Doing Life Means Getting Dirty

At Emmaus Road, our home church body, we often speak of "doing life" together. That simply means living out our faith with those around us, or engaging our culture. This concept is simple in philosophy, yet very difficult practically. Why? Because doing life with people means getting dirty. It means extending our love for people beyond the things we love about them. It means loving those who aren't very lovable. It means making ourselves vulnerable emotionally and being transparent with each other. Going even deeper, it means doing life with those who even hurt us.

The following is a great, thought-provoking article which can also be found at www.emmausroadonline.org.

Enjoy - Peter

Doing Life Together
By Dr. James MacDonald

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
We have a commitment within our church family to "do life together." It's now an 18-year experiment which asks, "Is there a group of people who will love one another no matter what and keep on going together for God?" That's the vision God has given to us-to love, forbear with, and forgive each other, growing together in Christ year after year. As you would expect, it takes a lot of sweat and tears.
Ephesians 4:2-3 hits the bull's-eye of how this commitment works. "Walk . . . with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eager to maintain means I am willing to work hard at unity-no matter what it costs me. This kind of sacrifice isn't about money or time, it drills down to the core of who you are. The strength behind this pledge is in the sacrifice of yourself.
Your opinions, your entitlements, your injured feelings-these are what you give up for the sake of unity. This is how far you will go to "do life" with your brother and sister in Christ. Always caring, always trying to work it out, always helping. Why, because you like the person? Not always. You do it because you want to honor God.
This concept of sacrificing yourself for the good of your brother was so foreign to the Greek and Roman culture at the time Ephesians was written that Paul had to coin a new word to describe it. He called this attitude humility-the choice to carry a weight rather than inflict a wrong. You may say, "But his opinion is wrong!" Perhaps. But if it's not a doctrinal issue or in conflict with what the Bible clearly teaches, swallow your argument and agree to disagree. What clearer evidence could there be that God is at work in you?
But what if someone disappoints you again after years of patience and love? You may say in frustration, "Do I still have to put up with this?" The answer is, "Yes, you do." God is watching how we treat each other and honors every time we roll up our sleeves to do the hard thing.
That's what we've signed up for in our church body. Though it's easier to tap dance out of relationships as soon as our weaknesses begin to show, we've decided to be followers of Christ who love each other anyway. We don't always get it right, but we're working hard at unity. Why? Because our eyes are on Christ and we want the One who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death to get the greater glory.

Happier With Less

The simple life. God has been teaching me lately to live simply. I blogged recently about this and the lesson continues. I sense God saying, "I'm stripping away the fat in your life, Peter." Why? Because it's not needed. Check out some devotional thoughts from Spurgeon today...

"The best position for a Christian is living wholly and directly on God's grace-remaining where he stood at first-"having nothing, yet possessing everything."2 Let us never for a moment think that our standing is in our sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings. But be sure of this, that because Christ offered a full atonement, therefore we are saved; for we are complete in Him. Having nothing of our own to trust in, but resting upon the merits of Jesus, His passion and holy life provide us with the only sure ground of confidence. Beloved, when we are brought to a thirsty condition, we are sure to turn eagerly to the fountain of life.

I imagine I am not the only person guilty of thinking that my actions somehow create my peace. I imagine I'm not the only one who compares himself with others. I imagine I'm not the only one thinking my possessions create a sense of security. So, what do I do with all this? I rest on the promise from God that, despite having nothing, I possess everything. I recently lost a very large investment...my house. I chose to do what I believe would honor God above what I believed would benefit me. It wasn't easy. It took some time for me to accept, then even rejoice, in the loss. But now I see the blessing and truly do rejoice. You see, our possessions are not owned by us. They are God's. On a practical point, they own us, you know. When we borrow to own, we really do not own at all. Think about it.

Well, I am amazed at God's grace on me. How often I have chosen the worldly over the spiritual. It must end. I admit my fault in this area and confess I still have a ways to go. But God is good. He is faithful. He is a loving and gentle Father. I rejoice in Him today. I hope you do, as well.

Peter

My Janny

This year has truly been the best year of our marriage in my opinion. I have never felt so close to my wife, and I have seen God teach me so much through her and our relationship. The older I get, the more simple my walk with the Lord and my wife becomes. Life to me isn't about goals, deadlines, achievements...it's about faith, hope and love. I derive no fulfillment in reaching goals, achieving a certain salary, making supervisor, buying a dream home, or attaining social status. I am interested in loving God, loving my family and loving my friends to the point that those around me can't help but be drawn to Jesus. Nothing else in life matters. Our posessions will surely perish one day - they will not follow us to eternity. Our jobs are never secure. Our homes are made with stick and mortar. Our wealth is a gift provision from God and he can withhold it anytime he chooses. Nothing we own is really ours, and nothing we own is eternal.

I look at this picture and I see a gift given to me. I see a blessing I cannot assign words. I hope today you will find time to think upon the eternal blessings God has given you. He has richly blessed us...Ephesians 1:3-10.

Pic: Loveland Pass 12,000 ft.

Family Visit

Mom dropped in for a 4 day visit from Seattle this past week. It was so nice to see her as it's been close to 2 years. We really enjoyed having her here and the kids were pretty bummed when she left. We took a trip up to Dillon/Silverthorn for some foliage viewing and some fun at the lake. These pics were taken at the north end of Lake Dillon Marina. You can see Keystone ski resort in the background.

Having time with my parents is special for us, as both sets of parents live on the west coast. Aidan and I are taking a boys weekend and heading for San Diego next month to see my Dad. These times don't come frequently enough and we cherish them greatly.

Boulder Fall Festival

Fall festival this weekend down on Pearl Street. It was surprisingly warm in the 80's. Kids rode some rides and we walked around with my mom visiting. Jonatha also bungee'd her way for about 15 minutes. The bungee springs you 20 ft up in the air and then down to a trampoline. In other words, Jonatha was in heaven...