When my third child was born, my oldest was three.  And they were all active boys!

 My husband and I were outnumbered and my life was completely up-ended.  For the next three years, I couldn’t even go shopping at Target by myself with the kids.  While one raced down the aisle, the toddler climbed out of the cart – all while the baby, who disliked being confined from the moment of his birth, screamed!  I was a mess!  I felt like climbing over the cart and racing down the aisle screaming myself.

 In those difficult three years, I kept trying to regain my old life.  An organizer and leader by nature, I’d volunteer to oversee something at church and then make my kids and me miserable trying to get it done.   My heart is heavy when I remember the times I dragged my three little boys to one event or another, only to leave angry and in tears because they couldn’t sit still.

 Instead of accepting my life as it was, I plowed ahead, wanting to serve God and certain He was pleased with my sacrifices.  The problem was that my innocent children made the real sacrifice by enduring my non-stop lifestyle.  I wish with all my heart that someone had taken me out to coffee and helped me get some perspective.  I was too blind to see.

 What I know now is that sometimes God calls us to a new mission field that on the surface looks like we’ve been called out of the “game.”  But nothing could be further from the truth!  For those three years (and truthfully beyond that) I was afraid to stop pursuing my goals in case an opportunity might pass me by.  What happened was the opportunity to minister more deeply to my children passed me by.

 First Peter 3:8 says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day”  (NIV).  Although this verse is speaking about the Lord’s return, I believe it can be applied to any time of “waiting.”  God doesn’t see time as we do.  Three years seems like an eternity, when it’s really just a breath in time.  The first part of verse 9 offers hope to those who think opportunities are passing them by and God has forgotten them:  “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.”

 I wish someone had told me that God would not forget me.  In fact, God had hand- picked me to be the mother of Joshua, Dylan and Robbie (and now our daughters – Cathrine and Ruth).   I have been called to raise these children.  I was, and still am,  right where He wants me. 

 Even though my days felt like years back then, they really were just a blink.  Funny how the rear view mirror gives you such a broad perspective.

In His Love,

Glynnis

Several really sad things have happened with people in leadership at other churches lately and it has led to my next thoughts.. my plea actually..

Let’s remember to daily lift the leaders of our church up in prayer and ask that the Holy Spirit covers them and protects them.. and let’s be responsible for nurturing our own spiritual health by being deliberate and prioritizing the time that we individually spend with God!

We have all been guilty at throwing the first stone at those very people that have some role in showing us how to grow into deeper more meaningful relationships with God… but the bottom line is leaders are people too and they miss the mark as much as anyone else…. they need our prayers not our judgement..

One of the things that really attracted me to VCNP was the health of the marriages that all of our pastors on our staff have.

It is a beautiful and very rare thing.

Are they perfect? Of course not !! But I promise you they take a lot of time and care praying together, praying for each other, and keeping each other accountable as only people who lead so many can do as well as they do..

They know and model the value of putting their marriages 2nd only to their relationship with Christ. This very thing  is what we need to pray… that their marriages  are protected  because the enemy wants them to fail!!!!

We have a FANTASTIC Marriage Ministry that we offer for FREE at the church..  Marriage takes a lot of work, and sometimes even healthy marriages could use a bit of help and direction from these seasoned and trained volunteers and leaders.

Never feel alone in your struggles, but get the help and fellowship that God has for all and that is readily available for you at our church. Know that you are never the only one to have made a mistake or the only one who may  need to have a hand in figuring out your next steps. The enemy is tricky and will lie to you to keep you separated from his body!!!

Join a small group and be deliberate in meeting new friends who wouldn’t normally be in your normal every day life. It will change you forever!

As a church it is our responsibility to pray for our leaders and thank God for the dedicated people who lead it tirelessly and with out a lot of thanks week after week… Let’s not take that for granted but rather feel very blessed by this.

Thanks for letting me share my heart!

Rebecca Turrigiano

I’m having one of those weeks. It seems as though anything that can go wrong has. If I were to list all of the attacks upon me and my family this week, the list would read like a who’s who of bad luck. It would be so easy to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head and whine like a baby.

We all go through rough times. As Christians we should be able to pull ourselves out of the funk and rise above the attacks, but we’re human, not perfect. I’ve been walking with God for a few decades and I have to fight the urge to throw in the towel sometimes. I’m ashamed to admit how skilled I am in the art of whining and complaining.

