Day 21: "Protecting Your Church"

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading! Today is the final day for the second purpose of our lives that Pastor Rick Warren talks about in his book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?

This chapter STRESSES & brings home the IMPORTANCE of us getting along with people...especially in places where we fellowship & with other believers. It goes into discussion about ALL kinds of people: the ones that are hard for us to get along with, our church leaders, aggressive people, complacent people, gossipers...& offers guidance on how to handle ourselves & all these kinds of people.

If you are reading this book & my blog I surely don't want to beat you over the head with this, because the book itself can be intense...(in a good way). It is VERY IMPORTANT that you take something away with you from this chapter. We aren't expected to fix everything overnight, but it shows you & tells you areas where you can start.

I also want to say that the church is important to me....& so are all the relationships I have with other believers that are not members of my church. I KNOW the areas of FELLOWSHIP that are VERY SACRED to me & they don't just happen at church. PROTECT THEM. In my opinion those relationships of fellowship are like supernatural, GODly links between us here on earth to help minister to others... They aren't JUST friendships. They have a deeper meaning. This is why I also urge you to be mindful of your fellowship & don't get drawn into the acts of competing for who is closer to God, or knows more about God, or who sins less. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. " Proverbs 27:17

I have learned (in such a short time) how important it is to just TALK to other believers about what is going on with you...spiritually. It helps you gain understanding & they may just know something you don't. INCLUDE each other as often as you can in whatever area of SPIRITUAL GROWTH you can find. It's important to spend time alone, but WE NEED EACH OTHER'S HELP!

Here are some of the key things I took away from this chapter: (Everything not from the Bible is Pastor Warren's words."

"You are commissioned by Jesus Christ to do everything possible to preserve the unity, protect the fellowship, and promote harmony in your church family & among all believers."

"We share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future..."

"...It was God who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them."

"Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living with the tension."

"...the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves."

"Reconciliation, not running away, is the road to stronger character and deeper fellowship."

"God warns us over and over not to criticize, compare, or judge each other."

"Whenever I judge another believer, four things instantly happen: I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I set myself up to be judged by God, and I harm the fellowship of the church."

"The Bible calls Satan 'the accuser of our brothers.'" Revelation 10:12

"Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution." 

"If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him - work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you have made a friend. If he won't listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won't listen, tell the church." -Matthew 18:15-17a

"Jesus says to take it to the church. If the person still refuses to listen after that, you should treat that person like an unbeliever."

"...when people find a church where members genuinely love and care for each other, you would have to lock the doors to keep them away."




"Point to Ponder: It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church."

Daily Bible Verse: "Let us concentrate on the things which make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship together." Romans 14:19 (PH)

Daily Question: "What am I personally doing to protect unity in my church family right now?

From my journal the first time of reading: I'm thinking the blog writing seems more and more like a good fit, for helping to bring more unity to the church, but it could also divide it. That is why I'll have to refer back to this chapter & open that up in discussion to the group.

What I think now: I need to explore what I journaled about, but I also recognize that there are some things that I do to protect the unity of my fellowship groups/relationships. I am OPEN & HONEST allowing spiritual growth among us. I am opening up discussion & helping my readers work through and think about the topics I write about.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! Protect your posse! God Bless!!

Day 20: "Restoring Broken Fellowship"

Welcome Readers! Glad to have you. Today is Day 20 of our journey through the book: The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

Well...I've done quite a bit of work on this chapter the last few weeks & after I went to confession & sleeping on it I've come to a realization...well a few.

"Point to Ponder: Relationships are always worth restoring."

Daily Bible Verse: "Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody." Romans 12:18 (TEV)

Daily Question: "Who do I need to restore a broken relationship with today?"

From my Journal: I'm not giving you names. Let's just say I had SEVEN on my list. Of those seven I've had 4 HARD conversations where I had the intention of repairing them OR strengthening them.

Of the four I've had. I know 2 of those relationships have started from a NEW place where both parties have given COMPLETE forgiveness & have a MUCH clearer understanding of the other. One of those I truly believe is headed in the right direction. There is A LOT of hurt that won't heal overnight & it ultimately may not have the ultimate outcome I'D like it to have, but it will have an outcome (from my end & hopefully from the others) that will bring glory to God. The other....was had & received well, but I'm not sure that the other person understood the importance in why it needed to happen or REALLY listened to what was said.

