The Flame - Fall 2015

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  • T H E M A G A Z I N E O F C H R I S T C H U R C HThe Flame

    FALL | 2015

  • CONTENTS

    SENIOR PASTORRev. Shane Bishop

    ASSOCIATE PASTORRev. Michael Wooton

    For a complete listing of the Christ Church Staff visit:

    www.MyChristChurch.com/staff.

    WORSHIP TIMESFairview Heights Campus

    Sunday - 9am, 11am,& 6pmSaturday - 5pm

    Wednesday - 6:30pm

    Collinsville/Maryville CampusSunday - 10am

    Millstadt CampusSunday - 10am

    Scott CampusSunday - 10amThe Flame Magazine is a quarterly magazine published by Christ Church. 2015 Christ Church. Learn more about Christ Church at MyChristChurch.com.

    EDITOR: Carrie Gaxiola DESIGN: Justin Aymer COVER: Mike Creagh

    THE BEAUTY OF THE SECRET PLACEby Ashely Waters

    DEVOTION FROM YOUNG TO OLDby Becky Olroyd

    NEW HOPE AND RENEWED FAITHby Shannon Peiffer

    GODS PROVIDED BEFORE...by Zack Dunlap

    FIRM FOUNDATIONby Shelley Baty

    NEW IMPACTby Brent Alexander & Robb Hass

    4 DEVOTIONAL LIFEby Rev. Shane Bishop

    5 WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT FROM?by Rev. Michael Wooton

    6 RAISE THE ROOF UPDATEby Carrie Gaxiola

    7 CAN I AFFORD TO TITHE?by Dave Merrill

    8 GODS PROVISION FOR HONDU-RAS...by Bonnie Fahrner

    9 LIVING INTO EXCELLENCEby Dr. Steve Heitkamp

    10 THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ACTS...by Rev. Don Frazure

    11 COULD YOU DO BETTER?by Matthew J. Lafrance

    12 REPRESENTING YOUR FAITH...by Jeffery M. Bishop

    13 WHEN HE ISNT IN THE WIND...by Shannon Durio

    14 STONES AND ECHOESby Matthew Denny

    15 STRONGLY AGREEby Wendy Smith

    16 YOU CANT BEAT GOD GIVINGby Brenne M. Issa

    17 WHEN DAD FEARSby Will Howell

    18 THE BEAUTY OF THE SECRET...by Ashley Waters

    19 DEVOTION FROM YOUNG TO OLDby Becky Olroyd

    20 FIRM FOUNDATIONby Shelley Baty

    21 NEW HOPE AND RENEWED FAITHby Shannon Peiffer

    22 GODS PROVIDED BEFOREby Zack Dunlap

    23 NEW IMPACTby Brend Alexander & Robb Hass

    24 WAITING FOR THE HARVESTby Kevin Siddle

    25 THE ZONEby Kelli Tobin & Lyndsay Croxford

  • FROM THE EDITORSummer has officially drawn to a close! Schools in session, its time to break out the sweaters, find the pumpkin every-thing recipes and plant colorful mums. Its also a wonderful time of year to re-flect on Gods goodness and provision. The Bible says Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. (Psalm 68:19) When we devote our lives to Him, we are blessed with all that we need!

    This issue of The Flame presents a du-al-theme: Devotional Life and Gods Provision. You see, I truly believe the two go hand-in-hand for Christ followers. Knowing someone will provide for you takes trust, and trust comes from having a growing relationship. I find the more time I spend with the Lord in talking with Him, listening to Him and study-ing His word, the more my trust grows in who God is in my life. As I spend the intentional time with my Heavenly Fa-ther that causes my heart to grow fonder

    of Him, my eyes are open to see His hand of provision in every area of my life. (See Philippians 4:19) It is a discipline in the Christian life that is challenging but with-out regret as we pursue Him diligently!

    May your hearts be changed as you read the words our writers have penned, and may you connect to Jesus Christ in a deeper way.

    II Chronicles 6:14 O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in all of heaven and earth. You keep your covenant and show your unfailing love to all who walk before you in wholehearted devotion.

    With devotion,--- CARRIE GAXIOLA ---

    Mission Of The FlameBe inspirational through biblical articles

    and devotions. Be informative in the announcement of future events that

    connect people in ministry.

    Questions about the Flame? Contact the Editor, Carrie Gaxiola, at: [email protected]

    The Flame Online:Get The Flame Magazine online. Sign

    up for email reminders of new editions. Visit MyChristChurch.com/theflame.

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 3

  • The central feature of any devotional life must be the Bible. It just HAS to be! De-votionals and books are fine, but they must not be allowed to replace the central role of the Bible in the life of the disciple. The Bible is the most reliable testimo-ny to the truth of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Period.

    On July 4, 1776 a Declaration of Inde-pendence was ratified that included these words written by Thomas Jefferson: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happi-ness. These words changed the world and were based upon a single assump-tion: There is such a thing as univer-sal truth.

    The Gospel of John really likes the con-cept of truth. In John 8:32 Jesus told his disciples, You will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. When Jesus was talking about the work and role of the Holy Spirit in John 16:13, Jesus said, The Spirit will guide you into all truth. And then there is the trial scene in John 18. Pilate replied, Are you a king then? You say I am a king and you are right, Jesus said. I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love truth recognize what I say is true. What is truth? Pilate asked. What is truth is a salient question in our world today. Is there such a thing as

    universal truth or is there not? Jesus said in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. Lets dig into this claim of Christ.

    I am the way. The Greek word odos here, means a road, so Jesus is literally saying, I am the road to God. They said in antiquity, All roads lead to Rome, but Jesus is claiming here that only one road leads to Godhim! He does not know the road; he IS the road.

    The truth. The Greek word translated truth, Al-E-the-ia denotes the genuine article, the real thing. Jesus does not just know the truth; he is the truth!

    And the life. ZoE refers to that vi-brant part of God that he bestowed to Jesus and Jesus bestows to us. In John 10:10 Jesus said, I have come that you might have life and life abundantly, and in John 3:16 Jesus promised eternal life. Jesus does not just deliver a life of pas-sion, purpose and power, but Jesus is that very life himself! Jesus does not just con-nect us with life; he is life!

    No one comes to the Father but by me. Jesus claims that he is the only way to God. Our culture wants to widen this sentence into, I am a way, a truth and a life. I am a way to God. Jesus does give us that latitude.

    Christian thinker C. S. Lewis wrote this in Mere Christianity, A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic--on the level with a man who says he is a

    poached egg--or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.

    We either have to drink the blood of Je-sus straight or not drink it at all, but we dont get to water it down. Jesus claim leaves us with a simple question, Are we going to take the claims of Jesus at face value or are we not? Are the clear and consistent teachings of the Bible authori-tative in our lives or are they not? Are we going to adjust our value systems to the truths communicated in the Bible or are we going to try to adjust the Bible to suit our sensibilities and understandings?

    Let me share with you where I have posit-ed on the matter of truth. I dont believe that God speaks today in ways that con-tradict the teachings of the Bible. I be-lieve the Bible to be a constant in a world of variables. It does not change, it does not ask for our approval and will be shin-ing like a new dime when the sensibilities of our culture are buried in the annals of history. The bottom line is this: Any purported truth based upon any-thing other than the Word of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ is in-trinsically unreliable. And that is why the Bible MUST be the center of our de-votional lives.

    Rev. Shane Bishop, Senior Pastorfacebook.com/revshane@RevShaneBishop

    DEVOTIONAL LIFE, TRUTH AND THE BIBLE

    BY REV. SHANE L BISHOP

    I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

    - John 14:6

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME4

  • WHO DID YOU LEARN THAT FROM?

    BY REV. MICHAEL WOOTON

    When I was in 6th grade I had a best friend named Eli. We would spend hours together laughing, talking, listening to music, and causing a ruckus. There was nothing more I looked forward to than spending time with my best friend Eli. One day my mother picked me up from Elis house and within two minutes down the road Mom said to me, Youre picking up Elis bad habits. Like any good twelve year old I denied it and thought my mom out of her mind. However, I remember thinking to myself that my mother was right, I had taken on some of Elis bad habits.

