Grace Community Church Listen Again

The prophet’s words in Isaiah 40 are a huge encouragement to those who feel weary and need strength. Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it is also very draining. Maybe for some time, you’ve felt low in energy. Low in compassion. Low in courage. The Spirit of God gives power to the weak. He uses those at the end of their tether for his purposes. “Those who hope in the power of God will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk, but not grow faint”

'Slow Down with God' / David McBride by Grace Community Church

It’s encouraging to know that as we serve others, God can use us despite our inadequacies. Still, there may be reasons we feel that stop us from doing what we know we ought to be doing: 1 Fear of getting it wrong. 2 Words or labels that have been spoken over us. 3 We may not be sure what our ​“seat” is. 4 Feeling like we’re not good enough. 5 Shame.

This week, the US celebrates Thanksgiving. We can forget, though, how tumultuous the events that started it were. Escape from persecution in Europe. Disease and death on the Mayflower. The struggle to survive in a strange land. These events don’t lend themselves to the happiest of times. But despite the hardships the early settlers experienced, they were able to find deeper contentment in their faith and relationships. Over four hundred years later, we can say that though it might not be as dramatic, our struggles and hardships are just as real. Jaci shares about her experience of leaving a country she knew, a church family who love her and embarking on a new adventure where there are promises, but it’s difficult to know where and when they’re going to manifest themselves. How do we find contentment in hardship and trial? If we’re in the midst of uncertainty, what can we be certain about?

When we learn to live with God on the hillside, we see and act differently on the battlefield. Within the story of David versus Goliath, there are a number of players, each with their individual particular motives and purposes. But were they on the side of fear or courage? There’s the armoured giant, Goliath. The faithful, yet battle-worn Israelite army. A proud father and sheep farmer, Jesse. And, of course, his skinny teenage son, David. This marks the start of David’s story. But it was on the hillside where he met God, which prepared him for the battlefield. With everyone crippled with fear at the thought of confronting this giant, David took the path of​“courage”.

Amongst Christians, the subject of halloween is a pretty divisive one. Usually each person will fall into one of two camps: full participation or flat-out rejection. The prayer of Jesus in John 17, however, is that we are united. This is often called the Great Unanswered Prayer. So in light of this, is there a third approach to halloween? It may come as news that a number of holidays are built on pagan traditions. Christmas and Easter are celebrated at times of the year that pagans would have worshipped deities. But rather than crushing those, the Church had a great way of redeeming some practices in ways that instead pointed to Jesus. So how do we open our doors and tables to people we may not agree with and find reconciliation and truth within the different traditions?

It’s inspiring to hear the stories of people we know. Quite often it turns out there’s a lot we didn’t know. It’s easier to see God’s hand on your life when you go take time to rewind. This week, Puma shares his story of growing up in Venezuela and how a series of events brought him here where he's now married with two kids (and expecting a third). How a devoted mother and faithful friend gave him a headstart in his own faith.

Amy shares stories of her experiences of gratitude in working with the Drop Inn/​Team Hope Shoebox Appeal. In the last few weeks, we’ve been looking at what it means to be grateful, and we’re reminded a thankful person is a healthy person. In her work with the Shoebox Appeal, Amy and her team were often struck by the thankfulness in both the people who donated gifts and the kids who received them. For many of the kids she met, it was the first time they’d received any Christmas gift. Sometimes we can grow used to plenty and getting what we want, when we want it. But when you encounter real need and observe the reactions when a need is met, it can lead us to care more deeply for the communities around us.

Sometimes God’s call for his people is to stay put. Preceding the ​“famous” verse in Jeremiah 29 (v11), there is an account of the plight of the people who were exiled. In their difficult circumstances they had two choices: put up a fight and resist or build houses and plant gardens. They knew God was telling them to stay where they are for some time. His promises might not be fulfilled for generations to come. The message in Jeremiah is for a people, not an individual. In the same way, the idea of personal faith can ignore the fact that God’s promises are for communities and generations. The passage in verses 4 to 7 summarises what we do when we’re in a place for the long haul: Seek the wellbeing of the town or the village; Plead on its behalf to Yahweh; Because in its wellbeing, there will be wellbeing for you.