The Israelites got themselves in a whole mess of trouble for whining and complaining. So much trouble that God let them wander in the desert for 40 years, when in reality the trip to the Promised Land should only have taken 11 days.

Mind you, these people had clear cut direction from God day and night with clouds during the day and fire at night. How many of us today wouldn’t love that kind of direction from God! Even though they saw God do repeated miracles they still grumbled and complained. God punished them by killing them in bunches and let them wander around the desert until all the original group died out – letting only their children enter the Promised Land. Ouch – that’s harsh!

When the urge to complain hits me, I have to go back to the basics. The Bible says we WILL have trials here on this Earth but to take heart because God has overcome the world. (John 16:33). There’s no sidebar or exemption clause for seasoned Christians, darn it. I’m always looking for a loophole.

When we are under attack it almost sounds too easy to simply suggest prayer or reading the Bible. Suffering demands an instant fix.  Many discount the relevance of prayer or the Bible for 21st century trials. If it hadn’t worked for me for so many years, I wouldn’t recommend it – but it really has made a difference in my life.

I find answers when I open the Bible and read encouraging passages on my favorite dog-eared pages. Only yesterday I found myself speaking my problems out loud and following them up with, give thanks to the Lord for he is good! His faithful love endures forever for each and every trial I’ve been struggling with. (Psalm 118:1)

When I get in a real pickle, I have to remind God of His Word by reading passages out loud to Him that are relevant to my situation – just in case He’s forgotten what’s written in The Book.

Last but not least, being properly accessorized for trials by putting on the full armor of God doesn’t hurt either and actually improves your chances for success. (Ephesians 6:11)

Read, pray, speak and armor … it really works!

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV)

It had been a rough, rotten week. And my attitude wasn’t any better.

I dug deep in search of some vestiges of hope, perhaps a little joy leftover from a while back, when things weren’t so depressing. But I got none. Not even an ounce.

When one’s been a believer for as long as I have, you know that if the well runs dry you go to the waters. And for me that usually means forcing tired hands to open up the Bible, often to the Book of Psalms, where I identify with the Psalmist’s desperate cries.

But at this particularly low time in my life, I was on the road, feelings as if God had forgotten me, willing myself to keep on driving. Just one more mile.

On sunnier days, I usually enjoy listening to music while commuting to work. My favorite Christian radio station plays uplifting songs I love singing along with. But on this miserable day I couldn’t make my hand push the “on” button.

Snap out of it, Girl! said a voice that sounded like me, when I’m mat at my kids. Paul and Silas worshiped the Lord when they were imprisoned for their faith; yet you have a couple of bad days and all of a sudden… Puff! All notion of worship “no matter what” goes out the window.

Gosh, that was kind of harsh. But it did the trick. Memories of sweet times spent singing to God, experiencing His comfort, flooded my weary mind. Hope floated, like a tiny vessel in the midst of raging waters.

I turned on the radio, but what I heard took me by surprise:

You are mine, you are loved,
You have always been thought of
When you hurt I feel it every time. 1

Wait a minute… I thought I would be the one doing the singing… The songs kept playing.

And I’ll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don’t fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you ²

Tears began to roll down my cheeks, and my heart felt a thousand times lighter. You mean, You still care, Lord?

When you feel like you’re alone in your sadness
It seems like no one else in this whole world cares
And you want to get away from the madness
You just call My name and I’ll be there ³

He did care! He always had and always would.

What a wonderful and unexpected miracle it was for me that morning, when I experienced God’s love anew as He sang over me.

Has God’s love ever turned your day around? Please tell us. We’d love to hear about it!

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

1Worth It All, by FHH
²By Your Side, Tenth Avenue North
³Call My Name, Third Day

Have you read a good book lately?  I’ve read a lot of them in the past three decades.

 On August 23^rd, I will have been married 30 years.  Like I have heard my Mother say before me, “It doesn’t seem possible!”  Time really does fly!  I was 19 when I got married and my Mother was 19 when she got married and I am praying Zoe will not want to get married at 19.  It sounds so young.  (Well, actually, it is young!)

 One helpful thing I have done over the years is to read books on relationships.  I have read marriage books, parenting books, personality books, love language books, friendship books, communication books, boundary issue books, leadership books and books on church relationships.  There really are so many good books to help us understand ourselves and others.

