http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/default.aspx?forumid=14 en-US FuseTalk.Net (http://www.fusetalk.com) Rob Mehner http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1364 2010-08-29 7:56 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1364comments -1 <i><b>But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. - Philippians 3:7-16 </b></i> <br> <br>My small group studied this passage the other night and picked up on Paul's calling to attain what we have already attained; which seems a bit odd. He points out clearly that it is, in fact, Christ who has attained our place in him - his righteousness and not ours. We are called to have faith in him. But when we are found in him then we still press on toward a life "lived up to" what we have attained - being "in Christ." <br> <br>I suppose it is like knowing you've won a race and then striving to run like the winner of the race. <br> <br>- Rob Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1363 2010-08-24 12:07 PM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1363comments -1 We have been listening to a series on <b>Insomnia:What Keeps You Up At Night?</b> <br> <br>So what keeps you up at night? I know that my issues are all around my inability to truly trust God; to trust Him with the future, with my failures, with my children and husband, with all that I deeply care about. <br> <br>The crazy thing is that I have absolutely no right not to trust Him. I know from experience that He is faithful. <br> <br>I'm encouraged by this story about the Israelites: <br> <br><b>1 Samuel 7:7-12 (New Living Translation) <br> <br> 7 When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. 8 “Don’t stop pleading with the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel. 9 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered him. <br> <br> 10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. 11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way. <br> <br> 12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”</b> <br> <br>You have probably been, and may now be, in a situation where you too were badly frightened at what was approaching and you pleaded with the Lord to save you. I have been there. And I can say, like Samuel did that day, that up to this point the Lord has helped me. <br> <br>That gives me hope and courage for the future, even as the next unsettling thing approaches. <br> <br>Sleep Well <br> <br>-Angela Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1359 2010-08-16 9:50 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1359comments -1 Christine Caine was one of the speakers we heard at the Leadership Summit almost 2 weeks ago. She is a dynamic young woman who has decided to make a difference in her world. God is using her all over the world to raise awareness about human trafficking and to be a part of rescuing women from hopeless lives of slavery. Her life is inspiring. <br> <br>One thing she said in the follow up web conversation last week has stayed with me. As people look to her to know how to make a difference themselves in the world, she says, <br> <br><b>"Your burning bush will find you. You may be tending your father in law's sheep in the desert when it does! Be faithful where you are."</b> <br> <br>So many times we look for the extraordinary task, and what God is asking us to do is the task at hand. He asks us to be faithful where we are, to meet the needs of those who are right in front of us, to love hurting people among us, to be His hands and feet here and not. <br> <br>Amazingly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary when we dare to love and serve where we are. <br> <br>In Matthew 25 Jesus told a parable about a master who gave his servants tasks. Upon returning to see what they had done with the opportunity he had given them, the master had these words to say to 2 of the servants: <br> <br><b>"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' </b> verse 21 <br> <br>I pray that we will be found faithful where we are with the tasks at hand, that we will not be blind to the needs around us as we look for bigger tasks. <br> <br>May we be found faithful! <br> <br>-Angela <br> <br> Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1323 2010-07-19 10:49 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1323comments -1 <b>We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.</b> <br>2 Corinthians 4:8-9 <br> <br>Have you ever felt hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted or struck down? We were never promised that we would not experience those things in this life. Being followers of Christ does not exempt us from pain and suffering. <br> <br>The bigger question is this: Have you ever felt crushed, experienced despair, been abandoned, even destroyed? <br> <br>The very good news is this; Christ came to walk with you and give you strength through hardship so that you will never be crushed or in despair. You are never abandoned and nothing can destroy you because of who He is! <br> <br>Are you aware of what an amazing God this is? <br> <br>I pray that you will find His strength to be sufficient for you no matter what you face today. <br> <br>If you have not yet accepted Him as your Savior, I pray that this would be the day for you to find Him to be all that you need! <br> <br>-Angela Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1224 2010-06-22 6:56 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1224comments -1 Do you feel like your fate is sealed? Does it seem that your situation will never change? On Father's Day we heard differently. <br> <br>In Daniel 6 Daniel's fate also appeared to be sealed. <br> <br><b> 17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. </b> <br> <br>As we read on however, we learn that God had more to say about Daniel's situation. <br> <br><b> 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions' den. 20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?" <br> <br> 21 Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." </b> <br> <br>Could it be possible that God has more to say and more to work out in your situation as well? The same God who saw Daniel's sealed fate is still at work today and is still able to rescue. Serve Him continually, regardless of how your circumstances look, and watch for Him to be faithful to you. <br> <br><b>Philippians 4:6</b> <br><b>Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. </b> <br> <br>-Angela <br> Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1222 2010-06-17 9:48 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1222comments -1 When my children were pre-schoolers, I had them all in the van one day and my 4 year old said from the back of the van, "Mommy, does the Bible say not to worry?" I told her that it did, feeling very spiritual as I quoted: <b>"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7</b> <br> <br>Then she said, "So does that mean that worrying is a sin?" That's when I stopped feeling so spiritual and realized that God had just used my 4 year old to point out my sin to me. <br> <br>In the women's summer class we're doing the book <i>Respecatable Sins: Confronting the Sins we Tolerate.