    When we spend concentrated time with others we begin to take on their charac-ter, mannerisms, worldviews, axioms, and much more. Our relationship with God is the same way. Just as I took on Elis bad characteristics as we spent time together, we take on Gods good charac-teristics when we spend time with him. In order for us to be everything God has called us to be we must spend individual time with God and form a devotional life. A devotional life is a daily concentrated, one on one time with God, where one seeks to worship God and be transformed by God. A devotional life is Christianity 101, a basic course. If you have not de-veloped a devotional life, you have not graduated to being a follower of Jesus. Or, as the Bible puts it, you are on milk not solid food.

    A devotional life is one of the most im-portant ways we engage with the will of God. The Bible says that God has a plan for our lives and in order for us to deci-pher that plan we have to spend time with the One who created the plan. Imagine this; youre a talented football player that just got signed to your dream team. You know with your talent and the teams players and coaches, this year you will be in the playoffs for sure! There is one problem; every day at practice you dont talk to or listen to the coaches. The coaches talk about the Xs and Os during

    meetings and on the field and youre day-dreaming about being in the playoffs.

    When games day rolls around, you have no idea what you are doing because you have been out of the game plan the en-tire time. You were too busy daydream-ing about the future to listen to the coaches who could get you to the future you wanted. It didnt matter how talent-ed, smart or skilled you were because you did not allow the coach to pour the game plan into your mind. It is the exact same with knowing Gods will. Until you spend devotional time with God on a dai-ly basis you will have no idea what Gods plan is even if it is staring you square in the face. Romans 12:2 shows that once we allow God to change the way we think we will know Gods plan for our lives,

    Dont copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

    In order for God to change the way we think we must have a consistent devo-tional life. I have two methods on how to incorporate devotional time in our ev-eryday lives. First, find a consistent time that works into your schedule; I call this the conventional devotional method. The idea is once you put a devotional time into your daily life it will be as rou-tine as brushing your teeth. Some people stick with this method their entire Chris-tian journey and I would especially rec-ommend this method for new Christians.

    The second method I call the floating devotional method. This is used when ones schedule fluctuates and makes a set devotional time difficult to maintain. The floating is being open to spending time with God during the free time of the day; break time, waiting to pick up the kids from school, before a meeting, after a class, etc. This is a wonderful method

    for busy people, but it can be dangerous because it allows your day to dictate im-portant time with God. Some of you may find that going with one method for a time then switching to the other will keep your relationship with God fresh.

    My time with Eli taught me that I was more impressionable than I knew. Who is leaving their impression on your life? Spend daily time with God, youll love the habits you form.

    In order for us to be everything

    God has called us to be we must spend individual

    time with God and form a

    devotional life.

    Rev. Michael WootonAssociate Pastor

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 5

  • How many campaigns have you seen the church through? This is the fourth major capital campaign that Christ Church has seen since 1999. The first campaign helped pay for the gym and what is now Kids Connection. The second campaign in 2005 raised enough money for the banks to loan us the money to build the sanctuary. By 2008 we needed nursery space and our third campaign paid for Creation Corner.

    What are the biggest challenges with a capital campaign?Communication is the biggest challenge in a large campaign. It is very import-ant that people know why the church is embarking on a campaign. They need to clearly understand the vision of the church and how the project is going to help fulfill the vision. The larger the church the harder it is to reach everyone. We discovered that satellite campuses add even more challenges not in just commu-nication, but also in the way you manage and track commitments and donations of all of the different campuses.

    In thinking about Gods provision, in what ways have you seen God pro-vide, particularly for this campaign? This campaign was a total team effort. We had a strong team of staff and lay vol-unteers working behind the scenes to ac-

    complish Gods vision. Would you care to tell us what chal-lenges were presented recently and you saw God move in a big way? This project was approved by the city of Fairview Heights in 2005 when it was a rectangular 3-story building and then again in 2009 when we changed the shape to add more square footage. In the spring we submitted the paperwork because we needed the city to approve the addition to the west side of the sanctuary and was surprised when the city told us that we would have to get the 2nd and 3rd floor approved for the third time.

    This approval was exasperated when our neighbors, whom had recently moved into their homes a few years ago, pro-duced a petition with 161 signatures against the 2nd and 3rd floor. Their main objective of the project was privacy. Af-ter three rounds of meetings the city approved the building, but not until we agreed to place a luminescent film on the east facing windows of the second and third floors.

    As a result of these meetings we were able to get the building approved and contin-ue to be good neighbors.

    When is the projected ground-breaking to Raise the Roof? We are going to have a formal ground-breaking ceremony on Sunday, October 18th at 3:00pm.

    How can the congregation continue to pray? Please pray for the safety of the construc-tion crew, a good economy and contin-ued growth of our childrens ministry.

    Where are we in terms of financial goals? Have the goals been met? Are the funds coming in already? We have been blessed here at Christ Church. The total amount pledged to

    Raise the Roof is just over $2.9M. By the time this magazine goes to print we will have exceeded $500,000 in money re-ceived for the Raise the Roof campaign. To reinstate the goal for our newest campaign, what do see as the big-gest asset of this endeavor? This building will enable us to achieve the 5 goals for our children that Rev Shane spelled out last year at this time. They are:

    Every child will come to know Jesus as Savior

    Every child will be Biblically literate Every child will develop self-respect

    and respect for others Every child will reach their full po-

    tential Every child will discover Gods plan

    for their livesIt is important to understand that this campaign will also provide a space for our worship team to build worship sets, store equipment and allow staff to have office space.

    Each campus has pledged over $150,000 for their own capital needs. The C/M campus will use their pledges to move to a 24/7 location which will allow growth and be available for small groups and other events throughout the week. The Scott Campus is looking at expanding their parking space and the Millstadt Campus is discussing future capital in-vestments that will help their site grow.

    Can people still pledge even though the actual campaign was accom-plished earlier in the summer? Yes, people can still make a pledge. The pledge period will not be 3 years, but it will be from the date on the commitment card to the end of the campaign in May 2018.

    Carrie GaxiolaFlame Editor

    RAISE THE ROOF UPDATE

    INTERVIEW BY CARRIE GAXIOLA

    Alan Prass, Executive Director

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME6

  • CAN I AFFORD TO TITHE?

    BY DAVE MERRILL

    Before I bring a tithe of my wealth to the church, I should first consider all that God has provided me. I better begin at the moment of my conception. Jeremi-ah 1:5 reminds me, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. The LORD has breathed life into me. I am bless-ed with sight, with hearing, with taste, touch, and smell. The LORD makes me aware of my surroundings and brings me into loving relationships with oth-ers. He has given me language, thought, feeling, and emotions. He connects with my spirit and He guides my path. He has equipped me with unique skills, talents, abilities, and experiences. He gives me thought, knowledge, wisdom, strength, and fills me with new ideas. I am fed by the bounty of His provision; the fruit of the trees, the produce of the fields, and the dairy, meat, and eggs from his cre-ation. Come to think of it, everything I have, He has provided. The writers of the Gospels knew all that God has provided. Matthew tells us, Do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Matthew 6:31-32 The apostle Paul reports, My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Phi-lippians 4:19) John jogs our memories of Jesuss words, Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14) Dr. Luke asks us to Consid-er the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! (Luke 12:24) We have a Holy and loving God who joyfully pours out all he has for our benefit.

