The Twisted Tree

By Brita Crouse

“And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”

Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

“Only in the Midwest…,” my classmates and I complained as we stepped outside into the unexpected April snow. It was a cold and dreary spring day and the current weather was making us all irritable. As we walked between buildings to get to class, I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by an enormous tree, standing unassumingly in the middle of a courtyard. I made this walk every week and I had never really noticed this tree before.

I lost step with my friends as I paused to look at the dozens of gnarled, twisting branches and the grooved, weathered bark. The tree didn’t have any leaves yet, so there it stood, completely uncovered, vulnerable. It had a strong, thick trunk, which must have kept it in place for many decades. Years of sunshine, rain, and fresh air grew this tree from seed to its present state. It was tall, towering over me at an intimidating height. Its unique beauty held my attention and left me standing in awe.

That tree is not unlike our relationship with Christ. I’m sure the tree analogy is nothing new; I have heard it many times. But, after seeing this old, tough, beautiful tree, the analogy was brought to life.

The seed of faith was planted early for me, but it wasn’t without constant care and support and admonishing that I was able to grow and flourish in my love for God. As my roots grew “down into Him,” I was able to build my life on Him as the foundation.

Life is not without its storms though. Just as the tree showed signs of trial, I have places in my own life where there are branches that are twisted, places where the bark has been stripped away and weathered from the blowing wind and pelting rain. Yet, there is beauty in this, as well.

If we are deeply rooted in Christ, we can experience an overflow of thankfulness because of our faith, despite any storm we may be experiencing. I know that is easier said than done. Yet because of our faith, we can boldly face any of life’s storms because all trees require water to grow and flourish!

GOING DEEPER:

1.  How is your   faith like a tree?

2.  Are you or someone you know experiencing one of life’s storms? Reflect on and discuss how this

storm can make your faith more deeply rooted.

FURTHER READING:

Job 29:19; Ephesians 3:17; Jeremiah 17:7-8

Brita recently moved back to her home state of Wisconsin where she works as an Elementary School Counselor. She and her family have attended Oakwood for 20 years.

Marriage Tears

By Kelley Kuphall

Love the Lord your God: with all your heart!

With all your soul! With all your mind! With all your strength!

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)

Years ago, I was crying in church...before the sermon even started. The husband on the video said his wife was his best friend and she said that's how it started and that's how it will end. [1] I had tears in my eyes, but I was able to hold them back from falling. Just like I was holding everything back, even my heart to God's working.

Then my pastor [2] started to preach, and his openness made me feel like he was talking to just us - -  sitting in the 11^th row. Everything from the series was sinking in and the weight of my superego starting pouring out. I was crying for my selfishness and sin. Crying for my friend’s marriage ending in divorce and for our own marriage - -  not entirely bad, but is it what God would call “good”? How were we honoring God when we only aspire to glorify each other? My heart was breaking for the things of God again. How can God take something so ugly and make it beautiful?

I heard a quote that’s stuck with me: “Love God the most and you will love each other more.” I have this hanging up in our dining room, and yet, I forget about the “loving God” part. Of course I love God. But more than my husband? More than myself? The series at church has been driving home the truth that problems in a marriage are not just between the husband and wife, but between each individual’s relationship with God.

We sang “Take it all, Take it all, my life in your hands” and “All to Jesus I surrender” in the closing song. As I sang, I asked myself: Do I really want Jesus to take it all? Can I really say I surrender it all to Him? And that's when I had to ask for my husband's hanky. It was that uncontrollable, shoulder-shaking, nose-sniffling cry that was probably very evident to the rows behind us, but it felt so good to release my inner struggles and give it to the One who not only created me, but created my life and family. He knows the hurt and heartache, the old wounds and doubts. Why not let Him heal it? I checked the box on our communication card that we would like to speak to someone about our marriage. Let's be honest and vulnerable in our Christian walk, so others can see Christ both working in and changing our lives.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are you willing to surrender your marriage to the Lord so that He can take it all and use it for His glory?

FURTHER READING:

2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Ephesians 5:1-2; Ephesians 5:22-33

Kelley’s a wife and mom who works part-time at a Christian counseling clinic and has a personal direct sales business. Kelley serves with Oakwood’s worship team and is the coordinator for the HeartLove Place Birthday Cake ministry.

[1] Watch Ted and Judy’s story by clicking HERE.

[2] Roger Ellis, April 26, 2015: “Hitched: to Struggle.” Watch the sermon by clicking HERE.

Children of Light

By Karen D’Amore

“For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of Light.”

