For All Hurricane Matthew Survivors

October 11, 2016

For All Hurricane Matthew Survivors

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On these days following the Hurricane, I have more gratitude than I have words…

You may still not have electricity as you read this.

You may be living out of a suitcase in someone else’s home.

Your home may be water-logged.

Your yard may look like a lake.

Your street and yard may be full of downed trees and tree limbs.

You might hear chainsaws and generators for a while.

You might have experienced loss of some of your favorite treasures.

I wish I were there with you to clean up, to hug you, to sit with you and assess the situation.

Friend, Hurricane Matthew is the end of the beginning. The beginning of a new day, a new normal.

You are a beacon of Hope and Light for the world to see.

You shine.

You have life.

You are loved.

You are resilient.

You have it in you.

God is with you.

God will guide you every step.

Let’s band together as brothers and sisters.

Let’s hug our family and loved ones tightly.

Let’s unify.

Together we can.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…

Do not be afraid, for I am with you… ” –Isaiah 43:2-3a,5.

Reflect:

–How have you been affected by Hurricane Matthew? Please comment.

Renew:

–God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging…God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. –Psalm 46:1-3, 5.

Resource:

Top Photo credit: Live 5 News.

October 4, 2016

Finding Reassurance From the Faith of Others

Editor’s Note: Please enjoy today’s guest blog post by my talented, dear friend Rachel Britton. May this message inspire all of us, especially parents.

A mamma is allowed to be a little apprehensive leaving her child at college in a different country, isn’t she? That’s how I felt a week or so ago when I boarded a plane back to America.

My son and I had arrived in London a few days earlier for international student enrollment. It felt a bit like cheating. After all, I am British and my husband is, too. My son, however, was born and raised in the States. He knows more about ordering Starbucks than how to make a cup of tea.

I waited in the Quad as my son stood in line to enroll. We had entered the central area of the college through an archway from the street, its large iron gates thrown wide open. Green lawns ran either side of a large paved area.

I sat on one of the benches bordering the grass. Other parents milled around me, speaking in Spanish, French, and Mandarin. Many stopped to take a photograph of their student with the main building in the background. Built in the 1800s, the white neo-Grecian structure with tall columns and a dome at the top dominated the Quad. Long vertical flags hung between the columns with the words: Welcome to University College London.

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The building reminded me of a church. Finding a church was one activity I hoped to help my son complete.

Then I noticed a cart with a sign: Free tea and coffee from the Christian Union.

Enrollment was taking some time. The CU students were packing up their cart. Although I hesitated to get involved, I couldn’t let this opportunity go by.

“I got this for you,” I said, as I handed a card saying Welcome to the CU to my son. “I hope you don’t mind,” I added. “No, that’s great,” he replied.

I spoke to Max by phone the other night. He bubbled with excitement about his new CU friends; they’d hung out all week. Many of his CU friends go to St. Helen’s Church.

“We went to St. Helen’s yesterday,” he said. “Church!” I thought, “In the middle of the week?”

St. Helen’s stands in the center of the City, the financial district of London. It’s twelfth century tower dwarfed by modern skyscrapers with unusual shapes and names, like the Gherkin. It is the largest surviving parish church in the city of London, and sometimes called Westminster Abbey of the City. William Shakespeare lived within its shadow.

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St. Helen’s has stood strong since 1210. It survived the great fire of London in 1666, and the blitz of WWII. It has been restored following damage caused by two IRA bombs that exploded nearby in 1992 and 1993. Yet, St. Helens represents more than a beautiful, solid medieval structure; it is home to a living Christian community.

The people who worship at St Helen’s today are probably far more diverse than those of the thirteenth century, yet no more significant. Men and women who do finance in the City, international workers and students who come for employment and study in London attend St. Helen’s.

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My son joins people who throughout the centuries have worshiped God in this place. These are believers who have passed on the baton of faith to people who worship there today. They stand on the shoulders of the saints who have gone before them.

