Amazing Love!

Welcome to Monday, everyone – here we go again!

This week, as we work our way through Colossians, we are reviewing Colossians 1:1-12 and memorizing Colossians 1:13-14.

Here is Colossians 1:13-14 in the NKJV:

13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

What amazing truths these are! We have been delivered from the power of darkness; we have been brought into the kingdom of God; and we have both redemption and forgiveness of our sins! How amazing that the Creator of everything went to such lengths to rescue us! As the songwriter says, “Amazing love, how can it be, that You my King would die for me????”

May God settle these truths deep into our souls this week as we memorize and meditate on His Word!

Blessings,
Pastor Don

Praying Colossians

Happy Monday, Everyone!

I hope the past week was filled with meaningful times in God’s Presence for you. I trust that God is speaking to you about Himself, about Jesus, about you, and about all that He has for you as we work through Colossians together. I hope that your memorization is going well. I know that it can be a struggle; personally, I am playing some catch-up this week because of busyness next week. But it’s worth the effort and the sacrifice and the commitment to hide God’s Word in our hearts.

This week, we are going to be working on reviewing Colossians 1:1-8. Wow, can you believe that we’re working on having memorized 8 verses of Scripture already in 2012? That’s amazing!

Also this week, we’re going to be working on memorizing Colossians 1:9-10, which is powerful:

(9) For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…

What an incredible thing for Paul to pray for his friends at Colosse. I want to challenge you to pray this for your family and friends and for our church this week. This is a great way to help us memorize the verse – as we read and recite it, pray it for someone. It can be something simple, like: “Lord, as I pray for _________________, I ask that he/she will be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Lord, I ask that today they would walk worthy of You, fully pleasing to You. I pray that they will be fruitful today in every good work, and that today, by Your grace, they will increase in knowing You.”

That’s a great prayer to pray for anyone, isn’t it? I would love to have those things prayed for me – and I would love to see the fruit as God answers those prayers every day!

So let’s commit together that as we memorize this week, we also pray. What a great way to begin transitioning towards our 40 Days of Prayer, beginning in March!

Blessings,

Pastor Don

Epaphras? Who Was That????!!!

Hello!

Well, it’s the beginning of another week. As we continue our journey through Colossians, our assignment this week is to review Colossians 1:1-6 and work on memorizing Colossians 1:7-8.

Here’s Colossians 1:7-8 in the New King James Version:

…as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

The New Testament doesn’t tell us a whole lot about Epaphras. We know that he was a pastor, and that he preached in Colosse. He came to visit Paul while Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and he reported to Paul on the church at Colosse. Paul also considered Epaphras to be his “fellow prisoner.”

We don’t know that much about Epaphras…but we do know this: today, roughly 2000 years later, we are reading that he was a “fellow servant” with Paul and a “faithful minister.” What an incredible legacy!

It makes you wonder, doesn’t it – how will you be remembered? How will I be remembered? What will our legacy be?

Something to think on and to ask God about as we memorize and meditate on Colossians!

Blessings,
Pastor Don

Hope for the Future; Hope for the Present

Good afternoon, Everyone!

Another week begins. If you are working with us on memorizing Colossians, our assignment this week is to review Colossians 1:1-4, and work on memorizing Colossians 1:5-6. Here is Colossians 1:5-6 in the NKJV (if you’d like to use another version, I suggest looking at www.biblegateway.com or www.youversion.com):

5because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

“Hope laid up for you in heaven” – interesting words. It’s important that we have hope; and ultimately, as Paul writes, our hope is in what God has in store for us in heaven. But we also need to be careful that we don’t live our lives focused solely on the hope of heaven. What????

It’s true. We also need to have hope on this earth. Remember that our assignment while we are here is not to simply sit around with our arms crossed, waiting for Jesus to return and get us out of here. Instead, our assignment is to advance the kingdom. To live in such a way that wherever we go, we carry the kingdom of God with us. Our assignment includes preaching the good news and doing the works of the kingdom – and when we do those things, people’s lives are transformed here and now.

So we need to learn to live with hope for the here and now as well. On Martin Luther King Jr. day, it is good to remember that living life with a dream and with a hope for our world is a good thing. We are not here to simply wait to get out of here; we are here to bring the kingdom and with it, transformation. We are called to live a life that embodies the values and atmosphere of the kingdom – healing, holiness, justice, mercy, joy, peace and peacemaking, among many other things.

What do you think?

Blessings,
Pastor Don

Praying Always

Hello, Everyone!

I hope your week is going well. Hard to believe it’s Wednesday already!

How is your memorization going on Colossians 1:3,4 and your review of Colossians 1:1,2?