Ephesians 5:8 (NIV)

The conflict erupted over a light! As my husband was trenching to run electricity to the outermost corner of our wooded four acres, a neighbor interrupted his trenching. When asked what he was doing, my husband informed her that he was installing a lamp post to illuminate one of our walking trails. With a hyper-sensitivity for her privacy, the neighbor expressed resistance over our plan to install the light. Even after showing her that the light would not be visible from where her house is situated on her own wooded property, she still continued to dispute the light.

My husband and I wrestled  through much discussion from two opposing perspectives. From a perspective of “entitlement,” we certainly believed we had every right to put a light on our own property. We were also well aware that opting for “entitlement” would be a decision carrying potential to create major friction with our neighbor. As believers, who are called to live as children of “THE Light” and we needed to consider the perspective as ambassadors for Christ.

Ephesians 5:9 says, “for the fruit of THE Light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth” (NIV, emphasis added). As children of Light, following God produces the fruit of righteousness. This righteousness encompasses all that is consistent with the holy character of God. While children of darkness live to please themselves, children of Light should live to please God. After being saved by faith in Christ, we’re not merely improved; we are radically transformed from darkness to serving the Light. This change in our condition should be reflected by change in our conduct.

That change in conduct oftentimes means we’re called by God to waive our rights to exercise the fruit of righteousness. It means we make decisions to forego what brings us delight so that we can maintain peace with others. As children of Light, sacrificing a desire like a lighted walk in the woods is a small price to pay in order to walk in obedience. Choosing to embrace opportunities to glorify God, we extend the love of Jesus to those around us…asking Him to use those decisions to relinquish our rights to impact hearts for the Kingdom of God.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are you struggling with the “entitlement” trap, resisting righteousness versus your “rights”?
2.  How can you relinquish those “rights” and choose to better reflect the fruit of a child of the Light?

FURTHER READING:

Colossians 1:10; Isaiah 2:5

 Married to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and a Foot Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. 

Unlikely Circumstances

By Susan Klein

“Here am I. Send me.”

Isaiah 6:8b (NIV)

I love the movie One Night With The King,  a story about Esther. One of my favorite lines in the movie is when Mordecai proclaims that Esther has been placed in her unlikely circumstance of being chosen as wife by the king “…for such a time as this.”  He knows she now possesses influence to save her people from harm. God is like that, placing people in unlikely circumstances in order to do something they’d never have otherwise done.

Scripture is filled with such stories. Joseph is sold into slavery, so he can eventually end up serving a king and providing for his people during a famine. Miriam puts baby Moses in a basket. He ends up being raised in Pharaoh’s household, so he can eventually lead his people out of Egypt. David, as a boy, is sent to merely take food to the Israelite soldiers facing the Philistines in battle, but he is used by God to slay the giant Goliath with his simple slingshot.

Have you ever wanted to be used by God in such a mighty way? Have you ever thought, “My life is so ordinary, how can God possibly use me for something so big?” 

But maybe He already has? Perhaps He’s used you (like Miriam and David) in a situation that seemed small and insignificant at the time, but it started a chain reaction of events that He used for a bigger purpose. We aren’t always privy to what God does behind the scenes. Maybe the question we really ought to be asking is, “How can I be used by God in simple ways?”

Recently, my daughter and I were coming out of a restaurant. In the parking lot, a teenage boy approached us and asked to use our phone. He was stranded and was trying to get to a relative’s house. We were not in a familiar area and knew, in a world where bad things happen, that this complete stranger could have been setting us up.

Long story short, we ended up spending an hour with him, in our car, driving several miles to another town. He thanked us as we approached his destination. We replied, “Please don’t thank us. Thank God for putting us in that place at that time so we could be of help.”

As we made the long drive home, we reflected how God had taken us out of our comfort zone to do something that we might never have otherwise done. I wonder how He might be using this unlikely little circumstance?

GOING DEEPER:

1. What unlikely place might God be desiring to use you?

2. Is your heart open and available?

FURTHER READING:

Matthew 5:16; Hebrews 10:24; 1 Peter 2:12

Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group. She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through conflict.

The Meaning of Freedom

By Tracy Smith

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)

We know where the Spirit of the Lord is

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is liberty

We know living in your freedom

living in your freedom, we see your glory

We know where the Spirit of the Lord is

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is liberty. [2]

Here it is Memorial Day … and as the July 4^th holiday is next, I find myself thinking about the word freedom and what is means. The Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary lists many meanings, but this is the one that caught my eye, “c : the quality or state of being exempt or released, usually from something onerous.” [1]

In relation to our country, our forefathers wanted to be released from the constraints England was forcing upon us as one of their colonies. These men saw belonging to England as something onerous and something they needed to be free from. Because of this belief, they took the necessary and hard step to declare war and fight for their freedom. Due to this strength and bravery, the United States celebrates July 4th as our Independence Day.

