Christian Resources, Winter 2021

WANDER IN WONDER

Take a winter walk.  Notice the sights and sounds around you.  Pray.

 

LISTEN & LEARN

Join the free, lecture and cultural arts January Series from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI from January 6, 2021 to January 22, 2021. In its 34th year, this leading series is completely virtual in 2021. Check out these national speakers and their books, including Andy Crouch, Tara Westover...

Registration is required but free in order to receive the link for each presentation. All presentations are live at 12:30 to 1:30 EST. You can also listen anytime that day; then the link times out.

Go to: calvin.edu/january Click: Register

WATCH The 2019/2020 story of Jesus, free on YouTube:  The Chosen.  Season One.  All 8 Full Episodes
Watch for more in 2021 @ Crestview, facilitated by Loel McIntosh.

NEW TESTAMENT BIBLE STUDY GUIDES
Looking for a blend of readable but scholarly background information and discussion questions for yourself or your Bible study group?  Why not use the eBook series in Hoopla from your public library,  
N. T. Wright FOR EVERYONE BIBLE STUDY GUIDE SERIES.

Here’s how it works.   If you have a library card for the MidPointe Library System in Butler County, OH, create a free Hoopla account from their website.  Download the app on your device. Then search and download the guide that interests you.

READ 

Christianity Today’s 2021 Book Awards, “Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture.” December 14, 2020

LOCAL CHRISTIAN RADIO

93.3.  WAKW

93.7   WFCJ

104.3 WNLT

Contact the Adult Christian Team @ Crestview Church to learn more.

Parenting at Christmas

Our lives take surprising turns.  We don't know what lies ahead.  This is especially true in parenting.

We idealize what having a baby will be like.  A couple starts down that road.  Sometimes birth is textbook easy.  Sometimes parenting begins as a prolonged, expensive, frustrating bout with infertility.  Sometimes tears flow over a miscarriage or stillbirth.  Eventually, miraculously a child is born and joins our family.

We relate to the Christmas story of a young couple, Mary and Joseph, traveling while pregnant.  Conditions were difficult as the couple broke cultural norms.  The trip was risky and lodging was hard to find.  Jesus, their firstborn son was born in Bethlehem, far from home.  They learned to trust God and one another even as shepherds, angels, and magi arrived to rejoice over their son's birth.  

Parenting stretched their faith, as it does ours.  As parents, we act out of love and with courage when called upon.  Jesus was delivered in a stable in a strange city.   (Lk 2:7)  Shortly thereafter the new family fled to Egypt to escape Herod's threat to kill their son, seen as a threat to the throne.  (Matt. 2:13).  During his teen years, the couple panicked when Jesus went missing after celebrating Passover in Jerusalem.  (Lk 2:40-42)  Ultimately, Mary suffered grievously as she watched her son die as a criminal on a Roman cross.  

We mature and change through learning to love a new life.  As demands are made upon us, we learn to sacrifice and serve, to persevere and  provide.  We serve as safety nets when life circumstances endanger our beloved children.  

Why?  When we create new life and watch over a child, we experience blessing.  Our days as parents are filled with deep joy and rich memories which dispel the fear.  Faith in the future with God wins out.

Take a moment to listen to  Mary Did You Know.  Voxtave feat. Mark Lowry. Nov. 4, 2016

Practice Thanksgiving

What matters most to you?  What core values undergird your daily choices?  What gives meaning to your life?  Give thanks for those very important people, places, events, experiences, and ideals.  They counter the alarms that ring in your head and in our stressful world. 

Keep a gratitude journal.  Practice writing 3 things you observe or experience each day, that you are glad about.  Anything that causes you to pause and appreciate, smile, laugh over, or delight in like a beautiful sunset or an affirming conversation.

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Phil 4:8

Yes, we all experience stressors in our lives: the Covid-19 pandemic, disputed elections, holiday cautions, unemployment, illness, broken relationships...  Perhaps jotting nightly in a stress journal would prove helpful as a first step in managing stress?  What crisis, heartache, discord, need, or unsolved problem is weighing on you now?  Will you release it to God who loves you unconditionally?  He knows what to do.  He is mighty to save.  His timing is perfect. 

"Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you."  I Pet. 5:7

Hope Emerges from Struggle

Look up to see the maple's red leaves against the blue sky.  Look up to see the shining stars against the black velvet night.  

God spoke the world into existence.  He is bigger than any rocky problem you are facing today.  Keep reminding yourself of that truth. 

Admittedly life can get sad and scary.  When Humpty Dumpty falls from the wall,  life gets messy.  We wonder how and who will put it back together again.  

That's when we need to pull back, slow down, and simplify.  

Cleaning a closet is a process.  Pulling everything out to reorganize, produces piles of stuff everywhere, at first.  Carry on.  Do the next thing.  Wash the walls, patch and paint, choose thoughtfully what goes back in.  Select the stuff that needs to be donated or trashed.  Because as we all know, we can easily become bogged down with old stuff that no longer fits our present life.

Pursuing healing change in habits and relationships is harder still.  Sometimes we need help to make these monumental course corrections.  Ask.  Do the hard work.  Seek abundant life starting now, right where you are.  Jesus promises his presence, power, and peace, no matter how messy the process. 

