Finishing the Race with Endurance

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV).

Hebrews 11, that great chapter sometimes referred to as the “Hall of Faith,” gets a lot of attention—and rightfully so. Not only do those powerful verses summarize the lives of many who lived by their faith but also those who died for it, which I believe is something we needed to be reminded of often. However, if we stop there we miss the application of those great examples of faith.

Chapter 12 of Hebrews begins with that famous “call to action” word, THEREFORE. The word ties the previous verses to the ones that are to come. In other words, take those dynamic words you just read and do something with them! Hebrews 12:1 wants us to understand that all those who lived in faith before us did not do so in vain. Not only did they triumph in their own faith, whether they lived victorious lives or suffered heroic deaths, but they did so as examples for us. THEREFORE we too must live and die by faith in the One who went before us and now lives within us. That type of victorious, faith-filled life and death is epitomized by the words “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Each of us runs a different race but with the same Finish Line in sight—to cross from this temporal, broken world into the presence of the Author and Finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ. May it be said of us, as of those heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11, that we “finished well,” as endurance runners and not as sprinters who break out of the gates to the sounds of a cheering crowd, only to drop out when we become tired or exhausted or tempted.

Only God can carry us safely to that eternal Finish Line, but like the saints of old, we must commit to finish the race at any cost.

Enchanting Read!

Seriously, enchanting isn't a word I use often or lightly, but it fits A Prisoner of Versailles by Golden Keyes Parsons. You really do NOT want to miss this book, as it has romance, adventure, and historical value. I encourage you to order a copy--in fact, check out Golden's website and get in on the entire series, as well as her other books. Find her at www.goldenkeyesparsons.com

Have You Set Your Love on God?

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;…

With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation” (Psalm 91:14, 16).

Just hours before my mom passed into the presence of her Savior, I read Psalm 91 to her. That has long been one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, but it seemed fresh to me as I read it aloud that morning and pondered what it meant to set our love upon Christ. I believe it’s important to consider that statement, as the following promises within that chapter are dependent upon our fulfilling that particular condition.

To say we love the Lord is no light statement. When we love others, we usually want to spend time with them. We honor them with our words and our actions. We tell other people about them. We consider their desires and feelings when making choices in our own lives.

I’ve been contemplating those aspects of love quite a bit since that day at my mother’s bedside. Nothing brings our focus to the eternal more than someone’s passing from this earth, does it? And well it should. For one day we will each walk through that “valley of the shadow of death.” Will we confidently be able to say at that moment that we have set our love upon Him? Today is the day to make that choice. Loving Him will enable us to love others as ourselves—and that, as Jesus reminded us, is the fulfillment of all the Law and the Prophets.

When a Loved One "Graduates" to Heaven

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,

concerning those who have fallen asleep,

lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,

even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NKJV).

On Wednesday, August 3, just a few minutes past noon, my husband and I sat at my 90-year-old mother’s bedside and watched her slip into eternity. What mixed emotions accompanied her “graduation to heaven,” though we’d long anticipated it. We knew we were saying goodbye to her earthly body, but “until we meet again” to her spirit. It would be foolish to think that just because we know where she is and that we will see her again that we don’t feel grief or sorrow, but that sorrow is not the same as what is felt by those whose loved ones die without knowing Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

I experienced much the same thing when my dad died almost 12 years ago, though the immediate joy was perhaps a bit more intense, as he didn’t receive Jesus as Savior until the last week of his life—something we’d prayed for over many years. Mom, on the other hand, came to know Christ in a personal way at the age of 50, and God graciously gave her 40 more years to enjoy relationship with Him here on earth.

Whether we are blessed to receive Christ as children and live our entire life with our hand tucked securely in His or we mercifully come to him on our death bed, those of us who bid farewell to born-again loved ones can rejoice even as we grieve. To witness the end of my mom’s earthly suffering was to rejoice that she had at last stepped into the presence of the One who held her in His nail-scarred hands throughout her earthly journey and even as she passed through the valley of the shadow of death. One day I too will graduate to heaven and will at last see my Savior face to face—as well as all those who have gone on before me.

Indeed, we do not sorrow as those who have no hope, for Christ alone is our Hope. Thank You, Jesus!

Growing Up In Our Faith...