As I was meditating on Colossians 1:3,4 this morning, I was thinking about Paul’s phrase “praying always for you” (NKJV). What do you think Paul meant by that? Was he literally always praying for the Colossians, every moment of every day? Was it just a phrase that he wrote because it sounded spiritual? Was it just a catch-phrase, intended to convey that he cared about them? I looked it up!

There is some difference in how various translations handle this. Several of them take it as Paul stating “whenever I pray for you”, while several take the “always praying for you” route.

Something to ponder today as we continue to memorize God’s Word and think about it together:

The “whenever”‘s of prayer should occur when the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind, or we see that person or talk with them on the phone. Remember that prayer doesn’t have to be a protracted, intercessory time. It can be a simple thought – “Lord, bless ____________ with an awareness of Your Presence and Your love right now.” Or, “Lord, let Your kingdom be manifested in ________________’s life and any problems he/she is facing at this moment.” Simple, right? But effective. God hears our prayers, even when they are thought; even when they are a simple sentence; even when we can’t spend an hour in prayer.

And I think that leads into the “always praying”. It is possible – and I think wise – to learn to live our lives in an attitude of constant awareness of God’s Presence and of prayer. I don’t mean that our every thought every moment is fixed on Him – although I think that’s a good and godly goal, I recognize that we have to live our lives, accomplish work, relate to other people, etc. And we can’t love other people well if we don’t focus our attention on them.

But…we can learn to live our lives observantly – and let the things we observe lead us to simple prayer. For example, I’m learning that when I have a phone conversation with someone, it’s a simple but good thing to breathe a short prayer for that person as I hang up. When I see someone, I can shoot up a quick prayer. Even when I see a comment someone has posted on Facebook, I can pray for them. (Wouldn’t that be revolutionary – turn your Facebook time into prayer time? Let Facebook become your prayer list!)

What do you think? Let me know!

Once again, here is Colossians 1:3-4 (NKJV). (Feel free to memorize in whatever translation you are most comfortable with.)

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

Blessings!

Pastor Don

Week 2 in Colossians

Good Morning!

I hope you had a great weekend. This week, as we continue working through Colossians, our assignment is to review Colossians 1:1-2, and learn Colossians 1:3-4.

Here is Colossians 1:3-4 in the NKJV:

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

Something to think about this week – how is your faith in Jesus; and how is your love for his other saints? When other Christians look at you, are they moved to give thanks because of the way you believe in Jesus, and the way you treat your fellow believers? The truth is that we live our lives for an audience of One – we live to serve Jesus and please Him – but our lives are also on display for everyone to see. While we are never called to live as man-pleasers, we ARE called to live our lives in such a way that they point to Jesus and lead to Him receiving glory.

As you begin this week, what is your life pointing towards?

Blessings,
Pastor Don

Saints in Christ!

Good afternoon! How is your memorization work going on Colossians 1:1-2? What translation are you using?

Here’s the passage again in the New King James Version:

Colossians 1:1-2 (NKJV) – (1) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, (2) to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I love the phrase that Paul uses here – “saints and faithful brethren in Christ.” The NIV says “holy and faithful brothers in Christ.” It’s an important reminder – our “saintliness” or holiness is totally because of Jesus. I am holy, I am a saint – not because I feel like one or look like one, or even (gasp!) act like one! But I am a saint because Jesus declares I am one – He is my righteous. All of my effort and self-discipline (and even memorization of Colossians!) are good things – as long as I understand that they don’t earn me God’s favor, they don’t make me more holy, and they don’t make me a saint. Jesus already did those things for me. I can rest in Him – abide in Him – and I am holy. I am saint. Self-discipline is worthwhile and important, because I’m responsible to manage my life and to demonstrate my love for Jesus by my actions – but my self-discipline doesn’t make me any more holy or saintly.

So…as Paul wrote to the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse – I write this blog to you, who are all saints and faithful brethren! (I know, “brethren” isn’t politically correct. But “sistern” sounds pretty insulting to me!)

Blessings,
Pastor Don

A Spiritual Challenge for 2012

Happy New Year, Everyone!

This year, I’m challenging you to join me in a spiritual growth exercise that can impact us in an incredible way this year!

Did you know that if we memorize two (2) verses per week for the whole year, with a few weeks off for review, by the end of the year, we will have memorized the ENTIRE BOOK of Colossians???? Isn’t that incredible?

So won’t you join me?

Each week, we memorize 2 verses together. I’ll post 2-3 devotionals on the verses that we’re working on for that particular week each week. And on Sunday morning, as we begin our service, we will review the past week’s two verses and read the two new ones together. We will also make a few important declarations each week as we move through Colossians together.

