Stand Firm and You Will See

Today's Reading: Exodus 14:5-28

How often are you tempted to give up? You think that life or work or family or whatever just shouldn't be this hard, so you decide to quit. Let someone else handle it. Or not.

This is where we find the Israelites. They have lived through the plagues and all the back and forth with Pharaoh. God has shown His faithfulness to them and protected them during the worst plague of all. Pharaoh has told them to leave and off they go, carting a bunch of Egyptian loot with them too.

And then Pharaoh changes his mind again.

He races after the Israelites and as soon as they see him coming, the whining and complaining begins. Moses has only brought us out here to the desert to die. We'd have been better off to stay in Egypt. And on and on.

They have joyfully set off on their journey and at the first sign of trouble, they are ready to quit. Just turn around and go "home." Until Moses tells them in verse 13, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today." 

You know, sometimes when we are tempted to quit, we just need to stand firm. We just need to hang on a little longer. We just need to wait on the Lord's deliverance. 

How do we know whether to turn back or stand firm? What was the last direction God gave you? Was it to march forward? Then march. Moses is telling the Israelites that unless God changes their direction, they need to keep on marching, regardless of what is bringing up the rear. The principle holds true for us too...don't stop just short of the Lord's deliverance. 

Rather, stand firm and you will see.

- Holly Barrett

Don't Mess with God's Children

Today's Reading: Exodus 12:21-30

Living alone can sometimes be a scary proposition. Things really do go bump in the night and sometimes that kinda freaks me out. Most of the time however, I'm not afraid of living alone. I feel confident in the neighborhood where I live, the locks on my doors, the security lights around the perimeter of my house, and the good-heartedness of most people. More importantly, there is the protection of God that fills me with peace as I lock the doors each night, turn out the lights, and crawl under the covers.

In Exodus 12, God instructed the Israelites to mark their doorways with the blood of their Passover lamb. The final plague was about to be enacted on the Egyptians who would lose all their firstborn children. The blood was a physical identification with the Lord so that as He swept through the land to strike down the Egyptians, He would "pass over" the Hebrews homes and their children would be spared. There must have been great peace for them knowing that God had given them a way to identify with Him and thus protect their families from the calamity that was to come.

I often think about this story when I open my front door. I have the sign to the right hanging on my door. It's not at all the same thing as the Passover blood the Hebrews used...and there is nothing mystical or magical about this plaque. But I pray that God's spirit pervades my home and that it is a place of peace and acceptance for all who step through the door.

And I do like to think that it may give Satan pause to consider before he thinks about wreaking havoc on my home. If it doesn't, then I guess he is taking his well-being into his own hands. I'm pretty certain my Father doesn't like for His children to be messed with!

- Holly Barrett

Do You Have the Shoe Gene?

Today's Reading: Exodus 3:1-10

I love shoes. All you have to do is look at my closet to see that. I love boots in the winter, strappy sandals in the summer, flip flops when I'm all casual, and pretty princess shoes when it is time to dress up. Frankly, I've rarely met a shoe I couldn't figure out a way to love.

When I was a little girl and got new shoes, I always slept with them. Yep, right there, on the bed, next to my pillow. That should have been a sign of the trouble ahead! I've even been known to buy a pair of shoes that I fell in love with and then had to go buy an outfit to wear with them.

Seriously...I love shoes.

When my daughter was a teenager and received any monetary gift, she would always ask me, "Can I go buy a pair of shoes?" Always.

And don't get either one of us started on the shoes they make for tiny tots these days! We've bought so many cute ones that my grandson is pretty enamored with shoes too. Evidently this shoe gene can be passed down to your offspring.

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Kallenbach

Moses had an interesting occurrence with shoes one day. In our reading today he comes across the burning bush and God tells him to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. Thinking that was an odd request, I began to ponder why God asked Moses to remove those shoes. It occurred to me that Moses' shoes represented three things in his life.

First they represented the sin of the world. Unless you only wear your shoes inside, they get pretty dirty. We get pretty dirty living out here in the world sometimes too. Moses had sinned, just like we do. So he needed to get rid of sin to be able to step into the presence of God.

Moses' shoes also represented the tools of his trade. His shoes protected his feet in the hot desert. He had other tools that he used as a shepherd too. But when God called him into His service, Moses was going to need tools that he had never seen before. So he had to lay aside the tools he was used to using and allow God to supply all that he would need.

Finally, Moses' shoes represented his own ability and self-reliance. Moses had been a shepherd for a number of years. He knew his job and did it well. Now God was calling him to go places and do things that he would not be able to do in his own power. So he had to move out of his comfort zone and allow God to work through him.

This is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament, and not just because of the tie-in to shoes! It just really challenges me to examine my life for unconfessed sin, my reliance on God, and my acceptance of God's empowerment. Thankfully Moses didn't have the shoe gene. He readily took those shoes off and went where God told him to go.

And despite my strong shoe gene, I pray I will do the same thing.

- Holly Barrett

50:20 Vision

Today's Reading: Genesis 15:20-21

I have very poor vision. Went into glasses at the age of eight. Contacts at 15. Added reading glasses at the age of, er, um, well, just sometime after that! Without the contacts, things come into focus just a few inches from my face. Reading glasses will extend that vision for another foot or so...depending on the type size.

Suffice it to say that I don't have 20/20 vision. Not even close.

Joseph's brothers were afflicted with a similar problem. At the end of Genesis we find that Joseph's brothers have had to come to Egypt to get food. Joseph recognizes them but they have can't see what is standing right in front of them - their brother. Once Joseph reveals himself they are worried that he will want to exact his revenge for all that they had done to him a lifetime ago.

