Open the Windows of Heaven

By Elin Henderson

“So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, ‘Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?’”

2 Kings 7:2 (NKJV)

What do you think? Are there really windows in heaven where God peers down on the earth below and pours out His love and resources? I don’t know whether they are avenues for us to see little glimpses of this amazing God we serve, or avenues for Him to pour forth His love and resources, but I am thankful for the word picture this verse provides.

Sometimes though, like in this story in 2 Kings 6 & 7, the windows of heaven only swing open when we come to the end of ourselves and our human resources. Samaria is under siege by the Syrians, hopeless and helpless. Then, the prophet Elisha comes along and says to the main officer in Samaria, “Tomorrow your salvation will come!” Obviously the officer on duty questions the validity of this statement and incredulously says (basically), “God will have to open the windows of heaven to do this, there is no other way!” Elisha then responds with, “You better bet He will!”

Sure enough, the Lord sends out four lepers and the entire Syrian army flees. The windows of heaven swing open and the people of Samaria not only get a little glimpse of the power and might of the God of Israel, but also experienced His wonderful provision. They went from the brink of starvation to having abundance!

It is often when we too are in desperate straits that we finally look to Him and realize He is sitting there with His hand on the shutters, ready to throw open the windows of heaven, show us Himself and provide in abundance for our needs. In Malachi 3:10b we are reminded that it isn’t a trickle or a token provision, but a pouring so great that “there will not be room enough to receive it.” May we always keep our eyes looking heavenward, waiting the moment when the shutters swing back and love pours down!

GOING DEEPER:
1. Have you ever had any glimpses into the windows of heaven? How has the Lord shown Himself strong on your behalf and provided in miraculous ways for you…and who have you told?
2. I love the old song He Giveth More Grace. One of its verses says, “When we have exhausted our store of endurance, When our strength has failed ere the day is half done, When we reach the end of our hoarded resources, Our Father’s full giving is only begun.” What does that mean to you today?

FURTHER READING:
Philippians 4:19; Acts 2:17

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.

Do It Gladly

By Brita Crouse

“God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”

Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)

Nervously, I sat staring at the blank email open on my computer screen. The empty page was waiting for me to fill it with words, but I began to second-guess myself that I was doing the right thing. My fingers began to type, but my mind began to race with thoughts discouraging me from sending this email.

I was writing a classmate to share exciting news: some research we found was able to help students at another university become better informed on a certain psychological diagnosis. I was writing to encourage her.  But yet, I couldn’t shake the thoughts that were telling me this was just going to be another email added to the dozens we as students receive daily, that what I had to say could wait, or wasn’t even important enough for her to know.

Maybe this scenario seems silly, but maybe you have been there before too. You are presented with the opportunity to encourage and bless someone, but that opportunity is missed because of thoughts that cause you to doubt. Thoughts like, Oh, they already know or How will they respond? or What if it makes me seem weird?

In the verses above, you can see how Paul is urging us to use our God-given abilities, whether that be teaching, encouraging or showing kindness. Not only are we told to use these talents, we are also told to “speak out,” “serve…well,” “do a good job,” “do it,” “share…generously,” “take the responsibility seriously,” and “do it gladly.”

Reading through these verses has caused me to take these instructions more seriously. How could I not?! This school semester I have set out to challenge myself: to say kind thoughts or encouraging words freely. Why keep them to myself?

God has given each of us certain abilities. Let us show His love by using them to bless others.

I did end up sending that email. And I ended up doing it gladly!

GOING DEEPER:

1.    Think of someone you know who could use some encouragement and kindness this week. Challenge yourself to bless them specifically. Do it gladly!

FURTHER READING:

1 Peter 4:10; 1 John 4:19

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.

Crisis and Journey

By Carolyn Hulliberger

“A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.”

Proverbs 31:10 (The Message, paraphrase)

I’ve been on a journey the last two years. It started with one of those momentous times of change in a mother’s life…her child’s senior year of high school. Every event felt bittersweet during this year of “lasts." The most difficult part during this time was asking God, “What’s next for ME?”

