What Happens When a Community Goes "All In"?

One example, in particular, stands out in my mind: in the first century A.D., an emerging band of rebel rousers were once described as “turning the world upside down.” This was the first church, growing like wildfire in Asia Minor (Acts 17:6, ESV).

History has also shown that times of fasting and seeking the Lord have preceded times of great revival. Across our nation, churches are calling congregants to three weeks of a partial fast, called “the Daniel Fast” to help us develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus and really put our lives on the altar to be “All In” for change.

In a community where so many people feel alone, increasing numbers of people are experiencing hard times out of work, and the spiritual battle for our children’s hearts are reaching epidemic proportions, I can think of no better time to be “All In” for change. Our community’s call to fast begins Sunday, April 23rd (notice the date has changed since this weekend’s message).

A true fast, a prophet once said, is to

"loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter

— when you see the naked, to clothe them,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

 

 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you,

and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” (Isaiah 58:6-9)

Therefore, our fast will begin by participation in our Auction “Fiesta de Milagros,” (Friday, Sept 21st)….at which we have the chance to do just as Isaiah said and share our food with our hungry and to close the naked.

Then, Sunday September 23rd, Pastor Tim and Pastor Rey are encouraging everyone in our congregation to begin a modified form of the Daniel Fast, for three weeks of seeking God’s face.

The parameters of Washington Cathedral’s fast are as follows:

(1) Eat a healthy natural diet of your choice (no in between meal snacks or processed sugar).
(2) Pray five times a day
(3) Share your faith daily
(4) Give something up for 21 days without talking about it
(5) Resign to the will of God in ways he will show you

Debi Raines, who has experimented with the Daniel Fast previously, describes her experience this way: “I really like the Daniel fast because it allows you to eat, yet be restricted in your eating. The results are that your physical needs are met, but you never feel satisfied. This makes you lean into God, for three weeks! I experienced realistically and tangibly that only God can satisfy! I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything and I am so excited to begin a new on September 23rd!”

On Sunday, September 23rd, we will provide a detailed packet of information on the Daniel Fast at church. In the meantime, you can find out more at: www.daniel-fast.com. Please pray about being this venture with our community and doing something concrete to show that you are All In for change.

The Contagion of Joy

            We think joy is circumstantial. Then we read the testimony of the Apostle Paul describing his joy while awaiting his death in chains (Philippians 2:12-18 and 4:4). Joy can burst out of difficult circumstances, and it can be as catching as wild fire.

Last week my grandson and I hiked up Cougar Mountain so that I could teach him how to be a mountain man and to survive in the wilderness if he were ever lost. I showed him all the things he could eat in the forest, natural ways to defend himself from Mosquitoes or even cougar, and how to stay warm and start a fire without matches (his mom is going to love that one). I showed him which plants and bugs were poisonous and which he could eat.  In response he replied: “Wait a sec, G.P. -  You want me to eat a bug?!”

“Not just any bug.” I showed him which ones were good and how to prepare them.  Then he caught the adventure of it and was filled with excitement and joy.

“Okay, G.P., I am going to eat the next bug I see!”

“Slow down, grandson, you only need to eat bugs if you are lost and starving.”  But his joy was contagious, so we might have snacked on creepy-crawler or two. True joy is contagious, it is that simple.

            

             The joy from the good news the Apostle Paul had experienced was even greater – it was transforming! It can change our lives, every day, for the rest of our lives, if we let Jesus have his way.  And this transforming joy is viral.  It becomes a revolution when every Christian realizes that he or she is a church-planter.  And God has set us up with a great platform to do so.