Thankfully Joseph is more farsighted than that and he told them,

“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

This is what I've often heard referred to as 50:20 vision. Joseph took the long view of his life and recognized how God had cared for him, provided for him, and used him in the land of Egypt...even placing him in the exact spot he would need to be in order to help his brothers and their families. No need to hold a grudge when you are looking through God's eyes.

Let's all pray today that regardless of how we can see with our eyes (with or without help!), we are able to develop 50:20 vision...that we will be able to see past the end of our own noses. That we will look for ways that God is going ahead of us and preparing to use us. And that we will rejoice in seeing all that He has done in our lives.

- Holly Barrett

A Change of Perspective

Today's Reading: Genesis 41:14-40

As we begin today's reading, Joseph's life has changed a bit from our last glimpse of him. He's been sold into slavery, landed in Egypt, risen to a place of prominence in Potiphar's household, accused of something he didn't do, thrown in jail, and forgotten by some folks he helped who promised to return the favor.

Pharaoh then had a couple of dreams that no one could explain to him. At which point, Joseph comes back into the picture as he is brought to Pharaoh to interpret the dreams. Remember, Joseph is pretty good at the dream thing...he had a couple of dreams himself that helped land him in a predicament that took years to unwind.

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." And Joseph replied, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

What an interesting change of perspective for Joseph. As a young man in his father's house, he had two dreams of his own that he was quick to tell his brothers about, almost boasting in the implication that he knew their interpretation which was great for him and not so much for them. But now he tells Pharaoh that only God can interpret dreams. Sounds like he has learned his lesson.

This story goes on to show us how God used Joseph to interpret Pharaoh's dreams and how Pharaoh rewarded Joseph for his foresight in planning to save Egypt from the coming famine. You might say that  once Joseph changed his perspective on dreams, God was able to use him to make those dreams come true. 

That's all it takes for us too...just a change in perspective. Sometimes it is a slight change and sometimes it is a big shift. But changing our perspective on who we are compared to who God is will alter our reality in ways we can't even imagine.

- Holly Barrett

Oh, grow up!

Today's Reading: Genesis 37:1-11

My Bible study this week reminded me that sometimes I am not as mature as I would like to think. Something doesn't go my way. Or someone hurt my feelings. Or I'm just plain mad about a certain situation. And I want to sit down and pitch a little baby fit.

Other times I get to thinkin' a little too highly of myself and the ugly side of my competitive self can make an appearance. That's a different kind of fit...and it's not too pretty either.

Sometimes I think God might just be a tad concerned about my maturity!

As we start into the narrative of Joseph in The Story this week, we see Joseph as the youngest of 11 boys at that time. He is the son of his father's favorite wife (and if that don't set up some dysfunction, I don't know what does!). And right off the bat, Joseph starts trouble by bringing his father a bad report about his brothers (verse 2). Doesn't that sound like a favored youngest brother?

Jacob, who is now called Israel, doesn't help matters. He encourages Joseph's sense of entitlement and superiority with the beautiful coat that he made for Joseph. I wonder how he expected the brothers to feel once they saw the coat? Regardless of what Jacob expected, the gift engendered hatred in the hearts of the older brothers and they did not speak very kindly to Joseph.

Joseph goes on to make it worse by boasting of his dreams, where sheaves of grain and heavenly bodies were bowing down to him. And so his brothers became jealous.

This is a scenario just ripe for some family drama to unfold. Frankly I think someone needed  needed to tell Joseph and his brothers to grow up! Probably should have been Jacob. It is so interesting to see all the adults in this family just adding fuel to the fire of a young boy's immaturity.

And it is convicting to me to think about the times I may have acted out of the same well of immaturity. Maybe we all need to look at ourselves and take a long cool drink of objectivity. We might even need to ask someone to help refresh us with a cold splash of reality. It's a hard thing to do...but I think it is infinitely better to do it before God has to tell us, "Oh, grow up!"

- Holly Barrett

Today Let's Just Laugh

Today's Reading: Genesis 21:1-7

When I graduated from college as an adult in 2001, the church I was attending had a graduation celebration for all high school and college graduates. They asked us for baby pictures for a slide show and as the slides were presented, we all had fun guessing who was who. Of course, mine were pretty easy to guess as they were the only baby pictures in black and white!!

Do you remember when your children were born? That's a silly question, isn't it? We all remember the day our kids were born as one of the most important days in our lives. Today's reading recounts the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. A child born into their old age. A child born of a miracle. The child God promised as Abraham's heir. And Sarah said that with the birth of her child, God had brought her laughter.

I think that's true for all our kids. If your family is like mine, you have great stories of funny things your kids or grandkids have done. They bring us much joy and much laughter.

Some days don't seem to have a lot of laughter, do they? Life is hard. The kids took the day off from being cute and are driving you crazy. Stuff breaks. The phone rings with not-so-great news. You didn't sleep well last night and tonight ain't looking so great either! There is always something that can block our laughter, if we let it.

But today, let's revel in the laughter of our children. Take some time to remember the funny things. Look at their sweet faces and remember how much laughter you shared on the day they were born. There will be plenty of time to think about all the world's problems later.

Today let's just laugh.

- Holly Barrett

So shall your offspring be...

Today's Reading: Genesis 15:1-8

As we are reading about Abram's life in The Story, today's reading takes us to God's promise that Abram's offspring will be uncountable, like the stars in the sky.