</i> Today I'm reading about anxiety. Here I am, almost 20 years later, and I'm once again aware of my tendency to worry and my lack of trust in God to take care of me and the people I care about in every way. <br> <br><b>"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7</b> <br> <br>Don't worry about anything, tell God what you need, thank Him, <b>then</b> you will experience His peace. <br> <br>I will experience His peace, not because He will do everything exactly they way I ask Him to in my prayers. But the asking and then thanking reminds me of how He has already been faithful to me and that I can trust Him to continue to be faithful. <br> <br>I want the peace of God to guard my heart and my mind. But I have to choose to lay down my anxiety and trust that He is good and able to care for me! <br> <br>-Angela (recovering worrier) Rob Mehner http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1212 2010-06-03 7:12 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1212comments -1 Over the next few days, we'll be having a conversation about what I see as the basic call of the New Testament after the four gospels. I'll lay out my proposal in this post and then take a look at Scripture over the next several days to see what it has to say. <br> <br>If the call of the gospels is "repent and believe," I think the call of the remaining books is "abide and obey." <br> <br>Abiding means "living in" or "making one's home in." The call of the New Testament is to make our home in Christ as he and the Father make their home in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Abiding is an active verb and includes daily scripture reading, prayer, meditation, worship and many other creative ways in which we place ourselves in God's presence. <br> <br>Obedience is pretty straight forward - to do what we are told. Did you bristle when you read that stated so bluntly? It's not easy for individualistic, self-reliant types to simply do what we're told. When we abide in Christ, the Spirit directs our thoughts and actions to those of Christ, and obedience is our following that direction. It involves submitting to God - recognizing God id God and we are not. (Sound familiar from this past weekend?) <br> <br>Here we go! <br> <br>- Rob Angela Beise http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1199 2010-05-12 1:56 PM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1199comments -1 Is Jesus enough for me? Is HE my portion? <br> <br>Psalm 142:5 says: <b>"I cry to you, O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living."</b> <br> <br>The New Living Translation says it like this: <b>"Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, "You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life"</b> <br> <br>I have been searching my heart and asking myself that question, "Is he really what I want in life?" Or do I really want to be safe and healthy and secure and blessed? Is He my ticket to those things? Do I come before Him and try to do enough so that He'll do what I ask Him to do? Do I come before Him to beg Him to fix things or give me things? Or do I want HIM? Is He really enough for me? <br> <br>Chris Tomlin sings: <br> <br><b>All of You is more than enough for all of me, for every thirst and every need. <br>You satisfy me with Your love and all I have in You is more than enough</b> <br> <br>Is His love satisfying me? Is all I have in Him more than enough for me? <br> <br>I'm praying for Him to fill me so full of Himself that He really is enough for me...all that I need...all that I long for and run after.....then my heart won't be troubled by what is happening to me or around me. My hope will be fully set on Him. My faith will not be shaken. <br> <br>Take me there, Lord. <br> <br>-Angela Rob Mehner http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1198 2010-05-11 6:26 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1198comments -1 From the Lenten Reader this morning; Christina Rossetti, an acclaimed, nineteenth-century, English poet asks of God four basic things. <br> <br><b>1. The gracious gift of the fear of God at such a level that it "tread underfoot all other fear." <br> <br>2. Purification of heart such that all things in our lives become pure and that we may see God. <br> <br>3. Removal of all idols from our hearts and any stumbling block of iniquity from before our eyes. <br> <br>4. Freedom from falsehood; a purging of lies.</b> <br> <br>These four things are a great resource for entering into prayer, particularly if your prayer time has been dry lately. <br> <br> <br>- Rob Rob Mehner http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1192 2010-05-03 6:29 AM -05.00 http://blog.lacroixchurch.org/blog/messageview.aspx?catid=179&threadid=1192comments -1 <i><b>...the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. - John 14:31b <br> <br>Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. - John 14:21 <br> <br>I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:34-35</b></i> <br> <br>Our God is a god of revelation; in other words, he seeks to be known. How he is known to us is by love - when we love Jesus. How he is known to the world through us is by love - when we love one another. But this love Jesus speaks of is not a gooey emotion, but rather an active obedience. It is what it was from the beginning; choosing to submit to and obey God rather than seeking my own lordship. <br> <br>Jesus asks nothing of us that he did not model. Was his love of the Father passionate? Of course. Was it characterized by feelings? Certainly not. It was characterized by Jesus' obedience even unto death - death on a cross for you and for me. That's love of Father and love of brother! <br> <br>- Rob