear Him?
Posted by: Roger Noar in General on
Jan 17, 2009
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