I love that Abram wasn't afraid to ask a hard question of God. He just flat asked God, "What can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer...?" I guess Abram was not one to mince words at this point in his life. But I also think God invites us to ask Him the hard or big or difficult questions. He's big enough to handle them. He's also big enough to answer them.

We see that as He goes on to make this promise about Abram's descendants. He tells Abram, "Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them...So shall your offspring be.” I don't know about you but when I ask God a big question, I want a big answer. And that's what Abram got right here. He was hoping for one heir, someone he could leave his estate to other than a servant. And what does God give him? An entire nation. 

What are you asking of God? Is it BIG? Are you waiting for His answer? Or have you gotten the answer and you are having trouble believing it? That's the other thing we can learn from Abram today. He believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Do you believe God? And are you ready to receive His big promises? Because I believe He is ready to give them to us. 

We just gotta ask. And we just gotta believe.

- Holly Barrett

One small step of obedience

Today's Reading: Genesis 12:1-9

This week begins our look at God building the nation of Israel. He starts in today's reading by calling out Abram:

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

The next sentence is short and very interesting: "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him."

Unlike others that we will read about in The Story, Abram didn't argue with God. According to scripture, he just got up and went. And took his family and servants and animals and possessions with him. I wonder where they thought they were going.

I always want to know all the details. Yep, I'm a schedule girl. I like spontaneity...and I can even do it sometimes. But I'm better if the spontaneity is scheduled. So if God had said that to me, I'm sure I would have asked at least one or two...or a hundred...questions.

Adam and Eve made a small decision that had generations of consequences, and we now see Abram take one small step of obedience that also had generations of consequences. And I guess the thing I want to learn from Abram is to just take that step. No need to ask a lot of questions. No need worry about what comes next. No need to look back at where I've been. Just do the thing that God has asked me to do today and let Him worry about the rest.

Just one small step...in the right direction can make all the world of difference in our lives. Where is God calling you to take that step?

- Holly Barrett

One Small Decision

Today's Reading: Genesis 3:14-24

This has been an interesting week in The Story as we have studied the fall of man in our Bible classes and LifeGroups. I don't know about your class or group, but interesting questions have popped up in both of mine. Things like whether or not Eve had experienced childbirth when God said He would increase her pains in childbearing, where was Adam when Eve was talking with the serpent, why did God have to drive them out of the Garden? It makes for lots of interesting discussion and speculation. And it probably adds to the list of questions that we all plan to ask God when we get to heaven!

What's interesting to me in today's reading is the outline of the discipline that God is taking with all three perpetrators. First He holds everyone responsible. Earlier in the chapter the serpent is described as crafty. But God didn't let him off just because he was doing what you would expect a crafty serpent to do. And Adam and Eve didn't get off the hook because they were deceived by the serpent. They had been given instructions from the mouth of God and were expected to obey them. No, there were still consequences to everyone's actions and God held them accountable.

And secondly, each sin had consequences that reached far beyond what any of them could have imagined. The serpent was destined to crawl on his belly for the rest of his life...and so were his descendants. Adam and Eve were introduced to death and suffering and the desire to sin for the rest of their lives...and we all see the consequences of that in our own lives. None of us sin in a vacuum. There are always consequences and they almost always will go much further than we ever dreamed.

Accountability and far-reaching consequences. That's a lot to have to learn from one small decision. And maybe that's the biggest lesson of all. When it comes to our Christian walk, there are no small decisions...especially in regards to sin. We will always be held accountable and someone will always get hurt. Isn't it just easier to be obedient from the start?

- Holly Barrett

The Blame Game

Today's Reading: Genesis 3:7-13

When I was a little girl, my mother came home one day and noticed something very funny about one of our cats. He had large patches of fur missing from one side and when she looked at his face, all the whiskers on one side were gone. Calling my brother and me in to look at the cat, she asked us if we knew what had happened to him. We promised her that we had no idea how it happened! When the truth finally came out, my brother blamed me for holding the cat still and I blamed him for wielding the scissors.

We both got in trouble.

That's my first recollection of playing the blame game. I'm sure I've played it at least several times since then. It's so easy to point the finger at someone else to save our own skin, isn't it?

That's where we find Adam and Eve in today's reading. When God finds out they have eaten from the tree they were commanded not to eat from, they immediately started pointing fingers.

Adam blamed it on Eve, "The woman you put here with me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." Actually, he kinda blames God at first...as if it was God's fault because He put the woman there with Adam.

The Eve followed up with, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Nobody wanted to take responsibility for their own actions. It didn't take them half a second to blame the other person in an effort to save themselves.

But they both get in trouble.

I often wonder, what would have happened if they had just owned up to from the start? Oh, there still would have been consequences for breaking God's commands. But I wonder if the sting of the discipline was that much sharper because they turned on the one they were supposed to love and denied each other to the God who loved them both?

- Holly Barrett

The Blessing of Marriage

Today's Reading: Genesis 2:18-25

It's hard to write on this passage of scripture which really institutes the first marriage when you are no longer married! Especially if your marriage didn't go well, which mine didn't. At the same time though, it is a passage that gives me hope that one day I might have the blessing of a godly spouse.

After not finding a helper suitable for Adam, God decides to create one. He makes Adam fall into a deep sleep, takes one of his ribs, and forms Eve. He then presents her to Adam as a gift. And Adam says, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man" (verse 23).

Of all the gifts Adam had already received, there was none like Eve. She was like him in that she was another human. She was presented to Adam by his Maker. She was part of him. You can just tell by his words that he is going to cherish her.