    After all God has done for me, how can I not share at least a tithe of this joyful overabundance with others? We seem stubbornly willing to give two or three tithes of our income to the federal and state government. (Note: we government employees say, Thank you!) Of course, we pay that to avoid legal action and po-tential incarceration. That leaves the rest of our income to pay for housing, cloth-ing, food, transportation, indebtedness, and entertainment. We tend to put our leftover scraps into the church offering basket last. What if we thought differently and were obedient to God with a tithe? What would life look like if we joyfully offered our tithes and offerings first? Lets gen-erously give 10% up front to the LORD. Guess what; all of a sudden weve done good work down the hall, around the corner, and around the world with that investment. We have created a secure charitable giving deduction from our tax burden. If I next pay myself another tithe (10%) investing wisely in savings, retire-ment, debt relief, and emergency funds, I am able to draw interest on that invest-ment as a good steward of what God has provided and my money goes even fur-ther. Im left with 80% to pay the bills AND I am in a position to receive Gods blessing on my gift. The prophet Malachi delivers this prom-ise from God (Malachi 3:10), Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Can you think of a better investment than to connect people to Jesus Christ? When we invest in Christ Church we give to make room for our children, we sup-port ministries around the globe, and we

    provide for the needs of those less fortu-nate than ourselves. We enjoy an abun-dance of comfort, shelter, transportation, clothing, food, electricity, hot and cold running water, and communications gear. The greatest percentage of the world has none of these luxuries. Its time to share 10% of that blessing. Proverbs 19:17 says, Whoever is gener-ous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. Can you af-ford not to tithe?

    Dave Merrillfacebook.com/davemerrill819

    Whoever is generous to

    the poor lends to the Lord, and he will

    repay him for his deed.

    - Proverbs 19:17

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 7

  • GODS PROVISION FOR HONDURAS THROUGH CHRIST CHURCH

    BY BONNIE FAHRNER

    One day, I had a vision and saw a rock fall from heaven. It hit the water and the ripples went around the world. I was im-pressed that the rock was Jesus, the water was Honduras, and the Lord was going to pour out the Holy Spirit on San Pedro Sula. - Rev. Fred Bishop

    This vision carried the seeds of evan-gelism and service that would grow through Rev. Fred Bishop, No Greater Love Ministries, Feed My Sheep Ministry, Bibles for Honduras, Christ Church, and the United Methodist Church to become a part of Gods provision for Honduras.

    At first, we didnt know the people; we didnt know the needs; we didnt know how to meet those needs; but God said Go.

    Just look at Gods amazing provision for Honduras in the last year by the Holy Spirits work through Feed My Sheep Ministry, Bibles for Honduras, Christ Church including Christ Church Sight Ministries, New Horizon UM Church, IL Great Rivers Conference, and Iglesia de Cristo in Honduras:

    1,941 people received free medical examinations and medications

    1,570 people received free vision care and glasses

    145,000 multiple vitamins were distributed among 1,120 children and 1,264 adults

    305 children received Awana work-books, supplies, and shirts so they

    could participate in the Awana pro-gram

    335 children received school uni-forms and supplies so they could at-tend school. (Children cannot attend public school in Honduras unless they have their own school supplies and uniforms.)

    9 homes that had been destroyed by fire were rebuilt

    428 mothers received baby layettes for their newborns

    7,896 people received free Spanish Bibles distributed by mission team members. Bibles for Honduras de-livered over 10,000 Spanish Bibles overall in the last year with more than 50,000 Bibles provided since 2007.

    Our sister church in Honduras, Iglesia de Cristo, started with 26 people in one lo-cation in 2012, has grown by 1400% over the past two years, and now has 3 loca-tions: San Pedro Sula, Choloma, and Vil-la Nueva. While numbers might show the scope of Gods provision, personal stories tell more about the impact of Gods provision through our Honduran ministries. One 15-year-old girl came to our clin-ic holding onto her grandmothers skirt because the teenager could not see well enough to walk on her own. The grand-mother said through an interpreter that the girl had never been to school and stayed at home because she was blind.

    The grandmother and her granddaugh-ter had walked a long distance to our free clinic with the hope that the eye doctor could do something. Dr. Tinge examined the girl and found that she was not blind but was extremely nearsighted. Kim fitted the girl with glasses, resulting in amazing improvement in her sight. What a change and a blessing! The girl and her grandmother left the clinic with joy, ex-cited about the new life awaiting the girl, and thankful for Gods provision.Would you like to know how you can be a part of Gods provision for Honduras? Connect with Feed My Sheep Ministry through Marvin Steinke, 618-779-3337, or Bonnie Fahrner, 618-660-9749; Bibles for Honduras through Brian Safa-rian, 618-541-0559; and Christ Church Sight Ministries through Dr. Kim Tinge, 618-972-6039. We will be glad to share options for your role in Honduran min-istries, here or in Honduras. Above all, please pray for our October 10-17 mis-sion trip to Honduras.

    Bonnie FahrnerFlame Volunteer Writer

    Ministry Spotlight

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME8

  • LIVING INTO EXCELLENCE

    BY DR. STEVE HEITKAMP

    When I was a boy, there were two men that taught me about excellence. It was a lesson that has since proved invaluable. The first time Scott Loeffler came to my neighborhood, he said he recognized the yard, not the house, that he knew be-longed to Steve. This is not incidental or an accident. My life has been formed and shaped to grow with excellence. It is an interest that I have had since I was a boy. This interest came through my grand-father. He was an uneducated railroad forklift driver, and his yard was saturat-ed by all the colors imaginable. It was breathtaking, and as I child I imagined his yard was a Garden of Eden. Paradise. I was raised learning from him the pas-sion for growing with excellence.

    The second man who taught me about this excellence was a neighbor, named David. He was older than my grandfa-ther but had a similar passion for apples. David was a man of education, learning and skill. He had degrees in horticulture and the experience to match; he taught me to graft fruit trees. I still remember the day he gave me a fruit tree that he had grafted seven kinds of apple trees on one root stock. I thought I had discov-ered the tree that was in the garden that my grandfather had replicated.

    Two men, one educated and one not, both taught me about excellence in grow-ing things. I even say that I was grown to grow things. I continue the tradition in my yard today. I discovered excellence yields results. We are called to ExcellenceIf there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things Philippians 4:8b

    You and I are children of the Most High God, and we are called to this high call-ing to be lived out in discipleship. I take this passion to the work I do as a thera-pist, as a pastor and all I say and do. I am relentless about learning to be more like Jesus. I find the following to be true:

    Movement toward deepened disci-pleship has no short cuts. It takes the complete priority of my time, en-ergy, and resources.

    Growing to be like Jesus takes a life-time of small steps and large leaps stepping out in faith and vulnera-bility.

    God prunes and redirects my plans at His will, not mine.

    Growth has many obstacles, but God will complete His task to perfection when we yield to Him.

    I never grow alone, but am thankful for all the people who have poured into me over the years.

    When we crave to grow, God will bring resources and just the right people to help you reach that place of excellence. II Peter 3:18 tells us: But grow in the grace and knowl-edge of our Lord and Savior Jesus then believe and grow to maturity.

    God compels me to move others to excellence, which deepens my matu-rity through this means.

    A prodigy is someone who dazzles us with excellence and ability at a young age. Sometimes this is music, math, or art. Prodigy also means an impressive or

    outstanding example of a particular qual-ity. Psychologist Joanne Ruthsatz and her colleagues sought to shed light on the mind of these young people who excelled above the others (Scientific American Mind; February 2014). Interestingly, not all of them had a high IQ. The range of IQ was 108-147. There was in fact one with a visual spatial IQ of 71, which was 97 % worse than the general population. What the study found is that every single prodigy scored off the charts in working memory, better than 99 % of the general population. Listen to what that means: Working memory isnt solely the abili-ty to memorize a string of digits. Thats short-term memory. Instead, working memory involved the ability to hold in-formation in memory while being able to manipulate and process other incoming information. Isnt it wonderful when we do this in our spiritual life? Take in the information of Scripture and then at the same time excel in our ability to apply it as new and different information and ex-periences enter. Live into excellence as a prodigy of God.

    Lord, show me how this day to live into your excellent will and plan for my life. I commit myself to excellence through Study and Devotion.

    Dr. Steve [email protected]

    www.horizonhope.org

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 9

  • THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ACTS OF WORSHIP

    BY REV. DON FRAZURE

    When thinking about worship, our minds immediately go to what we nor-mally experience during a corporate worship service. Within the context of a service there are several sacred acts of worship that we dont bother giving a second thought to because they are tra-ditional practices that we include -- and even expect -- in worship. We sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. We pray to-gether. We listen to the Word of God be-ing read and hear a sermon on that text. We join together in Communion through the observance of the Lords Supper. We give our tithes and offerings and leave to carry out the mission of connecting peo-ple with Jesus Christ. But have we ever stopped to consider the acts of worship that happen outside of a worship service?