A crisis of sorts began. I felt led to stop actively ministering in most of my “formal” capacities. I needed space and time to transition to this new stage of life. For an ultra-involved person like myself, this was HARD. God had some new things in mind, and He was leading me to make some room for them.

God made it clear that He has placed a tremendous need to nurture in my heart. Dictionary.com defines nurturing as “to feed or protect; to support and encourage; foster; to bring up; train; educate.” Parenting has been my primary method of fulfilling that need for nearly 20 years. Even though my family’s stage is changing - - my internal needs are not. This was such a huge and freeing revelation!

So my journey began…finding new ways to nurture. Here is what God has laid out for me so far:

1.  For years, I have wanted to volunteer with our local women’s shelter. God put it on my heart to become an on-call advocate. In this role, I respond by providing safe transport for someone who needs to stay at the shelter. I also respond to the hospital if there has been an assault victim who requests support. I nurture strangers.

2. I have invested more time in one-on-one relationships. These appointments happen randomly; sometimes it’s lunch, sometimes late evening texts, etc… But I have the availability for these relationships. I nurture friends.

3. Work responsibilities have expanded with a new side job. I nurture the family/college finances.

4. I want to be healthy, both emotionally and physically, for the years ahead. That means making exercise and stress management a new priority. I nurture myself.

So what does this have to do with the Proverbs 31 woman? Take a look at verses 10-31. She nurtures all over the place! She’s a businesswoman, provides for the family and is generous to the poor. She enjoys her life. She is kind, pleasant, wise and has tremendous stamina.

I want to be like her when I grow up, don’t you?

GOING DEEPER:

1.   God has given all of us gifts. Have you taken the time to figure out what yours might be?

2.   Are you using the gifts you’ve been given?

FURTHER READING:

Proverbs 10:31, 11:16, 31:10-31

Carolyn shares her life adventure with her husband, Alan, and two children. She works as an insurance representative and virtual assistant. She serves at Oakwood as a small group co-leader.

Listen…Plan

By Lexi Ellis

“Good friend, take to heart what I’m telling you; collect my counsels and guard them with your life. Tune your ears to the world of Wisdom; set your heart on a life of Understanding.”

Proverbs 2:1 (MSG, paraphrase)

Last year, I passed it every day on my way to work: suited women sitting in fancy chairs. And on this billboard, in large letters it reads, “Before we plan, we listen.” The billboard is for an investment company. From a marketing standpoint, it employs the powerful tactic of appealing to the innate desire to be listened to. Stephen Covey, in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, addresses this art of truly listening rather than just hearing. (1)

Despite the humanistic and marketing draw, I realized this phrase is one applicable to my relationship with God. How often have I planned and forgotten that imperative first step of listening to God? How often I stress and schedule and skip being still, or asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, or reading His Word to allow Him to speak to me.

This is hard for me. I am a planner. I loved the planning part of my wedding; I jump on a chance to plan our vacations; I think and prepare for my students’ learning each day. I thrive on the planning. And I do work on truly listening to others. Yet, it’s so hard to listen first to God, then submit to His plan.

There are countless biblical examples of the essential “listen…then plan.” Scripture is filled with men and women who chose to stop, take time to pray, and listen to God’s direction before planning. And Scripture is equally filled with those who chose to go with their own self-sufficient planning, and we’re able to learn from the havoc and consequences that resulted.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning He awakens; He awakens my ear to hear…The Lord God has opened my ear.” (2)

God has an amazing plan when we choose to listen to His way before making our own plans. God has incredible things when He has our ear to hear. God does remarkable work in our lives and advances His Kingdom when we don’t jump straight to planning without first listening.

 “Before we plan, we listen.” May that be true of us today and every day.

GOING DEEPER:

1. What parts of your life do you need to surrender, lay in front of the Lord, and listen to Him before you continue planning?

