Not Comparing

Hi there,

In my attempt to simplify I came across this great site that has all sorts of sensible ways to simplify and minimise. I love it because it takes a really practical approach to minimalism. I'm still working on this and making some progress; perhaps not as much as I'd like but progress is still progress hey.

This blog is a little different because it talks about our propensity as human beings to compare ourselves to each other. The writer has some great tips on how not to compare.

In the Bible, Paul also encourages the Galatians to avoid comparison. It's so easy for us to compare, but when we compare we don't do ourselves any favours. Paul reminds us to focus on our own call and walk and to be satisfied with a job well done.

Galatians 6:4-5 NLT
Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. [5] For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

I hope you enjoy the following read.

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/compare-less/

Simple Prayer

Simple Prayer
Sometimes we think that we can't pray effectively or with the right words. But God encourages us to simply come to him and have a conversation with him. We don't need elaborate prayers, large words or brilliant language. Jesus encourages us to simply pray. See Matt 6 and Luke 11.

Father, you are good.
I need help.
Heal me and forgive me.
They need help.
Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
- Via Max Lucado

"If prayer depends on how I pray, I’m sunk. But if the power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer, and if the One who hears the prayer is my Daddy, then I have hope." (Max Lucado)

Father you are good.

Spend time acknowledging who God is. His character and his majesty, his love, his grace.

Matt 6:9 Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven - what does God want done on earth? People saved and none persihing - understand that God is good and he wants the best for his people.

I need help - acknowledges that we all need God's input into our lives every single day.

We need his love

We need his grace

We need his healing - physical and emotional

We need his forgiveness

As we go about our daily lives this part of the prayer helps us to focus on our continual need for God - at home - at work - whatever we are doing we need God.

"Exactly what is it that you need forgiveness for? For being a bad person? That is too general. For losing your patience in the business meeting and calling your coworker a creep? There, you can confess that." - Lucado

Lucado again. "Confession, you see, is not a punishment for sin; it is an isolation of sin so it can be exposed and extracted."

Paul tells us to pray unceasingly. 1 Thess.  Acknowledging our constant need of him means we are in constant connection - either in conversation or in his presence - recognising that we are always in need of his presence in our lives.

As we are living day to day, God knows what we need and what we will face each day. We need him.

"Prayer can be the internal voice that directs the external action". - Lucado

They need you
Those who don't yet know him still have need of him

To know him

To know they are loved
To know that forgiveness and grace are freely available.

When we are with others we can pray -  Father, they need you.

Timothy was exhorted to make prayers for all people every where.

Paul's letters are filled with prayers for those already saved and also for prayer for opportunities to reach those who don't yet know the grace of God.

God is a good God and he hears our prayers. Jesus said to pray in his name - and our prayers would be answered.

We come to God by his grace and love and we can be confident God hears our prayers.

Guard the heart

A short thought on guarding the heart.

Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23 NLT

We often think about guarding the heart in terms of what we key into our hearts and lives by what we read and watch. But guarding the heart is more than not letting anything unhelpful in. Of course this is imperative. Ensuring that what goes into the heart is good and right and lovely is important. But guarding the heart is also keeping a check on what is already in the heart and getting rid of anything that is not good and right and lovely.

What is in our hearts directs our life and the way we respond to the many situations and challenges we face in life. It's also important for our spiritual health.

Keeping a right heart means a right motivation and that's why it's important to keep a check on our thoughts too. What we think about will affect our thought life and our heart.

Thinking about what we think about, testing it against the Word, and getting rid of what is unhelpful (or toxic) helps us to have a positive thought life, strong healthy neural connections in our brains and helps us to guard our hearts against anything that is not good, so that what springs forth from the heart is life producing.

Be involved

Hi girls. I'm often asked by women about the best way they can help and be involved in Womens. After much thought and prayerful consideration I have come up with the three best ways everyone can help.