"And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew. 28.20   

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

Changing Plans on Rainy Days

The beauty of a rainy day is that you can ease up just a bit.  Slowing down to listen to rain pattering on the roof or watching drops slide down window glass is soothing somehow.  Making a favorite hot drink to sip improves the moment.  Be aware.  Be present.  Be receptive to God.  Listen.

Sometimes we Americans rush into the day, believing that productivity and performance matter most.  What can I check off my To-Do-List?  Daily goals help to move us forward, but we need not be bound by them.  

Sometimes changing plans free us to be somewhere unexpected with someone unknown. How open are we to the hand of God rearranging our schedules and our lives? 

• Do we complain at our treatment as did Elijah after battling the prophets of Baal?
• Do we refuse the mission and run like Jonah?  
• Do we submit like Mary, mother of Jesus?  
• Do we stop on the road like Paul to discard the life of persecutor to become the evangelist?  

What does embracing God's mission look like for you in this time of global pandemic?  When nations spin information and struggle to provide food, shelter, education, and jobs, what does your neighbor need from you today?  

Could you sit and listen to someone's doubts and fears?  Could you pray, call, send a card, or share a word of encouragement or forgiveness?  Do the people in your world need laughter or a helping hand or something else entirely?

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance."  1 Pet. 1.2

"... though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials." 1 Pet. 1.6

Fall Gardening

 

Dedicated to Janet.

It is good to be outdoors in the sunshine, doing good work among plants.  Gardens can be peaceful places of quiet and beauty.  Wearing old, comfortable garb is one of the perks.  You may rearrange pots and plants to create a new look in a familiar space.  Creativity springs to life.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to pull out paper and paints?

Forget the techno stress of the printer that no longer prints.  Absorb beauty.  Look skyward for soaring hawks. Listen to chirping crickets and woodpeckers. Watch squirrels dash about hiding nuts. Exhale stress.  Inhale peace.  

If you're the type who likes thrills and mysteries, gardening is what you want.  There is the surprise skunk sauntering along the patio at dusk.  There are deer tracks by missing blossoms.  If you prefer a challenging workout, try digging up a stump with shovel and hatchet or cutting down a hillside of weeds gone wild.  Build physical stamina and perseverance; gardeners are hearty folk after all.

In these autumn months, don't miss out on the joys of gardening:  burying bulbs around the yard, trimming trees, and the like.  

We are made in God's image.  God was the original gardener.  Let's follow his example, abide in him, and be fruitful this fall.

"And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed."  Gen. 2:8

Following Jesus: Resources

So growing up in Christ is one of your longings, but you’re not exactly sure how to get started or how to get back on track.

Start Reading.
Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety. Henri J. M. Nouwen. 2019.
Dutch-born Catholic priest, Nouwen lived the scholar’s life of teaching at Harvard and later a servant’s life to an adult with mental disabilities in Toronto’s L’Arche community. Based on a Lenten lecture series, Nouwen encourages us to become peaceful, joyful people who rediscover how to love as Jesus does.

Go Deeper.
A Shelter in the Time of Storm. Paul David Tripp. 2015. 52 meditations on Psalm 27, a psalm of trouble and worship. Start meditating on scripture. Fill your mind with God’s truth and grace.

Pray More.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. Timothy Keller. 2014.
Become a person who prays. Your prayers will become more personal and powerful as you practice. Because Keller carried the weight of church leadership and faced the personal trial of cancer, he is an experienced guide in practicing prayer.

Get Grounded.
Register for a 6 week foundational theology course at Crestview, starting October 11 - November 15, 2020 at Crestview. Participants receive a copy of Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem. 2005.

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect Romans 12:2

Contact Adult Education Team members at Crestview to learn more.
Beth Tumbleson. 9/22/20

Christian Bootcamp Registration @ Crestview Presbyterian Church.

Please register for Christian Bootcamp. October 11 - November 15, 2020

Strengthen your spiritual core by studying 6 Christian beliefs that guide us through this life to the next. Crestview’s Adult Education Team will facilitate discussion on what is God like, sin, Christ, becoming a Christian, and sanctification. Anyone wanting a better understanding of foundational theology is encouraged to join us.

Meet in-person:  Sundays 10:30 - 11:30 am 

 Noon
Or
Meet online.  Sundays 10:30 - 11:30 am

Each participating Crestview household will receive 1 copy of Christian Beliefs: 20 Basics Every Christian Should Know by Dr. Wayne Grudem. and edited by Elliot Grudem.  Pick it up at the registration table at church.

To Register
At Church: after service, go to the registration table.

Online: 
Click on pencil in Comments of the Midwest Musing blog.
Enter your name, email, and indicate in-person or online.

Trusting: from Birth through Life into Eternal Life

"'A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.'

. . . "Dying is trusting in the catcher.  To care for the dying is to say, "Don't  be afraid.  Remember that you are the beloved child of God.  He will be there when you make your long jump.  don't try to grab him; he will grab you.  Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.'" 
Henri Nouwen, Our Greatest Gift in Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing, edited by Wendy Wilson Greer.

