JAN / FEB 2013 EDITIONJAN / FEB 2013 EDITION

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“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1 NIV)

I love taking walks, especially barefoot ones on a warm sandy beach. My husband and I have the best talks when we walk together. We can start off a walk stressed and angry, and by the time we reach the end, we have talked through our issues and feel pretty good. Perhaps being outside soaking in the beauty of God allows us to see how insignificant our issues really are.

Next time you feel stress or anger, put on your walking shoes and take a walk with God. Tell Him your fears, stresses, and troubles; soak in the beauty of creation and let Jesus carry your tired body home.

In His Name,

Donna HarrisonEditor - donnaharrison@mychristchurch.com

Senior Pastor: Rev. Shane Bishop

Associate Pastor: Rev. Troy Benton

Editor: Donna Harrison

Proof Reader: Barbara Germany

Design: Justin Aymer

Design Intern: Michelle Sweeten

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Mission Of The Flame:Be inspirational through biblical articles and devotions. Be informative in the announcement of future events that connect people in ministry.

Questions about the Flame? Contact Donna Harrison at: donnaharrison@mychristchurch.com

The Flame Magazine is a bi-monthly magazine published by Christ Church. ©2012, Christ Church. All rights reserved.

Contents

A Notefrom the editor

3 - Reflections at Fifty4 - Headed Home5 - The Value Of A Watch6 - He’s in There...7 - My Walk with God8 - Don’t Feel Like it?9 - Getting To Know You10 - To Know Him is to Love Him11 - Intentional or Unintentional...12 - When We Hurt13 - Work Out and Chill Out14 - Walking with God15 - God At Work

Reflections at FiftyBy Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor

Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastor of Christ Churchfacebook.com/revshane@RevShaneBishop

A lmost every morning I walk at least one mile. It is sometimes two miles but most often somewhere in between. I walk in my neighborhood with my Golden Retriever Mia, and my dad (one of which

wears a choke collar to make him calm down). Weather is a nonfactor. Mia is a sporting dog and sporting dogs need to walk each day, so we walk irregardless of the weather. Today I was thinking about being fifty years old. It occurs to me that growing older has been inevitable, but growing as a person has been a conscious choice. Fifty has been better than expected. God has blessed my ministry beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I just finished an 80-game softball season. My body hurts really badly for about 36 hours after a game, but it also hurts when I do nothing at all so I am going to play another year. I can still do most of what I could do when I was younger and on a given day I am as good as I ever was. I am also a lot better husband (ask Melissa), a more caring person (you will have to take my word) and a whole lot more comfortable in my skin than I used to be.

Today I was thinking about what God is teaching me about life and decided to share seven insights with you:

Relationships are more important than being right. I learn a lot from being in relationships. I learn nothing from dogmatically arguing the relative merits of my point of view. I have decided I would rather be a lifetime learner and a good friend than a know-it-all, self-absorbed lobbyist. Jesus said to love God and love neighbor; both commands are about being in relationships!

Don’t put stuff off. My grandpa Hal Bishop died at 51. He was a hard-driving man who had his first heart attack on the baseball field (we are clearly nothing alike). It occurs to me that I best be getting at anything I want to make sure it gets done in my life. I don’t want to live an unfinished life.

Grace is crazy cool. I have always cognitively known I am saved by grace but I think that after fifty years, I am starting to get it. Grace is a gift. I can’t earn it and I don’t deserve it. Grace is offered in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am not saved because I am good; I am saved because

God is good. My salvation rests upon God’s grip on me, not my grip on God. This may be double crazy cool.

I am not as smart as I used to be. I was asked to speak at a conference earlier this year and responded, “You should have asked me a few years ago when I knew more.” At fifty, I find myself more aware of the contributions of others to any success I have enjoyed, more comfortable with the big picture, less concerned about the little stuff and thankful to God for any abilities He may have entrusted to me. You don’t need to be the smartest person in the room when you realize you are the most blessed.

You can’t change the past. You can’t live forward looking backward. We must repent of mistakes we have made, make restitution where we can, accept God’s forgiveness and move on. While we can’t change the past, we can certainly not allow miscues of the past to define our futures! Why waste the resurrection by refusing God’s offer of forgiveness and restoration?

Live until you die. Aging is inevitable but getting old is optional. I can just feel me trying to get more impatient, inflexible and surly by the year. I have decided to fight it because there is no upside. I will know it is time to stop living when I die.

Do things you will never regret. I have this life-bucket called, “Things I will never regret.” These include every moment I spend with Melissa, morning walks with dad, Sunday lunches with mom, speaking an encouraging word to my children, laughter, tractor rides with my grandchildren or sending someone who has touched my life a word of appreciation. I will never regret these things.

Bundle up and take a brisk walk this week. Think about how you are changing and the things God is teaching you at this stage of your life. Write them down and share them with someone you love in front of a roaring fire on a snowy day. Growing in wisdom is a sweet smelling sacrifice we offer to the Lord. It smells just like a hot cup of your favorite coffee on a cold, winter’s day!

