We all have to choose
Following Jesus is all about submitting our will and choosing Him everyday. Our choices reveal what we truly love. Check out some of these posts and follow the blog written weekly by one of our leaders, Jeff Herringshaw, discipler, mentor, and coach.
CHOOSING TO LET EVERYTHING PASS THROUGH JESUS
Don’t you hate it when you find grounds in your coffee? I am not a barista or even close to being a “coffee snob,” but I imagine there can be multiple reasons for such grit in my morning java. The most common reason I’ve been told, when using a plain ol’ drip coffee maker, is the wrong grind. Too coarse and perhaps you don’t experience the full flavor. Too fine (my tendency) and the water backs up and spills over into the pot, taking bean particles with it. Yuck. A filter is supposed to take care of this problem. Supposedly, that’s why one is added to the end of a cigarette. It is meant to hold back the stuff you don’t want and let through the stuff that makes the coffee worth drinking and the cigarette less poisonous. But these strainers are for more than just hot beverages and nicotine fixes. Make sure you get new oil and air filters for the next round of maintenance on your car. Furnaces and air conditioners need them too. Don’t forget the water filter.
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CHOOSING TO EXPAND MY LOVE
We’re counting down to Valentine’s Day. Love and romance (or at least the appearance of this duo) are on a lot of people’s minds. Flowers. Chocolate. Heart-shaped candies. Cards that reveal “true” feelings. They are all part of the celebration of love, at least for the month of February. The word ‘love’ continues to fascinate me. In English we use one word for it but have so many different meanings hidden within that word. People might be indicating they like something, have a desire for something, are excited for something, enjoy something, attracted to something, feel affection for something, want to give something. We have to be intuitive emotional detectives, taking in all the nuance to determine what someone actually means when this word is used. It is helpful to look at other languages and how they deal with this word and all its potential meanings. I’m told that in Latin American countries, McDonalds translates its slogan “I’m lovin’ it” to “Me encanta.” The Spanish word for ‘love’
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CHOOSING TO SING A NEW (OR REPURPOSED) SONG
Who are those people who play Christmas music year-round? I know a couple of them. And it irritates me a bit. It’s not that I don’t like Christmas-themed songs, it’s just that “Jingle Bells,” in my mind, doesn’t fit during a heat wave in July. Of course, my Down-Under friends in Australia have reminded me that Christmas is a summer holiday for them, and they have learned to accept snow-themed lyrics while sunbathing on a steamy beach. So, maybe I just need to deal with it.It reminds me of how songs that were written for a specific objective can be repurposed for a theme or cause never originally intended. Think Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”: It was originally written as a bitter critique of the ‘American Dream’ and how Vietnam veterans were poorly treated after the war. Yet it somehow became a chest-thumping patriotic hymn (people often don’t absorb all the lyrics). And then there is the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”
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CHOOSING TO LIVE BY GRACE
For as far back as I can remember, I have known the words to the old hymn: Amazing Grace. But the truly amazing thing is how long it has taken me to understand them. The lyrics were written by John Newton, an Anglican minister, on New Year’s Day 1773. They were part of a sermon he gave describing his conversion to Christ. He captained a slave ship in his younger years and almost died in a storm crossing the Atlantic in 1748. His tribute to the grace of God saving a wretch like himself was set to music a few years later. One of the most enduring hymns of all time then came into being. In my mind, it was most meaningful for those “wretches” that had done unspeakably terrible things. I didn’t see myself as that bad. Because of my self-righteous attitude, it was difficult for me to appreciate “grace.” To be honest, the word always felt a bit flimsy and fluffy. It seemed to be for those who couldn’t …
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CHOOSING WHAT LASTS
The word “forever” can be interpreted differently depending on what a person wants. A couple reciting their marriage vows might intend the meaning to be “as long as I shall live” or “until things get too difficult.”