Remember Jesus' words: "'Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit.'"  Do likewise when you face tidal waves of fear.  We walk into the future one day at a time. We can choose either to trust our loving Father God or be overtaken by "what ifs" that limit our activities, opportunities, and peace of mind.

By all means, do your part to live responsibly for your own sake and the sake of others.  Then fly on the winds of trust.  God will be there to catch you, even at the time of death.

Ain't No Grave (LIVE) - Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs |Victory.  1/5/2019.
Thanks DonnaE.

"So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide."  John Lewis

Time of Refreshment Mini Retreat

Time of Refreshment, July- Mini Retreat , Cincinnati, Ohio

Parable of the Stream    https://www.timeofrefreshment.com/

Takes about 20 minutes.  Includes scripture, art, music, prayer, reflection

Today's Work

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."  Phil 3:14

How we spend our time is a good indicator of what we value.  We usually find a way to put the thing that matters most into our day.  So what are you doing this week? 

Kingdom work can be creative, catching others' attention like inspirational preaching or an uplifting performance.  Kingdom work can be humble and go unnoticed like offering a meal or bed.  Sometimes Kingdom work requires courage and sacrifice to act on behalf of the powerless.  Sometimes Kingdom work requires persuasion and perseverance to show up and speak against destructive systems. 

Kingdom work is faith in action.  Loving God and loving your neighbor translate into doing good in a crooked generation.  Take care of yourself.  Show kindness and care for others in your family, church, community, and country.  Who knows where your circle of influence will lead?

As you do good work, share the message Jesus came to spread.  People need to hear the reason for your hope. Despite today's chaos, crime, and corruption experienced worldwide, the God of all comfort is a world creator, a world changer. and Savior.

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself."  Phil. 3:20-21

Prayer Changes You

We filter life and learn to see through God's eyes by praying.  Prayer is like putting on a pair of glasses; it can give us a godly perspective.  We are called to pray daily, without ceasing, from the heart, and persistently.  

Questions: 
When you start the day, which are you more likely to do first:  pray or check your cellphone?  Why do we put God on hold? Why wouldn't we want to talk regularly with Abba?

Worship:
Worship, adoration, or praise is directed towards God because of who he is and what he has done in eternity.  It is good for us to recognize that God is the center and we are not.  Life is about God's glory and his will, not ours.  When we proclaim that God is holy, sacred, sanctified, divine, or consecrated,  we begin to understand our place and our role in life.  We are less likely to usurp power; we are more likely to serve with humility as did Jesus.  Starting each day knowing that God reigns, gives us peace.  Worship lifts our spirit.

"Father, hallowed by your name.  Your kingdom come." 
or
"Father, reveal who you are.  Set the world right."
Luke 11:2b 

Confession:
Getting honest with God is hard.  Admitting our faults is no easy thing.  Sometimes we become weighed down by our own missteps and failings, so we pray and confess to God where we we went wrong.  Genuine confession is too often delayed or diluted, because it is painful to realize we are far from perfect.  When we harm another person, it is easier to blame someone else or the situation, when in fact we have slipped into sin:  pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, or sloth.

Confession is the path to freedom and reconciliation.  To shed self-condemnation and breakdown in relationship, we would do well to confess and seek forgiveness.  Confession gives us a fresh start, like the dawn of a new day.  We treasure forgiveness because it restores relationship with God and with the people in our lives.  Through confession, we learn to get up and go on, after stumbling into sin.

"If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  1 John 1:9

Thanksgiving:

Becoming a person who expresses gratitude to God is transformative.  Thankfulness enables us to see the good, even on days when we feel disappointment or despair.  Observing simple acts of kindness heals and helps us.  Practice thanking God who provides for daily needs like food, shelter, and clothing.  Thank God for his protection through the day and night.  Thank God for such priceless gifts as forgiveness, eternal life, victory over sin and death, and adoption into his family.  Be alert to the goodness of God throughout the day and thank him.  Record events in a gratitude journal to strengthen your trust in God.  Give up grumbling; "give thanks" instead.

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thes. 5:18

Supplication:

Ask, search, knock, petition, and pray to God for what you need.  Learn to ask through prayer.  Throughout the day make requests, big and small.  You would tell your parent, spouse, or friend, if you needed something, right?  God is even more generous and is able to provide all things:  abundant life, courage, comfort, counsel, healing, protection, strength, wisdom.  Talk to God in prayer when there's something on your mind and heart.

"Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,"  Eph. 3:20

"Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Phi: 6-7

Questions:

When you close your day, which are you more likely to do:  pray or check your cellphone one last time?  How open are you to changing your prayer habits?  How eager are you to become more like Jesus?

Identity Crisis

I glanced out the window to find 3 woodpeckers at our hummingbird feeders!  They savor the sugar water intended for the ever-active hummingbirds.  Sometimes, we too get confused about who we are and what we are about.

Then we need to remind ourselves of certain defining truths.  Christians are God's children; we have been adopted into his family.  We are chosen and loved.  Our family spans continents and centuries.  