    The Greek word for worship that is used throughout the Bible is proskuneo. It is a compound word with first part (pro) meaning to turn toward, and the second part (kuneo) meaning as to kiss. This kiss would be along the lines of show-ing reverence to ones master and lord rather than in a romantic sense of the the word. In our case, the kiss is showing reverence to our Lord God. In corporate worship, we collectively turn to God and show him reverence and praise in the actions of worship listed above. Howev-er, we can also do the same individually through daily devotional acts of worship.

    Prayer is the first daily devotional act of worship. We wouldnt consider a corpo-rate worship service to be complete with-out time devoted to prayer, so the same should go for our personal devotional time. To me, reading the Word gets my heart in the right place for God to speak to me and begin to change me through

    prayer. It is in prayer that we truly kiss the hand of our loving Father.

    Now, believe it or not, I dont normal-ly sing in my devotional time; however, there are times when the presence of the Holy Spirit is so powerful that I give in to it because, as the hymn writer says, How can I keep from singing? Those are the times when I am in complete abandon in worship, and I truly dont care what oth-ers might think. Im alone with God, in his presence and nothing can hold me back.

    Reading and studying the Word of God is another daily devotional act of worship. We want people to be in a small group or Bible study so they can love God by knowing more about him. In reading the Word, the Holy Spirit speaks to us, in ef-fect preaching to us what he wants us to understand from that text. We are choos-ing to turn our minds and hearts away from other things and focus on Gods Word. We do the same in a worship ser-vice, but this time, its just us and God.

    The Word tells us to, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. We are called to serve one an-other, and when we serve one another in Jesus name, it is an act of worship. We are not only called to serve each other during corporate worship, but also as a daily devotional act of worship. By put-ting the needs of others above our own we are showing Christs sacrificial love for each other. This act of turning away from ourselves and focusing on others is worship through obedience. This can be accomplished through our church min-istries, or individually as we interact with

    and minister to people each day.

    What we do together in our corporate worship services is mirrored in our dai-ly personal worship. Take some time to think about your daily devotional actions of worship. In the end, when we turn away from everything else and focus on God, through reading the Word, singing songs of praise, praying and serving our neighbors, whether in a group or individ-ually, it is all worship!

    Those are the times when I

    am in complete abandon in

    worship, and I truly dont care

    what others might think. Im alone with God, in his presence

    and nothing can hold me back.

    Rev. Don FrazurePastor of Worship [email protected]

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME10

  • COULD YOU DO BETTER?

    BY MATTHEW J. LAFRANCE

    I was pretty young when I accepted Jesus into my life. I couldnt tell you too much about it, if only because not too much happened after my conversion. I prayed the prayer, considered myself saved, and never really did anything to grow my faith in Jesus. I grew up hearing many pastors preach on the need to have time set aside daily for devotion, but I didnt want to. Simple as that.

    My faith, I feel, didnt actually start to grow until about five years ago, and even then that growth was miniscule. Id start-ed attending a Bible study and found my-self a little bit more involved in the word of the Lord. Still, I felt I didnt need to read my Bible regularly. I prayed every day, went to church on Sundays and at-tended Bible study whenever we had it; that should be enough. I could feel this growing my faith, and I was better able to communicate about my faith with both believers and nonbelievers. With that go-ing for me, did I need to read the Bible every day?

    According to numerous sermons Id heard over the years, yes. But, why? If Im doing well enough just studying Gods word twice a week, why should I be reading it the other five days? If I feel competent speaking about my faith to a nonbeliever, do I need to have a daily de-votional?

    Yes, a voice told me once. Because you could do better.

    This realization came almost a year ago. Convicted by the Holy Spirit, I decided to see if it really made that big of a differ-ence in my life. I set a Bible app plan on my phone and took off with it -- if for no other reason than to prove to myself that it wouldnt change anything in my walk with Christ.

    So, every morning, as Id wait in my car for my co-workers to arrive, Id read whatever passage was designated for that

    day. The first month or so nothing out-standing occurred in my spirit, but then something really cool started happening.

    I was uncovering all these little verses that Id never heard before. You know, the ones not quite impactful enough to be part of a sermon, but hit your heart like adrenaline right when you need it? All these passages, both well-known and ob-scure, started flying at me; striking nega-tive parts of my being. And then the pas-sages began applying to my life; not just on the whole, but that day specifically. Id read a passage, and then four hours later stuff would happen at work, and Id be like, Whoa; God was totally preparing us for this earlier.

    That plan I set up on my Bible app was ninety days long. Ninety days of mind-blowing, life-changing passages. Even if Id read the verse before, its co-inciding with my life at the time I read it gave it new meaning. It was incredible! My relationship with Christ was reaching an all-time high!

    But, I think most notable about the expe-rience was how I was better able to com-municate Christ to people. The added knowledge I gained from that study gave me more to say on the topic of my faith than I thought possible. I realized that convicting voice was right: I could do better, and now I was.

    The thing about relationships is that they require attention. They need to be given care and nurtured. We, as a society, seem to remember this in regards to our rela-tionships with people, but when it comes to our relationship with God, we treat it like riding a bike; once you learn, you never forget. The fact is, we need to treat it like its a cyclothon. One component of it is knowing how to ride the bike, but youve also got to train for the race. You need to dedicate time to strengthening your muscles, pacing yourself, and work-ing on breathing technique.

    Riding a cyclothon immediately after learning to ride a bike is foolishness. And being in a relationship with God without exercising that relationship is likewise. Sure, you may feel as though your rela-tionship with Christ is fine. And maybe it is. But allow me to ask you the question I had to face; could you be doing better than you are?

    Schedule the time. Pick up the Book. Youll be glad that you did.

    Matthew J. LafranceFlame Volunteer Writer

    Did you know there is a free bible app?

    Visit bible.com/app to get this great resource for your

    devotional life.

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 11

  • REPRESENTING YOUR FAITH LIFE WITH A LIFE VERSE

    BY JEFFERY M. BISHOP

    Whats your life verse? For many Christians, whether they hap-pen upon one, one happens upon them, or they intentionally scour their Bibles to find the just right expression, a life verse is the faith-driven equivalent to se-lecting a song lyric, a poetry verse or a pithy quote that deeply and uniquely rep-resents you. Similarly then, a life verse is often used in an email signature, put in vinyl letters on a wall at home, or, more permanently, tattooed onto a shoulder, arm, leg or back and in that respect, sharing the verse is part of the experience of having one. As I reflect on my Christian faith, Ive come to realize that Ive relied upon not one, but a number of life verses, in keep-ing with lifes transitions a series of life verses that speak to my walk with Christ. Mile markers along my journey deeper into my faith. An early life verse that resonated with me was found in Joshua 24:15: But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. This affirmation of faith, spo-ken by a patriarch to cover the entirety of his family and of his home, spoke to me when my wife and I were first estab-lishing our home and starting our family. Not unlike the Give us today our daily bread, carved wood platters adorning our parents walls (Matthew 6:9-13), we christened our home with a cherry wood plaque, laser-etched with Joshuas words and the wisdom. It was important and meaningful for me to overtly establish this value and direction for our family; to put into words a solid faith-based guide for our forward motion together.