 I love Florence Littauer’s books on personalities such as,”Personality Plus.”  Here is one thing she wrote about the “popular Sanguine,” Pay attention…try to take note of where you left your car and your child.”  If you have sanguine friends, you will think this is funny.  Littauer is full of great stories on all of the personality types.

 “The Friendships of Women,” by Dee Brestin really helped me understand the relationships of women. (Well, at least it helped.)

 “You Just Don’t Understand” by Deborah Tannen is a secular book about men and women in conversation.  This is a book with a few words I don’t want my kids to read.  Tannen is a linguist and talks about things like “rapport talk and report talk” and other fascinating subjects like, “I’ll fix it for you if it kills me!”   She almost makes me want to be a linguist.

 “Boundaries” is another classic book on healthy relationships. 

 Whatever you do, every now and then, pick up a book on relationships.  I think it is healthy and I know books like the ones I’ve mentioned have helped me in theses 30 years of marriage. (Probably more than I know)

 We will be giving away the book by Gary Chapman, “God speaks your Love Language,” to the first person commenting on this blog.

I hope it will be helpful in your most important relationship!

 Blessings,

Thora

Over the past year, God has lovingly removed 125 pounds from my now 130-pound body. I boast only in Him and give Him all the credit.

Through this weight battle, God has shown me I am prone to playing the numbers game. Historically, I have looked to numbers to validate me in all areas of my life, and I have been deceived. Much like King David when he took a census of his army.

The Bible says that David’s census taking was sinful (1 Chronicles 21:1). For years I wondered why. How could counting your army possibly be sinful? After all it wasn’t one of the “Big 10.” It wasn’t lying, cheating, stealing, or unfaithfulness. Or was it?

David was a man “after God’s own heart.” Yet, he struggled with sin as we do. He looked for validation in the size of His army, instead of the strength of his God. His census taking was a statement that by human strength, or by numbers, he could win the battle at hand, rather than rely upon God to provide the victory. Did David wonder if he was worthy of God’s intervention?

I’ve felt like that. When you weigh 255 pounds it is difficult to believe you are worthy. You “feel” unlovable, invalidated and unworthy. But why? Is it the Hollywood notion of what one should look like on the outside? You see, for the majority of my life I believed the lie that If I wore a size 6 or weighted 130 pounds, I would be happy, fulfilled, and validated. This is the “numbers game.”

The truth is, God validates me regardless of what I look like on the outside. Jesus died for me and His love for me cannot be earned based upon a “number.”

In October 2009, God revealed to me that if I wanted victory with a capital V – which for me was to walk in freedom from the bondage of compulsive overeating – I had to surrender, not only food, but the notion that I was any less worthy of His love at 255 pounds than I would be at 130 pounds.

God does not change. He cannot love us more than He does. It’s like looking at a full glass of water. If the glass is full, it cannot contain more water that it already has. Unlike a glass of water, where natural gases cause water to evaporate, Gods love for us cannot evaporate.

In hindsight, I was unfaithful to God in what I believed about myself. I believed my worth had something to do with my performance. I was wrong. God told me clearly that if I was to be set free, then I had to believe that His love for me was steadfast right then and there. I had to accept that I was deeply loved, highly valued based upon His creating me, rather than anything I could do or do not do. So, no more “playing the numbers.” Instead, its time to focus on God’s great love for each of us.

In His love,

Christina Trifanoff

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our 27th Wedding Anniversary.  It got me thinking about when we were first married, and our apartment was filled with hand-me-downs.  The dishes were from a grandmother, a rocking chair from his mother and lamps from my parents filled our space.  We were full-time students living on part-time wages and there was nothing left after bills for anything new. 

We really didn’t mind the hand-me-down items, and lived contentedly with them for years. However, we weren’t content with a hand-me-down faith.

It would have been easy to accept the beliefs and religious practices of our families, especially since both my husband and I have a rich legacy of faith passed down from our grandparents.  We grew up in church, and could have easily brought those traditions into our home.

Yet we both longed to create our own home and life together, and knew that meant understanding and embracing the faith of our childhood for ourselves.  We wanted more than simply accepting our parents’ beliefs.  Not that they were bad, but it would have been shallow to have done so without any thought.