"As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved..."  Colossians 3:12

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are."  1 John 3:1a

"By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."  1 Peter 1:3b-5

Our lives have purpose and meaning!  We follow Jesus and serve God wherever he sends us.  Sometimes we find ourselves backstage.  Sometimes we find ourselves center stage and proclaiming words of life.  Whether in the kitchen or in the board room, our joy is to love God and obey his commandments.  Our resume and our hard-won credentials matter much less than we assume.  

Indeed, the Apostle Paul came to think of his bloodline and accomplishments as baggage, garbage, or rubbish.  They can get in the way and confuse us as to our identity and primary mission.  

"I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith." Philippians 3:8b-9

You too can become a member of God's family anytime, anywhere.  He is waiting for you.

Praise God!

10,000 Reasons,  Celtic Worship, January 30, 2017

(Thanks DME once again for finding such inspirational music.)

Devotions for Techies

Most of us have been forced online due to the Coronavirus.  So many online meetings for work, school, family celebrations and check-ins.  Meeting online is fraught with hurdles:  timing with other householders who also need to be online, limited bandwidth,  choice between camera and/or mic, fuzzy and freezing screens, audio feedback, voices that don't sync with the speaker...  Connecting and communicating with clarity are not always ideal.  Still we persist.  Why?

Hard-core techies like the challenge.  Many are driven by deadlines set by the boss or the teacher.  Some need to hear a loved one's voice or to see a familiar face after too long a separation.  To give up is to surrender to isolation, loneliness, or drift without purpose.

Happily, we mere mortals can readily connect with our Father and Creator God.  Our Lord Jesus appeared on earth in the flesh to meet people like us.  He personally delivered messages from the Father.  God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers.  The Spirit counsels, comforts, empowers,  advocates, and brings teachings to remembrance.  Jesus taught us how to pray and assured us that we would be heard by God at anytime and from anywhere.  In a word, our Father in Heaven offers us "net neutrality"; we have equal access to almighty, unconditional Love.  He knows what's on our mind before we even say one word. 

Make time daily for this mysterious and wonder-filled meeting, powered by love.  God asks that we seek him wholeheartedly, that we listen to his voice, that we love and obey, and that we glorify his name.  He has something he needs to tell you, something he needs you to understand today.

Negotiations

Life flows along, until conditions change or someone blows the whistle for a timeout and revaluation. Perhaps a world event arises like a pandemic. Perhaps it’s a diagnosis, job loss, financial crisis, or relationship breakdown. Someone, for some reason, wants a change in rules to improve their situation. In business, we call this crisis management. CEOs may decide to file for bankruptcy and reorganize. In marriage, we call this separation. Maybe a spouse walks away for a time to ponder what he really wants in life.

In such cases, someone is unhappy with the current arrangements. Yes, mid-course corrections are part of living. Certainly resilience involves flexibility, adaptability, and perseverance. Whenever negotiators discuss new terms, they prefer to work from strength and greater leverage. One of the parties may suffer loss or setbacks. Few of us want to negotiate from a position of weakness.

God takes an entirely incomprehensible position in negotiations with us. He recognizes that we are not worthy rivals at the table. We are impotent paupers. We have nothing to win God over to our way of thinking, to spare us, or to help us out of our dire circumstances.

God recognizes we are sinners; we are flawed individuals. Incredibly, God chooses us anyway. Amazingly, God loves us anyway. Unbelievably, God offers us help and hope at the negotiations' table. God provides the costly solution; He shares with us his righteousness and victory over death. Christ died for our sins, redeemed us, and grants us new standing. We become new creatures in Christ with a fresh start. We enjoy new and improved terms, based on no assets nor strengths of our own. God’s strength is made visible in our weakness.

“’My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Cor. 12:9

Give Thanks.

Loving Relationships?

Church is a place where sinners gather.  A family can be a refuge or a battlefield.  As much as we try to befriend safe people, to marry well, or to associate with co-workers who can help us advance, we can feel betrayed, deceived, used, or unappreciated at the end of the day.  Why?  All we want is love, sweet love.

Admittedly, relationships are messy.  A friendship or a marriage may start well but deteriorate over time.  People change.  Individuals look out for their own interests and tend to trample on others, intentionally or unintentionally.  All of us bear scars and carry painful memories.  We may share these experiences with a trusted few and learn to live in the light.  If we stuff them down for years, they may blow one day like shrapnel.  Our secret anger, painful burden, or steaming resentment becomes visible. 

Listen to your life.  Address relational realities.  Stop trying to manage your image.  Stop pretending, hiding, or covering up.  Deal with root problems.  When you feel overwhelmed, get help.  Seek out help in the person of an experienced counselor.  See your pastor.  Read scripture and Christian literature.  Pray.  Practice healthy habits.  Take  yourself in for a tuneup, in other words. 

When we are in better shape, stronger, and healthier biblically-speaking, we are able to be present to others.  We stop sizing up someone by what we stand to gain.  We are at long last able to build relationships by blessing the other, doing good, and loving actively.  We give without expectations of cashing in.  Learning to consider the interests of others is a process in leaving selfishness behind.  It's an exercise in self-denial and sacrificial love. 

"Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."  Phil. 2:4-5

Will we get honest and own up to doing our part in making relationships happier and healthier?  As Christians, we are called to love.  (1 Corinthians 13)  It's a challenging, lifelong assignment.  Look to Jesus to see how he pulled it off.  Rely on Holy Spirit power daily to live out a lifestyle of love.

How Long, Lord?

Seniors in their 90s like my Dad are discovering iPads and FaceTime can bring loved ones closer, even when they are feeling isolated.  Seeing a smile or hearing laughter brightens the long day.  Technology enables connection. 

Those with immunity concerns are also feeling cut off from casual interactions with friends.  The realization that there is no end in sight to this COVID-19 pandemic makes the loneliness all the harder to bear.  How do we engage in abundant living while protecting our health?  How do we fellowship?  Are outdoor, masked, socially distanced gatherings a possibility?

Yes, survival requires adapting, letting go of accustomed routines, and embracing new practices like virtual interactions, outdoor meetings/activities, social distancing, and wearing masks.  

Who could have imagined working remotely for months, online silver sneakers workouts, virtual art and cooking classes, and web conferencing to discuss church matters?  We have been forced to rethink, to cope, to set up life differently, to distance to avoid possible contagion.   Life online is possible for many, but is ultimately less satisfying long-term.

A few suggestions for now:

Spiritual Formation:  Join a Crestview Bible Study or Summer Parables Group.  See the Crestview Website to connect online.

Worship:  Play the music you love, that promotes worship.  God is near.  Try listening now: 

In Christ Alone.

Fellowship:  Call someone in your life, that needs a word of encouragement or comfort.  Send a card.

Love One Another:  Give whatever you are longing for, to someone else.  A delightful surprise lifts the spirit. 

Create:  Like our Creator God, make something good to share:  a meal, a picture, music...

Renewing Your Mind

These are challenging days when your Christian faith is being stretched. Our world is in pain. You’ve felt it.

When life becomes demanding, the Christian message of hope and help are needed all the more. Would your ways of relating, daily routines, or thinking patterns benefit from observing Jesus in action? Renewing your mind is a daily practice that transforms a life. It leads to joy. God is at work in you by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Consider spending time reading and studying how believers in the Bible and Christians today manage problems, persevere, problem solve, and fortify their spirit.

By practicing Christian spiritual disciplines like study, prayer, service, and stillness in God’s presence, we mature in Christ. Spiritual transformation is not easy or convenient. It forces us to change attitudes and behaviors.

Block out time to meet with God. Check out 1 of the digital collections linked in Midwest Musing Resources to nourish your spirit. There are many online Bible websites, sermon video archives, podcasts by Christian authors and speakers, and Christian worship music to help you on your faith journey. 

Join one of Crestview’s on-going Bible study groups. New summer online groups will start in June. Christian Boot camp is slated for the fall. Jump in. Now is a time to reprioritize.

Christian Spiritual Formation Resources

During these COVID-19 days when life can feel like you @home on an endless spin cycle, consider rethinking how you spend time.  Meet with God and go deeper in your faith. Travel with the Holy Spirit while you are “stay safe” @home.  Listen, Read, Study, Watch, Worship!  Godspeed! 

  


Beth’s Top Picks, May 2020 

European Leadership Conference, May 22-28, 2020.  Free, Online

The Bible. All-time bestseller. Read a passage, a chapter, a book.

Crestview Sermons Archive. Rev. Shawn Barkley, West Chester, OH.

Podcast: The Well.  Rev. Shawn Barkley 

Midwest Musing: New Every Morning.  Blog.  

Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. John Ortberg, Menlo Park, CA. Watch messages.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church. NY, NY. Tim Keller
Resources: Meditations, Skeptics Series, Audio files, Sermon Archive, Recommended Reading, Articles,etc.

Park Street Church. Boston, MA. Sermon Library

Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Calvin University 

Calvin Center of Faith and Writing. Christian writers in various genres. Biannual conference.

Hall of Church History.  Phil Johnson.  Church history information.

Ligionier Ministries.  Founded by R.C. Sproul, Learn Resources

IF Gathering TV. Jennie Allen.  Women's ministry resources, videos, annual conference.

Ann Voskamp. Daily Blog. Women's ministry.

On Being with Krista Tippett.  Radio and Podcasts 

Virtual Religion Index  Websites

YouTube Watch, Listen, & Worship. Search  Christian authors, speakers, musicians.

Looking for something to READ by a celebrated Christian author? Pick up a book by
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Corrie ten Boom
Frederick Buechner
Francis Chan  
C.K. Chesterton
Elisabeth Eliot
Richard Foster
Bill Hybels
Timothy Keller
C.S. Lewis
Max Lucado
Kathleen Norris 
Henri Nouwen
John Ortberg
Eugene Peterson
James K.A. Smith
R.C. Sproul
John Stott
Joni Eareckson Tada
Barbara Brown Taylor
Ann Voskamp
Dallas Willard
N. T. Wright
Philip Yancey


Want more?  Willing to pay tuition?
Christian Witness and Ministry in a COVID-shaped World.  
Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI. Online 3 week summer courses. 3 Sessions. 

Celebrate Today

May is a time to celebrate:  anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Memorial Day...  Do we feel like celebrating when there are so many questions about the summer ahead and fall plans?

