**Church Notes** 5/31/2015

Because I attend a church that feed my heart, soul and my brain, I always want to share the feast. So, I'm thinking I will be sharing my little jottings and notes every now and then.

Church is always a blessing to me, and today's message was one that hit me hard. It was centered around the way we treat people. I've been so wrapped up in my personal issues that, lately, I've been less than loving.

It's not that I have been purposefully un-loving; I just have so much going on in my mind all the time that I can be blind to someone else's need for time and attention. (I notice that I always room enough in my mind for counting ways I feel slighted though... See? That right there is how I let the Enemy use me.)

Anyway, on to the notes I took this morning during service. My sarc is acting up this week so I can't do anything from memory, and I can barely read my own writing... so I will just list the key points (tear stains not included):

First note - 
There is another way for me to look at how I treat people. I will now always look at the following verses with a new understanding:

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. --Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV)

We get chances all the time to offer our love to those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers - and so on - but we don't see the opportunity to love. We might be tired or feeling inconvenienced. The pastor gave a beautiful statement about how we can see that message in our daily lives if we realize that one day we will be having this conversation with Jesus. Pastor reminded us that we need to be there for others.

Second note - 
As Christians, we need to stop thinking in an "Us vs Them" kind of way. We are all thirsty - for love, forgiveness, redemption - and Jesus can quench that thirst. How often do we extend love to people who are in need of kindness? Do we talk to them about Jesus, or do we show them his love through our own behavior?

Third note -
What if God saw us/looked at us the way we see/look at each other?

Fourth note-
How often do we listen to each other? Do we just wait for our turn to speak, or our turn to make out point without hearing the other person?

Fifth note -
(from a book) Feeling valued is a fundamental human need. Do we show people in our lives that we value them? (The book is one I want to get: Vanishing Grace Study Guide: Whatever Happened to the Good News? by Philip Yancey)

Sixth note -
A good questions to ask: "When have you felt loved/valued?" or "What makes you feel loved or valued?"

Seventh note-
Line from song: "Things will grow strangely dim in the glory of His grace" (that's probably not all the right words, but...)  This line made me think of how all the things we pay excessive attention to here in this life are not going to matter in the life to come. (I also teared up and smiled thinking of my sister and mother. They don't have to worry anymore about their illnesses.)

To look up this song (I had to jot down some of the words, but I did find it): "Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here | Your Presence Lord" The young man who sang it in church didn't think he could do it justice, but he did. It's a really beautiful song and it went right deep into the pastor's message.

Sorry for the jumble of notes, but I really was copying much as I could from my jottings and scribbles!

Peace
--Free

Questioning Motivations

While watching something on a video the other day, I found myself being extremely critical of the person featured. This was a video clip of a young gospel music artist talking about his latest ventures. He was so over-eager to share that not only was he putting out a new album, but also doing a movie project and some other project, and on and on. He was just about tripping over himself, making sure to self-promote that I went from being impressed with his enthusiasm to being sort of irritated.

After I took a few moments to mentally analyze the guy and criticize him thoroughly, I realized that I was throwing a bunch of stones from a chair in my own glass house. 

When I stopped to think about it all, I realized that maybe I should be taking notes for an improvement in my own life.  For instance, what if, every time I get ready to do something or say something, I take time to consider my motives?

Hmmm....

I think that I will probably need to tie a string around a different finger every day to remember to ask myself a few questions before I speak or act from now on, but I'd like to try out the idea...

What are our motives when we do or say things? Are we always speaking to be helpful or encouraging? Do we do things to help people or to better ourselves in positive ways? If I'm going to be honest, I have to admit that I'm probably only completely non-selfish in about 30% of the things I do or say.

There have been times when I've given advice to family or friends more out of a need to look wise than to actually be a help to them. Even worse, I have sometimes tried to use my "advice" to lead them toward what I want rather than to actually advise them.

That sounds so awful when I think about it, but I really never have thought much about it before now.

Anyway, from now on, I hope to more carefully consider my true motives. I tried to come up with a list of things that I'll need to ask myself before do or say anything significant:

• Am I speaking or acting out of my negative feelings or emotions (anger, frustration, annoyance, etc.)?
• Are my feelings or emotions warranted?
• Am I saying something because I truly mean it?
• If I don't mean it, why am I bothering to say it?
• If I do mean it, can I logically defend it?
• Am I doing or saying something to look smarter than someone else - or less vulnerable?
• Am I doing or saying something just for approval or attention?
• Whose approval am I seeking by saying or doing something?
• Who am I helping (or harming) by doing or saying something?
• Is what I am doing or saying useful? And if it's not, why am I doing or saying it?
• Is this the time to say or do something or not?
• What will it really matter in the long run?
• How is what I say or do going to effect someone else?

This is basic stuff, but I don't always take the time to use my actions or words wisely. Here is something I have learned: sometimes, the most powerful motivation is a feeling powerless. That's dangerous because so many of us think the antidote to feeling powerless is a negative reaction.

courtesy my YouVersion app

I going to start this very day praying for more restraint in my moment-to-moment behavior. Guess that means I'll be doing lots of praying!

Peace

--Free