Nothing will steal the beauty and sparkle of our present lives more than trying to be something we are not. In the pursuit of building and maintaining our social standing and fashionable lifestyle, we can end up becoming slaves to the opinions of others. How often do we engage in verbal gymnastics to make our lives appear better than they really are? When asked about our jobs, homes, vacations, clothing, car, education, who we know, or what books we’ve read—we sometimes struggle to be completely candid. We worry about what others will think of us, and want to make sure we appear successful, smart, and happy.
It’s just human nature to want to put our best foot forward, yet sometimes we can become overly vigilant in the fluffing up of our reputations. Yes, there is a healthy protecting of our reputations which will help to promote righteous living; such as in not shoplifting from K-Mart; not getting tipsy at business meetings; or not flirting licentiously with the check-out boy at the supermarket. But there’s also an unhealthy guarding of our reputations, which over time is sure to siphon the joy out of our lives.
And it’s not only a “joy” issue when it comes to being consumed in what others think of us. It can become an idol in our lives—and God won’t tolerate idols. He loves us too much to allow us to bow down to something as fleeting and unimportant as whether someone thinks we’re wealthy enough, socially connected enough, well dressed enough, educated enough, or even spiritual enough. God is interested in transformation and transparency, and He’s pleased when we are genuine with Him, and genuine with each other.
This last Sunday our pastor, Eric Stovesand, read the Hans Christian Andersen story of “The Emperor's New Clothes”. I had never actually heard the entire unabridged story before, and I found it delightful and insightful. Here’s a short recap of the story:
* * *
Many years ago, there lived an emperor who cared obsessively about his clothes. One day two swindlers named Guido and Luigi told him that they could make him the finest suit of clothes from the most beautiful cloth. This cloth, they said, also had the special capability that it was invisible to anyone who was either stupid or not fit for his position.
Being a bit nervous about whether he himself would be able to see the cloth, the emperor first sent two of his trusted men to see it. Of course, neither would admit that they could not see the cloth and so they praised it. All the townspeople had also heard of the cloth and were interested to learn how stupid their neighbors were.
The emperor then allowed himself to be dressed in the clothes for a procession through town, never admitting that he was too unfit and stupid to see what he was wearing. He was afraid that the other people would think that he was stupid.
Of course, all the townspeople wildly praised the magnificent clothes of the emperor, afraid to admit that they could not see them, until a small child said:
"But he has nothing on!"
This was whispered from person to person until everyone in the crowd was shouting that the emperor had nothing on. The emperor heard it and felt that they were correct, but he held his head high and finished the procession.
* * *
The transient opinions of men are the emperor’s new clothes—and what was “cool” last month is no longer cool today. What was considered contemporary, current, and hip last year, is now passé. Oh how ridiculous and fleeting are the opinions, fashions, and trends of our culture!
Have you ever been caught looking foolish because of a frantic need to fit in—but you were in so deep your only choice was to, “hold your head high and finish the procession”?
I have!
The good news is there’s a safeguard to protect us from our desperate need to be accepted; 1 Peter 5:5 tells us “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
With God’s help we can trade out the clothing of pride and foolishness for the garments of humility—and we can exchange boasting and bragging for an authentic and unassuming nature.
Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"Seek the Lord" by Stephanie Burns
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
Psalm 42:1
Anything that makes us long for God is a blessing. Anything that makes us desperate for Him…anything that brings us to the end of our own resources, our own strength, and our own power—is a good thing. There may be something in your own life that makes you desperate for God, something that brings you to the end of yourself and causes you to cry out and say, “Lord, I have nowhere to turn but to You. I will seek YOU with all of my heart.” We hate suffering or going through discipline, but remember that discipline is God’s way of showing love for us. He only disciplines us because he LOVES us.
We get so tied up with our daily lives and the world around us. Think of your day to day life when you get busy; for me, I can get caught up with an early morning meeting, and I plan on spending time with the Lord… just later. Or I might be getting the house picked up, watching TV, or reading a book. I plan to sit down and pray, just later. I plan to do my Bible study… just not now. I forget to make God a priority. When life is on auto pilot, I am not as desperately aware of my need for the Lord as I should be. I once heard; “The Lord is too much of a gentleman to force us meet with him. He waits patiently for us to come to him.”
