Eat, Prey, Love!
In 2006, Elizabeth Gilbert wrote a memoir entitled Eat, Pray, Love, a biographical drama, that became a box office hit in 2010. It focused on the journey of a disillusioned divorcee who went in search of the importance or meaning of life. It was a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts and during her travels she learns that practicing gratitude can be a healthy antidote to regret. She encounters individuals who offer wise counsel because they have already gone through dark valleys. Throughout this “pilgrimage” she supposedly learns how to let go of her worry, guilt and inability to forgive herself. The book ends with her falling in love again. Seems simple enough — but life is not a movie and movies aren’t real life. While there could be some parallels to that story and our life as believers, this quote from the story shows how far off the main theme is for Jesus followers, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist on it and sometimes even travel around the world for it.”
Just the opposite should be true of believers. God searches for us! We are his children, and he longs for us to know him intimately. He reveals himself to us through scripture, prayer and fellowship with other believers. We are his “prey.” His precious sheep. He knew us before we were born, (Jeremiah 1:5) he loves us fiercely and pursues us relentlessly. When you have that abiding sense of God’s fierce love — a love that will carry you through every circumstance, challenge, and battle you face — the Holy Spirit provides abundant joy and peace beyond human understanding. Galatians 5:22-23 Perhaps a loss, divorce, illness, unforgiveness, burnout, or something else has resulted in the feeling that you’ve lost the joy and peace you once had. Maybe unwise choices have left you feeling broken beyond repair, and not able to feel his unconditional love. God is still in pursuit. He is the Holy Chaser. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. (Deut. 31:6) Even when we are faithless, He is faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13
I know that he has and will relentlessly pursue me all the days of my life to complete the good work he began because he promised he would. This is true of all of us and means that if we pause, pray, (honestly share with him) and then listen, we’ll hear the divine whisper — the loving voice that accepts us as we are, yet never lets us stay as we are.
By Deb Hill
Executive Administrative Assistant
Who Is Chasing You | 1 Peter 5:8
When my kids were little, we would turn off the lights and play
hide and seek, but there was a twist. I would be as loud and as
intimidating as possible! I would stomp and growl and try to
scare them into coming out of the hiding spot. Sometimes it
worked even though they knew that I was coming. Sometimes
they had Nerf guns and would attack too!
Peter reminds us the Devil is kind of doing the same thing. Just as God seeks after us, the enemy does as well. His tactics fear, intimidation, stress, deception, and let us know he’s coming. Peter warns is that the devil’s goal it to devour. He wants to hurt us, and he knows how to. This a strong warning from Peter to remind us our help is Jesus.
He tells us to be alert, so we will be ready for whatever is trying get at us. He tells us to be of sober mind, because it’s vital we can see Satan’s deception for what it is, a lie meant to devour. Sometimes though those lies get us: What if I’m alone? What if that person said something about me? What if I fail as a (use an adjective)? Or sometimes the enemy causes division by hurting our relationship with God and as he does then it hurts our rela- tionship with others.
Satan attacks me through my insecurities. He brings up my insecurities to try to devour me, causing me not to trust that God was there and not to trust others to be there for me either. Satan has even attacked me through others’ actions to try to pull me from God. But, God didn’t let him pull me away (John 10:28-29), even though I felt lost, alone, and afraid -- God always provided help (1 Cor. 10:13).
Peter tells us we can stand firm in faith (1 Peter 5:9), because
Jesus is greater. He is the foundation we need to stand when the
enemy prowls, intimidates, or attempts to devour. Jesus is our
victory (1 Cor. 15:57) and since He is, who do we have to fear? No
one (Romans 8:31).
Jesus thank you for being my victory. Thank for taking care of me
when I’m lost or weak. My Savior and Sustainer, you are with, let
me never forget it. Amen.
By Jeremy Johnson
Pastor of Men's Ministries
– Vision Training –
His teenage daughter sulks to the refrigerator door and opens it dramatically. Staring into the chilled abyss she cries out, “There’s nothing to eat!” Dad walks over, looks in and somehow can see a bounty of possibilities in the same refrigerator where his daughter finds none. Part of being a Christ follower is training ourselves to find God’s abundance, our daily bread, in every context. The psalm proclaims:
Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
Learning to see the goodness and mercy that will follow our lives, no matter what else is going on, is one blessing of life with our good shepherd. Because of that relationship, David is sure he will see it. From a practical perspective, noticing goodness and mercy on a regular basis is a matter of training and perspective. It can take practice.