To view your marriage as something to be treasured is a tremendous gift you can give your spouse. Imagine how special you would feel if you knew that your spouse viewed you as a gift from God to protect and cherish.

Now imagine how your spouse would feel if you viewed them as that same gift.

I know not all marriages are the same. And there are good days and bad days in all marriages. But let me encourage you to look for the good in your spouse and in your marriage. Hold on to those things. Encourage one another to walk in that goodness. Cherish your spouse and their place in your life. Thank them for the positive things they add to your relationship. And thank God each day for the blessing of being married.

- Holly Barrett

Changing Our Focus

Today's Reading: Genesis 2:8-17

I got to visit with my daughter and her family last week in CO and loved having those days to spend with my nearly-two-year-old grandson. My daughter has been trying to get him to give up his pacifier, or "bi-bi" as he calls it, but hasn't had much luck. She has told him he can have it for naptime and for nighttime but he often wants it during the day. It's interesting to watch because this child does not lack for anything to play with! He's got plenty of toys, two dogs, and lots of videos to watch. He goes to daycare and has friends to play with. He loves to play outside with his basketball hoop and his big wheel.

But for some reason, he just has to have that pacifier. And if you tell him no, you are liable to have a fight on your hands unless you have something else to distract him with. It seems that the very idea that he can't have it makes it all the more attractive to him!

At this point in our story, God has planted a garden and placed man in it to work and take care of it. In verses 16 and 17, God gives the man one command, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die."

Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Eat of any tree in the garden, except this one. I don't know how many trees there were in the garden but we can probably assume there were plenty of choices. So the man shouldn't have had any reason to go anywhere near the tree. If you are new to Bible study, you don't know the rest of the story yet. And if you've read it before, just pretend you don't know what will happen in a few short verses. Because what I want to focus on here is our tendency to get stuck on the idea of the things we can't have.

It's why God's ways seem so restrictive to some people. Rather than seeing God's limitations as protection for us, some people choose to see them as punishment for a crime we haven't committed yet. Rather than focusing on the bounty that God has blessed us with, some of us choose to pout over the one thing He asks us to leave alone.

Let me encourage you today to change your focus. Look at the blessings God has given you and be grateful. When we focus on these things, we won't have time to notice the things we think we are doing without. Then maybe that "bi-bi" won't be so attractive to us after all.

- Holly Barrett

The Breath of Life

Today's Reading: Genesis 2:1-7

I had looked forward to this past week for a couple of months. The summer was long and very busy around the church office. You would have thought we had some big event coming up at the end of the summer or something! So this past week was a chance to get away and rest a little. Of course, heading to CO to see my grandson made the week exciting too!

Finally, our creation story comes to a conclusion. God has formed the earth and all that will inhabit it. And on the 7th day he rested. Thus setting up for us a cycle of life that we would do well to adopt. Six days of work and one day of rest.

Chapter 2 then goes into a more detailed explanation of the creation of Adam...how God formed him from the dust of the ground and then breathed life into him. That is the phrase that gets me every time.

The God of the universe breathed the very life into Adam, and mankind was born.

He does that for us today too. Certainly the pattern of working and taking a day of rest will breathe new life into us. A day of rest sets us up to meet the challenges of the week ahead. A day of rest allows our minds to regenerate and our bodies to refresh. Find some time in your week to take a day of rest. It doesn't have to be Sunday. I work on Sundays so there's not much rest there. But Saturdays are a different story. That's the day I try my hardest to be at home with nothing planned!

God's word also breathes life into us as well. It transforms us as our minds are renewed. It instructs us in God's will. It convicts us of change we need to make. It empowers us to follow him. It breathes life...the very life we need. Find time each day to be in God's word.

Wonder what our lives would be like if we allowed God to breathe into us through the renewal that comes with rest and is found in his word? I know...let's try it out and see what happens!

- Holly Barrett

It was very good...

Today's Reading: Genesis 1:26-31

The creation story continues in these few short verses, as "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

God blessed them, gave them dominion over everything else on the earth and encouraged them to multiply and populate the earth. Man and woman are God's crowning achievement in creation. The pinnacle of all his work. And so he sits back, surveys all that he has created and declares that it is very good. 

On the days that life just heaps all kinds of ugly burdens on us and we aren't feeling all that great about who we are, can I just say that we should come back here and read the account of creation? Because God made us in his own image and then he declared us very good. 

For just one day, let's not look in the mirror and pick out all our flaws. Let's not over analyze every word that comes out of our mouths and kick ourselves for self-perceived imperfections. And certainly let's not be critical of one another. God made us all. And regardless of the flaws we all have, we are made in his image.

And it was very good.

- Holly Barrett

The Beauty That Surrounds Us

Today's Reading: Genesis 1:14-25

Have you ever made something and just couldn't wait for someone else to see it? Or taste it? Or use it?

Maybe your kids have made an art project or finished a craft that they just couldn't wait for you to see.

Here in our Story, days 1 through 3 have come and gone. As I think of God in the most human of terms, I'm sure he must have had a sense of accomplishment over the beauty of his creation. But at this point, he has created this wonderful backdrop and there is no one there to enjoy it.

And so we come to days 4 through 6. In the expanse of the sky, he created stars and sun and moon. In the water, in the air, and on the land he created the fish and birds and every living creature. And once again, he called his creation good.

