Read: 1 Peter 4:8-10

I have had many opportunities recently to reflect back on my days of growing up in the church.  I grew up in a medium sized (80-90 people) Mennonite church in Carlsbad, New Mexico.  When the church doors were open you could pretty much be sure that our family was going to be walking through them.  As a child I didn’t get the impression that it was seen as a legalistic obligation to go to church; but as an opportunity to worship the Lord and grow with God’s people together.  This is an opportunity that many people in our world could cherish and benefit from as well if they would give it a try.  In a world that becomes busier by the week it takes a conscious effort and desire to make the church family a part of our lives.

Many people have heard the African Proverb that says, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  Susan Allison-Jones reminded me of that concept of the village in an article I read and I realized how well it relates to the church. She shared her own experiences of how important the church family was in forming her children and their outlook on life.  She shared stories in which the church friends would support them, care for them, encourage them, and help them as a family.  She writes, “The village gives us perspective, relief, and peace of heart and mind.  The village gives our children an intergenerational group of people not found in many other settings in our busy, complex world.”

Relationships can sometimes be challenging and difficult in any setting, but by placing ourselves around God’s people we allow our families to bless others and be blessed by others in so many ways.  I realize now how valuable that was in my growing up years and how valuable that was for my own children as they grew up in the church.  I am very thankful that my parents made our church family a part of the village that helped me along the way. I know that our church today did the same for our children as they grew up.

Make It Personal:  May the Lord continue to help all of us grow together as his people and for his purposes!  I agree with Susan when she ends her article by saying, “It does take a village to raise a child.  And we are thankful for those who have been and are a part of our village.”  “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:8-10

Have a great week,  Glen Rhodes

Read: James 1:19-27

I always enjoy the basketball season!  Especially when the Illini have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament like this past season.  There is also nothing quite like going to watch an intense high school basketball game or a game of grade school players trying to learn the pick and roll.  As I have attended many basketball games in my life I have noticed myself saying one phrase more than any other.  As the teams would come up the floor with the ball I would often say, “Take care of the ball!”

Obviously this comment would come from the realization that each possession was very important.  In any sport there is a direct connection between turnovers and the final outcome of the game.  The more I thought about that statement though, the more I realized that it connects with our daily lives as well.  God has given each of us the gift of life and it is an act of good stewardship on our part to take care of it.

When it comes to taking care of ourselves the first thing most people think of is our health.  It is important to eat healthy foods, exercise, and pay attention to the doctor’s orders.  But there is also a spiritual element to this that is just as important or probably the most important.

In James 1:22-25 the Bible says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Those who listen to the word but do not do what it says are like people who look at their faces in a mirror and, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like. But those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continue in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.”

With those words, James, the brother of Jesus is encouraging us to follow after, and not ignore God’s plan for our lives.  He is instructing us to take care of what God has blessed us with and to use our lives to bring glory and praise to our creator.  Just like many basketball teams, we tend to get careless at times.  We do things that we know are against God’s will and we don’t pay close enough attention to how our decisions are affecting our lives as well as those closest to us. We would do well to remember each day that our spiritual life, our relationships, our finances, our possessions, and every part of our being are worth taking care of. 

Make It Personal: God realizes that we are not perfect, and yet he desires for us to take care of this precious gift of life that he has given to us.  God has created us in His image and has given us families, responsibilities, and a purpose in life.  Maybe the next time we find ourselves forgetting about the face in the mirror or the life that we have been called to, we should whisper those words to ourselves, “Take care of it!”

Have a great week,  Glen Rhodes           

Make It Personal:  Take your most difficult relationship right now and use the encouragement of Philippians to approach it in a different way.  By blessing others in Christ we can often turn the bad into good.

 Be blessed this week,  Glen Rhodes       

Have a great week,  Glen Rhodes