Glass half...?

I am sure that at some point in your life you have been asked how you view a half filled glass… do you see it as a glass half empty or a glass half full? Your answer of course indicates whether you are an optimistic or pessimist.

Last week we started a new sermon series entitled: Optimism in the Midst of the Crazy! These are crazy times and being pessimistic about the future can happen without thinking.  So let’s think about it together!

I was reminded of an old story about a shoe salesman who was sent overseas to a remote country. When he arrived, he was disheartened to see that everyone went around barefooted. He wired (back in the days of telegrams… sorry Millennials you will need to Google it) the company back home: “No prospect for sales here. People don’t wear shoes.” Later another salesman went to the same area. He too immediately sent word to the home office, but his telegram read, “Great potential! People don’t wear shoes here!”

Same event viewed entirely differently. 

If you are one of those people who can smile at the prospect of selling shoes to people who are familiar with going barefoot then I am likely not going to say anything you don’t already know.

However, given the times we find ourselves in, I imagine even the optimists among us are struggling and the pessimists are a bit more pessimistic than usual. That’s why Philippians 4:8 is so powerful. At a time when it is so easy for us to get caught up in the negative, this scripture speaks to all of us. 

In beginning of Philippians 4 the Apostle Paul appeals to the Philippin Christians regarding how they handle disagreements within the church. Paul is particularly concerned with an argument between two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Paul's advice is to focus on our ability to rejoice in our fellowship with Christ. Paul says that with a proper focus on positive things, we can experience peace through the power of God.

The Apostle Paul says to them and us, to keep our minds on:

whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

And I love verse 9: And the God of peace will be with you.

What a great reminder for each of us… whether our glass is half empty or half full… we will find peace when we focus on the things of God. If we do, I believe our glass will be full to overflowing!

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What I did on my summer vacation....

The short answer is nothing and for that I am grateful.

The psalmist teaches us that we are not only to thank and praise God in our hearts but that we are to thank God among all the people.  

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.  I will sing your praises among the nations (Psalm 108:3 NLT). 

So, I share with you my gratitude to God!

The month of August was like no other I can remember.  The days were long and each day seemed the same as the next. It reminded me a bit of when I was a kid on summer vacation and the summer seemed to go on forever. Much like the March Break of 2020! We did very little socializing, nor did we spend copious amounts of time at the cottage as it is under construction. This summer vacation was distinctly different.

I did however, step away from the computer. I spent time on the pottery wheel creating a lot of stuff I don’t know what to do with. I knit while I listened to podcasts, and caught up on some Netflix. I prayed. I worshipped. And I remembered how very blessed I have been, and how very blessed I am. I am grateful for the time I had for rest, refreshment, renewal and remembering — after an extraordinarily busy and difficult spring. I am most grateful that even in the midst of these crazy, unprecedented times, I am still hopeful for the future. Why? Because I have been reminded that God is still on the throne.

Now we turn our heads to the Fall. No one quite knows what it will look like. Life is uncertain, frankly it always has been, but this we know for sure — whether you work at home or need to be onsite, whether you send your children back to school or opt for virtual learning —  God is still in charge and God is our refuge.

Check out Psalm 91 – it is a joyful and confident outpouring of the safety, calm, and fearlessness that each of us, adult and child alike, can experience, even in the face of extreme difficulties.

My prayer is that you too were able to rest and recharge during these bizarre summer months. As we move to the Fall, I pray that you do so with joy and confidence of God’s love and protection over you.

Be Well.

Growing in Discouragement (guest post by David Varga)

“He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’
(Matthew 13:31-32)”

I often forget that God can take the little things, and make them into something greater. This summer was kind of like that for me. Camp in a Box grew something greater than it had any right to be. 

Camp in a Box is Amberlea’s children’s program that was offered this summer where the messaging, the crafts, games and activities were packed in a box and families came and picked them up weekly. The Summer Team then met with the children virtually for just 30 minutes every day. This simple idea was a far cry from the busyness and craziness of the in-person VBC and Breakfast Clubs of previous summers.

The concern or even expectation of a virtual camp, rather than in person gathering is that the personal element might be lost and kids wouldn’t feel engaged at all. After all, personal interaction with leaders and other campers is the selling point of camps before this new Covid era. Even though it wasn’t in person we had a hope that if we created something for children at home to engage with, they would see a glimpse of God’s story. It didn't look and feel as grand as our usual VBC, but we saw over 25 kids engage with our program and saw little seeds planted.

Throughout the summer we weren’t always sure how highly the kids thought of the program. Some kids wouldn’t show their face on camera, use their microphone, or verbally respond to the activities on our daily Zoom calls. This was discouraging at the time. But then near the end of the summer we began to hear some feedback offered by parents that said their kids loved the program and it was the most exciting part of their summer! We would have never known that from the kids shy attitude. In many cases we had no idea that the boxes, our video stories and our daily zoom discussions and activities were having such an impact. When we were discouraged, it would have been easy to put a little less time into our games, or not make effort to have a conversation with the kids when they came to pick up their box, or just put less effort into what we did. But, we knew that we were part of something bigger than we could imagine.  God had bigger plans.  He wanted us to plant the seeds. We didn’t let the discouraging feelings take over. We kept on talking to God, working and putting the time in to make the camp fun.  It turns out that it paid off. 

This fall I’m going into my first year of college. It’s going to be a new environment and a new experience, and I expect there will be some discouraging feelings along the way. I’m going to remind myself that God is in control. I can rely on Him to take me in the right direction even though I may not be able to see what’s behind the dark Zoom screen or what’s growing in the dirt.  If you’re going into something new this year, like me, let’s try to keep doing the little things, and let God take control. Just like the mustard seed transforming into a great tree, when God is the grower, the little things we do can grow into something great that we can’t even see yet.