As we set up our first home, humble as it was, we started creating our own spiritual practices that continue to this day.  The first was to make attending church a non-negotiable in our week.  We wanted to make church a habit no matter our emotional or physical state.  Unless we were sick, we are in church.  We’d seen too many friends fall out of the habit, and knew how easy that would be unless we made it happen.

The second was to have an early bedtime the night before church.  This is something Pastor Brian has mentioned in the past, and we have been doing for many years.  We wanted to eliminate the excuse of being too tired to attend.  Plus, we want to gain everything we could from our time of corporate worship, and be alert to what God is doing.  To this day, our teenage children know Saturday night will end by 11:00 at the latest. 

We also have invested in current Bibles in easy-to-read translations and other Christian literature like devotions and books.  Our library has grown slowly and surely over the years as we have added books by the heroes of our faith and current authors applying forever truths to today’s world.  We don’t see these as extravagances, but as an investment in our faith.

I also find that it helps immensely to have Scripture placed around my home.  Keeping God’s Word before my eyes helps give me perspective, peace and hope.  And it reminds me to turn to God for all my needs.

Other faith practices my husband and I have built into the framework of our home and life include saying grace before meals and praying at night with our children.  The final one I want to mention has influenced us greatly.  That is meeting with other Christians in our home.  Throughout our marriage, we have tried to live out the Acts model of church.

Acts 2:46b-47 paints this picture:  “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (NIV).  We have hosted small groups for year, and currently lead one now in our home.  Our faith has grown as we have lived life with other believers in this way. 

It’s a good practice for every believe to evaluate his or her faith and how it is lived out every day.  Even those people with the finest spiritual heritage, need to embrace their own faith.   In doing so, you’ll discover that your own faith is a much better fit than any hand-me-down faith will ever be.

In His Love,

Glynnis

P.S.  If you want to read lessons I’ve learned in 27 years of marriage, visit my blog at www.GlynnisWhitwer.com.

When we first joined the Vineyard seven years ago, I must admit my husband and I weren’t anxious to join a small group. It’s so much easier to attend a church and remain anonymous and little is expected of you when you’re just a face in the crowd. Being part of a small group scares a lot of people –  at least that was true for us. Anonymity is safer and won’t open you up for pain, rejection and accountability.

We joined a marriage small group our first year at the Vineyard and we now host a marriage small group twice monthly. In addition, I belong to a weekly ladies small group. These people have enriched our lives over the years and over the past week I’ve come to realize just how special they really are.

I had surgery on my knee this past week that had me convalescing at home living life within a six-inch radius of the Lazy-Boy. I knew the surgery would be minor and wouldn’t incapacitate me for long. I tried to convince my small groups that my family would survive and we wouldn’t need prepared meals.

I’m sure there must be some sort of pride issue fermenting on the inside of me as I didn’t want to bother anyone or cause extra work. We don’t have small children at home anymore and all the people living in my house are adults and capable of fending for themselves.

The people in our small groups are genuine, caring people and wouldn’t hear of it and scheduled meal coverage for my family for four straight days. In addition to meals I received snacks, desserts, cards, prayers, emails and phone calls throughout my convalescence.

Its one thing to listen to the pastors preach the benefits of small groups from the pulpit, but quite another to witness firsthand the benefits of a small group family.

We’ve always been blessed to volunteer to provide meals to others in their time of need, but somehow being on the receiving end felt a little strange for me.  For whatever reason I was almost embarrassed to ask for help. (Yep, there it is –it’s that pride thing again. But that’s a blog post for another day!)

It wasn’t until someone pointed out to me that it’s selfish of me to rob people of blessing others. In the past whenever I’ve provided a meal, I’ve done so with much thought, love and preparation on my part because it feels good to give back to people. Plus God commands us to love one another.

By denying my small group the privilege of providing for our needs is to deny them the joy of being obedient to God and the genuine fulfillment that comes from helping others.

I know it’s a little early to start preaching the benefits of joining a small group at the Vineyard – especially since the small group fair is still a couple of months away. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t sing the praises of my small group families this week.

While joining a small group may push you beyond your comfort zone, the rewards are more than worth it.  You don’t have to wait for the small group fair to join a group. There’s a small group out there just waiting to bless you. What are you waiting for?

