A Reflection On Joy

The Connections community is spending the holidays studying the topic of JOY. You can check out our Teaching Blog or Pod Cast Site if you are interested in where the conversations have gone.

We asked a new friend to our community who likes to write, Kathy Curran, to spend some time reflecting on the topic. Her thoughts are below. Enjoy!

When I began to research the concept of joy and how to be joyful, many peole shared their views on the subject with me. As I listened carefully, I started to see a common thread. It seemed there were certain steps involved in achieving this very attainable, yet somewhat difficult goal... the first and most important one being to literally "step out in faith."

Feeling the need to delve even deeper into how we can accomplish the act of becoming joyful, I sought help from other Christians, scoured the Bible, attended worship services, and just kept my eyes and ears open for whatever the Lord wanted to bring to my attention. It was like I was on a mission for God.

Having taken on this task in obedience to God, He, in turn, was faithfully speaking to me through every means available, and leading me down a path that was definitely taking me in the right direction. He revealed to me that it is not another person who will ultimately heal our hearts, make us whole, or give us the peace and contentment we've all been searching for, but it is God, and God alone who can take us to that place we all long to be... that place where we no longer have to depend on anything other than Jesus for our joy.

As I continued to seek His Word more intently, and become more in-tune to God's voice, I began to realize with even more certainty that He really does have all the answers. He was urging me to be even more obedient, and I was becoming very aware that stepping out in faith wasn't just meant for those who lived back in Biblical times.

Just as Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, God wants us to take that big step too. Peter trusted God to keep him afloat, and as long as his eyes were on Jesus, he was able to walk on water. God loves and cares for us just as much, and doesn't want us to be afraid to take that leap of faith. He promises to be there to help us, if we begin to sink.

Because God loves us so much, He wants us all to be joyous, but we need to find our joy in Him. If we truly love Him, we must learn to trust Him, no matter what our circumstances. If we really trust Him, we will obey Him, no matter what He asks of us... and it is in that unconditional love, trust and obedience to Him that we will find true and lasting joy.

Matthew 14:22-33

Peter replies, "Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." So Jesus invites Peter to come. Peter gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and sees the wind and waves, he begins to sink. Peter cries out to the Lord and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches Peter. As they climb into the boat together, the storm ceases. Then the disciples worship Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Financial Giving

Ever felt like you wanted to give to God financially, but felt like you couldn't or shouldn't? You aren't alone. Check out Dana (& Tom's) story and what they've learned about giving in the past year:

"Tom and I were DINKS---- dual income, no kids. We were pretty happy with that lifestyle and we were pretty sure we would never have kids. In May 2005 we bought a fixer upper home that needed a lot of work. In August 2005---we had an unplanned pregnancy. Ian's arrival was a path we never expected to go down and when we found out about his medical issues we were thrown into a whole new world.

Babies are expensive----but when you add in daycare, medical insurance, and the doctors visits/ surgeries/ medications------we quickly fell into a very large debt trap.

Over the 3 and a half years of his life we have had to work insane amounts to keep our heads above water. At one point his medications alone were over $250 a month. Tom pulls as much over time as possible and takes triple calls but there have been months that we didn't know how we were going to make it. Mac and cheese and spam were staple meals and considered gourmet if we had a slice of American Cheddar to add in.

We thought about selling our home----but being a fixer upper we haven't had the money to improve it. We also have had to use what little equity we had to pay day to day bills----so selling really isn't an option. Plus, rent would probably be what the mortgage is and we would never ever be able to afford a home in this area again ( we lucked out on the fixer up part).

We have volunteered as much as possible through church as a way to give back to God. When you asked everyone who considered Cnx their home church to commit to participating financially in 2009--- I was thrown for a tailspin.

We were keeping our heads just above water----how could I add another bill? Tom and I prayed separately on it and Tom said it was something we needed to do. I showed him on paper----there was no way to make it work. We prayed some more and finally decided that this was a trust issue and we had to give the control back to God.

We committed to a small amount each month. It probably wouldn't seem like much to some people but to us it was huge. In the 8 months that we have been giving our offering----we haven't missed it at all.

As state workers, we both were furloughed and lost a percentage of our income with little notice. That month I considered not giving but wrote the check and prayed as I tossed it in the offering bucket. We made it just fine.

I am amazed that we seem to have more money at the end of the month than we did before giving. I know part of it is the envelope system, and being more aware----but I also know it is because God will provide.

Tom and I took a leap of faith in August and decided to double our tithe---and here it is 3 days before pay day and we are still okay. We are planning to double the original amount from now on because it's all about putting our trust in the father above."