“I am fifty. I am no longer middle aged.I can think of no one in my family who lived past 89.I am somewhere in the third quarter...(I hope).”

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By Mary Ann Turner

Headed Home

W alking with the Lord--it is a state of mind and heart. It is a walk that leads you Home.

The old me would say that my walk with the Lord is a “long obedience in the same direction.” The new me sees it differently. I am more seasoned and more willing to realize the times of rebellion, the times of sifting, and the times when my walk was more of a limp than a sure gait. “A long walk in the same direction” suits me much better.

Where is the dividing line between the old me and the new me? It’s true that over thirty years ago I became a new creation in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) The rest of the story has been a process reminding me of my husband’s old Ron Jon T-shirts—the ones with a million memories in the fraying fabric—it happens over time. The result is a person molded, shaped, and more comfortable with age. (2 Thessalonians 5:23) (Psalm 71:17)

What has gone well for me on this walk? One thing for sure--it’s the consistent stop at the watering hole every morning. Beginning with the first waking moment, while still on my pillow, it is just like breathing for me to acknowledge the ever-present Spirit of the Lord with me and in me. I continue to talk with Him as I stir, starving for Bread and Water. I find what I am craving in the worn pages of my Bible. I have other newer Bibles but my old one is my treasure. It’s stained with spills and tears and fingerprints. Its words have whispered to me, guiding me all day long, day after day. Each day is a pearl on a necklace; my chain

of “yes-terdays.” Strings of mercy and the luster of grace link the pearls together. This one thing, the daily fueling up, is the secret to a long walk in the same direction. It is also the secret to a life that accumulates relationships as riches. When you are filled up with Jesus, you have something to give away.

What have I learned on this walk? I invite you to step into these truths and read them as your own. These are truths for every believer.

Please God, not man. Jesus was clear on this point. (John 5:41-44) Getting hold of this command frees a child of God like nothing else. A title is not needed, even though God may give one. There is no need to be measured by stats or numbers, although they may be helpful; only the approval of our Father is needed. (Psalm 62:1-2)

Don’t expect from people what you should only expect from God. While we may rationalize this as having unfair expectations, the bible calls it idolatry. (Exodus 20:3)

Understand the depth of your need for Jesus and never, ever forget it. It’s the antidote for pride. It leads a believer into confident humility. Confident that you are given gifts for the cause of Christ yet fully realizing that apart from Him you can do nothing; nothing that will last for eternity. (John 15: 5)

Be propelled by prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ dwells within you. He makes His home in the heart of every believer. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. Power and peace will define the life of the person who taps into the power of prayer and the Spirit. This is the power source for a long walk in the same direction. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Realize that the sacred and the secular are not separate categories of life and make it a priority to live a life that reflects this truth. This way you never have to pretend. It’s possible and genuine to be the same person in any and every setting, the person God created you to be, wherever you find your feet to land. (Psalm 139)

These five truths guide my walk and they have become mine through the years and through the hard stuff of life. I look forward to all I have yet to learn. I do know that I am headed in the right direction. I am headed Home. Join me, won’t you? I hear there’s a wedding banquet waiting for us when we arrive! (Revelation 19:6-9)Mary Ann Turner

maryann.turner2011@gmail.com

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The Value of a Watch

By Dave Merrill

I sit today on an Air Force C-17 traveling from Scott AFB to Anaheim, California, to attend a symposium on airlift and aerial refueling. Julie and Chris are my adjacent seat-mates onboard this trip and we fell into discussion about

the value of a watch (as in wrist-watch). Chris, a Major in the Air Force and a C-17 pilot, commented that he only wears his watch while flying a mission. I ask why? The young Major exclaimed, “It’s the one thing I know is there when I need it and there is truth in what it tells me while I’m flying a mission.”

Julie, who contracts for the Air Force, learned I was writing an article for The Flame, and advised me (in no uncertain terms) I would write my Flame article about the value of a watch. With a theme of “walking with God” this quarter, I am inspired to link God’s truth to the value of Chris’s watch. Let me begin with a Scripture found in Matthew 24:42-44:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your LORD will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Chris, a fellow believer, finds value in the timepiece on his wrist during flight because it is trustworthy, reliable, accurate, and synchronized with international standards for time-telling. God’s Word is likewise trustworthy, reliable, accurate and designed to align us with His standards. We are admonished by the words

of Jesus Himself to be faithful in “keeping watch” at all times because the LORD will return and we must be ready. Our walk with God is not only for the Sunday morning hour (on our watch), but a call to walk in his light continually throughout all our days, weeks, and years.