In relation to our spiritual life, the above definition of freedom also applies. We all have something in our life that weighs us down and robs us of our freedom. Galatians 5:1 (The Message, paraphrase) says, “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.”  Jesus Christ took the necessary and hard step to die for our sins and to set us free.

Today, as we remember those who have given their lives so we can stay free and as we look forward to celebrating our nation’s independence, let us be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States…and the freedoms we enjoy as a child of God!

GOING DEEPER:

1.  Will you spend some time in prayer today thanking Him for the freedom we have in Him?

2.  If you know a member of the military, will you thank them for the sacrifices they make to keep our country free?

FURTHER READING:

John 8:36; Psalm 118:5

Along with being a wife and mother to two teenage sons, Tracy is a ministry assistant at Oakwood and works with a great group of High School girls.

[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freedom

[2] Tomlin, Chris. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is.” Passion: Awakening, Six Step Records, 2010.

Chipping Away

By Jeannine Sawall

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)

There is a story about a sculptor who was working on a current project. He was carving a wolf out of a large stone. As a man stood by watching the sculptor chip a little bit away here and a little bit away there, he asked the sculptor how he knew what to carve off. The sculptor stopped what he was doing for a moment, looked at the man and said “I chip away whatever doesn’t look like a wolf. When I’m done chipping away those unwanted parts, then I will have a wolf.”

We are like that block of stone in the hands of God. While God loves us just the way we are, He loves us too much to leave us in our raw state. He desires for us to become more and more like Jesus. He wants us to grow and change and reflect His Son’s nature in our nature. He does this by chipping away those things that are not like His Son. Even though the chipping away can be painful at times, it means we aren’t stuck with the nasty, unlikeable things in our nature. God is working to change those things.

As Christians, we want to bear the image of Jesus. Not because it makes God happy; He already loves us in our imperfect state and not because it will help us get to heaven. Christ died on the cross and did the work of salvation for all men. No, we want reflect the image of Christ because it’s His image shown through us that draws others to Him and His glory. As we become more and more Christ-like in our nature, people are drawn to that “thing” that makes us so different. They’re drawn to Jesus in us, which becomes more and more apparent as our old nature is chipped away.

Having our rough edges chipped away can be a long and tedious process; however, the beauty that lies beneath is worth the lessons learned and the time required. It’s no mystery, we are flawed people and we will never see perfection this side of heaven. However, if we allow God to work in our hearts, chipping away all those things that are un-Christlike, we’ll soon bear the image of Jesus and His glory more and more.

GOING DEEPER:

1. What areas in your life does the Lord need to chip away at?

2. Who in your life needs to see Christ’s image in you?

Further Reading:

Romans 12:2; Romans 8:29; Isaiah 64:8

Jeannine is a wife and mother of four great boys. She works in the property management business. Jeannine serves in several behind-the-scenes ministries at Oakwood and has a heart for those who are grieving.

The Ice Cream Cone

By Brita Crouse

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:10 (NIV)

It was a hot and humid day; sunny skies with the threat of a summer storm in the distance. I was in a different country, surrounded by a group of chatty teenage girls, and I was feeling overwhelmed by my new surroundings. But, mostly I was just feeling hot. We were making the mile walk to a nearby pond to go swimming and escape the heat.

One bold girl in the group held my hand and walked in step with me as we made our way toward the relief of the cool water. I distracted myself from the temperature by asking her lots of questions about her favorite things, to which she politely responded. We discovered that one thing in particular we had in common was our love of ice cream. A few minutes into our walk, she ran to another adult in the group and, in her native language, insisted we make a stop at a local convenience store. The girl ran inside the small shop and a few minutes later emerged with two strawberry ice cream cones. One for her, one for me.

I was praying for a better understanding of Christ’s sacrifice for us during this Easter season when God brought to mind this sacrificial moment. This girl, who had very few material possessions, used her limited spending money on me, a virtual stranger. She had no idea what her impact on me would be. It was the best ice cream I’ve ever had (and I really love ice cream). She demonstrated Christ’s love by giving, even when she had very little to give. And it got me thinking, do I live my life like this?

In my own little world, I collect more “stuff” with each passing birthday and holiday. Rarely do I give away what I have. It’s not very often I use what I can offer to bless others. There is always an excuse, a reason why “I can’t.” There will always be excuses, but I am wondering what life would look like if we put the excuses aside and lived sacrificially?