When I was a high school student trying out for the basketball team, two weeks before cuts were made the coach took time to teach skills every day. One critical lesson was learning to guard in man-to-man defense. The skill was being able to always know where the man I was guarding was, stick with him, and keep my eye on the ball. Stick with your man and watch the ball. The challenge was, sometimes the guy I was guarding was on the opposite side of me and the ball. Realistically, this meant switching focus back and forth constantly because people can’t fully focus on two things at once. Peripheral vision helps immensely and learning to use peripheral vision well is crucial. In fact, good man-to-man defense can only happen when a player switches focus from the player they are guarding to the ball and back while never letting either one fully out of their sight or away from them. Being cognizant of what is going on out of the corner of our eyes, quickly switching focus to that and then back to what is in front of us, is an important defensive skill as well as an important spiritual skill.
Lord, train me to notice you, find you, keep looking back to you
all the days of my life so that I see the goodness and mercy you
abundantly provide. Philippians 4:8
By John Riley
Junior High Pastor
You're Being Followed
Have you ever been followed – maybe while you’re driving your
car or walking on the street? Your heart starts beating faster and
you become hyper alert, trying to figure out if you’re imagining it
or if someone really is following you – and why.
In Psalm 23:6, it says we are always being followed, but not by
anything fear-producing, unless you consider goodness and
mercy terrifying. That dual combination of God’s goodness and
mercy is always after us, pursuing us. If we try to escape, guess
what happens? They continue to pursue us!
Think of the shepherd in Luke 15. He had 100 sheep, but one got
lost. Just one. Shouldn’t he have been content with the 99 he
had? No, he left them all to go find that lost sheep. He pursued it.
Followed it. And then he found it and brought it home with much
rejoicing and celebration. So, God is with us. He pursues us,
hunting us down to pour out on us his goodness and mercy. Just
like the sheep, we don’t deserve it, but still our Good Shepherd
pursues us.
GOODNESS. Maybe money is tight, your health is struggling,
your schedule is frustrating, and underneath, you can’t help but
wonder if God really is going to work all things together for good
as he promises in Romans 8:28. But you can trust him at his word.
Why? Because God IS good, he grants us his goodness. Freely.
Lovingly. Abundantly. In his perfect timing.
MERCY. Some translations for “mercy” in Psalm 23:6 use “faithfulness,” “love,” “lovingkindness,” or even “unfailing love” to encompass the idea of undeserved mercy, a love we did nothing to earn. Even when we try to run from God, his mercy pursues us.
In John 10:27-29 (NIV), Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I
know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can
snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Surely, that is goodness
and mercy. May it follow us all the days of our lives so we can
dwell with God in the house of the Lord forever.
By Cyndie Claypool de Neve
Senior Creative Director
Life at the Drive-Thru
If you know me, you know that I love a good Coca-Cola classic from my local fine dining establishment known as McDonalds. Most of the time, I find myself sitting in the drive-thru with my order taken and ready to sip on that sweet, sugary goodness. However, I almost always leave frustrated with my drink. Not because the soda isn’t delicious; it is! Most of the time though my cup has been filled to the brim with ice which is taking up space usually reserved for the good stuff!
When I go through the drive-thru these days, I almost always ask for light ice. Why? Because my drink cup was designed to be filled with the good stuff! In the same way, each of us is a cup that God has designed to overflow. David declares in Psalm 23, that his cup overflows. God gave us a cup designed to be filled with the good stuff, his Spirit! His Spirit that comes to bring us joy, peace that surpasses all understanding, assurance of our forgiveness and much more! The command that Paul gives us in Ephesians 5 is to be filled with the Spirit. Sometimes though our cup is hard to fill. What makes us feel spiritually dry and unfilled? May I suggest that it isn’t God? Does the reality of God and of our access to “every spiritual blessing given to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:3) change? Certainly not! Yet, our ability to receive can.
My ability to receive and experience God doesn’t change because God changes, but because my circumstances and the attitude of my heart changes. I’m the one who is prone to wander, prone to fill my cup up with the ice of life’s worries, and prone to leave the one who loves me. Not because God changes ... but I do. He desires to fill our cup, and not only fill our cup once but he provides free and unlimited refills!