Jesus likens our responsibility to “keep watch” to a person who owns a home subject to burglary. If that owner is told, “an intruder will arrive tonight to take your possessions or your family,” that owner has a vested interest in protecting his loved ones and his possessions. Of course he will keep a vigilant watch through the night to protect the things he values most. That becomes his mission. He will not allow someone to break in and destroy or violate what he loves. That’s how we should feel about the truth of God’s promised return.

Every believer holds onto something infinitely more valuable than our homes and our families. We have been entrusted with the message of a good news gospel; “for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17) These familiar words tell us of a responsibility to watch over and protect vigilantly the promise of salvation for the entire world (not just for ourselves and our homes). How much more then should we be ready to wait patiently and watch for the coming of the Son of Man.

We don’t know when, but we can rely on the truth of God’s Word - Christ will return and it is an event and a time worthy for preparation. So while you and your family are “flying” through life in this world, “keep a watch” for the One who is coming back to take us to God’s home. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Jesus is reliable and trustworthy and full of truth; just like Chris’s watch. Christ will be there when you need Him; will you be there and ready when He comes? There’s value in the watch.

Dave Merrillfacebook.com/davemerrill819

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He’s in There... He’s in Them!By Rev. Troy Benton, Associate Pastor

A s I sit in my seat on this flight returning from Honduras, I am unable to contain the joy over what I saw, learned, and experienced...I am overwhelmed! I journeyed with 33 other persons

to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to serve in missions as a part of our continuing partnership between Christ Church and Feed My Sheep Ministries. I departed the United States with almost no expectations, and very little hesitance with the exception of knowing how desperately I would miss my wife and kids. Perhaps my certain expectation was that I fully anticipated an encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ; but to what degree and in what way I gave no place in my heart for any preconceived notions. I had traveled there so wanting to be open to the Holy Spirit and with such a strong desire to remain in the posture I’ve worked to live in since my ministry began with Christ Church...teach-ability. The Lord rewarded my posture and my openness in a big way!

The endless stories and gifts gained by this servant during that remarkable trip will forever live with me; however, there was a single unique moment that I must share here. Part of the reason for our travel was to celebrate with Inglesiá De Cristo Casa De Paz (our sister church in Honduras) as they are in the early days of worshipping in their new building. I can’t begin to describe to you how incredible such a gift has been to this congregation! Because they are new both in ministry and as a congregation, we traveled there to assist them in ministering to the community by holding a health clinic in their new building open to everyone. The clinic would also include the chance to visit with doctors; gain medicine, get eye-care, and even have an orthodontist perform surgery as needed. There are no words to describe the depth of precious love this demonstrated to the needy.

Before we engaged in this daylong and amazing chance to serve, we worshipped with our sister church. I arose with great excitement early that Sunday morning, proud to be connected with these saints through Christ Church, and looking forward to what God had in store. We got on the bus, but had no idea what the day would bring. Upon arrival we were all initially overwhelmed at the grace with which God had blessed our sister church. Although small for what we knew would be a fast-growing church, the solid construction and ministry potential made us excited beyond all expectations. Little did we know what God really had in store for us!

We prepared for worship, but were surprised to see that only about 40 (including us) were there, and we were just minutes before the time to start...and then it happened! The bus that had dropped us off returned, and for the next 10 minutes a deluge of persons from a nearby neighborhood got off the bus, coming in with joy and an infectious celebration. And they just kept coming...two more busloads came…and they kept coming in! What began as a group of 40 became well over 200 adults (not to mention kids) in only a few moments, and we witnessed the whole thing. We would later get a count of those both within and outside of the building--at least 223 adults for worship! Clearly God had set us all up to be overwhelmed with thanks for the glory that had become manifest in that place. Jesus had been working all these weeks and months, and we had become witnesses to the power of God’s work on the lives of people who desperately and without shame love Jesus and were going to worship our Savior regardless of human condition.

Seeing the hand of God work this way, one by one we wiped tears of joy from our faces. Some of us danced like David danced. Many of us gave up our seats to honor these newfound members of our extended family in Christ. I chose to find a unique spot for my worship and witness, quietly moving from inside to join the crowd (yes - crowd) of those who were coming out of their homes to hear the word of God proclaimed. I was able to observe the service by finding a last bit of window remaining to look through…and there I stood...and worshipped...and I stayed overwhelmed! I stayed overwhelmed! I stayed overwhelmed! As I stood there with the glory of God blessing my soul, this scripture came to my heart:

“A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and He preached the word to them.” (Mark 2:1-2 TNIV)

People flocking to Jesus...that’s what it’s all about!!! I got back on the bus saying, “Jesus is in there!” I was later reminded by the Holy Spirit that He is in them!!!

The constraints of these thoughts do not allow me to articulate fully the multiple wonders and miracles I saw on that day and during that week. What I can say, however, is during my second day in Honduras “the word became flesh and we beheld the

wonder and splendor of God’s glory.”

Christ Church, we are doing a good thing in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In humility, we have much to give God praise for as God allows us to watch and partner in His work of adding to the Kingdom of God daily.

