Happy New Year!

Time Magazine reported "When it comes to New Year's resolutions, our self-improvement efforts often focus on getting a better body. And we ignore that other, equally important part of our wellbeing: our mental health."

As most are discovering the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical are all connected in our lives.  

One person commented "One of my 2015 resolutions is to get back into church..."

I just had to ask what that means?

"Well, get back into church means basically 3 things to me; 1) getting more positive influence in my life, 2) getting free from unhealthy stuff, and 3) rebuilding my relationship with Jesus.  God knows I need all of those...!"

Hmmmm. What an honest answer will do to kickstart things in the right direction!

Get a fresh start! Join us January 2015 at SHV for the "REBUILD: Time for Action" series! Sundays 9:00 & 10:45 am.

Check out new classes and groups.

Real Life | Community | Mission

When Walking Together Works

Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NLT

What happens when we enable destructive behavior instead of challenging it? Or we scream so loud that our voices are tuned out?

What happens when we challenge the timid instead of encouraging them? When we push the weak instead of holding them up? 

Patience runs thin and we don't end up walking together for very long... 

It can only work as we yield to Jesus and approach each other in humility, even when we mess it up.

Jack was a unique character, his piercing eyes could see right through you. He challenged me when I got off track. And when he prayed for me it was as though God was holding me up, I was lifted from my fears and energized with hope. Funny, all those things could happen in the span of an hour. I was able to walk "in sync" with Jesus. Oh, for more people like Jack...

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins (forgives and disregards the offenses of others). 1 Peter 4:8 Amplified

Paying Attention to Discontent

To live well means to be "in sync" with Jesus, following Him and drawing our life from Him. What happens when you lean in to following Jesus?  When you experience discontent is that always negative?

When discontent is an invitation to more...

Sometimes there is a growing discontent with things that can never substitute for His life.  It's like drinking seawater.  Trying to draw life from things like success or more stuff, medicating emotional pain, harboring bitterness, etc., we get dehydrated, more thirsty and experience spiritual death.

Thankfully discontent can be a sign on the path to finding Jesus. Jesus said "If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink."  John 7:37

My mom and I were talking about this season, how her prayer life is morphing into more silent waiting before Jesus and being with Him. Awkward, unfamiliar, and beautiful!

When discontent is an invitation to inner transformation...

We can easily misinterpret discontent as a need to change our external surroundings when Jesus is drawing us into something deeper.

Many marriages and relationships are destroyed by discontent. Rather than learning "the grass is greener where you water it"people run to something new and novel (seawater).  

On the other hand, discontent in a relationship can drive us further into Jesus and His peace. And into necessary change and sacrificial love- resulting in real happiness. Relationships are much healthier when we draw life from Jesus and serve one another versus drawing life from others and asking Jesus to serve us...

Experiencing discontent? Can you hear Jesus inviting you to drink? Spew out the seawater. Don't run away.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.