In our world of plenty, it’s easy to take all the good things we have for granted. 1 Thessalonians 5 reminds us to be grateful in all circumstances. Science proves time and time again that gratefulness can improve our lives in many ways. It is said that our minds are like Velcro when it comes to negative information, but more like Teflon when we encounter positive information. Even in difficult circumstances, we can find reasons to be cheerful. Reasons such as family, church and community.

Could our lives look any different if we were more grateful? Numerous studies have shown there is a marked difference in the health of an individual who practices thankfulness. It could be argued that the first sin in Genesis was a failure in gratitude. God had given mankind all of creation to steward, yet instead of thankfully accepting this awesome gift, he wanted the one thing he couldn’t have. We look at different aspects of gratitude: how we can be thankful in our circumstances, no matter how challenging they may seem; how gratitude has a role in positions of power. How grateful are we for how we are invited to share in God’s Kingdom?

It's inspiring to hear the stories of people we know. Quite often it turns out there's a lot we didn't know. It's easier to see God's hand on your life when you go take time to rewind. This week, David tells us how his desire to experience God in his life has led to some of the most unlikely events. From his younger years of drinking, partying and rebelling against the idea of being a pastor's son, to now: 14 years married, with 4 kids and each step of the way relying totally on God's provision and guidance.

When we pose the darkest questions it can become the most profound acts of faith. Is it possible that in the moment of Peter’s denial, he truly was in a place of questioning who Jesus was? After fighting on Jesus’ behalf in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter’s trust in who Jesus was took a dip. Interestingly, when Jesus had the chance to confront him in John 21, he didn’t. He simply asked Peter a question, ​“Do you love me?”. Jesus’ questions to us often cause us to squirm, because they’re not simply looking for an answer, they’re demanding a response. What would our response be to that ​“simple” question?

Every four weeks we will be checking in with some of our church family, and asking what God has taught them over the last month. This week, it’s one of our 7 resident Floridians, Jaci Cauvel. She reflects on the topics of fear and courage that we've explored over the last few weeks.

Doing what you believe is truly right without knowing what the outcome truly is. We take quick glimpses into five stories of courage. A young Daniel and his friends had nothing between them and the king’s power except God Almighty. David had to recall the times he faced challenges when he took on the giant Goliath. Joshua needed courage when it was his turn to take the mantle from Moses. It took courage for Elijah to face the wilderness with just the promises from God ringing in his ears. As the disciples gathered behind closed doors in the wake of Jesus’ death they needed courage that the Lord was going to fulfil what he had promised. What is your story of courage?

Adam and Eve failed and when they did, they wanted to close their eyes, stick their fingers in their ears and go into hiding. Why were they so afraid? In the storm in Matthew 8, Jesus asked the disciples ​“why are you so afraid?” What was Jesus pressing at here?

Every four weeks we will be checking in with some of our church family, and asking what God has taught them over the last month. This week, it’s Queen of the Castle, Carolyn Dawson. She shares her experiences of healthy spiritual rhythms, contemplation and curiosity.

Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. It all seems so simple yet so hard to consistently live out in practice. Today we looked at the importance of asking for help, asking the right questions and asking others about their journey. It’s all held together by living a life of wisdom, chasing after it through our relationship with the Lord and those around us.

What changes do I need to make so I can finish well? We're going to look at three areas: 1. Contemplation: the need to pay close attention. 2. Compassion: when the only judgement we make is every person is made in the image of God and they’re worth Jesus giving his life for. 3. Curiosity: a childlike wonder causing us to ask “why?”  The overarching attribute is humility. Humility is the ability to say I was wrong, or I need help. It allows us to love others well.

As any long-distance runner will tell you, the most challenging moment in a race is the wall. Everything is telling you to stop, but to finish, you must press on. The people who make a difference to those around them are those who press through difficult times. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that not only is the race worth winning, but there are people who are cheering us on.