One More Time (Habitat Work Day)

Saturday, August 15 is your last chance to get in on a Connections work day at Chatham Habitat this summer.

Why should you turn out? Check out Kevin's story below:

I've been blessed to be employed by Habitat for Humanity for the past 21 years and I can say that I still feel God's hand in the work of Habitat every time I visit a work site. Habitat is a ministry and it is all about a partnership between those in need of housing, those with time, skills, and resources to spare, and God. Habitat is truly a hand-up and not a hand out. Families buy the homes that are sold at no profit and get a 0% interest mortgage and are required to invest hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" in order to buy their home.

Recently I was at a Habitat event in Fort Worth, Texas and heard an inspiring story of one of the Habitat homeowners there, Lydia Perez. To keep it short, an elderly gentleman in Lydia's neighborhood experienced a fire that destroyed his home. He had no resources or insurance to rebuild so he began to live on his property in a camper shell that he had on his pick up truck. Within a few months, Fort Worth was starting to experience the heat of the summer and Lydia approached the man and said to him, "You can't continue to live in the camper shell during the summer. Don't you have somewhere else to go?" He didn't. Lydia told him that he needed to come stay in her house. They were total strangers. He an 80+ Anglo WWII veteran, and she a 30-something Mexican immigant. Lydia reached out to Habitat to build him a home and they said they couldn't because he didn't have the necessary income to qualify for the program. Undaunted, Lydia decided to have a yard sale. She reached out to the media--newspapers, TV, radio and the plight of this gentleman became a city-wide cause. The yard sale raised $50,000 in donations in a single day! It was dubbed the "self-perpetuating yard sale". People would come to the sale and buy an item while bringing several other items to donate. Habitat supported Lydia in her effort and found a contractor to agree to build the gentleman a brand new home on his lot. They said he had tears in his eyes the day he moved out of Lydia's house.

I can't promise such a story unfolding in Pittsboro on Saturday, August 15, but it is an opportunity to be part of a huge, worldwide circle of giving that was initiated by God's love for us and perpetuated by thousands of people of faith giving of their time, talent, and resources in response to their faith.

We need at least 15 workers (16 and up) and several people that can provide lunch for 25. Please contact Kevin Camnpbell at kcampbell58@gmail.com if you are interested in being part of the group. We'll leave Connections at 7:30 Saturday morning, begin work in Pittsboro at 8:30, and leave Pittsboro around 3pm. We'll have some exterior siding work and hopefully interior trim work as well. This will be our last chance to work on single mom Shalena's and her 4 year old son Nicholas' home.

Check out the website HERE.

Lending A Hand

On Saturday, June 20 some folks from the Connections Church community went back out to continue to work on a home with Chatham Habitat for Humanity on Acorn Park Lane in the Chatman Oak subdivision of Pittsboro, NC. The project includes construction of five new houses for families eagerly helping make their dream of a home of their own become reality. 22 volunteers plus international and local Habitat directors participated in the event.

Thanks so much to Calvert Cafe and Catering for providing lunch to fuel the workers! The boxed lunches included turkey and havarti on sourdough, roast beef & asiago on rye, ham and provolone on wheat, tarragon chicken salad on pecan raisin bread, baked chips, fruit, and cookies. Needless to say, they were a hit.

We'll be returning to work on the home again on July 18th & August 15th. If you are interested in joining us, contact Kevin Campbell (kcampbell58@gmail.com). To learn more about Chatham Habitat or Calvert Cafe and Catering, check out the info below:

Chatham Habitat for Humanity

Since 1989, Chatham Habitat has worked to change substandard housing conditions by making home ownership possible for nearly 90 families throughout the county. In the process, Habitat is able to transform lives, improve neighborhoods, and most importantly give hope and strength to our communities.

Calvert Café & Catering

Calvert Café & Catering provides NC Triangle-area businesses with exceptional products and impeccable catering service. Specializing in corporate catering at a variety of levels, Calvert Café and Catering offers event services from concept to cleanup.

One worthy gift

God there are days when we gather for worship in this community when it's easy to acknowledge your beauty but nearly impossible to find any within ourselves.

We come to you broken in so many ways. The weight of wrong choices or difficult circumstances, the burden of wrecked relationships or dwindling resources -- sometimes these things make it hard for us to find value and worth within ourselves.

And yet you see beauty within us, Lord.

You have seen us for who we are and loved us in spite of it all, and in this we find so much hope.

We pray today that we might claim that which you love within us, and relentlessly seek out things to love within others. May we see through brokenness and frailty and circumstance and struggle to know others as creatures made in your image, for your love.