    At a much later stage of my life, we were compelled to contemplate a rather diffi-cult decision: whether or not to leave the Air Force after 12 years of active service. There were many positive and negative factors on each side of the scale, and the decision seemed to hinge mostly on our familys economic security in unsure times. For the first time, we were tested to put our faith in our finances fully in the hands of the Lord our father, and not also in those of a seemingly maternal Air Force. We weighed and prayed our deci-sion a lot for months and in doing so, soon enough had a God-honoring deci-sion, and with it a profound sense of calm and faith and peace in a new life verse: ... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ... do not worry, saying What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? Seek first His king-dom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well, (Mat-thew 6:25-34). It was more than coincidence indeed, it was Providence! that I was able to find a good job here in St. Louis; a job that started the Monday after my military service ended, providing me with contin-uous employment across the transition that Ive been blessed to have ever since. Theres nothing in the Bible that says a person has to find a life verse. But un-less one tries to encapsulate their entire faith experience into 5-7 words, theres no harm in it either. On balance, choosing one is probably good. Indeed, for many

    contemporary Christians, having a life verse might be the sole scripture they ever commit to memory, providing an ever-present help needed in hard times or that a friend or loved one needs to hear in witness. While the passing of time through life is bittersweet, its humbling to look back at what Ive gone through. With the benefit of hindsight, its cheering to look ahead, knowing there will be more, different milestones ahead. And knowing that my Lord and His Word will be there with me, to guide and comfort along the way. *All verses New International Version

    As I reflect on my Christian

    faith, Ive come to realize that

    Ive relied upon not one, but a number of life verses, in keeping with

    lifes transition

    Jeffery M. BishopFlame Volunteer Writer

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME12

  • Shannon DurioFlame Volunteer Writer

    WHEN HE ISNT IN THE WIND AND THE FIRE

    BY SHANNON DURIO

    Last month, my husband and I lost a le-gal battle that meant a lot to us. It was a tough blow, because this was something we had been praying over for years. I felt defeated. I had focused all of my efforts for so long on doing things right and trusting that God would bless those ef-forts. I was ready to give up - why had He abandoned us? As I tried to dig myself out of discouragement, I came across this passage in 1 Kings 19 about Elijah wait-ing on the Lord.

    Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

    I had been looking for Him to show up in a big way with this court case. I was looking for Him in the wind and the fire. But He provides for us in ways that we might miss if we are only looking for the obvious. This process has drawn me clos-er to Him because I dont understand it. I am questioning, challenging, clinging to Him. (The great thing about talking to Jesus is that He listens, whether I am whispering or ranting!) I am discovering a new depth to my relationship with Him that I might have missed, had He been in the wind and the fire.

    Have you ever felt like you needed God to spiritually provide - to resuscitate you?

    When I think of Gods provision, my mind usually goes immediately to mon-ey. Honestly, even when I pray for Gods provision, most of the time it is related to finances. But Gods covenant extends beyond our physical needs, and includes our spiritual, mental and emotional needs as well.

    Who in the Bible had those types of needs met?

    Hannah longed to be a mother, but was barren. Her heart cried out before the Lord, and He heard her. She then bore a son, whom she named Samuel (meaning asked of God.) As the queen, Esther lived in luxury, but what she desperately needed was favor with the king, in order to save her people. The Lord met this need. Naomi lost her husband and both of her sons. As she mourned, God pro-vided her with a companion - Ruth.

    After Ziklag was destroyed, the Bible tells us that King David found courage and in-ward strength from the Lord. Gideon was given the courage to fight the Midianites. God provided Stephen the emotional strength he needed to face martyrdom.

    They all had circumstances working against them, but God intervened. He met their needs in ways that were specific

    and sufficient. Gods provision is rooted in His Word. He promises to sustain us, to uphold us.

    Romans 8:28 says, We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called ac-cording to His purpose.

    Note that it says that we have been called according to His purpose - not our own. The problem isnt that we dont trust God to provide. Its that we expect Him to pro-vide in the way we think is best. Do you think Naomi thought it was best to lose her husband and sons? But during that season, God provided Ruth to her, whose legacy included the lineage of David, and ultimately, Jesus.

    It is sometimes terrifying to let go of fear and trust that God will meet our needs. But when we begin to see Him as the Good Shepherd who can see far be-yond our tiny pasture, we can be thank-ful for Isaiah 55:8, which states, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.

    Although hard to admit at times, Id rather have an omniscient God charting my course than be forced to rely on my own limited perspective. I am so thankful for His consistent provision and that He wants what is good for His children.

    Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in

    the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - 1 Kings 19

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 13

  • STONES ANDECHOESBY MATTHEW DENNY

    My sister and her husband just had their first child. He is beautiful. We visited them at the hospital, where they shared some of the details of the birth. The deliv-ery was complication free and successful, although a nurse shortage on their floor and an emergency procedure in another room meant they received less attention from the staff than they had hoped to re-ceive.

    On our way home, my wife and I began to reminisce about the births of our own children. My wife has had some difficult times in the delivery room, the worst of which involved our youngest. He was not breathing when he came out of the womb. While the OB worked to stabilize my wife, the nurses seemed frozen. They were not helping my son, nor were they trying to find someone who could. The OB finally shouted for them to get help.A few tense seconds later, a familiar face entered the delivery room. Our fami-lys pediatrician had been making his morning rounds when one of the nurses brought him to our son. He performed CPR, and our child eventually began breathing on his own. A half-hour later, everyone was fine and our family had one more beautiful member.

    The next week my wife took our new son in for his first scheduled pediatric visit. During the exam our doctor shared some details of that fateful morning, and my wife and I still marvel. He had not been scheduled to make rounds at the hospi-tal that morning. He was called in when someone else could not make it. On top of that, he had just completed a refresher course on infant CPR a week or so before he had to perform it on our son. If he had

    not been there that morning, or if he had not taken the CPR class when he did, our son might not be here today.

    By nature I am a pretty rational guy. (This tends to help me as a science teacher.) I am usually slow to attribute an unexpect-ed positive happening to divine interven-tion. When I think about the birth of my baby boy, however, I have no doubt that God was at work. He provided exactly what we needed exactly when we needed it.

    My wife and I will never forget what God did that morning, and I think thats part of the reason the whole episode hap-pened. One of my favorite Old Testa-ment stories comes from Joshua 4. In that chapter, the Israelites finish crossing the Jordan River the same way their parents crossed the Red Sea: they walk across dry land provided miraculously by God. Before the river returns to normal, God commands Joshua to have 12 men each remove a large stone from the middle of the river bed. Joshua used the stones to build a memorial pile on the banks of the Jordan. God told His people that the pile was to serve as a reminder to them. Every time they and their children saw it, they would remember the miracle that God had performed bringing them across the Jordan. Each one of those stones would continuously testify to the miracle God had done.

    I love that story and how it applies to us as modern-day Christians. From time to time, we all go through crises which can cause us to doubt Gods goodness, pow-er, or existence. Whether it be a divorce, death, or even a dream deferred, diffi-

    cult circumstances have the potential to wreck our faith. In times like these I have to remember the stones God has pro-vided in my own life. When my present circumstances try to convince me that God is not on my side, I can look at the memorial pile God has built through the events of my own life and remember that He is in control. Ironically, once those crises resolve, their memories often wind up being added to that same pile.

    Rev. Troy used to tell us that we need to learn to trust Him where we cant trace Him. We all know this is a hard thing to do. When you cant trace God, it is eas-iest to assume He has left you. It is in those times that your own memorial pile is most important. Gods provision does not aid us only in the moment. His gifts echo on throughout our lives, continually feeding our faith.

    Matthew DennyScott Campus Worship [email protected]

    Each one of those

    stones would continuously testify to the

    miracle God had done.

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME14

  • STRONGLY AGREE

    WENDY SMITH

    When I travel, airplane time becomes an opportunity to escape, so I actually read one of the magazines to which I sub-scribe. One particular article contained one of those annoying self-help quizzes, but one of those questions caught my eye.

    Do I know I will always have everything I will need?

    Im happy to say there was no hesitation in circling number five: Strongly Agree. After all, I am confident that my Lord and Savior will provide all my needs just like He promised He would.

    What an incredible gift it is to be confi-dent in knowing that even in a season of unemployment and uncertainty, we can trust Gods promises.

    I am particularly pleased to be able to strongly agree that I will always have ev-erything I need, because even though this is an extremely challenging season in my familys life, God has asked us to help another family in need. We are not even sure we have the means to take care of our own circumstances in the manner to which we are usually accustomed. And we have no way of knowing the outcome of our help for our family or for theirs.

    So, let yourself rest in my shoes for a mo-ment. How would you respond? If it is with the same five, you are blessed in-deed!