A child who claims to have a BFF (best friend forever) could be wanting it to mean “until we part ways,” or “until the end of the school year,” or even “until I find a better friend.”
That person who received a life sentence in prison likely chooses for it to mean “until a successful appeal can be made.”
The English language has so many words that can be used as synonyms for “forever:”
everlasting,
perpetual,
enduring,
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CHOOSING TO SEE WHAT I CAN’T SEE
I’ve written about this before: I’m color blind. It’s not severe, but it does prevent me from seeing some things. Certain shades of greens and reds or blues and purples are difficult and sometimes impossible for me to distinguish. More than once everyone around me was talking about a beautiful red cardinal sitting in a tree full of green foliage. I could see no bird. After decades of being a Star Wars fan, it was only recently that I was informed that Yoda is green! I always thought he was a tan color.
Friends and family still ask me the question, “So, what do you see if you don’t see the red or the green?” The only way I know to answer is that I see whatever my mind makes up to fill in the blank. But the interesting thing is that once someone tells me what the actual color is (like Yoda’s skin tone), I can usually see it then – or at least imagine that I’m seeing it. The thing I have to constantly tell people, once they hear that I’m color blind, is that I don’t see only a black and white world; I’m not completely blind to colors.
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CHOOSING TO LIVE ON THE EDGE
The year 2025 has come to an end and we have now stepped into a new one. There are all kinds of things to wonder about: what will be different in 2026? What will be the same? What new hope will this year offer? What old dread will materialize? What things in my life can I change and improve? What old patterns are going to repeat themselves and increase those feelings of being trapped? We stand at that place where one thing ends and another begins. The smaller questions all center around the one big one: will things be better or worse in the unknown future? Of course, we simply do not know.
Meaningful Change
But, standing at the edge of one year as it ends and another as it begins offers opportunities that we let slip away at our own peril. “Edges” (endings and beginnings) fill every season of our existence and invite us to stop and evaluate where we’ve come from, where we’re at,
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CHOOSING TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS YEAR-ROUND
I didn’t grow up believing in Santa Claus. But as a child, I still enjoyed the image he provided for a special and “magical” season. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I made the connection between Santa and Saint Nicholas. And it has been through reading about the life and legends of this Early-Church saint that my appreciation for a variety of Christmas traditions has deepened. First of all, though it doesn’t really involve Saint Nicholas, the idea of the 12 Days of Christmas has long fascinated me. I was not raised in a traditional high church, but I understand that there is an old understanding of the first day of Christmas being the 25th of December and the twelfth being the 5th of January, which is the day before the Epiphany celebration. So, in light of the fact that we are still in the midst of the 12 Days, I want to dig into the story of the great Christian saint who morphed into Santa.
A Jesus-Follower from the Very Beginning
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CHOOSING TO CELEBRATE EVEN MORE!
Christmas is here, and we’re celebrating again. Food, presents, holiday movies, and family. At least those are the traditions for some. But why? And for those who have little to spend on food or gifts, who don’t like movies and, for whatever reason, aren’t connected with family . . .What is there to celebrate? It all centers around a theological word, INCARNATION. The term comes to us via Latin and was adopted by early Christian writers to describe what they read in John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” To incarnate literally means to “make flesh.” God (the Word who is Jesus) who is pure Spirit performed the greatest miracle ever by taking on a human body as part of His eternal identity. And He
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CHOOSING TO BE SEEN
Many times in my life growing up, I felt misunderstood. I tried to relate to those around me by being who I thought they wanted me to be. It felt like few, if any, ever saw the real me and said, “I like that person.” That took its toll on my identity, and withdrawing within myself became my default. I became, at best, a private person. I longed for a friend that would accept me for who I was. Yet, the truth be told, I never allowed the real me, with all my fears, insecurities, and sin to be seen. I built walls of shyness to keep the anticipated pain of rejection manageable and as far away as possible. But something within always ached for a connection with another that would provide a reason to open the door of my heart and truly be seen and known. As a teen, I realized the name of the quality I hungered for was intimacy. Marriage, I then presumed, would satisfy this yearning. A sexual relationship,
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CHOOSING TO REMEMBER GOD’S TRACK RECORD
“He will order His angels to protect you.”