Where do you see our Creator in nature? I'm not much of an outdoor girl. The sun can be a bit much for this light-skinned, red-haired, blue-eyed gal. Not to mention the allergies. But I do love the view of nature. One of my favorite places to sit is at my kitchen table facing the window where I can see out into my front yard. Another favorite place is anywhere in the western part of our state where I can sit in a rocking chair on a porch and look out at the grandeur of the mountains. Of course, I can sit for hours looking at and listening to the roar of the waves at the coast too.

Let me encourage you today to find a place that you love that is out there somewhere. Go there and sit for a while and just soak in the beauty that God created. I am a firm believer that when we take the time to notice the beauty around us, we can feel the presence of God deeper. And we can hear him calling us back into his story.

- Holly Barrett

And it was good...

Today's Reading: Genesis 1:1-13

Today we start The Story. It is God's Story. It is our story. It is my story. And it is your story. It is the story of a God who created a perfect world for his perfect creation to live in. It is the story of God's ever-present desire to live in harmony with us. It is the story of the great lengths he will go to make that happen.

"In the beginning..."

Can you imagine what it must have been like? On the first three days, he created heaven and earth, separated light from darkness, separated the waters, caused dry ground to appear, and then added all kinds of vegetation to populate the land.

And it was good.

Can you imagine the care he must have taken to create something worthy of his calling it good? How much thought and love he must have poured into it. How he must have imagined the finished product as he carefully crafted each component of the perfect world.

Allow yourself to bask in this opening scene as The Story begins. Let your heart be tendered towards the father of all creation as he begins this journey. Picture in your mind's eye how beautiful it all must have been.

And it was good.

- Holly Barrett

Holding On for Dear Life

Today's Reading: Acts 20:7-12

This week has been an exciting week for my family. My son-in-law, Daniel, a US Army Sergeant returned from deployment in Afghanistan. His unit came in on Wednesday morning and my daughter, Rachel, and grandson, Cohen, attended a wonderful homecoming celebration.

We had all been a little concerned about how Cohen would respond. He was only 16 months old when Daniel left in March, so Rachel was worried that Cohen might not remember or might react out of shyness or fear because of the length of time since he had seen his daddy. Rachel diligently spent the last six months showing Cohen pictures of Daniel, talking about Daddy and when he would come home, and on occasion, they even got to Skype so Cohen could see Daniel.

Still, with an almost-two-year-old, you never really know what you are gonna get.

We shouldn't have been worried at all...

As soon as Cohen got to Daniel, he grabbed his daddy around the neck and held on for dear life! It was a two-year-old's death grip!

Today's reading takes us to Acts 20 where Paul is known for preaching a sermon that droned...er, went on...for hours! It was so long in fact that Eutychus went to sleep, fell out of the third story window he was sitting in and died. Verse 10 says, "Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”

I loved the writer's description of Paul throwing himself on the young man and putting his arms around him. Kinda reminded me of my sweet grandson and his precious daddy!

Paul was so concerned for this young man that he bodily threw himself at Eutychus, wrapped his arms around him, and saved him. Isn't that what we need to do for each other? Whether it is someone we've met who doesn't know Jesus...or one of our own brothers and sisters who have walked off the path into sin, shouldn't we run after them? Shouldn't we tackle them if necessary? Shouldn't we do the Cohen-death-grip around their neck? Shouldn't we help them come back to LIFE?

How wonderful to be able to say, "Don't be alarmed! He's alive!"

- Holly Barrett

Shift Change

Today's Reading: Acts 19:1-10

There have been times in my life when I was suffering under the mistaken notion that something was a particular way and then found out I was completely wrong. You've probably had a similar experience, haven't you? We are just moving along in out own little worlds when we find out some news that turns everything on its head!

During Paul's travels he met up with some believers who were in that same situation. They believed what they had been taught by John the Baptist. They'd even been baptized into repentance. But they had not been baptized into Jesus or received the Holy Spirit. And so Paul taught them about Jesus, placed his hands on them, and they were baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit. Don't you imagine that was quite a shift in their way of thinking?

Sometimes we need a shift in our thinking too. We may need to look at our lives or our walk with Jesus in a different way to move through a stronghold or to receive instruction. Conviction often brings a shift in our way of thinking as well. It may be hard to do...painful even...but the good news is that we aren't left alone to make that shift by ourselves. In Acts 19, there were 12 men who experienced this change in their lives. And in our church family, we have lots of folks that we can lean on when a shift needs to take place for us.

Let me encourage you today to look for the areas where you need to adjust your attitude, thinking or behavior. Ask for help from a brother or sister if you need it. And welcome the change. Who knows how God will use that in your life going forward?

- Holly Barrett

Prison Bars and Deliverance

Today's Reading: Acts 16:16-34

This passage is an account of Paul and Silas in prison. The had cast an evil spirit out of a young girl and the slave owners who were making money off of the girl hauled Paul and Silas into the marketplace where they were "tried" and then flogged and thrown into prison. They were shackled and put into an inner cell as an extra safeguard against escape.

As they were singing and praying around midnight, an earthquake shook the ground, the prison doors flew open and all the prisoners' chains fell off. The jailer was so distraught that he was going to kill himself on the spot until Paul stopped him because none of the prisoners had escaped.

Scripture doesn't record what Paul said to the jailer about his deliverance. It was probably a testimony about how they were singing and praying and God intervened to set them free. Through that testimony, this man and his whole household came to know Jesus and were baptized because of this incident.

I've never been in a jail cell. Not a physical one anyway. I have been in a stronghold of sin that seemed as unbreakable as the most solid prison cell I can imagine. And although there wasn't a physical earthquake the day I received deliverance, the ground underneath my feet did seem to have shifted as my eyes cleared and my heart sang for the first time in months.