    Matthew 7:9-11 tells us, This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our

    daily bread.

    Often we are delivered what we need, not what we want or desire. Desires are strong feelings of want wistful and sometimes powerful cravings, while need is manifested from something which is essential.

    The struggle between need and want ex-ists for all of us and can make it difficult to see that God, our Father, has provided for all of our needs; not our wants, but our needs. God is not in the business of granting our every wish and whim; but because He knows what is best for us, we must learn to be content in all things.

    As a parent it is sometimes difficult to share this view of Gods love and wisdom with our children. Part of parenting is teaching children the differences between wants and needs. I am not sure about your house, but in the house of Smith we may have fallen a bit short of what God would have us do in this area.

    Teaching our children that God will meet our daily needs and not our greeds can be challenging. Is playing on a $500 se-lect sports team a need or a want? How about a cell phone for a third grader? Or an iPad for pre-kindergarten?

    I am not going to argue the pros and cons; that is definitely between you and God. But the topic of need vs. greed provides an opportunity for a lively dis-cussion with both your family and your friends.

    What I know to be true is if we believe Gods promises, and faithfully commit

    to him, we can lean on His promises to meet the needs of His people, according to His word and His riches. Will you join the Smith family in the challenge to have the discussion in your house this week? Helping our children to understand they are children of God, and that He will faithfully provide for their needs while discussing the differences between needs and desires is a powerful, faith building activity.

    Each of us is a child of God, and His de-sires for us are not dissimilar to the de-sires we have for our own children or nieces, nephews or grandchildren. We want what is best for them. We want them to become functional, contributing members of the church and society. None of that happens by accident, it must be done by lovingly teaching lessons like this one.

    Our God is faithful to provide. When we follow His teaching, absorb and strive to live out His Word, then we can claim His blessings. My prayer for you this day is Philippians 4:19. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

    Now, back to the original question. Do I know I will always have everything I will need?

    I hope you can strongly agree.

    Wendy SmithFlame Volunteer Writer

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 15

  • YOU CANT BEAT GOD GIVING

    BY BRENNE M. ISSA

    From the very beginning, God was our provider. Genesis tells us that God cre-ated, and therefore provided, everything for us. A partial list of His provision in-cludes: heaven and earth; water; day and night; the sky and ground; assorted vegetation; lights in the sky for day and night; and animals to inhabit the land, sky and sea. He made humans for Him-self and provided the way for us to have a relationship with Him. He also provid-ed things like knowledge, wisdom, un-derstanding, gifts of the Spirit, faith, the Messiah, and fruits of the Spirit. In short, He provides everything because it is His to give. God proclaims in Psalm 50:12 for the whole is mine, and all that is in it.

    I grew up in a middle-class Christian family with my parents and two siblings. My parents were excellent providers and I looked to them for everything. Thanks to thema, I had a very comfortable upbring-ing. In college, I declared my indepen-dence from my parents (so dumb!) and lived away from the comfort and assur-ance of their provision. I was not alone! College campuses were full of penniless people, who barely got by. After all, we romantically thought we were paying our dues for a future of glorious prosperity.

    After college, at my first real job, I had a life-changing epiphany. I was broke, had an overwhelming new job I had to learn, drove a hoopty-mobile that might stop abruptly at any moment, and lived in a grimy little furnished apartment. I start-ed crying in my office about my depress-ing, seemingly hopeless situation. The tears turned into a prayer/ crying combo, meshed with a pity-party. As I gave God

    a recap of my pitiful life and what I didnt have (as if He didnt know), for some rea-son, I ended my prayer with, I want a cup of coffee and I cant even afford a cup of (pre-Starbucks and really cheap!) cof-fee. I just want one cup!

    As my prayer of desperation ended with a hearty Amen!, there was a knock at my office door. A co-worker from anoth-er department swung the door open. I was going downstairs to the cafeteria and wondered if you wanted a cup of coffee? he asked. My teary eyes almost bugged out of my head! My look startled him as much as his question startled me, Do you want a cup of coffee? he repeated as I was still dumb stricken. Yes, I said, as I tried to figure out what had just hap-pened. I immediately realized that God had just revealed Himself to me.

    God used that season in my young life to reveal to me that I had transitioned from my earthly fathers house of provi-sion; failed at my attempt at self-provi-sion without God all throughout college; to God taking the reins again as my sole/soul provider. In that instance, He also showed me that He often manifests His plan of provision through the obedience of others. More importantly, He showed me that prayer unlocked the door be-tween need/want and provision.

    I am reminded of Matthew 7:7-8 that says, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

    Over the years I learned many more les-

    sons about His provision. I kept suffering from delusions of grandeur, as if I was re-ally running things, in control of my life and the things God had made me stew-ard over. Like Adam and Eve in the fall, we often take God out of the equation and make a bid for our own indepen-dence, power, control and destiny. All of that belongs to God.

    The title of this piece, You Cant Beat God Giving, was a saying of my grand-mother, Lucinda McCray. Of course as a kid I didnt have a clue what it meant, perhaps because it was a sentence frag-ment or just another ol folks tale. I knew it was profound in its simplicity, but I as-sumed that I had neither the knowledge, wisdom nor understanding to get it. It would not be until decades later when I knocked at Gods door of provision that He opened the door to reveal those words to me and the true meaning of His provision.

    Brenne M IssaFlame Volunteer Writer

    Psalm 50:12 for the whole is mine, and all that is in it.

    for the whole is mine,

    and all that is in it.

    Psalm 50:12

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME16

  • WHEN DAD FEARS BY WILL HOWELL

    In 2012, we had the worst year on record for our family. According to Murphys Law, if it could go wrong, it wouldwe were Murphy. I am sure that you know how that feels. By October, our van had blown a head gasket, and I had totaled my car. I wasnt making a lot of money at the time; Sara was a stay-at-home mom with three girls under 5, and I was strug-gling at my job. I remember it like it was yesterday. There was an evening when I came home with Sara on the couch fold-ing laundry and crying. I was totally ex-hausted from all the mess that we had gone through. I had just met with the guy who was fixing our van (I should say the second guy who fixed our van). At this point, I completely felt useless as a husband and a father. Most fathers can somehow relate to the feeling of failure. You are the provider of the family, and it rests on your shoulders. But when you cant provide the necessi-ties of life, you are attacked by those fears. It was at this point that I had to fight the spirit of fear and inadequacy. I seriously began to wonder if I had missed God in what we were doing in our lives. God really began to minister to me during this time. It was a great thing that He provided a wonderful woman who was my support because I dont know how I would have managed to get through this without her. God started showing me in His word that Hes the One that I have to trust and not the money or the job. My prayer to the Lord at the time was I just dont understand followed by the usual rant about how we were givers and tithers, etc. I remember clearly the Lord speaking into my heart and reminding

    me of this scripture. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:56 ESV And without missing a beat, I heard in my heart, I have not called you to un-derstand, but I have called you to trust. That spoke volumes to me as a father . The ultimate Godly Father asked me to trust Him. Last year, we took the girls roller skating with the church. None of our kids had ever done this, and we thought it would be great for them to interact with other kids their age. I took Maleah and Joanna out onto the rink and, without missing a beat, they fell down. Joanna was instantly not thrilled with it. Maleah, on the other hand, being the type who loves to learn, wanted to go out and try more. All the way, my hands were in front of her to keep her from fall-ing. I told her that, if she fell, she should grab me, and she would be fine. She fell at least a dozen times. But she never forgot that I was there waiting to catch her. By the end of the night, she was skating on her own, not like Tonya Harding, but skating nonetheless. Joanna, on the other hand, was afraid to do it. We found out that they have special skating shoes for kids her age, and we got her a pair. I re-member the look on her face when I first put her down. At first, she wasnt going to do it. With instruction, the fear be-gan to leave her face as she realized that with help she could in fact do it. For the next two hours, Joanna was on her own

    Will HowellFlame Volunteer Writer

    skating with these special skates. I could only imagine what would have happened if Joanna had decided that, because of her first experience, she would never skate again. Dad, I see you out there concerned about how things are going to work out in your circumstance. Theres a wolf at the door, and you see no way to defeat it. I want to encourage you to trust in the Lord. I want to encourage you to reach out and let the Father catch you. I want to encourage you to lean on Him for your strength. You Godly daddy can do it.