             We live in an age of social networking. Have you thought that you have a congregation in your social network? People that may not have any other connection with Jesus other than the change they see in you….people that are waiting for someone to pour love, joy, and grace into their lives. First, your family and friends but then second your social network: your high school friend and college buddy….your dentist and your dog-walker! You can stay in touch with them.  You can hear their hurts, pray for them, and invite them to move one step closer to Jesus Christ.  We proposed five easy steps for this.  We called them the five P's:

1. Post the sermons on your social network.

2. Pray for your group and encourage them daily

3. Pass along your enthusiasm about your faith, your church and your savior.

4. Plan some ministry ideas for your group.  What can you do together that would honor Jesus?

5. Begin a faith conversation with your group.  Give them an uplifting idea daily.  Talk to them and listen to them.  But share your faith with them in a viral way.

Pretty simple but a lot of fun.  And as I say to my grandson in his mountain man training: “Let’s get-tur done!”

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White

Small Steps toward Big Trouble

I felt soreness in my legs and feet but ignored it.  I put on my socks.  I pulled on my ankle brace.  I laced up my shoes.  I stretched and warmed up as always.  Then I began playing.  Only a couple minutes into the game I felt the SNAP.  But it wasn’t a momentary accident. Step by step I snapped my Achilles tendon.  Although the moment I remember the most is the SNAP, I didn’t ruin my Achilles tendon all at once.  I ruined it step by step.  Really, it wasn’t even about one day or one week but a long period over which patterns and habits emerged.

When most of us think about Samson, we immediately think about Delilah cutting his hair.  But Samson didn't ruin his life all at once.  Samson ruined his life one step at a time.  Throughout his life he ignored God’s spirit.  He had established habits of allowing his emotions to lead him astray and expose his Achilles’ heel, leading him to forfeit God’s best. Long before he even met Delilah, Samson was walking step by step into a trap.

With each step, Samson had ample opportunity to turn around.  Even in the episode with Delilah, Samson had three chances to realize that he was playing with fire.  The story of Samson is the story of a man taking small steps to big trouble. 

Where are you in your journey?  Are you taking small steps away from God or striding eagerly in His direction? I challenged the entire church with this thought: “What do you do if you are walking away from God?” The answer is simple - turn around….change.  It’s never too late to become who you are meant to be and to accomplish what you are meant to do. 

Mark 1:15 - ¹⁵ “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”

What To Do When You Fail

I’ve failed more times than I care to confess or remember.  In high school, I lost an ASB election and thought I would never live again.  It was humiliating.  I wanted to move to another school.  I didn’t know how I could pull myself together for the following year.  Yet here I am years later alive and well, with God’s plan still before me.  Failure is an event, not a person.  So I don’t mind telling you I’ve failed.  I have.  I’ve wasted chances.  I’ve completely blown it (believe me I have).  But don’t think for a minute I would ever call myself a failure.  I am what God says I am and God calls me his child. 

Samson experienced failure in a painful way.  He failed in such a way that the very people from whom he was supposed to deliver Israel ended up mocking him and making him their “pet” (pretty humiliating). Yet Samson did more than show remorse for his failure.  He didn’t blame others or circumstances. Instead, for the first time in his life, Samson repented.  Samson turned around.  And with God it is never too late to turn around.  At rock bottom, Samson took one tiny baby step in God’s direction.  And somehow…someway…

Samson accomplished more in his dying day than he did his entire life! With God’s strength, Samson was finally able to do what he was created to do (despite all of his failures).

Handling failure in our personal lives is difficult.  The pain of regret is real and tangible.  Yet the story of Samson teaches me that just because someone is down, doesn’t mean he is out.  We learn that despite our failures, God is strong enough.  I wanted to encourage everyone with this simple truth – God is still powerful enough to somehow and someway turn our failures into a good accomplishment. God never ceases to amaze.

Do you believe this?  Do you see failure as an event or a person?  Do you believe God can turn around any and all of your failures? 

Proverbs 24:16 - Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.  