FURTHER READING:

Proverbs 2:1-5; Psalm 85:8-9; Matthew 6:33

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) Stephen Covey’s chapter “Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, then be Understood” in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. ©1989 Running Press.

(2) Isaiah 50:4-5 (ESV) 

Rearview Mirror

By Susan Klein

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

Romans 15:4 (NIV)

Whenever I get into my car after my husband has driven it, I need to adjust the rearview mirror. He has 9 inches on me in height, so our vision fields are not quite the same. The earliest of cars were not even equipped with rearview mirrors. Thus, people could only focus on the road ahead, not behind. In her 1909 book, The Woman and the Car, British racing driver Dorothy Levitt noted that women should "carry a little hand-mirror in a convenient place when driving" so they may "hold the mirror aloft from time to time in order to see behind while driving in traffic". [1] Yikes!

We all glance at our rearview mirrors from time to time, partly out of habit, but mostly to be safe. Yet, how much time are we spending looking behind us in life? Some might gaze forlornly into the mirrors of their past, weighed down by former sin and struggles that continue to grip them. The enemy would like nothing better than to keep us backwardly focused. That way, we might not see the forgiveness and love that God so freely holds out in front of us. On the other end of the spectrum, some haphazardly race on ahead into their futures. Completely forgetting about, and not always learning from, what happened in their past.

Many times in the Old Testament, we hear God telling the Israelites to remember what He has done for them. How He has delivered them and continues to provide for them. Likewise, in the New Testament we often hear Paul, Jesus and others admonishing people to remember what happened with their forefathers - - to learn from their errors and trust God. Our personal rearview mirrors not only provide a reminder of past mistakes, but all the good God has done as well. We need not look back mournfully.

Keep in mind that there is a reason why the standard rearview mirror is only about 9 inches wide, and a standard windshield is five or six times that amount. While we are to check our small mirror periodically, the majority of our time should be focused on the big window (of what God is doing) immediately ahead of us.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Might you have a foggy mirror or a dirty windshield that needs cleaning so you can see better?

2. How can you use your personal rearview mirror to aide you in moving forward?

FURTHER READING:

Deuteronomy 32:7-9; Romans 8:1-2; Hebrews 12:1-2

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.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Levitt

The Cross
By Karen D’Amore

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness…”
1 Peter 2:24a (NIV)

A fugitive wanted for murder, he’d been on the run for many years. As the police officer instrumental in his capture, I was disturbed and distracted by the large silver, jewel-encrusted cross hanging from a rope-like chain around his neck. Making reference to his cross necklace I commented, “Nice cross, are you a Christian?” “It’s just a decoration,” he snapped back. It’s a conversation I’ll never forget…and one that has challenged me in the message and handling of the Cross.

Though the Cross is one of the most readily recognized Christian symbols today, many have reduced it to a decorative fashion statement. It was on a wooden cross that Jesus Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, paying the penalty with His own blood. The Cross is not a symbol of doom, but rather a foreshadowing of the triumphant celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. It points to a loving God reaching down to deliver man from the bondage of sin; it points to Jesus who willingly laid down His life for mankind. Jesus not only preached a powerful faith in God, He also lived it. He was faithful to God, and “obedient to the point of death” (Philippians 2:8). Christ crucified! Christ resurrected! A symbol of faith, hope and love…the Cross changes everything.

As Christ-followers, the Cross is a proclamation of our new identity in Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). For believers, the Cross should be reflected in our changed (crucified) lives. As the Cross stands at the center of our lives, it clarifies the purpose for which our Lord created us and died to save us. Its declaration of hope, grace and eternal life anchors our existence and motivates our responses. “Jesus lived His life for you - - then He gave His life to you. Now He wants to live His life through you!” –Jacquelyn K. Heasley  (1)

As we head into the week of Easter, what is your response to the Cross? Is it a decoration or a proclamation?