Rev. Troy Benton, Associate Pastorfacebook.com/tmbenton@revtroy

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By Rev. Fred BishopMy Walk with God

I was saved at the age of 14 in a little country Methodist church in Sunfield, Illinois. Our youth group was the highlight of my life. Our youth leader, Junior Axley, was my hero. He loved us and cared for each person. We

had parties and went to district-wide Methodist youth events each month. We were always trying to get all our friends to go so we would get to have the big ribbon for the most youth from a church.

We had to memorize passages of Scripture in order to go to the parties. To this day, I still know by heart Psalm 1 and Psalm 23. We also memorized The Apostle’s Creed for one of our parties. The Apostles Creed has been a big help throughout my life explaining what I believe. One of my friends, Punk Kearbey, had trouble memorizing things, so I would break the passages down and explain them so he could learn them. I don’t know how much it helped him through life, but it sure made them come to life for me.

Later in life, I asked Jesus to sanctify me. That started my walk with God, which has led me to many countries and events. I once had a dream; in that dream I believed God said that I could visit with any Bible character whom I would most want to be like. I asked God if I could visit with Enoch because he was my Bible hero. The Bible says that Enoch “walked with God and God took him to heaven without dying.” Salvation saved me for heaven, but sanctification introduced me to the Great Adventure of walking with God for which I am most grateful.

I shared Jesus on the street of many towns, local festivals, political conventions and World Communist Festivals. However, after being hidden out in the attic by Catholic Nuns in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, I heard the Lord say that I was going to die. Later, back in Du Quoin, Illinois, I felt very despondent about dying. I even picked out my grave site. As I was walking through the IOOF cemetery one day, I heard the Lord say that my death was not to be a physical death, but a death to myself and that from now on my mission would be to “put the gospel in the hands of faithful men so they could carry the message out to others.” So Jan and I started the ministry called “No Greater Love” in 1975. It was started on the Scripture that “Greater love hath no man than that a man would lay down his life for another.”

Jesus said those coming to Him He would not cast out. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus did not come to judge the world, but that through Him we might ALL be saved. Taking that for our basis for the ministry, I have and continue to take men to Mardi Gras each year without asking which denomination they belong to or what they have done wrong in their past. Jesus said, “Come to Me ALL you that are weak and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you

and learn of Me for My yoke is EASY and My burden is LIGHT.”

We have taken thousands of men to Mardi Gras in the past 33 years. Some men have come with broken lives due to divorce, addictions, bankruptcy and many other things. I have seen some of these men get close to God and realize the Lord hadn’t given up on them. Today some of them are pastoring churches and others doing mission work on foreign fields and many of them go home to their families “holding tightly to the rod of God.” God never gives up on us. So let’s not give up on each other.

There have been special times in life when I stepped out not knowing what would happen or if I would even make it home alive. When I went to my first World Communist Youth Festival in 1973, I wrote out my will. We didn’t carry life insurance back then as the funds were a little tight. However, I did get a policy for one month. I felt guilty getting it, but I just couldn’t leave my family destitute. I will never forget coming home from that festival ALIVE! I went over to Sunfield to my little country church where my Christian life began and had a service to myself. As I sang the old hymns and offered my prayers of thanks to God, I will never forget feeling His presence and hear Him saying “well done, good and faithful servant.” I am crying now just reflecting on the moment. Yes, there are times in life that we bring a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Fred Bishopwww.nogreaterlove.org

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Don’t Feel Like it?

DO IT ANYWAY!How’s that for encouragement?

By Neil D. Horowitz, Ph.D.

I n a conversation with a friend the other day, we both acknowledged that we can be pretty lazy about getting things done. I am sure that some of you have heard me say, more than once, “If God wanted me to exercise, He

would have gifted me with the motivation to do so.” My friend knew exactly what I was saying, adding that he was waiting for the “spark” that would get him going.

SLAP! When I left our meeting, I got into my car, and … nothing happened. I waited, and still nothing. Where is the“spark” that gets the motor running? How does it get into the engine? Obviously my car is defective.

LIGHT BULB! There isnothing wrong with my car. It already has everything it needs, and will ever need, to work as the manufacturer intended. I held in my hand the KEY to getting the spark to doits work in my car. All I had to do is putthe key in the ignition and turn it; then, and only then, all things would begin to work together as intended. It was up to me, not the carand not the car manufacturer,to bring the spark to life; the spark that was put there at the very beginning, even before the car got to the showroom floor.

As of right now, in this moment, and for all the moments to come, God, through His perfect creationand His Perfect Sacrifice, has given us everything weneed to live the life He created us to live. It was in usat the beginning, fully tuned and ready to go. When we made our decision for Christ, we added the “SPARK’

of the Holy Spirit. So why aren’t we going anywhere? Maybe, to continue the image, we are low on fuel. Maybe it is time for

the fuel of prayer, bible study, fellowship with Christians, worship at church versus just being there, and letting go of waiting for

something to happen.