A couple of things think on as we begin:

1. Choose whatever version you are comfortable with. Personally, I do most of my memorizing in the NKJV or the NASB, just because that’s what I grew up doing. But feel free to choose whatever translation is most comfortable for you. If you’d like to look the verses up in another translation, a great free resource is either or .
2. If you can do this as a family, it’s a lot easier. One suggestion is to review the two verses together each evening at dinner, or in the morning at breakfast before everyone scatters for the day.
3. Each week, two good questions to ask yourself are: what do these verses teach me about God, and what do they teach me about myself?

Colossians 1:1-2 (NKJV) – (1) Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, (2) to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are a few declarations to make this week as we memorize Colossians 1:1-2:

* I am a saint!
* I am faithful to God!
* Grace and peace is mine from God the Father!

Blessings as you begin 2012!

Pastor Don

Looking to the New Year

Hey, Everyone!

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Obviously. I’m writing a quick post, though, to let you know about something that’s coming up for the New Year!

In 2012, we’re going to have the opportunity to take a spiritual journey together. Watch for more information. It’s going to take some commitment from both you and I, but I promise that if we stick with it together, it has the potential to transform our lives! And when our lives are transformed, then our homes, our marriages, our families, our communities, and our church are all transformed, too.

So check back over the next few days…and plan to be in church on New Year’s Day at Awakening Alliance!

Oh – and check out our new website – www.awakeningalliance.org

See you there!

Blessings,
Pastor Don

The Healing Power of Community

Good evening/morning!

The past two weeks have been…emotional. And lots of other things. We’ve gone from family vacation time together to our first major long-term separation as a family as Bethany and I drove across the country to Redding. Last Sunday was Jewel’s last time to see Bethany face to face until the LEC Christmas break. I’ve had some incredible time with Bethany driving across the country and getting her set up here in Redding, and I so appreciate every moment of it. But looming over our time is the moment that’s coming on Monday as she drops me off at the airport and drives off to begin her life here in Redding.

One thing I’ve been seeing through this experience is the incredible healing and sustaining power of community.

For Jewel, Bethany, and I, our Awakening Alliance community has been incredible through this process. You have loved us, loved ON us, cared for us, helped us, supported us, walked with us, laughed with us, celebrated with us, cried with us, and financially helped this dream of Bethany’s become a reality. You have lived out for us what it means to love – to be Jesus’ hands and feet to one another. You have allowed us to be real with you as a family and to share our heartaches AND joys throughout this process. You have been patient, understanding, helpful, giving, supportive, and so much more. I can honestly say that you have been a gift from our Father to help us through this time as a family.

And today, I’m seeing the other side of the journey. I got to spend an hour and a half today with Bethany’s new pastor, Bill Randall. I was able to hear his vision for mentoring young people like Bethany, for developing young leaders, for planting churches, and for seeing the Alliance return to its roots of the centrality of Jesus, of faith, and of experiencing the supernatural. I got to see Bethany welcomed as a long-lost friend by people who have never met her. I got to sit at an outdoor concert at a local coffee bar’s “art night” in which the band are part of Risen King’s worship team – and I saw people outside of restaurants praying for strangers, enjoying fellowship, and meeting new people. I experienced being known as “Bethany’s dad” by people who have been praying for her for months, even though they had never met her. I heard Bethany’s new Worship Pastor, who will be mentoring her, telling her (joking, but it was still pretty cool!), “we planned this as a welcome party for you!” I met a pastor and his wife, on staff at Risen King, who are from Grove City (! and are Steelers fans!) and who are already planning to have Bethany over for dinner – salad with fries on it, a Western PA specialty! And I’m seeing the hearts of the people who make up this community that Bethany is becoming a part of – hearts for Jesus and for one another, just like ours at Awakening Alliance.

And it’s a healing experience for me.

Because I know God loves Bethany, and I’m seeing just how He is going to take care of her and walk her through it.

It doesn’t take away the pain of separation, but it eases and soothes and ministers to the mind and emotions of a stressed parent!

It’s been a good reminder for me. The Body of Christ can be fractious; it can be frustrating; it can be a challenge. Many of us have experienced wounding, sometimes deep wounding, as part of the Body.

But when the Body functions as Jesus intends it to…when we are known not for what we believe or what we do or why we are here or who we are (even though those things are important); when we are known instead by our love for one another…then people see Jesus in us. And the world can be changed.

And when we love one another selflessly, when we look past each others’ faults and see Jesus in each other, what an incredible place of healing the community of Jesus can be!

Thank you for being that in our lives. I’m excited about what God has in store for us as we continue to learn to do that for each other…and for those in our residential communities.

May God bless you for being a blessing to us.

In Jesus’ Love,
Pastor Don