May our lives reflect this one beautiful and worthy gift: that we love others as we are being loved by you.

A Psalm Prayer

This prayer comes from Psalm 90:1-6, a scripture which always makes me think of the marvelous passage from Job 38 where God gets lavishly poetic with Job in describing the differences between humans and God.

***********

Our Father, Creator of the Universe,

You have been our help in every generation, and you will be our refuge for generations to come. Through storm and war, in times of peace and plenty, in all the great and small places of the earth, you were, you are, and you will be.

You laid the foundations of the earth while the morning stars sang and all the creatures of the universe shouted for joy. When the sea was born you clothed it with clouds and formed its limits. You know the warehouses of snow and hail, and the ways to the places the winds call home.

A thousand years is a long time for us, but it passes for you like yesterday’s dream. We arrive on earth and then are gone; “Return to the dust,” you say, and we become once again the clay of creation.

Be our guide while this life lasts. Be our hope for this brief span. And one bright morning, when this life is over, welcome us home.

A Psalm and Prayer of Praise

Whenever I'm not sure what to pray before God's people I simply turn to the Psalms and let one of the generations who came before me speak on my behalf. These prayers are like rivers that are still flowing down among us, and as we wade in and out (or merely observe from the riverbank) we can find refreshment and delight.

This prayer comes from Psalm 145; I have changed some of the order and play of the verses, but the spirit of the river of praise remains the same.

* * * * *

We lift your name on high, Mighty God!

We sing your praise today, may we sing your song into all eternity. You are magnificent before us; there are no boundaries to your greatness. Generation after generation stands in awe of your work: they have all told stories of your mighty acts. We know you as One who is slow to anger and rich in love, suffusing all things in your grace.

We give you thanks
for supporting those who are weary
for drawing near to all who call on you
for bringing harvest on the Earth in due season
for lavishing compassion on all you have made

May we speak of the glory of your kingdom.
May we make known to all people your mighty works and loving ways.
Today and all days we lift our voices in worship.

* * * * *

A Prayer for Worship

Holy and mighty God, Maker of all good things, in the full glory of this day you have made and this people you have made, we gather.

We give you thanks for all those along the journey who have been instrumental in bringing us to this holy place on this holy morning: for that early teacher, or family member; for that friend or child or witness... We pray that this church may draw many more to know your love, your forgiveness, and your grace.

We pray also for those who are today burdened by heavy loads: for countries and individuals who are deeply in debt, for those suffering from earthquake and famine, for all subjected to wars, and for displaced people everywhere. We dedicate ourselves again to the works of justice and mercy that make us your hands and heart in this broken world.

We lift up before you all who find life difficult or painful today: those who are hard on themselves and on others, and all who struggle with deep burdens of guilt. May we bring your rest for the weary, your hope for the fearful, your peace to the troubled.

May our worship of you be not just a Sunday-morning gift, but a gift of our lives and our hearts.

Ashley's Story (40 Days of Water)

This past Sunday Ashley Clark shared with the CNX community about a trip to Africa that changed her life and gave her a front row perspective of the dire need for clean water.  Here's a piece of what Ashley had to say about her experiences and the importance of projects like 40 Days of Water.

"In May of 2007 I had the privilege to travel to Malawi, Africa which is located in the southern part of Africa. I went to Malawi through a partnership my church in New York had with World Vision. We visited an Area Development Project founded by World Vision and got to see the affects of clean water in an African village first hand.

"I think one thing that stuck with me the most was not the lack of clean water but the distance they had to travel to get clean water. We met many inspiring women that traveled several miles a few times a day to get clean water so they could meet the basic needs of their families. It struck me because their attitudes were never negative or complaining. These women were constantly singing praises and offering prayers for others who were worse off than themselves. 

They were happy! Happy to have clean water as a resource to them! Happy to be able to provide it to their families! They were happiest of all that people like you were kind enough to give them this simple and incredibly important gift. I cannot tell you how many times people thanked us for what we had done, and for taking time out of our lives to see their struggles and successes. I felt completely unworthy of their praises at times.

So, I want you to know that the sacrifices several of you have made over these 40 days will not go unknown noticed. Yes, we are providing clean water but we are also making life a little easier for hundreds maybe thousands of families. And, amidst the tragedy and hardship that these people face every day (whether they know it or not), doesn’t water seem like something so simple to give? And, maybe they will see Jesus in us the way I saw Jesus in them."

We have a chance to make a real difference for real people.  Every dollar donated will provide clean water for 1 African for an entire year.