Of all the books I have read in my walk to becoming a Christian,

the book, The Purpose Driven Life, contains one of the most important

sentences I have ever read. No, it is not his famous opening line, “It is not about you.”

It is the very first line of page 179: “God waits for you to act first.” The next line is, “Don’t

wait to feel powerful or confident.” [The Purpose Driven Life. Rick Warren,

Zondervan, 2002]

SLAP & LIGHT BULB! Those two sentences were the last things I read

before I told my patiently waiting wife that I was ready to declare my faith as a

Christian, and then emailed Rev Shane and said, “Let’s do it this Sunday.”That

sentence told me that God had already done all the work in

me that He needed to do and had given me all He was going to give me,

up to that point. If anything transforming was going to happen in my life, it was my turn to act.

Put the key in the ignition, turn the key, SPARK, go! Go with the knowledge that the energy you are feeling is God’s endless energy, put there by God before you

ever hit the showroom floor, so you could travel the road He places before you, radiating the transforming

heat of His perfect energy.

Neil D. Horowitz, Ph.D.www.ndhphd.com

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Getting To Know YOUName: Kelly Costello

Job Title: Church Receptionist and Secretary to Rev. Shane and Rev. Troy.

Job Description: Meet and greet people as they come into the church with a smile. Answer and Transfer; chances are I’ve answered a question for you when you’ve called the church or I’ve transferred you to the staff member of your choice. As the daughter of a retired mail carrier, it must be in my blood as I’m also mail sorter extraordinaire! I’m keeper of the calendars for Rev. Shane and Rev. Troy as well as assist them with their day-to-day office needs.

What cartoon character best describes you? My daughter says “Kim Possible” because I’m there whenever she needs me.

If you knew you could try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt? Opening a BBQ restaurant with my husband.

What super-power would you most like to have, and why? Super strength….you never know when you’re going to need to move a couch or dresser and no one else is around.

What is the first thing you notice about people? Their eyes….I’m a pretty good judge of character and you can see a lot in people’s eyes.

Were you named after anyone? Kind of......my maiden name is “Patrick” and my parents wanted an Irish first name to go with my last name. They had a few picked out but weren’t really in love with them. A few weeks before I was due my parents went camping with some friends and they had an Irish Setter named Kelly and apparently the dog was NUTS! The owners were constantly calling “Kelly, come here!” or “Keeeeeeeeeeeeelly” and my mom went into early labor and it came time to name me and well, all they could think of was “Kelly”.

What was the worst job you ever had? I worked at a non-air conditioned dry cleaners in the middle of summer......it was pretty much like working on the face of the sun!

What is your motto? “Be yourself, because those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.” ~ Dr. Seuss

What do you think you will be doing five years from now? With Paul, getting settled into being empty nesters! Allie will be a freshman in college! Where have the years gone?

What is your goal in life? To live my life in such a way that my love for Christ is evident in all I do.

What jobs have you done? Dance/Gymnastics teacher, McDonald’s worker (for 3 months), accounting assistant, medical billing, office supervisor, church secretary.

What could you do as a child that you can’t do now? Gymnastics and climb trees!

Do you have a special talent? I do! I can tap dance! When I was 16 I was the 4th place National Tap Dance champion in the National Regency Talent Competition.

What are your hobbies? Glass etching and photography

What were you like when you were a kid? Have you met my daughter Allison? She’s me….version 2.0! Very high energy!

What song tells your life story? “Just Another Day in Paradise” by Phil Vasser

What dream have you yet to fulfill? Children’s Author. I’ve been working on a children’s book for a while but just never pursued it any further.

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To Know Him IS to Love Him

By Carrie Gaxiola

Carrie Gaxiolafacebook.com/carrie.bushgaxiola

W hen the editor sent the topic for this issue of the Flame, I gave an “Oh, wow!” kind of a chuckle, then I groaned a bit, and then I broke down and wept at the enormity of the topic. How in the

world could I write about loving like Jesus and being a fragrant aroma when I fall so short every day?

As I thought, prayed and talked to my husband, I realized I can’t follow Christ’s example of love without being totally head over heels in love with Him! As Pastor Shane preached recently, I have got to come to terms with my depravity and every facet of life that it touches before I can show any Christ-like traits. I must be in a place of vulnerability and brokenness, being wholly emptied of all the sin, bitterness, pride, and yes, even what I think is good in me and give it all to Jesus.

It doesn’t stop there, though. In our brokenness, He comes to repair and heal. He comes to restore our joy. Then He comes to call us to love as we have been loved, and oftentimes that is not an easy task. This can only come from intimacy with the Master. We must know Him, learn of Him (Matthew 11:28-30) and, if you will, watch how Jesus loved others by studying how He interacted with people right where they were in life.