Jesus showed us the greatest example of sacrifice by giving up His life for us. In our lives, we have the chance to tell others about this sacrifice, not only through words, but through our actions as well.

Living sacrificially is not an easy task, but there is much joy in it. Sometimes all it takes is sharing an ice cream cone.

GOING DEEPER:

1.    When have you been shown sacrificial love?

2.    How can you live more sacrificially?

FURTHER READING:

John 15:12; 1 John 3:16

Brita recently moved back to her home state of Wisconsin where she works as an Elementary School Counselor. She and her family have attended Oakwood for 20 years.

Pivotal Prayer

By Vernette Kureck

“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.’”

Luke 22:41-42 (ESV)

 Some days can be so overwhelming! I’m sure you have probably seen the maxim, “Life is fragile, handle with prayer.” When I was a young mom, there were nights that seemed to be days caused by sick or irritable children…needing prayer. Then with teenagers, there were the days that had never-ending nights, causing all-time exhaustion...and prayer. Working and taking care of elderly parents certainly had its challenges. And now, grandparenting has been a little less consuming…unless you’re talking about prayer!

Do you ever wonder about Jesus and His prayer life? How often did He pray? And what do you think he thought he could ask his Father? Scripture gives us a picture of Jesus praying day and night. And I’ve concluded that He could ask His Father anything. His request in the Garden was the biggest thing He could ask: “Remove this cup from me.” He explicitly knew it was the whole reason He came to earth, but now He is asking God His Father to change the plan. The entire destiny of mankind rests on this prayer. It’s a pivotal prayer.

The dictionary defines “pivot” as a person/thing upon which an important matter hinges or turns. Jesus knew what was coming and what was at stake: not just about the physical suffering, but the ultimate spiritual separation from the Father with whom he had been since before the beginning. The sins of the world were about to be placed on Him. “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat become like great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

I have had serious prayer requests, but I know I have never sweat blood in my prayer life. (To be honest, I most likely have not even worked up a sweat.) Yet, in this pivotal moment in the Garden, the key word in Jesus’ prayer is “Nevertheless” - - Jesus aligns His will with God’s will. He has literally poured his heart out to God in prayer and revealed His human desire, all the while surrendered to His Father’s pivotal answer.

I’m grateful that Jesus showed his true humanity in asking…and, because of His example, I know that as His daughter, I can ask God anything. Nevertheless, I also want to pray…His will be done.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Thank Jesus for his willful obedience.

2. What issue do you need to earnestly pray about and align with God’s will?  

FURTHER READING

Matthew 6:7-15

Vernette and her husband Ken have been married 50

 years. They have been blessed with two sons and eight grandchildren.  She serves Oakwood on the prayer chain and with Family Promise.   

Beyond Abilities

By Elin Henderson

“For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing.”

2 Corinthians 8:3 (NKJV)

         

How often we measure our life and our accomplishments past, present and future by our abilities. We look at our measure of strength and from that, we say “I’ll take that job, it falls within my list of abilities, but that one there is a little too beyond me.” In my life and ministry here in Mozambique, the Lord is constantly reminding me to be open to be used beyond my abilities. I am not a teacher, but am called to homeschool my kids with minimal resources and minimal ability/knowledge. My language skill is low, but I’m called to speak into the lives of the people around me and teach literacy classes, stretching far beyond my abilities. On and on the list goes.

In your life, I am sure you can find similar circumstances occurring. God’s power is unleashed into our lives when we are “freely willing,” like the Macedonians Paul was speaking of here, to be used beyond our abilities! Then, we truly experience that for which we have been created; to be used of Him and allowing Him to live His life and purposes out through us with an unexplainable strength.

One of my favorite preachers of old is Phillips Brooks. He was ministering in the US around the time of Abraham Lincoln and has a quote that I keep close by to remind myself to be available “beyond my abilities.”

“Do not pray for easier lives; pray to become stronger men.

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers;
Pray for powers equal to your tasks.

Then your life shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle.

Each day you shall wonder at that which is wrought in you
by the Grace of God.” (1)

May your life be a testimony and miracle of the impossible as you freely and willingly go beyond your abilities by His strength!

         

GOING DEEPER:

1. If you were to make a list of your abilities, what would it look like? How about the things that are beyond your abilities?
2. Do you feel the Lord calling you to any of those areas? Today, “pray for powers equal to your tasks, not tasks equal to your powers.”

FURTHER READING:

Luke 18:27; John 8:28-29

Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with Ethnos 360 in Mozambique, Africa.  Elin is mother to eighteen-year-old Callie and fifteen-year-old Elias.