If you are a part of the CNX community and want to contribute to the 40 Days of Water Project, we'll be collecting an offering for this purpose on Sunday (4/12).  Please make your check payable to Connections and note "Water Project" on the memo line.  We'll be writing one check to Blood Water Mission and every penny donated will go to this important work.  

If you won't be at Connections on Sunday, consider donating directly to Blood Water Mission. And if you are willing, post a comment here (anonymously is fine) and let us know how much you contributed so that we can see the impact we are making together.

A prayer for worship on our first day in the new building

From Psalm 94

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts, Shepherd of Israel. Our hearts have longed to be here before you; our spirits sing for joy in the presence of the Living God!

May all your creatures be welcome in this place: May travelers find rest, may the broken find healing, may all who celebrate find songs of joy, and may the outcast know welcome. How blessed we are to live and work and raise Your family here.

And how blessed are all in whom You live -- whose lives become roads you travel. Our strength is in You; may our hearts be highways to the Living Lord.

For better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere. We would rather hold open the door in Your house than live anywhere -- no matter how grand -- outside the shelter of Your grace, Your mercy, and Your favor. You have withheld no good thing from us.

Our hearts are filled with joy.

Today is the 26th day of our 40 Days of Water Project. 45 of us in the Connections community have committed to make water our only beverage during this period. We're keeping track of what we would have spent on other beverages and will be donating those amounts to help Blood Water Mission hit their goal of installing 1000 clean water wells across Africa.

In addition to helping others, we're also challenging ourselves to stretch and grow through this project as well. Here are some thoughts from one of our students, Learyn von Sprecken, about her experience so far:

"Well let's see the hardest thing to give up would probably have to be milk, but whenever I'm with friends and see them drinking soda that's pretty hard too. I only being able to drink water has made me realize and think about how much harder it must be for people who can't even drink water.

I have mentioned it to most of my friends and I have gotten a variety of responses. Most of my friends have found it to be very amazing that I am only drinking water and that I am doing it for the people of Africa and are very supportive. Only drinking water has not only been a good thing for me to do for other people, but also for myself.

I have never really liked water, one of the things that has made this difficult, and as a result of that I don't think I was drinking enough. Since I have started this I feel like I have become healthier. The most meaningful thing for me is now every time I drink water I start thinking about the parents and children in Africa who can't even get clean water and would love for 40 days to be able to drink clean water and then I think how lucky I am to have fresh clean water. Overall this has not been as bad as I thought it would, and I am definitely glad I chose to participate."

Prayer for worship

Holy, Holy, Holy God, you have created all things and made us in your image. We come before you in wonder and awe.

We pray for places where your earth is exploited or marred, where your creatures are abused or misused. We pray for all who lack freedom or are oppressed. Father, strength of all, hear our prayer.

Jesus, Light and Life of the world, we pray to you for all who walk in darkness. For all who feel beyond hope or are outcasts in our world. Healer, giver of hope to the hopeless, hear our prayer.

Spirit of Holiness, you breathe life into all. We give you thanks for your renewal and refreshment. We pray that we and all your church may reach out in love. We pray for Fred and Shawn and Chad and all our pastors, and for the ministry of all your faithful people. Holy Spirit of God, hear our prayer.

May we be bound together in Unity.
May we be bound together in Love.
May we be bound together with those who walked in faith before us, and may our lives bear witness to those yet to come.

(Adapted from Clouds & Glory A, p. 80-81)

Thirsty???

Here's a note that we sent out to the CNX community about our upcoming Easter Clean Water Project.  If you are interested we'd love to have you partner with us.

Dear Friends,

Hope this finds you well in the middle of the week and looking forward to spring.  (It is coming soon, right?)

I just wanted to take a couple of minutes to fill you in on a special project our church community will be tackling over the next month and a half.  As you know, Connections Church has always had a desire to make a difference in the name of Jesus.  We trying to learn to love our neighbors- both locally and globally- as we love ourselves.  With that in mind, we've decided to partner with BLOOD WATER MISSION for their 40 Days of Water Challenge.

You can check out the links above for yourself, but here's the short version:  Over a 40 Day period (March 1- April 9), we're challenging ourselves to drink only water and keep track of what we would have spent on our usual beverages of choice.  At the end of 40 days, we'll pool the money we've saved by forgoing coffee, tea, soda, etc. and send it to Blood Water Mission to help provide clean water for people in Africa.

What will this do for them?

Every $1 we donate will provide clean drinking water for 1 African for an entire year.  (Yes, you read that right.)  Why is this important?

    * About 45% of Africans lack clean drinking water. That's approx. 311 million people.  The total current population of the US?  About 306 million. 