I am convinced we cannot be a sweet smelling aroma if we are not filled with His very essence. This takes some self-discipline and sacrifice. It takes walking through fires in relationships and allowing Him to purge everything that is carnal and self-serving to act as Jesus would act. It takes running to Him every time there is an unkind word spoken, a selfish action or serious offense committed against us. Anything that would threaten to separate us from communion with Jesus must cause us to run to Him.

I have been in many situations that have caused anything from minor irritations to deep wounding. My ability to be a sacrifice to God has hinged on how quickly and how often I bow at His feet and offer the situation to Him. Corrie Ten Boom once quoted her sister, Betsy, who died in a Nazi concentration camp as saying, “Corrie, there is no pit too deep that Jesus is not deeper still.” No matter what we face, from a whiny child that makes you want to pull your hair out, to a defiant teenager that screams out hatred, to betrayal of a spouse, or a bitter end to a friendship, Jesus is deeper still.

I could never offer anything to someone that has drifted from the Lord except an honest assessment of my need for Jesus in every situation. I cannot have sustained joy without the Lord, I cannot have peace without the Lord, and I particularly cannot forgive without the Lord! Oh, but when I take time sitting with my cup of coffee and my Bible, when I see how He forgave the most unlovely of humans, how He healed the sick and downcast, how He set free those oppressed and tormented by devils and see ME in all those situations—how He did those kinds of miracles for ME-- I cannot help but rejoice and want to be more in character like Jesus.

In the words of the old 50’s song, “to know, know, know Him, is to love, love, love Him.” (I know, it’s a secular song, but it sure does fit!) Jesus came to give us life and that more abundantly. When we endeavor to know Him and be like Him, we have abundance in every facet of life. When we have that head over heels love for Him, we become that sweet fragrance, and our lives become the offering that touches others for His glory!

“Anything that would threaten to separate us from communion with Jesus must cause us to run to Him.”

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Intentional or Unintentional

Walk with Christ?By Steve Barrett

A sk just about any Christian whether they follow Christ intentionally or unintentionally and they will tell you “intentionally.” But if you stop for a moment to think about this, the unintentional follower might just have

something we all want… Not long ago it was discovered I needed surgery to repair my neck, an injury suffered during a car accident in April. During the recovery process many restrictions were placed on me including the lifting and holding of my youngest son, Parker. While I understood the restrictions, it was difficult for me to abide by them and, quite frankly, I was frustrated more and more as time went on. Life went from fast-paced to snail-paced in the blink of an eye. But it wasn’t until recently that I understood that maybe, just maybe, this was all part of God’s plan to adjust my walk a bit. As I think back on the last few months, I saw a pattern formed. At the time I felt frustration and saw nothing beyond what I couldn’t do. Now I feel blessed and see everything I could do. Before I was discharged from the hospital, I had a chance to talk with a hospital employee about Christ and attending church. When I returned to work part-time, I had the chance to speak with someone who had accidentally dialed my number. She had suffered a similar injury and it gave me an opportunity to pray with her about a shared circumstance. Also during my recovery and “forced slowdown” I had an opportunity to meet someone I would never have met before. Doug is a construction supervisor who had agreed to let my son Parker ride in one of the big earth movers at a construction site. When he asked why Kay was riding with Parker, I explained my surgery and told him I couldn’t take the jolts of the vehicle. Nodding in understanding, Doug showed me his bicep which had been badly torn lifting weights; it nearly made me turn away. Doug also mentioned that anything he did with that arm caused him excruciating pain yet he lifted Parker and my daughter, Savannah, up into the tractor and then back down, grimacing in pain each time.

As Kay went with the kids to take pictures, I clearly heard the Holy Spirit speak to me and I stopped, asking Doug if he would mind me praying with him. He stopped short and said, “I’d love that.” I don’t know if Doug is a Christian, but my role that day was clear; we stood in the middle of a dirt field, praying fervently for his injury, upcoming surgery, and for his family. After a couple of minutes, I stopped and opened my eyes. As I glanced at Doug, his eyes were just opening and tears were flowing down his cheeks. With a choked voice he whispered, “nobody has ever done anything like that for me.”

I didn’t intentionally seek out Doug that day; honestly, I hadn’t been hearing God much. But when my own injury slowed my walk, I was able to hear God speaking to me very clearly. It wasn’t that God had stopped speaking, but I had become too busy to listen. Sacrifice a bit of your busy schedule so you can listen to God; you might be surprised what you’ve been missing.

Steve Barrettfacebook.com/steve.barrett.716

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When We Hurt

By Debby Creagh

Debby Creagh, Parish Nursedebbycreagh@mychristchurch.com

W hy is this happening? How can a loving God allow such pain? Where is God when bad things happen? These questions and many more hit our lives in difficult circumstances when we least

expect it. What does it mean to walk with God through illness, cancer, aging, crisis, violence, separation, death, and pain in our lives?