    Trust in the Lord with all your

    heart and do not lean on your own

    understanding. In all your ways acknowledge

    Him, and He will make straight your

    paths.

    Proverbs 3:56 ESV

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 17

  • THE BEAUTY OF THE SECRET PLACE

    BY ASHLEY WATERS

    Ps 27:4 (MSG) Im asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. Ill contem-plate his beauty; Ill study at his feet.

    I knew that taking time to be alone with God was important, yet I had difficulty connecting with Him outside of church. My personal devotion time with God seemed awkward and forced. Id sit down with my devotional book and my crisp, unweathered Bible. I would set my men-tal timer for 30 minutes and proceed in an organized manner. Id pray the prompted scripture and answer all the suggested questions. The 30 minutes I put in felt good and I had knowledge of God but what had my soul truly gained?

    My time spent had been out of obligation rather than a supplication of my soul. I had sought God for what He could offer me. Through my discouragement, I was honest with God about feeling discon-nected. I remained open to Him beckon-ing me into a deeper relationship. I felt God draw nearer as He wanted to show me more. He led me to the secret place.

    In the secret place we learn not only who God is, but who we are in God. We learn who He says we are and how to hear His voice. He begins to weave who He is into our being. We shed the layers of what the world has made us and we become the children of God we were meant to be.

    We learn His character and come into likeness with Him. This likeness then spills over into our everyday life and ev-eryday relationships. We begin to speak, act, and do as He does.

    We begin to experience His promises and recognize His timing. We start to see beauty emerge from the gritty parts of our lives. We recognize that God is using past hurt for our good and His glory. It is only here in this place that we can thank God for that hurt because we know His best interest is us. It is here that we can find inner joy, peace, and stillness despite the surrounding chaos.

    A time of devotion that leads to this se-cret place can take many forms. God longs to speak to us continually and we should not limit His interaction to a set time or place. He is already there waiting in the secret, we just need to remain open to how He wants to connect with us.

    Sitting still with a quiet mind only to seek His presence can teach discipline. Feel-ing the warmth of the sun brings you face to face with your Creator. Meditating and praying over a verse plants a promise. Playing worship music with eyes closed and a voice lifted high brings a deeper element to personal worship. Voicing a simple prayer as you wake saying this day is yours Lord can confirm your sur-render. Journaling your hearts desire can document Gods promise in your life. Speaking aloud to Him transforms your daily commute and intensifies your prayer life.

    For when our hearts emerge from the se-cret place, we stand in assurance of who He is in us and who we are in Him. We begin to take the beauty of this secret place with us where ever we go. The con-fidence in this beauty is not limited to our understanding and we are able to live a life of devotion outside of ourselves.

    Ashley WatersFlame Volunteer Writer

    Welcome Congregational Care NurseCarman Wuebbels

    Carman has been in health-care for over 30 years, 24 years as a Registered Nurse. She has been in a variety of areas of nursing to include Pediatrics, Trauma, Critical Care, Risk Management, Quality Man-agement and Administration. She has been married to her friend and husband, Gary, for 29 years this Nov 1st. They do not have children other than the four-legged kind. Maggie is their miniature dachshund, and she is the house princess. The Wuebbels consider it a blessing to be a part of Christ Church and all that God is doing here! Welcome to the team, Carman!

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME18

  • DEVOTION FROM YOUNG TO OLD

    BY BECKY OLROYD

    For Christmas, 2013, I was presented with a Bible from my brother and sis-ter-in-law. The Everyday Matters Bible for Women (NLT) offers extended de-votional aids geared to the lives of the modern woman. I was intimidated by the prospect of conquering the contents. Many times in my life, I have endeavored to read the leather-bound Bible given to me in 1955 when I was confirmed into the Methodist faith in Hillsboro, Illinois. But the thou shaltsand the begats would always bog me down, and I would abandon my efforts.

    As 2014 dawned, I was committed to honor the intent of the gift I had received. My sister-in-law is a woman of intermi-nable faith and Godliness. She challenged me to, . Affirm my faith journey, com-fort me and guide my way through trou-bled waters while drawing me close to still ones. And so my quest began from Genesis to Revelation.

    I have always gone to God as the joys of morning came and again as the nighttime fell. But now I found a new connection that came from the anticipation of my quiet time each day as I delved into the Word. Whether sitting in my back yard swing, on my front porch rocker, or in my recliner as the brilliant sun shone in from the west, I connected with Abra-ham, Jacob, Rachel, Peter, Paul, and Jesus Christ until the final verse was read.

    While I cherish the time I devoted during my eighteen month journey through the Bible, and as I ponder the intended fo-cus of the fall issue of The Flame, I real-ize that, for me, devotion comes in many forms. As important to me as bended

    knee prayers and morning scripture and Upper Room passages or quiet moments spent in the Memorial Hospital Chap-el are evening bike rides and neighbor-hood walks, stepping out my front door to gaze at a brilliant full moon or watch-ing the setting suns rays turn the treetops orange. I seek God in the music of Enya or Vivaldis Four Seasons, belting out Amazing Grace to Joy FM or from the introspection that accompanies a yoga session.

    But while all of that defines devotion for me, I want to look further at the simple nature of the devotion of a child my granddaughter, Claire. Claire is ten years old and in her short lifetime, sadness, loneliness, and emotional and psycholog-ical frailties have left her and her family frustrated and scarred.

    I had the privilege of accompanying my sons family on vacation into the Smoky Mountains last week. Following a par-ticularly busy day of zip lining, swim-ming and several trips up and down the mountains to and from our vacation cab-in, Claires wits were frayed, and she was curled into a ball on her pull-out bed in tears. As I crossed the room to attempt to soothe her, she reached for a Bible that lay on a nearby coffee table.

    Claire had just completed a week-long vacation Bible school, and her dad had shared with me her confusion and con-fliction regarding faith as it pertains to her and her struggles. As she clutched that Bible to her chest she cried, I need to read the Bible. I need the Bible to help me. I want to understand Jesus and God. And then she uttered the most

    genuine and lovingly simple prayer of thanksgiving before she calmed herself to sleep.

    Our next days highlighted adventure was the Mountain Coaster. Claire was my partner, and we strapped ourselves into the low slung cars and ascended into the trees to the summit at which time I released the brakes, and we sailed down the track at seemingly breakneck speed while Claire continually screamed, Oh God, Oh God! While normally I would admonish such exclamation as blasphe-mous, I smiled at her seeking Him for reassurance from her fear. And as we approached our final ninety-degree turn she pleaded, Oh God, please keep us safe!

    So while my devotion can be as complex as trying to comprehend the magnitude of the Bible, the devotion of a troubled child can come in the form of a scream for mercy, the contemplation of the mys-teries of faith, or a loving bedtime prayer. Our methods of devotion are individual, yet both are real. We seek Him in our own ways. We yearn for His love, His strength and His promise. And in so do-ing we are sustained.

    Becky OlroydFlame Volunteer Writer

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 19

  • FIRMFOUNDATION

    BY SHELLEY BATY

    How do you begin your day? Maybe you start each morning with a mug of cof-fee and your Bible. Perhaps your morn-ing looks more like a scrambled rush to get out the door on time. Many of us are somewhere in the middle trying to find time to spend with God, but not quite sure how.

    When you hear someone refer to devo-tional time, what comes to mind? What does time with God look like? Is it time spent thinking about God? Reading a devotional book that has a verse from Scripture and a paragraph of explana-tion? Is it reading a prayer or singing a hymn? Do you really need a devotional time every day? Why?

    As Christians, we are to be the salt and light in the world. When people spend time with us they should recognize that we are not the same as others. The word devotion means the act of setting apart; to give up wholly. If I have devoted my life to baseball, my career, or a favorite charity, people will notice. They will see it in the way I dress, what I discuss, and where I spend my time and money. If I am devoted to Christ, that too should be evident. I cannot just attend a service once a week and quickly read a Bible verse each morning and claim devotion to Christ.