    * Every day in Africa, millions of parents are faced with this choice- Do I give my children tainted water and make them sick- or allow them to die of dehydration?

    * African women and children walk as many as 6 miles each day to fetch drinking water- which is often unsanitary. 

    * Sub-Saharan Africa has 10% of the world's population, but is home to 60% of the people on the planet living with HIV.

    * 15 million children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS each year.

    * Clean drinking water greatly improves the quality of life for everyone and extends the life expectancy for those living with HIV.

It's pretty easy to see why people who love Jesus would want to be involved with this kind of thing, huh?

What will this project do for us?

Or to put it another way, you might be thinking the same thing I did when I first heard about this: "I'm all for helping folks get clean water, but why should I forgo other beverages for 40 days to make it happen?  Can't I just drink what I want and still donate some cash?"  Yes- we absolutely can.  But I think we'll miss out on some real blessings and opportunities for God to stretch and change us.  Here are a few:

    * Self-Discipline.  Is that something you could use a bit more of?  I know I can.  Here's a chance for us to do some work in this area that has a direct impact on our spiritual lives. (Check out Luke 9:23-25.)

    * We are moving towards Easter.  For centuries, Christians have chosen to sacrifice things during this season (some call it Lent) to help them identify with their suffering Savior.  Maybe choosing to deny ourselves the daily pleasures of juice, coffee, soda, etc. will put us in a position to more fully appreciate Jesus' sacrifices for us and His victory over the grave.

    * Because He loves us, Jesus came to walk in our shoes.  He tells all who would follow Him to love each other, to weep with those who weep, and to carry each others' burdens.  By choosing to drink only water, we empathize in some small way with our neighbors in Africa who don't have the choices available to us.  Instead of just sending cash and continuing on with our day, we give ourselves opportunities to think of and pray for them.

Do we have to embrace a water-only beverage fast to be a part of this project?  Nope.  We can donate money and change others' lives regardless of what we choose to drink.  But if we want God to use the next 40 days to change US- we might want to give this a go.

OK, that's probably enough info for now.  We'll be talking more about the 40 Days of Water Challenge at this Sunday's (3/1) gathering.  Please join us if you are in town.

Until then, think and pray about being a part of this important project that will change lives- including ours.  And don't hesitate to holler if you've got questions.

Blessings,

Fred Turner

Lead Pastor

Connections Church

fred.turner@connectionschurch.ws

An Update From Love Wins

We're honored to partner with Love Wins- a ministry that works with the poor and homeless in downtown Raleigh.  They are doing some great work in the name of Jesus.  Check our their latest newsletter update below:

Dear Friends,

Just before Christmas, I was at a meeting of Social Justice oriented pastors. During a break, I was talking with a pastor who works for [Really Huge Denomination] at the Regional level. She is 'over' many churches, and was really interested in what we are doing. She mentioned she would like us to talk about me talking to various small groups and pastors in those churches. Then she asks me "Where is your office?". The conversation lasted about 12 seconds after I told her I work from home, but not before she said "Oh, I had no idea you were so small…".

I have to tell you, that was a little disheartening. In fact, it was downright depressing. Partly because, of course I would like to have an entry to so many churches, with the endorsements of their higher-ups. We have goals we want to accomplish that would be much easier with the support and financial backing a Really Huge Church could give us.

But the most depressing thing was that I had somehow failed to communicate that we see small as a blessing. Small, to quote the title of a book well worth reading, is beautiful.

You see, because we are small, we know the names of the people we buy shoes for. Because we are small, I can blow off the whole afternoon of appointments to go sit in a hospital room with a friend who tried to kill herself. Because we are small, I am welcome in the soup kitchens and the shelters, even if I am not so welcome in the board rooms and the churches. Because we are small, there is no need to make up metrics that justify what we are doing out here. We are free to love people and pray for peace and work for justice and have confidence that God, when all is said and done, bends that way.

That being said, all living things must either grow or decay, and Love Wins Ministries is no different. The last six weeks have found us in conversations about how we can help build more relationships between folks with houses and folks that live on the streets without becoming 'institutional' and stagnant. Or how we can capture the freedom of smallness I just described and yet be acceptable (or at least accessible) to people and organizations like that pastor lady, who values size over substance. 

Over the next few weeks and months, lots of changes will be happening. We will be discussing some things on our blog we have not before, like our boots and shoes ministry, and you will be hearing from other voices over there as well.

In the meantime, keep praying for us as we build, grow and seek the will of God while we, in our small way, keep loving folks most people would rather just went away.

 

Love Wins. Always.

 

Hugh Hollowell

http://lovewins.info