Here’s the challenge; evaluate your cup. Is your cup full—even overflowing? The command is to be filled! Your access to the richness of the God’s grace doesn’t change, sometimes ice gets in the way of our ability to taste and see the Lord’s goodness and his handiwork in our lives. Is there some “ice” that you can dump out this week to be better filled? Give the concerns and worries over to the one who loves and cares for you and be filled with his Spirit.
By Seth Redden
High School Pastor
So Much Wine
When I hear this phrase, I can’t help but think of Jesus’ first miracle. In his inaugural divine act, Jesus showed us that he is the one who “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3:20)
The miracle took place at a party. A feast ... a celebration ... a
wedding. The events of this wedding are recounted to us in John
2:1-12. The location is a town in Galilee called Cana. At some point
in the party, Jesus’ mother, Mary, says to her son, “They have no
more wine,” and then ignoring his protestations and without
asking him, she simply tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells
you.”
So, Jesus, looks at six stone water jars, “each holding from twenty
to thirty gallons,” and says, “Fill the jars with water.” As soon as
they were filled and poured into the cup of the master of the
banquet, that water had been miraculously turned into wine ...
good wine!
What is the purpose of this miracle? Why is it in our bible? Jesus’
miracles were called “signs” because they are supposed to point
us to something. They tell us a little bit about who Jesus is. I think
this miracle tells us that Jesus is the one who makes “my cup
overflow.”
Notice the quantity of wine that Jesus makes? Six stone water pots with an average capacity of 25 gallons each. That means that Jesus made about 150 gallons of wine! That would be equivalent to 750 bottles of wine or 3,750 glasses by today’s standards. Now, we don’t know how big this wedding was, but even if it was 300 people (which would be huge even by today’s standards, so it could have easily been half of that or less), that means that Jesus made a half gallon of wine for every person in attendance. Two and a half bottles each! That is a ridiculous amount of wine. No one at that party would have to worry about their cup running dry.
So, why did Jesus make this much wine? Certainly not to tell
people that it is ok to get drunk. It was a sign pointing to the truth
that Jesus came to give us more than we could possibly hope or
imagine or dream or even need. This is about the lavish and
abundant grace, goodness, joy and love that Jesus wants to pour
out for us. This is Jesus proclaiming, “I have come that they may
have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10) This is who Jesus is.
Today, will you let Jesus fill your cup until it overflows?
By Josh Rose
Pastor of Adult Ministries
An Eternal Perspective
For years, EFCC has followed the practice of calling elders to anoint the sick with oil and pray for healing. James 5:14 says, “Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.” We do this in faith, knowing that we belong to Christ and have been promised the seal of the Holy Spirit.
In May of 2004, my dad discovered that he had cancer. In the months that followed, he embraced the medical intervention that was available, and he also asked the elders to anoint him with oil and pray over him. He described this as a holy experience. God’s presence was evident, and it brought peace during a very uncertain season. Over the next few months I started to notice this new sense of peace in my dad, so one day I asked him what was different. I’ll never forget his response. He gave me a huge grin and said, “I’ve seen glimpse of heaven.” He told me that he didn’t want to die, and that he wanted to be there for us and his grand- children, but all the while he was experiencing God’s presence in such a new and wonderful way that it caused him to long for eternity. Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21 finally made sense; my dad had an eternal perspective. Less than a year later, he got to see his Savior face to face and I know it was a glorious day!
So, what is the healing that James is speaking of in verse 15 when he says, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.” Many have been drawn to faith in God because of miraculous stories testifying to his healing power. Jesus performs healing miracles throughout the gospels and if you look carefully, you will notice a common phrase, “your faith has healed you.” God’s promise is to restore and increase our faith in the midst of suffering. Sometimes earthly physical healing occurs and other times it doesn’t.
What is it that ails you today? Have you prayed about it? Are you
asking others to pray for you? We may not know the immediate
outcome of the trials that we experience here on earth, but praise
be to God; we do know the eternal one.
By Lynette Fuson
Director of Women's Ministries
I Pick You!
Two students stand at the front of the classroom and the teacher announces, “Here are your captains and they will choose their teams.” The first captain wastes no time, looks right at you, and calls out your name. You get picked before anyone else in the class and it feels great.
David remembered the honor of being chosen when God, through Samuel, picked him to be the next King of Israel, 1 Samuel 16:1-13. Samuel anointed his head signifying that selection. Years later, David reiterates the experience at the great banquet of the great shepherd.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5
Normally people get picked or “anointed” because of a special
talent, a gift, or an ability. All believers are gifted by God for
church service, the ministry of love and reconciliation to Christ.