You may well know someone who is in bondage...maybe in a physical jail cell. Maybe just locked in a whole heap of stuff that seems like it will never let go. But just as Jesus delivered the young girl from her demon and the jailer from his distress through Paul and Silas, He can deliver anyone who turns to Him. All we have to do is tell them the story of our own deliverance. Jesus will do the rest.

- Holly Barrett

Why do I bother to be surprised?

Today's Reading: Acts 12:1-17

I used to have some prayer partners who were mighty prayer warriors. They prayed earnestly and often saw God's answers unfold right before their eyes. Sometimes when we got an answer to a specific prayer, we would have to laugh because we were surprised when the answer came. Not by what the answer was necessarily...but because we had gotten an answer to start with.

After reminding ourselves one day that we had indeed prayed for an answer, one of my friends asked, "Why do we bother to be surprised?" That question became a watchword for us as we saw God answer prayers and we reminded ourselves that we had indeed prayed for an answer and shouldn't be surprised when God gave one.

Today's reading in Acts 12 shows a similar response to an answered prayer. Peter has been taken prisoner and the church is "earnestly praying to God for him" (verse 5). The night before he was to stand trial, an angel of the Lord appeared in the prison and set Peter free. He returned to a home where he knew the church would be praying and knocked on the door.

When the servant girl answered, she was so startled that she left Peter standing on the door step and ran to tell everyone that Peter was in fact standing at the door. And they didn't believe her. In fact they told her she must be out of her mind.

In their defense I don't know what they were praying for. Maybe they were praying for it all to end quickly and painlessly for Peter. Maybe they were so distraught that they weren't even sure what they were asking for. But scripture is very clear that they were praying for Peter and it's probably a pretty safe bet that they were praying for some type of deliverance.

And God answered.

And they were surprised.

How often are you surprised by God answering your prayers? Do you expect Him to do so? If not, then why bother praying. But if so, why bother being surprised when He answers?

- Holly Barrett

A Close Encounter of the Spiritual Kind

Today's Reading: Acts 9:32-43

Like me, you have probably encountered some really strange things in your lifetime. Of course, if you spend anytime surfing the web these days, you see a lot of weirdness! So when I read this story in Acts of Aeneas and Dorcas both being healed, I wondered what they thought when it happened to them. Healing is not exactly your everyday sort of happening.

But there it is in the space of 12 verses, two healings! Aeneas who has been bedridden for eight years is suddenly able to walk. And Dorcas, well she was just plain dead. And then she wasn't.

Interestingly Peter tells them both to "get up" when he heals them. It's almost as if they are partly responsible for their current conditions because neither of them had thought to just get up.

Finally, the result of these healings is that many more people came to know Jesus. That is the ultimate goal of any work of the Lord, that more people would come to know and believe in Him.

So where have you been bedridden in your life? How did God tell you to get up? Will you share your story with someone who doesn't know Him?

Someone out there needs to have a close encounter with the living God. Let them see where God has worked a miracle in you. Maybe they will get up and walk too.

- Holly Barrett

Blinded by the Light

Today's Reading: Acts 9:1-19

Have you ever wondered what went through Saul's mind during the three days he was blind and waiting in Damascus? He'd been on an errand to find Christians and imprison them.

And then he'd had a life-altering meeting with Jesus.

He was brought to Damascus where he waited for three days until God sent Ananias to him. We are told what Ananias thought about this assignment. He was scared. He was resistant. And rightfully so based on Saul's reputation.

But we don't know anything about what Saul did for those three days. What did he think about? Did he realize that his life had been changed forever?

Here is a modern-day rendition of what those days may have been like for Saul...


The Damascus Road Monologue from Gavin Bryce on Vimeo.

Three days of darkness. Three days of silence. Three days to consider what his life had been like and what it was going to become. A conversion so dramatic that it was recorded in scripture for all to hear and read and learn from.

Where has your encounter with Jesus led you? How has it changed your life? And who needs to hear your story?

- Holly Barrett

Ignoring the Excuses in Our Heads

Today's Reading: Acts 8:26-40

Have you ever felt a certain tug on your heart to do something but just couldn't bring yourself to do it? Maybe you felt certain you had heard the voice of the Father, but tried to hum loud enough to drown it out. Or maybe that's just me! But I do expect we've all been in that place where we knew we should be doing a certain thing and came up with all kinds of excuses not to listen. 

In today's reading, we find Philip in a similar situation. The angel of the Lord tells him to go south on the road from Jerusalm to Gaza. On his way, he sees a eunuch riding in a chariot on his way home to Ethiopia. Oddly enough, the man was reading from the book of Isaiah. And the angel speaks to Philip again and tells him to go to the chariot and stay near it.

That is exactly what Philip did too. He was obedient to the voice of the angel and the Ethipion eunuch came to know Jesus and was baptized right there on the road. 

It would have been very easy for Philip to make excuses. Maybe they would have sounded like this: "Stay near the chariot? I'm on foot. How am I supposed to catch up with him, let alone stay near him."

"He's not from around here. I bet we don't even speak the same language."

"Uh oh...he's got a scroll in his hands. What if he asks me a question I don't know the answer to."

"He is minding his own business. Maybe I should just mind mine."

Do any of those excuses sound familiar to you? They do to me. In fact, I've probably used one or two of those exact excuses myself. If Philip had used these excuses, this story would probably have a different ending for both men. Philip would have missed the opportunity to be obedient, the eunuch wouldn't have understood the scripture and might not have come to know Jesus. 