1. Pray - pray for the team as they prepare, for the women who come and belong to our WOW community. Pray for your friends who don't yet know the grace of God and pray they will be open to what God is wanting to do in their lives.

2. Gather - this is simply turning up each week or as often as you can. There is something very powerful about intentionally gathering together. God's work is done in community and we are strengthened by community and by gathering together regularly.

3. Become part of the welcome team which can include all or some of the following: set up each week, helping out with morning tea, welcoming the women as they arrive and helping to pack up afterwards.

Love Jill

Hope this helps.

Living Resiliently

Resilience

What is it? Resilience can be viewed in many different ways but ultimately it is the ability to thrive in life and to call on inner strengths in times of challenge to grow and change.

Lyn Worsley describes resilient responses:

- Recovery - ability to recover quickly and to bounce back to how they were before adversity.
- Sustainability - sustaining life patterns and maintaining positive relationships while simultaneously managing some kind of trauma.
- Post-traumatic growth - personal growth, new insights leading to an enhanced ability to adapt*

I am - self concept

- I am likeable
- I am caring and considerate
- I am respectful
- I am responsible
- I am positive and optimistic

I have - social resources

- People around me
- People I'm accountable to
- Role models
- People who help me

I can - self efficacy

- I can talk to others about my concerns
- I can find ways to solve problems I face
- I can control myself
- I can figure out a good time to talk or take action
- I can find someone to help*

Areas of life that help build resilience

What is going well - do more of it.

Tough stuff happens

People in the Bible who show resilience despite difficult situations

Caleb

Began in Egypt in slavery - freed from slavery during the exodus

Was chosen to go in and spy out the land - glowing report and faith on God.

Due to the behavior of others wandered 40 years in the wilderness, then fought to gain the land.

Then said - now i will take what I've been promised.

What qualities helped him in this process to be resilient - to bounce back after incredible disappointment and hardship?

Numbers 13:30 NLT
But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. "Let's go at once to take the land," he said. "We can certainly conquer it!"

Numbers 14:6-10 NLT
Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. [7] They said to all the people of Israel, "The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! [8] And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. [9] Do not rebel against the LORD, and don't be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don't be afraid of them!" [10] But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.

Faith - the Lord is with us - faith community

Joshua and Caleb were the kinds of leaders who saw that the land they explored was “exceedingly good” (v. 7, niv, niv). But the other men saw only giants and obstacles and were filled with fear. Joshua and Caleb saw the possibilities, but the others spread a bad report. Ask the Lord to help you to look up and keep your focus on him—and to not miss the beautiful things along the way*.

The faith dynamic allowed Caleb to see the situation differently. The giants were still there but his faith enabled him to focus on God's promise instead of the circumstances.

We see this again when he goes to take Hebron. This land had some of the strongest people, but drawing on faith in God and his promise he rose to the challenge.

Numbers 14:24 NLT
But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.

Joshua 14:6-15 NLT
A delegation from the tribe of Judah, led by Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, came to Joshua at Gilgal. Caleb said to Joshua, "Remember what the LORD said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. [7] I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the LORD, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave an honest report, [8] but my brothers who went with me frightened the people from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God. [9] So that day Moses solemnly promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.' [10] "Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise-even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. [11] I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. [12] So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said." [13] So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land. [14] Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD, the God of Israel. [15] (Previously Hebron had been called Kiriath-arba. It had been named after Arba, a great hero of the descendants of Anak.) And the land had rest from war.

Caleb had strong:

- Community - faith - eg victorian bushfire resilience
- Family
- Work - purpose

Women who delivered israelite babies in Egypt and Moses parents

Exodus 1:11-17, 19-21 NLT
So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. [12] But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. [13] So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. [14] They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands. [15] Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: [16] "When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." [17] But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king's orders. They allowed the boys to live, too. [19] "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women," the midwives replied. "They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time." [20] So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. [21] And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Exodus 2:1-9 NLT
About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. [2] The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. [3] But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. [4] The baby's sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. [5] Soon Pharaoh's daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. [6] When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This must be one of the Hebrew children," she said. [7] Then the baby's sister approached the princess. "Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" she asked. [8] "Yes, do!" the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby's mother. [9] "Take this baby and nurse him for me," the princess told the baby's mother. "I will pay you for your help." So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.