(1) Phillips Brooks – all sermons and quotes available online at The Project Gutenberg Ebook.

Our Anchor

By Susan Klein

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. For I am the Lord, your God.

Isaiah 43:2a, 3a (NIV)

In the internationally-acclaimed film Beasts of the Southern Wild,  a hurricane devastates a remote part of Louisiana. As a little girl named “Hushpuppy” and her dad ride around in his makeshift boat surveying the damage and looking for survivors, she has some rather poignant reflections for a six-year-old. Staring into the water, she muses, For the animals that didn’t have a dad to put them in a boat, the end of the world already happened. They’re all down below trying to breathe through water.

Do you ever feel like you’re beneath the storm waters of life, wondering if you’ll make it to the surface so you can breathe again? Or maybe you’ve made it to the top, but have no strength left to heave your body over the edge of the boat to safety. Do you need a dad to lift you up and place you securely in the boat?

Beloved, you need not be overcome by the floodwaters. No matter how raging your storm is, the end of the world has not yet come for you. You have a heavenly Father who cares. He will pick you up and carry you through all of life’s difficulties, just as He promised His people in the book of Isaiah. He is the same God today, ready with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm to lift you into His lifeboat and keep you from drowning. He is your anchor, your life raft, your security. No storm is too great, no circumstance too difficult for Him to overcome. He is the calm in your storm. Cling to The Anchor!

For those who reject the Father’s hand, the end of the world has indeed already happened. Unless they make the choice to receive His help, and believe the soul-saving act of His Son, they are already perishing. But there is always hope. Our heavenly Father desires that no one should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

In the movie, Hushpuppy’s dad wasn’t prone to show affection, but through this one act, she realized how very much he loved her and would not let her die. How much more must our heavenly Father love us if He will not only rescue us from life’s storms, but also gave His Son’s life to save our souls from eternal destruction!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Do you know for sure you have the blessed assurance of salvation God has offered to you? (If not, please email us at info@oakwoodnow.org and ask how you might receive this assurance.)

2. How will you demonstrate that you confidently trust Him to be your anchor when the storms of life are pressing in?

FURTHER READING:

John 16:33; Psalm 22:8, 24; Isaiah 41:10, 13

Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group. She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team, helping people work through conflict.

Both

By Lexi Cole Ellis

The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! TheLord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren the entire family is affected - - even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT)

Two songs were playing on the radio. As I was switched back and forth between the two Christian radio stations, one song proclaimed God’s love is like a waterfall while the other declared God roaring like a lion. The polar opposites made me smile as I envisioned the imagery… God’s love gushing over like water falling but then God’s power synonymous with the commanding roar of a lion. Both pictures are accurate from a theological standpoint.

So if both are true, is there a contradiction? It seems like it. Or perhaps our minds and our language wrestle with the idea that God can be both because of the limits of our “human-ness.”

The reality is, without both songs, I miss out if I focus on one attribute of God because I don’t see the fullness of both (sometimes seemly incompatible) characteristics. How easy it is to focus on the facets or statements of God I like, and choose to ignore parts that show the opposite. I like the parts about strength…but I’d rather ignore the part about serving. I like verses about receiving…but do I have to see the “both” of giving to receive? [1] In the verse above, it’s easier to focus exclusively on the compassionate and gracious God, the one who forgives and loves. Verse seven talks about punishment for the guilty and future generations’ experiencing the consequences of that sin. Hmmm…not really a fan of that part. How can God be the God of both?

At the end of the day, that’s where trust and faith comes in. While I am called into a relationship with God, I am not His equal in understanding His ways and His attributes. I resonate with what God says in Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” (NIV)

Part of being in an active and growing relationship with God means that we’re willing to wrestle with the “both’s” that seem contradictory…and are willing to trust when it doesn’t make sense. I’m thankful that flipping back and forth between the two songs reminded me to stop ignoring the parts of Scripture that I don’t naturally cling to and realize that the “both’s” reveal how incredibly complete God is.

GOING DEEPER:

1. What are some of the characteristics of God that you tend to ignore?
2. What parts of God’s “both” in Scripture do you need to address?

GOING FURTHER:

Philippians 2:1-11; Psalm 33:3-4

Lexi’s family consists of her, her husband, Andrew, her daughter, Sloane, and her dog, Calvin. She teaches sixth grade Reading and Writing and serves with Children’s Ministries.

 [1] http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/seven-great-bible-paradoxes-rodelio-mallari-sermon-on-bible-truth-151576.asp