Perhaps this COVID-19 time gives each of us the opportunity to be present with the people who matter most.  What do our friends and family need today?  To be seen, to be challenged, to be celebrated?

Admittedly, our projected schedules and grand plans are falling apart.  We are learning to embrace the now over tomorrow.  Why not try starting your day with the Lord's Prayer?

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.    Matthew 6:7-13

The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr also captures this idea of slowing time, of embracing this day.

"Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,"

What does celebrating and connecting look like?  

Calls, texts, cards and eCards, emails, Zoom meetings, Facetime, smiles and waves, balloons tied to doors, crayon drawings taped to windows, packages on porches, muffins hanging from hooks, garden flowers left by the mailbox...
Be creative.  Give away the very thing that would delight your heart! 

Celebrate life.

Global Rescue

"God's plan is that we all experience that rescue."  Galatians 1:5

Yes, we all seek life, rescue, and deliverance, especially in these uncertain days of the 2020 pandemic.  We read about the increasing cases and deaths from COVID-19.  This year I attended the funeral of a baby who lived less than a week.  In late summer, I am hoping to attend Dad's 99th birthday.

No matter the number of days, please know life continues into eternity.  It does not end in "ultimate oblivion."  Sorry, not an option.

Don't worry, because God has a plan to make all things right, simply put "global rescue."   You don't have to be perfect to cash in.

We've all made decisions we regret, acted on impulses we wished we hadn't, and spoken words we wanted to take back.  We've messed up in the game of life.  We've done wrong.  We rarely dwell on or talk about these sorrowful episodes in our lives.  Moral failure is shamed and shunned, so we tend to go silent.  But screw-ups / sin is part of the human condition. 

The amazing miracle is that God loves us just the way we are, knee deep in sin.  No cleanup needed.  God is in the redemption business.  Here's His plan.

God couldn't write off our many mess-ups, like they didn't matter.  They do.  God is holy and righteous.  So God sent His perfect Son, who paid our fines and fees with His life, to make things right again, to give us a new standing.

• If you want to be free, turn from habits and idols that have failed you. 
• Admit your mistakes /sins. 
• Receive God's gift of a fresh start in Christ.  This is what we call "grace."  New life is possible for everyone who personally trusts /believes God.  
• That's the rescue plan.  You don't earn rescue by being perfect.  That never worked for anyone.  And many have tried.

To sum up:
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it."  John 3:16-18

Is it time to rethink your life plan?  Are you ready to trust God?

Searching for Beauty?

Tulips are colorful messengers of spring.  Beauty lifts our spirits during these days of isolation and reports of COVID-19 cases.  Have you gotten outside lately to take a  walk in the sunshine?

In the midst of the pandemic, in a time of fear over falling ill, job loss, uncertain school plans, and separation from loved ones, it is helpful to refresh our spirits. Many problems are beyond our ability to fix instantly or control ultimately.   Jesus was a realist; he told us life is difficult.  We are living that hard reality now.  So we hand off our weighty problems in prayer.  And we remember to put beauty in the unfolding day.

Let's reorient.  Forget about focusing on the problems.  Turn instead to the God of all comfort, grace, goodness.  Toss your cares to Him.  Be real when you pray; give Him the unedited version of what you are experiencing.  Know that God is for you and always has been.

"Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all."  Proverbs 3:5-7

Coffee breaks are nice.  Beauty breaks are better.  Gaze on God's beauty today.  It's more glorious than the Grand Canyon.  Worship changes us.  It rights our tipping perspective.  Our fears begin to fade.  Each dawn holds hope of better things to come. 

Life is short.  That poetic reminder is posted in our outhouse in Maine.  Whenever the end comes, as it surely will for us all, I look forward to spending eternity with God.  He is beauty personified.  He is our peace.  I want my dad who is 98 and living 1,000 miles away to live with that assurance and certain hope.

"One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple."  Psalm 27:4

Matt Redman.  "10,000 Reasons."  Nov. 25, 2011.

The Hospitable Cook

Hospitality seems like a distant dream, under current stay-at-home orders.  Still, we are eating together more than we typically do, often family-style.

Hospitality is a timeless virtue, one sought in leaders, especially leaders in the church.

"It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to ... He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message..." Tit. 1:8

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Heb 13:2

Welcoming people into your home is a loving invitation.  Welcoming a stranger is a gift of inclusion.  I have warm memories of being invited to Sunday dinner when I was "a stranger in a strange land."  A family I hardly knew would ask a few college students to dinner after church services.  When studying abroad in France, I was graciously invited to Sunday dinner, once again after church services.  Those home cooked meals meant the world to me, far from home.

Hopefully in our confined quarters, we are cooking together to create, to converse, to count, and to share fond memories of people and places we love.  When we gather once again to celebrate with family or friends or simply be together, be ready to share a new dish.

Better yet, why not hone your cooking skills or experiment in the kitchen now?  You have time, don't you?  Christopher Kimball of "Milk Street Kitchen"  is offering their entire line of online cooking classes FREE throughout May 30, 2020!  Check out the many free online classes!

Stories, Prayers, and Bears

Have you noticed any bears in your neighborhood lately?