When Your Weakness is Exposed

By Rey Diaz

Among my family and friends I am known as an emotional robot.  I don’t cry.  And I don’t know what to say when someone starts crying.  I am known for saying the worse thing possible.  But this does not mean I am not emotional.  In fact I believe that since we are all created in the image of God, we are all emotional beings who might express emotions differently.  If you were to watch me during a football game or driving in traffic, you would see I am very emotional. 

There is nothing wrong with emotions.  The danger comes when we allow these emotions to drive us. In Samson we see a gifted and talented young man with so much potential, who allows his emotions to drive him.  When we allow ourselves to be emotion-driven, our Achilles’ heel becomes exposed.  Samson’s emotions tended to lead him directly into traps.  For many of us, our emotions do the same for us – they expose our weaknesses. 

There is only one solution to this problem.  Paul addresses it in Galatians.  He begs us to “let the Holy spirit guide your lives.”  When we allow God to lead us and guide us, we are safe.  God leads us into a place where he can perform a miracle and turn our Achilles’ heel into strength.

So which are you?  Are you emotion-driven?  Or are you spirit-led?  Maybe you go back and forth between the two.  Today, I want you to do the thing that tough Samson couldn’t do - surrender your emotions to God.  Will you do?

Galatians 5:16-17

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 

Confession: My Achilles' Heel

What little boy didn’t want to be like Samson in the Bible?  Supernatural power, no one could stop him! Samson had so much potential. He was chosen, separated, and called from birth to achieve great things for God. Yet Samson, like all of us, had an Achilles’ heel: a deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, which could actually or potentially lead to his downfall.

In the message I mentioned that I am like a spider with six Achilles’ heels.  My seven-year-old niece later corrected me: “Uncle Rey, spiders have eight legs.” She is probably right. I am sure I have more like eight Achilles’ heels.

One of my Achilles’ heels is my anger. Many of us have said something we did not mean in anger, but how many of us have done foolish things when we were mad? I remember one time I took the AFE kids on a field trip and after waiting 20 minutes for a parking spot a man rudely cut me off and stole my spot.  In anger I rolled down my window and chucked the gum I had been chewing at his car, in front of the adoring eyes of my AFE students. What did they learn that day? I was so embarrassed about how I behaved when my Achilles’ heel got the best of me.

We all have so much strength and so much weakness.  Just like Samson, we cannot ignore our weaknesses or it will come back to haunt us.

Our action-point from this weekend was simply to identify your personal Achilles’ heels. If you have no idea what it could be ask a close friend, spouse or relative (your wife might even have a list for you!) Yet sometimes we keep our Achilles’ heels hidden and are ashamed to admit just how weak we truly are. Addressing your Achilles’ heel takes real courage and honest evaluation. Find someone to help you.  Talk to your TLC leader or a pastor. 

My prayer for this community is that we would take a different road than Samson, that instead of ignoring our Achilles’ heels we would address them….our God-given potential and future hangs in the balance.

Where Do I Turn When the Economy (or Anything Else for That Matter) Goes Bad?

By Pastor Linda

I don’t know about you but when things go bad it seems that my natural inclination is to begin to stress out and worry about what is going to happen.  At that moment in time, my imagination can run wild as I think about all the horrible scenarios that I might live when things go horribly wrong.  As a matter of fact, I can be quite creative in this state of worry, painting a dark and dismal picture for my future.

Then I read what Jesus said in Matthew 6:22-23 and I am reminded that what I visualize in my worry has a profound impact on what I begin to believe about myself and more importantly about God.  If I look at the difficulties of life through eyes of faith, God is able to help me to maneuver through the tough times.  If I use the eyes of worry and distrust, I find myself helplessly frozen in a dark place with no hope.

One of God’s greatest gifts is to release us from fear and worry. Jesus said “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”  Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

If today’s economy has you tied up in knots you may want to read what Jesus has to say in Matthew 6:19-34 and think about the following questions.  Where am I placing my priorities?  Who am I turning to when things get tough?  Am I getting weighed down with worry or am I being lifted up with faith? 

12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:12-13