We have the same opportunity to reach out as Philip did. We meet people every day who need to know Jesus and just need someone to introduce them. God is calling each of us to do that right now. Are we making up excuses in our heads about why we shouldn't or couldn't do it? Are we letting those excuses drown out the voice of the Spirit? 

Let's agree together that we will listen for that voice and when we hear it we will be obedient...regardless of the excuses in our heads. Someone's eternal life may depend on it. 

- Holly Barrett

What's that I hear in the hallway?

Today's Reading: Acts 5:1-10

When my kids were growing up and did something they weren’t supposed to, their excuse often was, “I did it on accident, Mommy!” I’m not sure how you forget to brush your teeth on accident, but that was their response nonetheless.

Acts 5 tells the of a story couple who might have had the same excuse when they got caught in sin. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property, held back some of the money and brought the rest and laid it at the apostles' feet. 

Peter’s first question to Ananias was, “how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit…?” When we have walked the Christian path for a while, obvious rebellion is probably not part of our daily lives anymore. So it is easy for us to kind of sweep our sin under the rug. The truth is that anytime we are caught in a sin, Satan has filled our hearts at that moment. That takes my breath away! I don’t want to think about the enemy having anything to do with my heart. And yet, Peter calls it right here. Satan is ruling our hearts when we are in sin.

Ananias and Sapphira thought their lie was known only to them. It was not obvious to those around them. They thought they could get away with it. And so the question for us is where do we think we are getting away with it? Where are you allowing Satan to rule in your heart, even for the briefest period of time? 

As the story proceeds, Ananias was not given a chance to respond to Peter’s questions...or at least his response is not recorded. What we do know is that he immediately dropped dead at the apostle’s feet. One minute Ananias thinks he’s on top of the world and the next, he is laying dead at Peter’s feet. Yet it was a trap of his own making. He knew he wasn’t being truthful and he made his wife complicit in the sin too. 

That can happen to us. If we are tempted to step into collusion with others, that should be a warning sign to us. When we live in the lie of our own sin, we may get buried with the consequences...and we can take someone else down with us too. 

So we see Sapphira caught in the same trap. But God tried to give her one more way out. In verse 8, Peter asked her to confirm the price they received for the land, and she did. There she stands in the glare of the lie when Peter goes on to ask, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord?” When she falls dead, the same young men come and take her to be buried next to her husband. I wonder if she heard their footsteps out in the hall before she hit the floor?

Sapphira actually had two opportunities to save her life. Certainly God was providing her a way of escape here in verse 8.

But back in verse 2, the text says that “with his wife’s full knowledge”, Ananias proceeded with this plan. What would have happened if she had refused to go along with this lie from the beginning?

Can I just ask you to think about where you can protect yourself from the consequences of sin by not even starting the lie? Because we all know the downward spiral, right? One lie becomes another one. One small sin leads to the next. What if we just didn’t even go there to start with? What if we looked temptation in the face and walked away? 

I know...none of us are perfect. And we will make mistakes and we may succumb to temptation. But maybe we can so tender our hearts to God that even the smallest misstep is noticed and corrected...before we hear the footsteps of the young men coming towards us.

- Holly Barrett

Have you heard the one about...?

Today's Reading: Acts 4:1-20

Have you been to a new restaurant in town lately? Or how about seen a great movie, read a good book, or gotten hooked on the latest TV show? Who did you tell? Sometimes when we find something really cool in our world, we can't wait to share it with our friends.

I mentioned in another blog post this week that I've been studying Acts this summer. This story about Peter and John is striking for many reasons, but right near the end, I was very convicted about my own walk with God. 

Peter and John have been preaching and teaching about the resurrection of Jesus. They have healed a crippled beggar at the gate called Beautiful and they have gotten the religious leaders of the day riled up. Peter and John are seized and jailed and the next morning are taken before the Sanhedrin. There they preach a sermon to these learned men...a sermon about Jesus and how they had Him crucified and now He is at the right hand of God. In verse 12 Peter says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 

The Sanhedrin realizes they can say nothing about what the apostles have done so they try the bound-to-work tactic of telling Peter and John just to stop talking about Jesus. Yeah right. Like that's gonna work!

In fact Peter tells them, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." 

Right there is where I felt the conviction. Peter and John and the other apostles were so convinced about Jesus that they couldn't shut up about it. In the face of very real threats and persecution, they kept on talking. My relationship with God needs to be the same. It needs to be such a powerful force in my life that I can't help but share the story with those around me.

Better than any new restaurant, book, or movie. This story is the one that someone out there needs to hear. Will you walk so closely with the Father than you cannot help speaking about what you have seen and heard?

- Holly Barrett

Come Close to the Beautiful

Today's Reading: Acts 3:1-10

I have been studying Acts in the last few months. Looking at my notes from the day I studied this exact text was cool to see what I learned from reading and studying these verses. I do my studying as a type of journal where I read the text and then answer these three questions: what does it say?, what does it mean?, and what does it mean to me? Allow me to share some of those thoughts with you today. 

This is the story of Peter and John going to the Temple to pray. As they passed the gate called Beautiful, they saw a crippled man who asked them for money. Peter and John's first words to him in verse 4 were, "Look at us!" 

This crippled man was lying at the gate called Beautiful. I think we have to get close to the Beautiful to ask for what we want. God desires to hear our voices. He wants us to tell Him the things on our hearts and to ask Him for the things we need and want. We can't talk to Him without drawing near to Him. Are you getting close or are you holding Him at arm's length?