These words from Psalm 91 should be a great comfort for those who are putting their trust in God. It says in verse 6, “Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday” (NLT). What a reminder that no kind of sickness nor the threat of nuclear war, or even an unstable economy are outside God’s jurisdiction. The promises here are meant to stir confidence in our Heavenly Father’s love and power today in the same way this Psalm encouraged the original hearers nearly 3,000 years ago. But interestingly, this Psalm has also been used as a tool of temptation. We’re told in Matthew 4 that when Jesus was tempted in the desert, Satan quoted scripture at Him, portions of this very Psalm. It
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CHOOSING A “SNAIL’S PACE”
So much of the truth revealed through the scriptures is counterintuitive. At face value it does not make sense. One of the results is that we have to stop, think about it, and go a little deeper. For example:
- To save your life, you must lose it.
- To live, you must die.
- To get, you must give.
- To genuinely love, there are things you must hate.
And there is one that is not explicitly found in the scriptures, but nevertheless is in there:
- To go farther you must go slower.
Yes! In the big picture of life “slow” is good and often the absolute best
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CHOOSING GRATITUDE, AGAIN
I gave a child a piece of gum not too long ago. She happily accepted it, popped it into her mouth, began to chew, and walked away. Her mother called out for her to return and say, “Thank you.” The girl acted like she didn’t hear. The mother grabbed the child by the arm and pulled her back to me and demanded she say the words. No response. After two more commands and a final ultimatum with a threatening glare, a quiet and rather squeaking sounding “Thank you” came from the girl. I didn’t feel much appreciation in the coerced statement, but I understood the mother’s determination that it be spoken. I took it that as a parent she believed gratitude must be cultivated, learned, and exercised regardless if it is felt in the moment or not. And I agree with her. Thankfulness is a learned discipline. Yet why should anyone care as much as this mother about gratitude? Of course it is possible she simply was embarrassed that her child was being rude, and this was her way of saving face in front of me. I’m going to give her the benefit
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CHOOSING CALM IN THE STORM
I once read an article by an atheist describing the serenity he felt as he overlooked a beautiful valley while drinking a cup of coffee. The point he was trying to make was that Christians do not have a monopoly on peace. He was irritated with the claim that religion is somehow necessary for a person to have a sense of tranquility. His way of refuting this was to recount the many times he had experienced an internal quiet and harmony with nature and others without any acknowledgement of the divine. His conclusion was that a belief in God is not necessary to feel peaceful. And after reading all that he had to say, I had to agree with him. But the feeling that there is more to peace than what he was describing wouldn’t leave me. Jesus followers often talk about the peace that comes over us after surrendering our lives to Him. It’s often part of what we felt was missing in our lives. It makes sense. After all, Jesus the Messiah is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6); one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace (Galatians 5:22): and peacemakers will be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). But what exactly is this quality that is promised all throughout the Bible?
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CHOOSING MORE THAN RESULTS
“Christianity doesn’t work.” I’ve been told this more than once. Someone explains why he’s giving up his faith, and it usually has something to do with him not getting what he feels he needs. Typically, references are made to unanswered prayers; troubling questions without satisfactory answers; doctrines that don’t make sense; and of course, there is always that person or group of people who claim to be Christians and are jerks. He simply does not want to be associated with such ignorance or insensitivity anymore. His position is often summed up with a statement like, “Neither the world nor my life has improved because of Christianity. In fact, it’s made everything worse. So I’m moving on.” So, what makes something workable and worth sticking with it? I don’t know if it’s a Western thing or just a human thing that leads so many in my culture to judge something or someone according to how everything turns out. It is my tendency.
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