Pain and hurt of all kinds entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. It affected not only humankind, but the entire world that God had created. This includes how germs, cancer cells, diseases, and environments interact in our bodies. The Bible tells us, these bodies we have now are wasting away. There is evil in the world, and it infects people. Accidents do happen. Jesus told us, “In this world we will have trouble.” Everyone experiences some aspects of living in a fallen world and being an imperfect human. So how do we respond as believers in Christ?

First of all, God can take whatever emotions that we are experiencing. He is not surprised by them; He created them. Jesus experienced them; the Holy Spirit is our Comforter for them. God invites us to communicate with Him at all times. David is a great example for us in Psalms – he questioned God, he yelled at God, he pleaded with God, he cried to God; he also laughed, rejoiced, and praised. It is healthy to let our emotions out with God. Sometimes we need a counselor to help us sort through them, clarify our thinking, and put us on the right path, but that is okay. Getting help when we need it is smart! You can be REAL with the God who loves you.

Next, the Bible is God’s message to us. All that we need for living is there. II Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” Again, we may need someone to help us get to the right Word. However, when we open ourselves to God’s leading as we read, He often directs us to exactly the Scripture we need. Our obedience to look to Him for answers often brings great comfort, answers, and His presence into our situation. Look to your Bible for God’s Word to you.

Prayer is our direct connection to God when we have Jesus as our Savior. He died that we might have unlimited access to God. “For through Him (Jesus) we both (Gentile and Jew) have access to the Father by one Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:18) Jesus taught His disciples to pray and admonished them to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) Paul says, “In Him (Jesus) and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:12) When we don’t know how to pray, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Awesome! Open your heart to God in prayer.

Lastly, you are not alone. The body of Christ, your church family, wants to surround you and lift you up when you are struggling. We can walk with you, pray for and with you - even when you feel like you can’t pray yourself, provide for you, and support you. Isolating yourself in trouble invites loneliness, despair, and depression. Letting your small group, Congregational Care Team, pastors, counselors, or a Christian friend into your struggle can provide support, prayer, comfort, encouragement, counsel, and more. Remember the enemy of our souls loves to isolate us, lies to us, and destroys. Reach out to your spiritual family.

We believe in a God who does miracles, who walks with us through our struggles, who loves us as we are who prepares a place for us in heaven with Him. God told Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”(Isaiah 41:10) Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) God promises to never leave us. Put yourself in His arms and let Him carry you through, walk with you, intercede for you. God is able! He is our HOPE!

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will

uphold you with my righteous right hand.”Isaiah 41:10

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Work Out and Chill OutBy Emily Climaco

A s the mom of a preschooler, I’ve been rubbing elbows with the minivan set for the last few years. One trend I’ve observed is the frenzy for running. At school pick-up and drop-off, I see moms wearing

high-tech, sweat-wicking clothes, their neon Nikes flashing with each step. Guess where they’re headed. Running! I see endurance badges stickered on their minivans: 26.2! 13.1! 5K! Born to run!

I am baffled. I run only if someone is chasing me with a weapon. Even then I’d prefer to walk briskly toward safety. While I admire women with the ability to run, I’m not one of them. A few minutes on the elliptical machine is my workout of choice. Born to elliptical!

I like walking, too. Walking is easier, although it takes longer. Walking with God also takes time, but time is all we have. It’s like crock-pot cooking, like the slow and steady tortoise winning the race in the end. A recovering perfectionist striver, I may err too much on the side of relaxing in God’s grace, knowing that I don’t have to do daily fill-in-the-blank Bible-study calisthenics to make God crack a smile.

Call me a spiritual slacker, a striving-avoidant lazybones, but I love the image of walking with God. It’s not like accomplishing a task or taking on a fat-torching Zumba class with God; rather it’s acknowledging your constant friend who sticks closer than a brother. Eugene Peterson calls it “a long obedience in the same

direction.” Paul gave this advice: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks . . .” (1 Thess. 5:16-18a). Put this way, Paul suggests that walking with God is a constant state of being—one that culminates in acts of doing, but a state of being nonetheless.

Walking with God requires a posture of trust—and of persistent contemplation of God’s trustworthiness. At the same time, abiding in Him entails bearing fruit, which is work. Maintaining a constant focus on God’s goodness isn’t easy in a distractingly broken world. Paul advised his friends, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose” (Phil 2:12b-13, emphasis added). Walking with God is still a workout, but as Paul asserted earlier in his letter, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6b). In other words, we have the most inspiring, dependable workout partner.

I sometimes fall into the trap of striving to the point of fatigue. I find myself sweating, working, wheezing, and saying, in effect: “Notice me, God! See how fast my legs are moving?” Then God responds, “Hello! I’m right here with you: your workout partner, personal trainer, sole source of peace. Remember? Now lower your heart rate and bring it down to a walk—with Me.”