This man asked outright for money. He didn't beat around the bush, he just laid it out there. We gotta be willing to lay it on the line with Father too. Yes, He already knows it. But He still wants to hear our hearts around it. He may or may not answer the way we want Him to, but we won't know if we don't ask. What is your heart's desire...and have you asked Him for it?

Peter and John then told the man to look at them. Clearly he had seen them because he spoke to them. But I envisioned this like I used to tell my children, "Look at my face!" when I really wanted them to pay attention. Peter and John had his answer, but they wanted his full attention when they gave it to him. Sometimes we just have to look the solution square in the face. Are you avoiding the solution God may be sending you today?

Peter and John go on to tell the man that they don't have money but they will give him what they do have. And right there in verse 6, they heal the man. He jumped up and praised God and all the people who saw him and knew his story praised God too.

You know when we ask God for something, we should expect to receive. The answer may not be what we were expecting. But it may be the very thing that makes us stronger. The crippled beggar was expecting money, but he got healed instead. So what are you expecting to receive? Will you accept God's answer if it is the thing that will make you stronger?

Finally, the people who saw this man running around praising God recognized him as the beggar from Beautiful, and they were amazed at what had happened to him. You know, once God works in our lives, we can walk away from our past. But I believe that God wants us to be just transparent enough that those pasts are somewhat recognizable in us. That way others can see the work God has done and praise His name too.

Come close to the Beautiful today and let Him do a healing work in you.

- Holly Barrett

Get Out the Pruning Shears

Today's Reading: John 15:1-17

There's been a lot of pruning going on around here lately. Several crews have trimmed trees and shrubs here at PR and over at Lansdowne. Bushes have been pulled up. Trees cut down. And it all just looks so fresh and clean.

As I understand it, the purpose of pruning is to make room for plants to grow better - to bear more fruit, to borrow a phrase from today's reading.

You know, we have to go through pruning at times too. God has a plan for us and sometimes we have allowed things to creep into our lives that may block that plan. And so God has to get out the pruning shears.

But it doesn't have to be something bad to need pruning. Maybe something has been in our life for a while but its season is over. Maybe it's a good thing, but God wants something better for us. And so out come the pruning shears again.

Either way, pruning can be hard. Those guys and gals who worked out in the heat last week at Curb Appeal Day can tell you how hot and tiring and dirty that work can be. But without it, bushes and trees just become a big tangled mess. And the good things begin to get choked out.

Without God's loving pruning, good things can get choked out of our lives too. But as we remain in Him and allow His pruning to shape us, we "will be even more fruitful" (verse 2). 

There's a lot to learn from this story. But today, let's just focus on where God may be pruning us and whether or not we are cooperating with Him. It'll probably go a whole lot easier if we do!

- Holly Barrett

The Eternal Impact of Being Trustworthy

Today's Reading: Luke 16:1-12

This story in Luke is a hard one to interpret. A wealthy man has a manager who has been dishonest and so is going to be fired. The dishonest manager then goes to those who are in debt to the master and advises them to change on paper the amount that they owed the master. So the master praises the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly to protect himself. It still seems that the manager was dishonest but the master does praise him for quick thinking.

Jesus then goes on to say that we should also use our "worldly wealth" to help those around us in need or to help them come to know Jesus. In this way, our financial means are reaping an eternal benefit. For us and for those we influence.

The final lesson in this story is Jesus' admonish to be trustworthy in all things, because "whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much..." (verse 10).

As we utilize our Faith for the Future funds we have the opportunity to prove ourselves trustworthy with the resources God has given us. When we create a warm and inviting space for guests to come and hear about Jesus, we can be assured that God will bring those guests to us.

When we secure our church family's future through paying off our debt, we can be assured that God will bless us with growth in the future.

And when we help to transform our community through giving back 10% of these funds for community transformation work, we can be assured of blessing our neighbors and gaining opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with them.

Won't it be grand to see God repeat this cycle of blessing on us as we prove ourselves trustworthy?

- Holly Barrett

So That God's House Will Be Full

Today's Reading: Luke 14:15-24

It looks like we are entering the homestretch for the completion of our building renovation and Launch Day on September 9. This past week our new logo was unveiled. You'll soon see a new website design. On Curb Appeal Day we completed many projects to clean and beautify parts of our building and campus that are not being affected by the renovation. Sunday, Jeff passed out business card-sized invitations for you to share with your friends and neighbors to invite them to The Story. Tuesday night, several of us attended a block party in a neighborhood just a few miles from the building and handed out even more invitations.

We are ramping up for the big day! Isn't it exciting? Won't it be wonderful to see who God brings to hear His Story?

In Luke 14, Jesus tells the story of a man who prepared a great banquet and invited many people to attend. When the servant went to tell the invitees that everything was prepared for them to come, one by one, they all started backing out. Oh, they had reasons, or excuses. And none of them came.

So the man tells his servant to go out into the street and invite anyone and everyone he saw, including the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. The servant did so and there was still more room. So the master said, "Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full."

The master in Jesus' story didn't hold the servant responsible for those who chose not to come. He just told the servant to go invite more people in. We don't know who might accept the invitations that we put out for The Story. But that part isn't really our responsibility. Our job is just to offer the invitation to as many people as we can so that come September 9 God's house will be full.

If you didn't get the chance to get some invitations this past week, let me invite you to pick up a few this week. Someone out there is just waiting for you to invite them.

- Holly Barrett