Teddy bears may be hiding in windows around the world, so out-of-school children can "hunt" them during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Getting outdoors for a fun scavenger hunt is good medicine.

Winnie the Pooh is another beloved bear from our childhoods.  Pooh relished many adventures with his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.  English author A. A. Milne, who served in both World Wars, left children of all ages, words of wisdom and inspiration to take us through tough times.

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” 

 Christopher Robin

“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.  Piglet.

"It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine."  Eeyore

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” Winnie the Pooh

“It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words, but rather short, easy words like, “What about lunch?” Winnie the Pooh"

"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude."

 "A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference."  Eeyore

"Love is taking a few steps backward, maybe even more ... to give way to the happiness of the person you love."  Winnie the Pooh

Does your bedtime include time for prayer / song?   

Andrea Bocelli and Tori Kelly.  "The Prayer."  June 3, 2016

along with a story?  Winnie-the-Pooh, 1926.  The House at Pooh Corner, 1928.

Lifestyle of Love

Give yourself grace and start the day soaking in love.

Fernando Ortega. "Give Me Jesus."  November 7, 2014.

The news cycle used to be contained largely to the evening and late news, but no longer. Now we are bombarded by images, sound bites, and provocative headlines. If the first thing you do is grab your cell phone when you get out of bed, you may want to rethink that habit.

How might a person of faith interact in a healthier way with “the news”?  Certainly, become informed about what is going on in the world; however; don’t overindulge. Ingest a reasonable portion.

Choose news sources carefully. Consider the values and mission of the source.  How does its values align with God’s love for the powerless, the poor, the prisoner, the sick, or the stranger?  (See Matthew 25:31-46)  Listen to multiple perspectives on an issue to deepen your understanding. Verify facts. Are they mentioned in several sources? Has the original context been preserved?

It takes courage to learn what is really happening.  We discover things that are hard to hold in our hearts.  Becoming informed is only a first step. 

Christians are called to love, to serve, to do.

• Pray for the world and its leaders.
• See the good. Give thanks. Ex. Affirm essential workers or join the 7 pm clap ovation of healthcare workers where you live.
• Stand firm. Show up. Speak up. Fight to save lives. Push back against unhelpful regulations as one governor did.
• Partner with problem solvers in your community. Join a volunteer effort: food bank, ministry to the homeless, literacy effort, disaster relief...

In a word, embrace a lifestyle of love, lived out in many ways.

Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” Matthew 22: 37-40

Beat Back Despair

Sometimes we feel discouraged and begin to despair. The covid-19 pandemic is stressing an already weary world. Dysfunctional systems and the missteps of flawed leaders are in the news 24/7. We must look elsewhere for hope.

Michael W. Smith.  "Hang On." November 6, 2014.

Walk with God today.  “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

That’s when we need to remind ourselves that we can be the change needed at this time, as former Ohio Governor Kasick writes in his latest book, It’s Up to Us. We remember healthcare leaders and governors are collaborating across party and state lines to share medical equipment, technology, and facilities to save lives. We recall that some have stood firm against fear, intimidation, and selfishness. Many serve humbly, tirelessly, and sacrificially.

As Jennie Allen writes in her book Get Out of Your Head, “I have a choice.” That stops the downward spiral.

Today, speak words of empathy, offer acts of kindness, and provide reliable information. 

Rest in the knowledge that God loves you. He is with you. He is mighty to save. 

Malone University Chorale Virtual Choir.  "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." March 25, 2020

 

Sleepless? Meditate & Pray

Michael W. Smith.  "Ancient Words."

Sometimes sleep does not come easily, especially if you overindulge in the news or are concerned about loved ones.  Turn over your worries to the One who knows you best and loves you most.  Perhaps your bedtime routine needs an upgrade, beyond brushing your teeth and reading a few pages?  Try adding the spiritual disciplines of meditation and prayer to your day, practiced by Christians throughout the ages.  Begin with one of the short meditation exercises below, suggested by Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline.

1. Meditate on a scripture passage by internalizing or personalizing a verse.  Let the word(s) come alive for you.  Apply your senses to a Bible story.  Take your time.  To start, try:

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I (Jesus) am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."  Matthew 11:29
“I (Jesus) have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 
 2 Timothy 1:7

2. Meditate by centering using "palms down, palms up." 
With palms down, turn over your concerns by praying along these lines: 
Lord, I give you my anger over ___,
I let go of my fear of ___,
I surrender by anxiety about ___,
I release my frustration over ___
Then turn your palms up to receive from the Lord.
Lord, I would like to receive Your ___. 
Be still.  Enjoy the silence.

3. Meditate by centering yourself and focusing on your breathing.  Inhale and exhale slowly for several minutes.  Pray along these lines:  I exhale my fear over ___.  I inhale Your peace (or light).  Be specific.  Let go of distracting thoughts.  Listen.  Give thanks as you close

4. Meditate by imagining yourself walking with God.  Picture yourself meandering along a lovely path.  Use your senses to hear the stream, feel the breeze, smell the fragrant flowers...  Visualize exploring a nearby meadow, lie down and look skyward.  Rest in God's presence.  Listen to God speak.  Let  Him instruct you, whether practical, spiritual, or silence.