…speaking the truth in love, [we] may grow up in all things

into Him who is the head—Christ (Ephesians 4:15, NKJV)

Babies are adorable, and they can get away with childish behavior because…well, they’re babies and we don’t expect anything else from them. But when adults behave childishly (which usually translates into “selfishly”), it’s not so cute or adorable, is it?

The Scriptures tell us that the way to “grow up in all things” in Christ is to speak the truth in love. I struggle with the truth part because I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings. Some people I know ignore the love part and just blurt out truth, leaving a trail of wounded listeners behind them.

There is a reason for the two-part admonition to speak the truth in love. Love without truth isn’t really love at all. It allows people to remain in their sin, to wallow in destructive lifestyles, and to wreak havoc on others. Truth without love, however, can so damage the listeners that they never really recover but carry their wounds through the rest of their lives and often pass them on to those within their sphere of influence.

Speaking the truth in love has a specific purpose: to restore right relationship, first with God and second with others. That’s the ministry of reconciliation which Jesus began while He was on earth and which He has now given to us. We fulfill that ministry by knowing God’s truth (as revealed through His Son, through the Scriptures, and through His Holy Spirit living within us), and then speaking that truth to others with the intention of seeing them saved, healed, delivered, and fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives. If we are not delivering the truth with that pure intention, then we are not speaking it in love.

It all starts with our own “knowing” of the truth, meaning we have a personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives within us as a result of that relationship, and we cultivate/deepen that relationship by reading/studying/living the truth of the Holy Scriptures. The world is full of lost, broken, and hurting people who need “grown-up” Christians to speak the truth in love. Let’s commit to move beyond the cute baby stage of our faith and become effective truth-in-love speakers to those who so desperately need to hear it!

The Team that Jesus Built

Jesus built strong teams. You can too!

In The Team That Jesus Built: How to Develop, Equip, and commission a Women's Ministry Team find Jesus' methods, answers, and more for team-building challenges most leaders encounter:

How do you motivate people to serve selflessly?

How do you equip people to be new leaders?

How do you "let go" as a leader?

Through personal observations, step-by-step instructions, and simple how-to applications of Jesus' leadership principles, The Team That Jesus Built equips laywomen--regardless of church locations, denomination, or size--to cultivate leadership skills and create teams for the glory of God. The author provides ministry leaders with tools, direction, guidance, and encouragement to build teams that equip leaders to build teams.

Whether you are starting a new ministry, remodeling or assuming a ministry from a previous leader, or just desiring to take your ministry team to a new level of commitment this book will help you wherever you are in your ministry leader journey.

Note from author:

The Team That Jesus Built is based on my personal experience building the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry at Saddleback Church, under the leadership of pastor Rick Warren. I share with the reader the disastrous consequences of trying to build a team myself, and the miraculous transformation of the team when I went to my knees asking Jesus to show me how He built teams. All the principles I discuss in the book are applicable to any ministry, not solely women's ministry. Every team leader's goal and legacy should be to build a team that will outshine and outlive them.

Endorsement from Laurie Beth Jones, author of Jesus CEO and The Four Elements of Success: "In The Team That Jesus Built, Janet Thompson shares from personal experience with team building Jesus-style. She is thorough in every area and phase of team development, providing useful tools for building, mentoring, coaching and assessing your team. No matter where you are in your team-building process, The Team That Jesus Built provides a proven model that will help you and your team efficiently and effectively serve the ministry."

About the author, Janet Thompson (http://www.womantowomanmentoring.com/):

Janet Thompson, founder and director of About His Work Ministries, is an author and speaker on topics relevant to today's Christian. Janet discovered her purpose when God called her to "Feed My sheep." Janet answered that call by developing, founding and leading for 12 years, the Woman to Woman Mentoring Ministry at Saddleback Church, where she and her husband, Dave, were members for 23 years, before moving to the mountains of Idaho. Janet continues to share the blessings of mentoring by training churches around the world.

http://www.amazon.com/Team-That-Jesus-Built-Commission/dp/1596693002/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311696201&sr=1-6

Guest Post from Author Dianne E. Butts--on a very important topic

Deliver Me: Hope, Help, & Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy

By Dianne E. Butts

She stares at the test strip, palms clammy, breathing uneven. She's never felt more alone. Tears blur her vision. Panic edges in.