If I were to sit down and make a list of my priorities, of course the Lord would be first. But when I get into the hustle and bustle of the actual day, I don’t think I always live that. The longer I go without spending time or seeking God, the harder it gets. When I am in a routine and miss one day, I can pick back up. But what if I set him aside for weeks… months? How do I even start?!?! At that point it becomes a duty. I need to change my heart!
How would I look for a lost $100 bill? I would look all over. Lift up every couch cushion. Go through every drawer, and then look again. How hard would we look if our child disappeared in the grocery store? Wouldn’t we seek them with everything we have? Wouldn’t we reach out to others to help us find them? Why don’t we do that for the Lord?
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut 4:29
Stephanie Burns is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Psalm 42:1
Anything that makes us long for God is a blessing. Anything that makes us desperate for Him…anything that brings us to the end of our own resources, our own strength, and our own power—is a good thing. There may be something in your own life that makes you desperate for God, something that brings you to the end of yourself and causes you to cry out and say, “Lord, I have nowhere to turn but to You. I will seek YOU with all of my heart.” We hate suffering or going through discipline, but remember that discipline is God’s way of showing love for us. He only disciplines us because he LOVES us.
We get so tied up with our daily lives and the world around us. Think of your day to day life when you get busy; for me, I can get caught up with an early morning meeting, and I plan on spending time with the Lord… just later. Or I might be getting the house picked up, watching TV, or reading a book. I plan to sit down and pray, just later. I plan to do my Bible study… just not now. I forget to make God a priority. When life is on auto pilot, I am not as desperately aware of my need for the Lord as I should be. I once heard; “The Lord is too much of a gentleman to force us meet with him. He waits patiently for us to come to him.”
If I were to sit down and make a list of my priorities, of course the Lord would be first. But when I get into the hustle and bustle of the actual day, I don’t think I always live that. The longer I go without spending time or seeking God, the harder it gets. When I am in a routine and miss one day, I can pick back up. But what if I set him aside for weeks… months? How do I even start?!?! At that point it becomes a duty. I need to change my heart!
How would I look for a lost $100 bill? I would look all over. Lift up every couch cushion. Go through every drawer, and then look again. How hard would we look if our child disappeared in the grocery store? Wouldn’t we seek them with everything we have? Wouldn’t we reach out to others to help us find them? Why don’t we do that for the Lord?
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron 7:14
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Heb 11:6
“But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deut 4:29
Stephanie Burns is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
"A Place Called Home" by Paula Friedrichsen
A Place Called Home
By Paula Friedrichsen
It was Easter morning. Stained glass windows, cathedral ceilings, polished wood pews, and possibly the most majestic crucifix I’ve ever laid eyes on, greeted us as we arrived for the service at a beautiful church in an affluent Los Angeles community. The expansive altar was encircled by dozens of fragrant Easter lilies, and the sanctuary hosted hundreds of flickering white candles. What a magnificent scene it was!
As I sat there taking it all in, I couldn’t help but think about my own little mountain church nestled snug in the High Sierra Mountains. In fact, I chuckled a little as I compared these two places of worship. One was extravagant, sparkling, rich, and exceedingly lovely. It was the kind of place in which you walked a bit slower and spoke a bit quieter. The Easter service was conducted with reserve and dignity—rich in tradition and ritual, and yet also rich with the presence of God.
My little mountain church was also decked out for Easter with an impressive display of flowers and decorations—but that’s where the similarities stopped. Church on the Mountain is a noisy, crowded, rambunctious kind of place where children are seldom hushed—and the people can be seen and heard talking, laughing, hugging, and generally enjoying each other before, during, and after service. It’s the kind of place where the singing is loud, the sermons stirring, and the services long (about 2 hours). It’s the kind of church were people stand up and share what God is doing in their lives in the middle of the Sunday morning service; the kind of place where you might see people praying for each other; and the kind of church where folks linger long after the service is over just to visit. There’s no mad-dash to the parking lot to see who can get out first. No race to be the first on the wait list at Jacks Waffle Shop—but rather a people who are connected to each other and to their God. (although I might add that the cheeseburgers and fries at Jacks are definitely worth waiting for!)