Of the three remaining (that I initially listed out): one is a long-time (somewhat distant) friend. The other two are people (when I REALLY break it down) are people that I want to help, are close to people I'm close with, BUT I don't & haven't really had much of a relationship with. Of these three that remain...I've struggled with a few things. This chapter tells you: "Schedule a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible. Delay only deepens resentment and makes matters worse. In conflict, time heals nothing; it causes hurt to fester. Acting quickly also reduces the spiritual damage to you." I also know that when you feel anxiety (& not the peaceful kind) creep up...it's not from God. I fall into this trap easily; The one where you want to do what you are SUPPOSED to do, but you start acting on YOUR schedule and not God's. Well...after NOT acting on ALL of the people I felt I needed to have a conversation with right away...I've discovered a few things. If I don't really have a relationship with 2 of the 3 remaining...I don't have a relationship to RESTORE. I have a relationship to BUILD... You can't fix something that isn't really there. The other needs to happen. I have accepted & KNOW that I can't change the potential outcome. I just WANT the outcome to be a good one & have put it off, in fear that it won't be.

Someone (that I HIGHLY respect (especially regarding spiritual matters)) asked me: "Why are you carrying their monkey?" Hmmm... I don't know... I guess I'm trying to MAKE it what I WANT it to be. Sigh...trying to CONTROL something that isn't mine to control. This is one of the BIGGEST things I have to work on about myself. I want to fix peoples problems for them, which (in turn) creates MORE problems for me. I am called to FORGIVE, but I don't have to put myself in the line of fire & DO WORK for them that they need to do themselves.

Every person is DIFferEnt & every person has their own set of complex relationships. I can't tell you how yours will go, BUT I can tell you that: you have to be prepared to be wrong & see the TRUTH of the situation. You have to be HUMBLE & VULNERABLE. You have to come from a GOD place. What I mean by that is you have to WANT something for Him. You may not want to have this conversation. You may not want to be wrong, BUT you have to WANT to do what you have to do to bring GLORY to God. Remember...we are leadin' people to Jesus.

The book states it like this: "For the sake of fellowship, you must destroy your arsenal of relational nuclear weapons, including condemning, belittling, comparing, labeling, insulting, condescending, and being sarcastic. Paul sums it up this way: 'Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.'"

One line from the chapter that spoke straight to me was this one: "...make the effort to maintain them (relationships) instead of discarding them..." This was my defense mechanism growing up. I threw that wall up so fast it would make your face hurt. If I was hurt I'd either say it...in a less than tactful way...BUT got my point across OR I would hold it & to forget about it would shift my attention to something more positive. We grow. We learn & what I've learned is do the work to FIX whatever is broken. Doing the work I've done on the relationships I've discussed in this blog post...I can tell you it is worth it. I can also say that the more work you do...the easier all the ones after get. It is what it is. We all have common ground with each other by the simple fact that we all mess up.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus! Buck Up Baby & go CONVERSATE! God Bless!

Day 18: "Experiencing Life Together"

WELCOME readers!! Today is Day 18 as we journey through The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For? by Pastor Rick Warren.

This chapter echoed ALL of my concerns that arose from yesterday's reading & addresses them. I remember myself feeling the same way the first time I read yesterday's chapter. Like I didn't want to DISAGREE with some of his points, but I couldn't help myself. I'm sharing these blogs as openly and honestly as I can, because that is the only way to do it.

This chapter focuses on FELLOWSHIP. It begins by discussing how today's use of the word has taken pretty far out of context to what the Bible says it is. "Real fellowship is so much more than just showing up at services. It is experiencing life together. It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other 'one another' commands found in the New Testament." This chapter ultimately talks about the importance of small groups. He discusses how even Jesus traveled in a small group of 12 disciples. Pastor Warren urges us to become a member of a small group within our church.