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy
www.kathleenkurlin.com

“Hey, Mom, can you help me fill out this form?” my youngest son asked. He wanted to play with the Youth worship band and needed to fill out an application. We sat together and began the process.

Name? Nick. Age? Thirteen. Interests? Music, video games, computers… These questions were e-a-s-y.

How old were you when you became save? Nick read the question out loud, turned to look at me, and gave me a long, blank stare.

Oh, no. Not the blank stare! Lord knows I can’t take long and quiet moments with people looking at me.

I began to fret. The mommy side of me kicked in. This was an intense question, and my little boy had asked for my help. I needed to come to the rescue. And quick!

I mean, really, I mused, how can he answer that question? My kids have been brought up in the church. Being a Christian has been like second nature to them. Nothing dramatic. No burning bushes. No exact dates. No life-altering conversions.

“Twelve and a half,” he announced unexpectedly, and then wrote it down.

What? Where was I, I mean, where was he when this happened?

The question must’ve been written all over my face. “I gave my life to Jesus at church,” he said, matter-of-factly, and moved on to the next question.

An indescribable sense of comfort and happiness filled my heart. You see, being a mother has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. No. Actually, the hardest.

I’ve really tried to be a good mom, especially when my kids were little. Reading to them, scheduling play dates, being involved in their schools, trying (not always successfully) to be patient, aiming to be a godly example, praying, praying, praying… Still, I have made more mistakes than I care to admit. And thinking about them makes me incredibly sad.

Nick’s words showed I had managed to do something right. By taking our family to church, my husband and I had made an eternal impact in his life. Wow, that was good to hear!

May I encourage you to do something good for your kids? Take them to church. But not once in a while, for Easter or for Christmas, or when your conscience bugs you to. Do it consistently.

And if they’re too old and you can no longer drag them along, bring yourself to church. It is good for you. Besides, you will give your kids a good example and even become a better mom. The results might astound you.

Believe me. I know.

Ana
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

I have been thinking about this phrase, above in the title, for months now. Its funny when you say it to others and then suddenly reminded that this applies to you as well. Maybe its God trying to get my attention and telling me that I am worth more than I will ever know or believe. That this is something He is going to work in me while I figure out how to write it all out. There’s times when you feel so loved by God and then there’s times when you find it hard to believe that He could ever love you and want to spend time with you. I think it has taken me so long to write this blog because I know the Lord wants to work on me through it and frankly, I’m scared. Scared of the things that may come up. The things that I have tucked away from everyone. Even now as I am typing, I’m getting those nervous butterflies in my stomach.

There are times in all of our lives when we think we are all rubbish and no good for nothing. Our perspective can be so contorted to the point that we start thinking we look like mutants. I know the devil really likes those times cause he can whisper in our ear and get us to second guess ourselves and feel not worthy. We, as humans, all think that we don’t deserve things. As Christ followers, we have times where we think we are not good for the calling the Lord has given us. But I think He would like to remind us all, myself included, that we deserve everything because He loves us and wants us.

When I first started to think about this phrase it was when I was in one of those moods where I was feeling useless and thinking of everything I have ever done and thought, “you know, I don’t deserve for things to go right in my life, I have not been faithful to the Lord.” “I don’t deserve to have an awesome Godly man of God that has been faithful his whole life, when I haven’t.” But as I thought about this, something came to mind . . . I don’t deserve anything, but because Christ died for my sins, I deserve EVERYTHING. I don’t deserve the breath in my lungs, but I deserve to breathe. I don’t deserve love, but I deserve to be loved. He became the consequence of my sin. He bore it all on the cross, so that I can live. I deserve what I don’t deserve.

That phrase started to became a righteous anger, that you know what, I DO deserve what I don’t deserve. I am evil, sinful and sometimes the walk with Christ is more of a slivering on the floor like a snake, but because God loves me and sent His son to die on a cross for me, I deserve the world. It brought my spirits up a bit. The Lord wants to give good gifts to His children. So when I think, “oh crap, I messed up again, I’m so far from God.” If I just turn to Him and He gives me life again. It would be like Him to give us something we don’t deserve. After all, we are still alive and aloud to make the step back to Him.

So in closing to this lengthy blog, I deserve to have Christ, because I don’t deserve Him.

Cheers!
Christi Schuman