5. Pray a Celtic prayer such as

"This Night
May God bless us
In our sleep with rest,
In our dreams with vision,
In our waking with a calm mind,
In our souls with the friendship of the Holy Spirit
this night and every night.
Amen."
Iona Community

or

"Deep Peace

Deep peace of the running wave to you

Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the Son of peace to you."
Scots Traditional

Resources for the journey:
Richard Foster on "The Celebration of Discipline" Part 1 of 2, Feb. 19, 2013.  [YouTube 24:35]
Foster, Richard J.  Celebration of Discipline:  The Path to Spiritual Growth. [Book]
Wallace, Martin, compiler. Pocket Celtic Prayers. 2004. [Book]

Living with Limits

Living with a chronic illness is limiting, as anyone who has a physical or mental disorder will tell you. I remember my grandmother as bedridden by rheumatoid arthritis, but still able to play games like anagrams and offer us cashews as treats. Years earlier she had graduated from Wellesley College, taught school, married shortly after World War 1, and had 2 children. Due to her debilitating disease, she gradually became less mobile: cane to crutches to wheelchair and finally to invalid. Nevertheless, she remained positive, playful, informed, and connected to family and friends. She adapted and lived into her seventies.

In recent days when our coming and going has been curtailed, when we are encouraged to stay home to reduce contagion by the conoravirus, we may feel frustrated and restless. That’s normal. Our plans and schedules have been interrupted. 

We are beginning to realize that all of us live with limitations. For the safety of others and ourselves we choose to sacrifice our personal freedom to go and do whatever we like, whenever we like. We are realizing anew that essential resources are limited like masks, tests, ventilators, and medication. We are acknowledging that the world is more complex and interconnected than we had imagined. No one person or country can solve today’s problems.

Perhaps that’s why God the Creator, who is infinite and omniscient, stepped into our world in the person of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved this world that he sent his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God’s original plan was not to condemn the world, but to save it through his Son. This is the only perfect and fail proof plan I know. It takes you from this earthly life into eternity, under God’s rule. Only then will we experience life whole and healed.

Give God Time

We listen to the news to become informed citizens, especially in a national emergency. But we would do well to give equal time or more to God.

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Ps. 46:10

“We have a choice” as Jennie Allen tells us in her new book to stop the downward spiral of our thoughts and feelings. We can give God time. I hung a poster with these words and the image of a rowboat in my college dorm to remind me. I still need the reminder. We can turn to the truth and promises found throughout scripture. That grounds us so that we cannot be shaken by confusion, doubt, and fear.

Yes, it’s healthy to feel our feelings, to identify our emotions during the day. But we can choose not to become overwhelmed by them. Setting our mind on Christ prevents us from being swept up by too many worrisome broadcasts. Rather than numb ourselves with various distractions, we can speak to our soul. We can share a word of encouragement with others.

Stop playing the negative self-talk tapes. Tell your Father in heaven what you are feeling and what you need. Remind yourself that God knows you and loves you. Remember Almighty God is your stronghold, protector, provider, and physician. These truths calm the spinning mind.

David sang this song when the Lord delivered him from all his enemies.
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior;” 2 Sam. 22:2-3

So if you are starting to feel swamped by waves of wild thoughts, remember that Jesus calmed the waters long ago. He is Lord over storms. He is Lord over all. Sit in his presence awhile. Meditate on scripture. Listen. Breathe.

Changing: Like Christ

2020 is a good year to practice “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Rom. 12:12 Our Bible study group chose this verse to guide us through our family members’ complicated, prolonged illnesses and hospitalizations as the year began. Then the coronavirus arrived on our shores, bringing closings, cancellations, fear, and great distress. This has resulted in postponed primaries, closed restaurants and gyms, K-12 school closings, online only university classes and college students sent home without the prospect of graduation, major sporting and cultural events delayed or not held. Adapting to current realities is necessary. Dependence upon God keeps us steadfast as we experience trouble in this world. Sometimes we are called upon to sacrifice our
lifestyle of freedom on behalf of our weaker brothers and sisters. We are learning to practice Phil. 2:4
"Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."

Preventing the healthcare system from being overwhelmed and decreasing covid-19’s spread became top priorities among government and global public health leaders. Twenty-first century technology and healthcare systems have been strained by the threat of contagious diseases like the current pandemic. History reminds us that others suffered during the 1918 Spanish flu and the 1300's bubonic plague. There is nothing new under the sun, as we read in Ecclesiastes.

Lent is a season to set our minds on God, give thanks, and pray. We have a choice to stop the downward spiral of our toxic thinking and feelings of worry and anxiety. We can choose to lean on God who is with us, who loves us, and who transforms us through various trials. Reaching maturity in Christ comes at a cost. Consider the Apostle Paul who wrote: “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” (Phil. 3:10) The most compassionate people I’ve known have experienced sorrow and suffering in their lives, just like Jesus. Listen to their stories. Take comfort in knowing they took the next step by the power of the Holy Spirit. Life is short. Whom will you follow in tough times?

Ellie Holcombe.  "Find You Here."  2017.