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:20 (NASB)

I am blessed to say that I have friends where I DO FELLOWSHIP REGULARLY. Some are members of my church & some are not. I hold these relationships so sacred. I am truly AMAZED by some of them & know that The Holy Spirit was instrumental in joining us together. This is MORE than being a best friend and knowing all the surface things & secrets...this is talking about all the things we don't know about our faith and God. This is praying for other people you don't know, but that are close to your fellowship friend. This is having the courage to say things to the other that you didn't WANT to say to anyone but God. This is asking for HONEST opinions from friends who's answers will be based on FAITH & UNDERSTANDING & FORGIVENESS. These are SACRED. Go get you some FELLOWSHIP.

The next part of this chapter talks about AUTHENTICITY, which was the MAIN thing I was having trouble with in yesterday's reading. "Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in some churches. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, and superficial politeness but shallow conversation. People wear masks, keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real fellowship." I'm doing a lot of quoting, but Pastor Warren REALLY explains this perfectly. This is his description of REAL fellowship: "It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help & prayer." I HAVE DONE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE THINGS - JUST A FEW DAYS AGO - MULTIPLE TIMES & I'll probably do it again in less than a week's time. I can't do this to everyone...truly...hardly anyone, but I can to a few.

This chapter also discusses CONFESSING, which I want to touch on a minute. A LOT of people get hung up on the Catholic religion because of the focus they put on CONFESSION. Look...I get it. You don't HAVE to (& most probably don't) tell EVERYTHING to a priest, BUT this is a sure act of FELLOWSHIP. Even if you don't share everything. You are taking the time to REALLY talk about things that some people may NEVER talk about to any other human. I'm not sayin' it's gotta be for you. You can participate in FELLOWSHIP other ways. I LOVED the idea of confession before I converted & I love the actual act of it now. I REALLY like it when there are several priests doing confession & I can really take the time I need without feeling rushed b/c someone else is waiting in line. I remember my first face to face confession. It was with a priest that was doing an Easter mission. He had seen very ungodly things & heard very ungodly things. He listened to confessions in a high security prison for sometime. I got my list together of all that I wanted to confess....ALL of it. My heart was beating out of my chest. I guess I thought he'd be a good priest to break the ice with, considering other things he had heard. Let me tell you...I felt relieved walking out, but I also learned a few things...he wasn't easy on me & he hit the nail on the head  in some areas. A sin is a sin. I can also say that all I do now are face to face confessions. Once you start stepping out into the light...you won't want to go back into the darkness.

This chapter also discusses the importance of giving and receiving to one another in fellowship. The importance of sharing our faith with one another in aim to grow each other's even more. Pastor Warren lists out and explains the different levels of fellowship. For the record...let me say...there are SO MANY LEVELS to EVERYTHING. "The simplest levels of fellowship are the fellowship of sharing and the fellowship of studying God's Word together. A deeper level is the fellowship of serving, as when we minister together on mission trips or mercy projects. The deepest, most intense level is the fellowship of suffering, where we enter into each other's pain and grief and carry each other's burdens."

The last section of this chapter really hits home for me. "In real fellowship people experience mercy." MERCY....We all received mercy & we HAVE to give mercy to others & we have to be able to receive it. FORGIVENESS is a big deal here. We have to do it immediately. "Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice." This is SO hard, but sometimes you have to look at what will justice really give you & what will mercy give the other person...and yourself? Are there times when we might need MERCY?

These are the lines that hit home & give me direction. "Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time." This is HARD, but it is the ONLY way. Sometimes people may take steps in the right direction, but the amount of hurt they caused is SO DEEP that you can't allow yourself to forget. I've said before that you have to protect yourself & you do. If you allow other people to continually hurt or attack you...you are dealing with situations that aren't God-given. It is taking away time & energy from your purpose.

"Point to Ponder: I need others in my life."

Daily Bible Verse: "Share each other's troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 (NLT)

Daily Question: "What one step can I take today to connect with another believer at a more genuine, heart-to-heart level?"

From my Journal: I have key people I do this with. Yesterday I talked to my friend for over 1.5 hours about how Awesome God is and what what he is doing in our lives. I also wrote notes in developing my idea of what I can bring to our church.

Buck Up Baby & Ride With Jesus!! Let's FELLOWSHIP! God Bless!