An unplanned pregnancy can leave emotional wounds that take years to heal. The options are many: abortion, adoption, keeping the child. The questions are even more: How? Why? Where can you go for help? What do you do?

Deliver Me: Hope, Help, & Healing through True Stories of Unplanned Pregnancy explores each of the choices and their after-effects, highlighting the most sensitive moments women and men in unplanned pregnancies face, and how it affects grandparents, friends, and other loved ones. You'll find:

· More than 50 intriguing true stories

· Facts and statistics about unplanned pregnancy

· Practical help

· Valuable resources

Whether you're a woman currently facing an unplanned pregnancy, a man whose partner is there, a friend or family member wanting to help, you'll find hope in the stories of others who walked this road and faced the same decisions.

Is your pregnancy experience in your past? Regardless of what its outcome was, you'll find kindness, compassion, and healing. You've dealt with the pain long enough. It's time to discover your healing.

A Message from the Author of Deliver Me

When I served on the board of directors of a small town pregnancy center, I witnessed both the agony of the women (and men, and families) involved in an unplanned pregnancy as well as the amazing stories of healing, redemption, and forgiveness.

Some of the people our pregnancy center encountered were devastated by the news of their own, or a child’s or girlfriend’s, pregnancy. Others were dealing with the agony of a past pregnancy, whether last year or ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.

I also witnessed many amazing stories of these same people finding hope because they were finding the help they needed in our pregnancy center. Needs were provided for. Resources were shared. Families were reconciled. Relationships were healed. And perhaps most importantly, people were finding forgiveness from God for past decisions and reconciliation with their Father in Heaven eawho loves them so incredibly and unconditionally.

These stories needed to be told. They needed to be shared. And so I set about asking women and men to share their stories. It took eight years, but Deliver Me is that collection of stories.

I live in the county in Colorado that has the largest birthrate to unwed mothers. Besides those currently in an unplanned pregnancy, according to current estimates if today’s trends continue, by the time they are 45 years old, 43% of women will have had at least one abortion.[1] That’s nearly half our population of women! And the numbers for men surely are comparable. Regardless of how vocal the prochoice crowd is, privately and silently many women (and men) grieve and agonize over an abortion in their past. Many who shared their stories for Deliver Me told me they thought this was the unforgivable sin, that God would never forgive them for what they had done. But they discovered they were wrong. God does and will forgive—even for this.

America needs to know. Women (and men) the world over need to know that God loves them, that He will forgive them, and that He is right there with them no matter what they have done or what they are facing right now. There are stories in Deliver Me that reveal how women and men have discovered this truth.

Besides the chapters that speak about women who considered abortion and women who experienced abortion, Deliver Me also has whole chapters devoted to stories of women who wanted to keep their child, who gave for adoption, whole families who were affected, an entire chapter of stories from men, and more. Women and men who work in pregnancy centers also share their stories about who they are and how they came to be involved in such work.

Besides the true stories, Deliver Me includes dozens of interesting statistics and valuable resources for practical help.

Deliver Me is available from your favorite bookstore. (Ask for ISBN: 978-0-9831649-0-6.) It is also available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, other online retailers, and direct from the author at www.DeliverMeBook.com and www.SignedByTheAuthor.com. $14.99 (236 pages, released April 2011). Special discounts available for ministries; for more information contact Dianne at dbwrites@juno.com.

Author Dianne E. Butts has written for magazines for twenty years with over 275 articles in more than fifty publications including Focus on the Family magazine, the Salvation Army’s national magazine, and fiction in periodicals including Clubhouse. Her articles have appeared in Great Britain, Bulgaria, Poland, Canada, and Korea. She has contributed to seventeen books, and wrote her first book, Dear America: A Letter of Comfort and Hope to a Grieving Nation, after 9/11 (also available on Amazon.com and www.SignedByTheAuthor.com ). Dianne is also an aspiring screenwriter. When she’s not writing, she enjoys riding her motorcycle with her husband, Hal, and gardening with her cat, P.C. They live in Colorado. www.DianneEButts.com

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[1] “Abortion Facts,” The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, accessed 10/6/10, http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html.