This is a great example of bouncing back under difficult circumstances

Again, faith in God's promise is so important.

But lets look at the things Moses' parents did.

Thinking about:

I am
I have
I can

How did they put these to work even when there was a death threat over the life of their baby.

What strengths so we see then using?

E.g. Family Education Community etc

Next week we'll look more closely at the areas of resilience.

* The Resilience Doughnut: The Secret of Strong Adults; combining strengths to thrive - Lyn Worsley, The Resilience Doughnut 2012
* As above
*Praying through the word

She Does

Over the last three weeks we have investigated what it means to be the change in our world.

We are part of a community, a community that loves people and cares about people.

The first week we discussed the nature of change and what that might mean for us personally and corporately.

We've also looked at what it means to love - How are we doing on 1 Cor 4 - our list on love

Love is:
Patient
Kind
Never gives up
Never loses faith
Always hopeful
Endures through every circumstance

Love is not:
Boastful
Proud

This is a great list of how love works.

How are we going on the love scales?

We asked:

What would we like to do more of, to love others more fully?

What areas of loving others do we struggle with?

Last week we discussed what it means to care - looking at the nature of caring and having a heart of compassion that seeks to live a life of kindness and humility; a care for others that prompted an action of some kind - taking a genuine interest in, being concerned for others, taking notice of...

This week we come to "She Does"

What does it mean for us to be a woman that "Does"

This implies action and taking the notion of "She loves" and "She cares" that one step further.

It implies that we are women of action, not merely giving lip service to the idea of loving others but actually showing that we love others by our actions.

This is why 1 John 3:18,19 becomes so important

Dear children, let's not just say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

The world sees that we are followers of Jesus by the way we treat each other, and the way we love each other; the world is also looking at how we treat those who are not yet followers of Jesus.

Our actions in this respect will often speak louder than words.

What are we doing, that shows others that we love them, and that we are active in loving them in a way that speaks to them about the love of God?

That's why we gave out the little green book at Love in action, It's why Love in Action is the motto that we choose to live by for Citylife Women.

I never want us to be women who are only loving others by what we say, but also by what we do.

One of the definitions of the word do - (3rd person present indicative of do)  - a verb - a "doing" word
"To be the cause of (good, harm, credit, etc.); bring about; effect  www.dictionary.com

The key thing here is that something actually happens.

When we do something - we are active - as a follower of Jesus - "She Does" means that she is active in something, she is the cause of something - hopefully good - and she brings about something.

To effect something - to make it happen.

What is it that we are making happen in our own lives?

What are we making happen corporately, as a company of women?

I'm challenged by this because I feel like we can often be a lot of talk, great ideas, and good intentions.

But change comes when we do something about the good intentions and make a difference somewhere somehow.

What good intentions do you have?

What good intentions have you actually started? Or carried through to completion?

Ecclesiastes 7:8
Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.

Genesis 2:2
On the seventh day God finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.

What if God had not finished his project of creation??

2 Corinthians Chapters 8 and 9 are often used to encourage us to give.

The context is the offering for the people suffering in Jerusalem - Paul urges the Corinthians to finish what they started.

I think there is a fair amount of human nature in starting well, but struggling to finish well. Sometimes the things of life just seem to get in the way.

A couple of weeks ago we discussed in groups some of those things that hinder us or distract us from getting of with the job. We all have these things that get in the way - I certainly do.

Paul encourages the people to continue to be passionate about giving, to pick up where they had maybe slackened off and to bring to completion, that which they had started.