The work of the church is an important part of what they are
picked for, but that isn’t why they get picked. David had no idea
he was suited to be king. Similarly, a person might not have any
awareness of gifts or abilities when selected by Christ. We are
picked for relationship and connection. We are picked for love.
My buddy tells the story of leaving So-Cal for Nor-Cal to visit family for Christmas. He and his wife would pack up the car the night before. Then they would get up real early in the morning before the sun came up, stuff the sleeping kids in van and get several peaceful, quiet hours on the road to start their trip. One year when their youngest was about three years old, he woke up a few hours into the drive and said, “Where is my blanket?” This little guy loved his blanket and carried it with him everywhere. It was torn, fraying and stained all over. My buddy says it wasn’t worth 50 cents, but at that moment, thinking of how distraught their son would be for the rest of the ride (the rest of the week long vacation) without it, he and his wife would have paid $500 if they could have magically made that blanket appear in the car. Their son’s love made that blanket precious to their family.
Jesus’ love makes us precious. We are valuable because of who
loves us. When the enemy contrives to make you feel like the last
kid picked in class, imagine instead, the truth of God looking right
at you first, or according to Ephesians 1:4 “before the creation of
the world” and saying, “I pick you!”
By John Riley
Junior High Pastor
One for All, All for One
Some have argued that we are currently raising the “trophy generation.” It’s a pejorative term referring to the fact that everyone who participates in a sport now gets a trophy, even those who lose every game they play. There was a day when only the winner got a trophy, but now to make every child feel special, the season ends with a ceremony celebrating each participant.
While I’m not for participation trophies, it strikes me that the kingdom of God functions in a similar fashion. People typically use the term “anointed” like we used to utilize trophies. The exceptionally gifted worship leader or the inspiring preacher, they are anointed. We imagine that in life there are winners and loser; haves and have-nots and we roll that understanding into life as Jesus followers as well.
However, clear teaching of scripture is that every believer has the Spirit living in them and because of that they are anointed. The Apostle Paul summarized this well when he wrote, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Cor. 1:21-22) It’s clear that anointing is on every person who has the Spirit of God dwelling in them. And the day Joel prophesied has come – the day when God pours out his Spirit on all flesh. (Joel 2:28) If anointing is a trophy, then we are a royal trophy generation. Anointed is not for the elite, it’s for everyone.
What if we began to recognize and affirm our own anointing and the anointing of those around us? Some anointed to be great mothers, some anointed to be great businesspeople, others anointed in the way they care and converse, and others anointed to intercede on behalf of those around them. We’re all anointed! And because of that, we are empowered with the Spirit and can live in a constant state of union with God.
Today, remind yourself that you’re anointed. Spirit is in you and flows through you. You’re part of the “trophy kingdom.”
By Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
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When dinner is ready, dinner is ready. So why do I find myself tinkering around for just a few more minutes? I know that when I’m not there, I’m disrespecting family members who are gathered and waiting. I’m non-verbally saying that connecting with you right now isn’t most important; this other thing is. And to the cook I’m implying that my work is greater than your work, and most times it’s not. I know all that, but still I tinker.
Gathering at the table is an important concept in the Scriptures. “You set a table before me in the presence of my enemies” – Psalm 23:5. Imagine making God wait while we tinker around with life’s distractions. Sadly, we don’t have to imagine it, too often we do just it. Jesus tells a story in Luke 14:15-27, the table is set, and a great banquet is ready, but the invited guests have a host of excuses about regular life things and they don’t show up. So, the host finds guests who want to be there.
If you’ve ever invited people to join you for something, you know the feeling of wanting a good turnout. Hoping people will value what you create and offer, and in turn – value you. Is that innate desire there because we are made in God’s image and we get that from Him?
Picture God inviting us to indulge in the His goodness and the perspective of His truth. He cooked it up and arranged a table beautifully right in front of us. The food is there, it smells amazing, and it’s ready. It’s a main dish of delicious knowledge and satisfying peace, along with platefuls of wisdom for every situation smothered in love. “Join me and eat up. You need this! You need Me,” He insists.
But do we? The Christians from the church in Laodicea thought their lives were fine but Jesus didn’t see it that way.
17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked…
… 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Rev 3:14-22)
He is waiting for us, don’t leave Him hanging.