My child, I know you are worried,Afraid that I won’t provide,I gave the sparrows their food today;Do I not care even more for your life?My child, I know you are anxious,Waiting for an answer to your request;Did I not give Abraham a sonWhen I knew the time was best?My child, I know you are sick,Weak and feeling alone;Did I not walk on water?I can heal your broken soulMy child, I know you are dying,Fear is stealing all of your time;Did I not rise from the grave?I can do the same with your life.Come to me my child,I am gentle and humble in heart,You are weary and in need of rest,I will keep you from falling apart.Reach for my hand. I am reaching for yours;Can you feel your heart growing hotter?Wear my yoke and I will carry your burdens,Let me lead you home to your Father.

TrustBy Caitlin Miles

Emily Climaco, Ph.D.facebook.com/emily.lambethclimaco

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Walkingwith GOD

By Larry Weber

A few days ago Nancy and I were discussing the “Call” to ministry. Over the years many of our friends have felt a calling to ministry. When I was growing up, the parish priest often talked about how many are called but few respond to the call; of course, he meant becoming a priest. And for a time, I briefly considered that possibility; even completing all the paperwork for admission to minor seminary, the first step toward the priesthood. But, as I like to tease my wife, I discovered girls and never followed through on the admission process.

In the mid-90s my midlife crisis was not another woman or a fancy car or trip around the world on a sailboat. It was a “call” to the ministry. I had just sold my minority interest in a business and was searching for what to do next. I thought I heard God say that I should become a United Methodist Lay Preacher. I was already a Certified Lay Speaker, very active in my local church as the Lay Leader, leading an adult Sunday School class, etc. I began to explore that possibility within the former Central Illinois Conference. As a part of that process I was assigned a mentor pastor from a local United Methodist Church down the highway from where we lived at the time. I met with that pastor over a period of a few weeks, getting acquainted and discussing my call and what the process entailed to becom–e a Lay Preacher. At the third meeting, he looked me square in the eyes and said, “Larry, you need to get a job to support your family.” It felt brutally honest at the time; more honest than I probably wanted to hear. But he went on to say that not every person’s call to ministry meant becoming a pastor at a local church. We discussed how God’s call takes many forms: pastor of a local church, teaching, mentoring, and even working in a secular field.

A few days later I shared that conversation with Nancy. Ever polite and supportive, she asked me why I was not considering a return to the public school administration as a school principal. I had been a principal for over 10 years, side tracked into college administration, and eventually minority owner of a private, post-secondary business college. Of course, she was correct. God had called me into ministry-the ministry of serving children in the public schools. I made all the excuses why I should keep doing what I was doing: I did not have the Illinois credential; I was not a member of the professional associations in Illinois; and I did not have the network of contacts within public schools like I did in post-secondary education. None of that really mattered. What mattered was that God was calling me back to what He had called me to do originally. He was asking me to do what He had uniquely gifted me to do--be a Godly man leading a public school filled with elementary aged boys and girls who may or may not know Jesus.

As I look back some fifteen years later, I realized that each of the experiences I had from that application to minor seminary through my retirement in 2010 from public school administration was my way of following God’s calling and each was preparation for a new phase of life, a calling into full-time ministry. Without those experiences, I would not have been faithful to His plan for my life--beginning, middle and end. The difficult part of my walk with God has been listening to His voice and doing what He asks.

Larry Weber, Director of Ministrieslarryweber@mychristchurch.com

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New Members --------------------------------OctoberJohn Stahl, Marie Stahl, Alyssa Curtis, Yvonne Curtis, Brad Gotshall, Rachel Gotshall

NovemberAmber Leanne Stumne, Lori de Carvolho, Christian Christopher, Robyn Christopher, Daniel R. Fietsam, Donna A. Fietsam, Matt J. Rygelski, Kelly S. Rygelski, Rita K. Uhl, Darby Christopher, F. David Moore, Jessica M. Moore

DecemberKerri Lyn Drury, Timothy Edward Drury, Jennifer Kirchhoefer, Andrew Kirchhoefer

Baptisms--------------------------------OctoberIsabella Rose Sanchez

NovemberElla Marie Mullinex

DecemberBrylee Makenna Krieg, Emerson Lyn Drury, Kyan Edward Drury

Weddings--------------------------------Anthony Gass & Whitney Walker – Oct 26Nicole Morehead & Caleb Miller – Nov 17Dennis Carr, Jr & Christine Earlin – Nov 30

Member Passings--------------------------------Audrey B. Greiner – November 8

100,000 Hours--------------------------------The people of Christ Church have committed to serve our community with 100,000 hours of service.

We have served: 17,799.1 hrs (as of 12/10/12)

Log your hours at mychristchurch.com/100k

God At Work

Attendance--------------------------------Nov. Worship avg. = 1737Nov. Connection Classes avg. = 352Year Avg. Worship = 1663

Finances (as of 12/10/12)

--------------------------------Tithes & Offerings = $2,524,528.87Expenses YTD = $2,633,461.00Mortgage Reductions - $356,975.05Operating Budget = $2,415,165.00 15