GOING DEEPER:
1. Consider what the Cross means to you. Is it merely a decorative adornment or a symbol of your crucified life in Christ?
2. When others look at your life, do they see the reflection of the Cross?

FURTHER READING:
Galatians 6:14; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17; Acts 2:23-24

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. 

(1) Quote from Sermonindex.net

Preppers

By Elin Henderson

“ ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near.

Repent and believe the good news!’ ” …

Mark 1:15 (NIV)

Have you seen the show Preppers?  It follows people who are preparing for a variety of doomsdays. Some have huge shelters built underground in which they store up food, water and supplies for months. Others are training themselves and their families in self-defense, while stocking up with enough guns and ammunition to fight off half an army!

Jesus calls us to be preppers, as well: preppers for His Kingdom. He calls us to store up treasures not on this earth, but to store up treasures for the Kingdom that is to come. He calls us to train ourselves to fight the good fight, but not for the kingdoms of this world, rather for His Kingdom! 

This prepper mentality is not one born out of paranoia or conspiracy theories, but out of a sense that this world is not our home. It requires a GOD-focus not a SELF-focus. It’s risky business to be a Kingdom Prepper. The costs are high and the stakes are crazy from a human perspective.  “Lose your life to gain it” (Luke 17:33).  “Be last to be first” (Mark 9:35).  “Be low and let Him lift you up” (James 4:10). These aren’t the slogans of self-preservationists. 

So…are you ready to join the ranks and be named with the crazy Kingdom Preppers of this age?! 

GOING DEEPER:                                               

1.    What are some ways that you can be part of this Kingdom Preppers movement?

2.    How can you help others around you catch the vision, as well?

                                                           

FURTHER READING:

I Corinthians 4:20; Luke 12:31; Luke 4:43

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.

“Don’t Mix the Reds With the Whites!”

By Susan Klein

“One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.”

Romans 14:5 (NIV)

My daughter was visiting the other day and noticed my piles of clothes on the floor waiting to be washed. One tiny pile of three red items sat to the side…

 “You still do your reds separately?” she inquired.

“Of course! Don’t you?”

If you’ve ever washed a load of clothes, especially whites, where a stray red t-shirt got mixed in…Pink becomes the new white!

Everyone grows up with a pocket full of rules. Some rules we carry into our adult life; others we choose to leave on the path behind. Some become more like guidelines, or suggestions, but aren’t necessarily absolute truths. However, each is unique to the person who abides by them. Your rules are yours - - mine are mine. We each choose to follow what works best for us.

That said, there are governing rules that are absolutes. Each person has laws he must obey, mandated by his or her government, or else face the imposed consequences. Many would argue that the Bible has definite rules which we must all obey. So how do we know which ones are absolutes?

In his book, A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God, Larry Osborne proposes that many of the spiritual disciplines we learn about in Scripture are “tools” rather than rules. [1] They are there as guidelines to help us follow God better. The messy part comes in when we look at one tool as a rule for our own personal life, and then we expect others to see it the same way. For example, one might view tithing as a “rule” they’ve chosen to follow, while others use it as a guideline or suggestion to determine their giving.

We often want to help others by sharing our rules with them. If they work for us, why wouldn’t they work for others too, right? Not necessarily. Since most spiritual disciplines are actually “tools,” we are free (by the grace that’s been extended to us) to try them out and see what works best for us. And so is the next person. If I find I need to grow in a particular area, I may pick up a new “tool” to help me. If it doesn’t work, I may cast it aside and try something else. What works for me, may not work for my neighbor.

As for the laundry…perhaps you’re okay with pink?!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Do you tend toward rule-keeping or rule-bending?

2. Are you experiencing the fullness of “grace”?

FURTHER READING:

Galatians 5:1, 13-14; 1Peter 2:13-17

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.

[1] Larry Osborne, A Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God, chapter 18, Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2007.

Who Is This?