I'm reading a couple of books on minimalism at the moment and the writer (who has had a typical "climb the corporate ladder" kind of life and found it less than satisfactory) made the point that we so often end up doing things like a career that seem important, but we would probably do better if we did what we were passionate about. He started writing, because that is what he was passionate about.

Now, hopefully they are one and the same thing, but are we actually doing what we are passionate about.

I'm not talking about abandoning everything else - but finding what that something is and using it to build something significant. It may not be prominent - but significance does not need prominence.

Please keep this in mind - because we live in a world where we equate them as one and the same.

So here's a few thoughts:

What are you passionate about?

What projects are left hanging in the balance; or half completed; or not even started?

I want to challenge us today to think about those ideas, good intentions, projects and community action.

What next step is God asking you to take?

Maybe there is a project he is asking you to complete; some people to meet with; something he wants you to start doing that you've been putting off.  

Maybe, there is a half completed project or intention that God is asking you to stop hanging on to.

What is your next step?

Share with someone your next step and when you plan to take it.

We can all encourage each other and help each other to be accountable.

She Cares

She loves, She cares, she does, She is the change

Care

Having a heart of kindness and compassion.

Sometimes we think of care as worry - the cares of the world. But this type of care is about a genuine desire to to see the best done

It is to take a genuine interest in something. 

1 Peter 5:2-3, 6-7 NLT
Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly-not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. [3] Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

[6] So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. [7] Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Worries  - cares, anxieties, distractions.

I love this idea that we can give God those things that distract us.

He cares for you - God cares about us.

Matthew 6:28-33 NLT
"And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, [29] yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. [30] And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? [31] "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' [32] These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. [33] Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Matt 25
Those that cared about others were received into the kingdom

The words translated care are often more about action, about what people did.

Matt 27 - those that cared for Jesus - translated from ministered  - served, cared for the poor etc.

To care
to care for, look out for (a thing)
to seek to promote one's interests
caring or providing for

When the word care is used in the Bible the root word is often more about looking out for and taking notice of.

I think this helps us. It says that God is looking out for and taking notice of us, sustaining us, helping us etc.

So to be a woman who cares is to be one who looks out for other people, who takes notice of and a genuine interest in others.

This means that we have to put aside our own interests, cares, worries and distractions to be fully present to be mindful of others and to show genuine interest.

Proverbs 29:7 NLT
The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don't care at all.

The word used for care here is to consider, to think about, know about, learn about the rights of ...

To perceive, find out and discern.

The Proverbs 31 woman looks after her household

She takes a genuine interest in her family, her servants and in the wider community.

She cares about the poor, the needy.

This woman takes a genuine interest.

Luke 6:36 NLT
You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6:35-36 NLT
"Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. [36] You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 7:11-15 NLT
Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. [12] A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow's only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. [13] When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. "Don't cry!" he said. [14] Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. "Young man," he said, "I tell you, get up." [15] Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Luke 10:30-37 NLT
Jesus replied with a story: "A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. [31] "By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. [32] A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. [33] "Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. [34] Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. [35] The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, 'Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I'll pay you the next time I'm here.' [36] "Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?" Jesus asked. [37] The man replied, "The one who showed him mercy." Then Jesus said, "Yes, now go and do the same."

Luke 15:11-32 NLT
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons. [12] The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. [13] "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. [14] About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. [15] He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. [16] The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. [17] "When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! [18] I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, [19] and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant."' [20] "So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. [21] His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.' [22] "But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. [23] And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, [24] for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began. [25] "Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, [26] and he asked one of the servants what was going on. [27] 'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.' [28] "The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him, [29] but he replied, 'All these years I've slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. [30] Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!' [31] "His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. [32] We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"

Think about these three passages of Scripture.

How does Jesus show genuine care?

What do we learn about genuine interest and care for others from the two parables Jesus told?

How can you apply this to your life?

Who is God challenging you to take a genuine interest in?