Knowing this history reassures a mamma three thousand miles away from her child.

Rachel is a British-born writer and speaker. She is passionate about helping women know their true worth so they can live boldly. Raised on the east coast of England, she now lives in New England with her husband and three children. Rachel cannot live without English tea and chocolate. Connect with Rachel at rachelbritton.com, on Facebook and Twitter @racheljbritton and Instagram @rachelj.britton

Reflect:

Do you think about the history of your own church building? The people who have worshiped there in the past? Please comment.

Have you considered who will worship at your church in the future? How will you pass on the baton of faith? Please comment.

Have you left your child at college this year? How did you feel? Please comment.

Renew:

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NIV)

I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. Jude 1:3 (NRSV)

Recharge:

We rejoice to use this glorious place to bear witness to Jesus Christ in the City of London. —http://www.st-helens.org.uk/

September 20, 2016

Fruit or Foliage?

The majestic Hendersonville, North Carolina mountains beckoned my friends. The air was fresh; the breeze was crisp; the sun was glorious; the fellowship was easy. We awakened all excited to visit Sky Top Orchard. We were going on an apple-picking adventure. So many lessons came to my heart on that beautiful orchard about bearing fruit or foliage.

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We pulled into the gravel parking lot and my heart beat quickened. Acres of you-pick apples, jugs of fresh apple cider, and fun hay rides– all waiting for us.

The orchard was brimming with huge apple trees, as far as your eye could see. It was amazing. I climbed to the top of one of the apple trees, teeming with ripened fruit. All I had to do was barely shake the tree limb, and the apples fell effortlessly to the ground. The life application came to mind immediately…

How many of us have driven hours upon hours to the mountains of North Carolina or even flown to the Northeast in the autumn to spend a weekend “leaf looking”? The majestic transformation of the leaves in the mountains or in the Northeast is a sight to behold–for a few weeks. It is amazing to think that this beauty only lasts a mere three weeks or so. Then the leaves fall from the trees, withering and dying on the ground, crunching beneath our feet.

As I climbed down from the apple tree to pick up the buckets of apples on the ground, it occurred to me how fun yet full of hard work truly bearing fruit is. Flashy foliage is so appealing from a distance. Unlike the absolute majesty of “leaf looking,” would you make a special trip to see an apple tree ready to harvest? To see apples hanging on the limbs juicy and ripe, enough to feed a family sustainably for days, weeks, or years if needed? Sadly, the answer may be an under-the-breath “no.”

If you’re like me, at some point you may have started off doing a service for God, only to slack off in just a few weeks and get tired. I confess to you that in my past, some flashy foliage resulted instead of long-time sustainable fruit for God. Bearing fruit for Jesus Christ to better God’s Kingdom is exciting, yet not a glamorous job.

“‘I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples….You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit–fruit that will last.“–John 15:5-8, 16. NIV

May we all take a trip to our own heart’s orchard, knowing we are called to bear much fruit for Jesus. The message is that simple, is that hard. Let’s roll up our sleeves, delve into God’s Word daily, work diligently for the Lord and bear much fruit.

Editor’s Note: Thank you, Patti Lesslie, Lee Warlick, Sarah Lerner, and Renee Konieczny for bearing fruit with me. I love y’all! Photo Credit: Thank you, Renee Konieczny! You are a precious friend and amazing artist.

Reflect:

–What are your plans to bear more fruit? Please comment.

–How can you encourage the “flashy foliage” bearers in your life? Please comment.

Renew:

–“‘ Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.'” –Matthew 7:15-20 NIV

–“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” –Galatians 5:22 NIV

Recharge:

–“If Christ, the heavenly Vine, has taken the believer as a branch, then He has pledged Himself, in the very nature of things, to supply the sap and spirit and nourishment to make it bring forth fruit…The soul need but have one care—to abide closely, fully, wholly. He will give the fruit. He works all that is needed to make the believer a blessing.” –Andrew Murray