By Peggy Kleckner

“Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?’ ”

Mark 4:38 (NLT)

Perhaps you are unfamiliar with this story. Jesus told His disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Plainly, the trip in the boat was His idea. The Scriptures note this, “But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.” Yet the disciples had to wake Jesus who was at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion asleep!

Jesus was not panic-stricken; in fact, He seemed to them unaware of their peril. They don’t call Him by name, they call Him “Teacher.” Clearly this is a name of respect, not familiarity. They have already been fighting the storm on their own, so much so that the boat has begun to take on water.

Students don’t always like to ask questions. I wonder if these students had all been looking at Jesus waiting for Him to get up and do something. Was it perhaps that they felt confident in boat-handling and thought He only knew how to preach? They didn’t ask Him to do anything, they asked Him what each of us seems to wonder at times…doesn’t He care that we are in a difficult situation that certainly looks like it will overcome us?

Have you been there? Are you there now? Are you too wondering if Jesus really cares at all?

These disciples are no different than we are. In the middle of a storm, in a boat, taking on water they are demanding an answer to their heart’s question: Does Jesus care?

What was Jesus’ reply? “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” His response was action and then these words, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They knew Him as “Teacher.” This displayed Jesus as much more, and they were left to ask, “Who is this?” They thought they knew Him, but this didn’t fit their picture and they didn’t know what to do with this revelation. Jesus is much more than a man. He had not called out to God. He had commanded the wind and the waves and they had obeyed.

In our own faith walk we will also come into situations that push us to broaden our view of Jesus. He is always so much more.

GOING DEEPER:

1.  Who is this Jesus to you?

2.  Are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?

FURTHER READING:

John 1:29; John 4:25-26; John 21:12

Peggy is a wife and mother of four adult children - - two sons and two stepsons, and is an active encourager at Oakwood Church in Delafield.

Greater

By Lexi Cole Ellis

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4 (NIV)

Years ago, I had the opportunity to lead a workshop for our women’s retreat on the subject of comparisons. As I prepared, I dug into societal implications of comparing and how they hinder our oneness with God. What started as comparisons with physical appearance soon turned into a realization that we are drowning in comparisons in every facet and role. I just want to be prettier. I just want to be more like _________; she has it all together. I just want to be the best teacher. I wish I was a better ministry leader like _________. I long to be a better mom. ________ really is a better wife than I.   

Whether appearance or performance, these constant, detrimental comparisons often mean we are comparing ourselves to an unknown, unattainable ideal. We don’t know what “better” looks or feels like; we just know it’s not us. This results in never really accomplishing our standard of perfection.

As I struggle with rejecting self-deprecating, life-sucking comparisons in my own life, I’ve come to appreciate the comparisons in life that are  life-giving. There’s incredible hope, peace and a release of guilt that comes with surrendering our thoughts of unhealthy comparisons over to the God who knows and is greater.

Chris Tomlin’s song, “Our God,” is filled with comparisons words…the good kind. He identifies God as greater, stronger and higher than any other. Recently, as I listened to this song on the radio, singing along with the familiar chorus, I realized that it felt incomplete. For me, I felt God speaking to me, adding to the comparisons. I grabbed my phone and started using the speaking function as I spoke what His Spirit was saying:

Our God is greater… {than my circumstance.}

Our God is stronger… {than my fear.}

God, you are higher than any other…{insecurities I have.}

Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God! [1]

The single best and healthiest comparison is that God is bigger and stronger. As we go through storms and struggles, may we cling to the truth that He is higher than all…and that praising Him means working through and rejecting the unhealthy comparisons we mentally entertain. May we be children of God who actively pursue His healthy comparisons.

GOING DEEPER:

1. Spend time with the Lord. How is His Spirit adding onto the lyrics for you today?  Fill in the blanks: “Our God is greater than ________.”

2. Take time to listen to the song, “Our God” today. (Click HERE to listen to it.)

FURTHER READING:

Ephesians 6:10; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Psalm 46:1

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.azlyrics.com/lyrics/christomlin/ourgod.html, brackets added