Now don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed and delighted in the Easter service at that majestic church in L.A. It was different, and interesting, and quite exquisite. But oh for the joy of a simple little church full of down to earth people! A church building that isn’t too fancy to host potlucks and summer barbecues; weddings, birthday parties, women’s retreats, school functions. Church grounds that host volleyball games on warm Sunday afternoons played on a ratty net in the parking lot. A church where “come as you are” is taken literally, and a place where being who you really are is valued and encouraged.
When it all comes down to it, the truth is that a church is about so much more than a building. It’s about knowing God and knowing each other. It’s about community, and togetherness, and celebration. And sometimes it’s about getting messy, spilling coffee on the sanctuary carpet, and having a grassy area that’s more dirt that grass because there’s always some fun activity happening on it. I guess the saying really does prove correct that “home is where the heart is”. And my heart is definitely in that rambling, unpretentious, much used, much loved building in Crowley Lake, known as Church on the Mountain.
Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
It was Easter morning. Stained glass windows, cathedral ceilings, polished wood pews, and possibly the most majestic crucifix I’ve ever laid eyes on, greeted us as we arrived for the service at a beautiful church in an affluent Los Angeles community. The expansive altar was encircled by dozens of fragrant Easter lilies, and the sanctuary hosted hundreds of flickering white candles. What a magnificent scene it was!
As I sat there taking it all in, I couldn’t help but think about my own little mountain church nestled snug in the High Sierra Mountains. In fact, I chuckled a little as I compared these two places of worship. One was extravagant, sparkling, rich, and exceedingly lovely. It was the kind of place in which you walked a bit slower and spoke a bit quieter. The Easter service was conducted with reserve and dignity—rich in tradition and ritual, and yet also rich with the presence of God.
My little mountain church was also decked out for Easter with an impressive display of flowers and decorations—but that’s where the similarities stopped. Church on the Mountain is a noisy, crowded, rambunctious kind of place where children are seldom hushed—and the people can be seen and heard talking, laughing, hugging, and generally enjoying each other before, during, and after service. It’s the kind of place where the singing is loud, the sermons stirring, and the services long (about 2 hours). It’s the kind of church were people stand up and share what God is doing in their lives in the middle of the Sunday morning service; the kind of place where you might see people praying for each other; and the kind of church where folks linger long after the service is over just to visit. There’s no mad-dash to the parking lot to see who can get out first. No race to be the first on the wait list at Jacks Waffle Shop—but rather a people who are connected to each other and to their God. (although I might add that the cheeseburgers and fries at Jacks are definitely worth waiting for!)
Now don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed and delighted in the Easter service at that majestic church in L.A. It was different, and interesting, and quite exquisite. But oh for the joy of a simple little church full of down to earth people! A church building that isn’t too fancy to host potlucks and summer barbecues; weddings, birthday parties, women’s retreats, school functions. Church grounds that host volleyball games on warm Sunday afternoons played on a ratty net in the parking lot. A church where “come as you are” is taken literally, and a place where being who you really are is valued and encouraged.
When it all comes down to it, the truth is that a church is about so much more than a building. It’s about knowing God and knowing each other. It’s about community, and togetherness, and celebration. And sometimes it’s about getting messy, spilling coffee on the sanctuary carpet, and having a grassy area that’s more dirt that grass because there’s always some fun activity happening on it. I guess the saying really does prove correct that “home is where the heart is”. And my heart is definitely in that rambling, unpretentious, much used, much loved building in Crowley Lake, known as Church on the Mountain.
Paula Friedrichsen is a member of Church on the Mountain, a vibrant community of believers in Crowley Lake. We meet at 9:30 Sunday mornings. Call for more information: 935-4272 or www.ChurchOnTheMountain.org
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