    Luke 6:47-49 compares our relationship with Christ to a foundation for a home. A home built without a proper foundation will fall apart when strong winds come. A builder who takes the time to dig a deep foundation is protected from storms. The home without a foundation will be built faster. Both homes will look beautiful;

    Shelley BatyFlame Volunteer Writer

    Perhaps your morning looks

    more like a scrambled rush to

    get out the door on time. Many of us

    are somewhere in the middle trying

    to find time to spend with God,

    but not quite sure how.

    however, when the storm comes, only one will stand.

    Our spiritual lives are the same way. We can go to church regularly and may-be even read a devotional book or a Bi-ble passage a few days during the week. Are we building a foundation of sand or a firm foundation? To become strong, we must actively build our relationship with Christ. If I am building quickly, I will read my devotion, skim a familiar Bible passage or listen to an online ser-mon while I surf social media. I will have checked time with God off my to-do list and I feel good about myself. What if I take time to ask God to speak to me through His word before I read? I can select a verse or two to consider as I go through my day, asking God to use His word to bring correction, direction, or encouragement in my life. Building the foundation as I walk through each day, I ask myself if I am interacting with co-workers and fellow commuters as Christ would. Am I relating to my children and spouse in a way that reflects Christ? How do I handle everyday joys and struggles? Do I lean on Him for what I consider to be the small things? Do I thank Him for the little ways He shows His care?

    This foundation that is built day by day will be tested when the storms come. What happens when serious illness touches someone close to me? What about death, financial hardship, an un-expected move, or betrayal by a friend or family member? How have I used the time He has given me? What have I been building? A firm foundation allows me to respond to everything from minor incon-veniences to major crises in a way that

    glorifies God and directs others to Him. A weak foundation leaves me with the opportunity to build again.

    Lets consider the purpose behind our daily devotions and commit to building a strong foundation so that others may see Christ in us.

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME20

  • NEW HOPEAND RENEWED FAITH

    BY SHANNON PEIFFER

    I had always heard of Gods provision. Id seen it happen for so many, but nev-er really experienced it first hand. Even knowing that scripture tells me differ-ently, Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither store-house nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Luke 12:24; Bible, NIV, in the back of my mind, I thought, why would He do that for me?

    One year I asked God if I could see a miracle. At the time, it never occurred to me that to be able to receive a mira-cle, you have to be in the position to need one. The lesson I learned from that little prayer was far beyond my expectation. In December, 2008 God set a miracle in motion.

    On his way to work, my husband, Adam, was in a car accident. He hit a patch of black ice that swerved his tail end into the way of oncoming traffic. The hit spun him into the path of a large company van that t-boned him on the drivers side. He was transported to two different hospi-tals for his care. He had sustained some cracked ribs and had a bleeding spleen. His condition was critical, and he was placed in ICU.

    The doctor said his spleen may need re-moved; apparently, there was not much else they could do. I had heard of a spleen, but I had no idea of its bodily function. I discovered that it fights off in-fectious diseases; you can live without it, but you dont want to. If it was removed, we were looking at living in a bubble. I had two sons, whom I knew carried all kinds of germs. Living in a bubble

    seemed impossible. Would he ever be able to hold his kids again?

    Our pastor came to visit and the prayer chain was initiated. A miracle was in the making.

    They kept an eye on his blood cell count, which apparently told them whether or not his spleen was bleeding. They want-ed to wait and see if it would stop on its own, but according to my friend who is a doctor, that was not something that usually happens. However, God was in control! Within two days the flow had subsided; he was taken out of ICU, and sent home! Psalm 30:2, Lord, my God, I called to You for help and You healed me! Yet God did not stop there! This unex-pected incident had put us in financial strain. It was the end of the year and my husband had no vacation time left, so his time off to heal was completely unpaid. I was working part-time evenings, but took a leave of absence to stay home to care for him and look after my children. Like many young families, we were living paycheck to paycheck and couldnt afford to lose this much. However, God was in control!

    As the Lord promises in Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, the second part of our mir-acle was the richness of His provision.

    A woman I worked with gave me gro-ceries and the amount of money I would have made, had I worked those two weeks, from her own pay. My parents

    brought us a car so that my husband could return to work when he got back on his feet, as his was totaled. Gods timing is perfect in that this happened during the Christmas season and people gave to us generously, knowing our cir-cumstances. We were able to pay all our bills on time.

    I thank God for giving me many things at the end of that year: new friends, new hope, and renewed faith. Above all he gave me my husband and a new appreci-ation for him. These scriptures now have new meaning, Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you, Hebrews 13:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, Proverbs 3:5

    And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of

    His glory in Christ Jesus, the second part of our miracle was the richness of

    His provision.

    Philippians 4:19

    Shannon PeifferFlame Volunteer Writer

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 21

  • GODS PROVIDED BEFORE, HE CAN DO IT AGAIN

    BY REV. ZACK DUNLAP

    I was 22, newly married, and going to seminary when Rachael got pregnant with twins. Rachael was the primary breadwinner at this point, with me mak-ing a whopping $9,600 a year doing part-time youth ministry. And then Rachael was put on bedrest.

    How were we going to make it much less raise two kids? Well, you do what you have to do. I picked up extra work substitute teaching, selling antiques, and working as a groundskeeper. Picking up dog poop and cigarette butts at a college apartment complex might not have been the most glorious work, but it helped us make ends meet.

    I was doing all I could, but it still wasnt enough. And then God stepped in. We qualified for government programs that covered Rachaels medical bills and put $50-60 worth of food on the table each

    month. Family helped us out. As I con-tinued in seminary, I got a $10,000 schol-arship that I didnt even apply for and it was renewed for a second year. Now youve got to remember, that was more than my annual salary!

    After our twins were born, Rachael re-turned to work and I was able to quit my extra jobs and focus on seminary and ministry. I was also the one home with the kids most of the time. Fast forward a couple of years: I had graduated, was pastoring a church full-time, and now it was Rachaels turn to stay home with our 2, then 3, then 4 children.

    Now, my wife has also responded to a call to pastoral ministry. By Gods grace, we are debt free, but we dont have the means to fund another $50,000 degree. Yet God has provided before, and God is doing it again. A new partnership program was

    started up at Asbury Theological Semi-nary, and through seminary scholarships and the gifts of friends and family, it looks like year one of her training is al-ready covered.

    This much I know: If God is calling you to do something, He will make it possi-ble. Dont get me wrong: youre going to have to work hard, but God will do the rest. Hes not intimidated by barriers fi-nancial or otherwise. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). God is simply looking for faithful people, who will put their trust in Him and do what Hes calling them to do. Are you such a person?

    Five years ago Jerry Dortch and his wife, Becky, came to our church to visit and soon became members. At that time, anyone wishing to join the church met with one of the staff members for an interview. The Dort-ches showed up in my office at the appointed time and began to share their spiritual journey with me. Imme-diately I could see this was a special

    couple! Not only did they have a strong faithful marriage, they had been tested and found strength in their relationship with God. Both had great skills to share, were strong in their knowledge of the Bible and were experienced in leading adult Bible studies in the community and their former church.

    Jerry was a well respected dentist in our local community and was an integral part of the Christ Church family, often leading studies for our adults. He became our go-to guy for large group church-wide studies and eventually became Coordina-tor of Adult Discipleship for the church. Jerry and Rev. Shane co-wrote the Lenten Study, Lukenomics, this past spring. He was working on another study on Ecclesi-astes this summer. Jerry developed and implemented a Bible 101 class that was piloted this past fall. The plan was for Jerry to eventually cut back from his dental practice and assume more responsibility for adult classes at Christ Church. Jerry was someone that was trusted to give good counsel on leading adults, often train-ing others to lead groups. Jerry was also a frequent writer for The Flame magazine.

    Jerry succumbed to a battle with cancer this past August. Becky lost a husband, Jerry and Beckys children and grandchildren lost a father and grandfather, and Christ Church lost a staff member, great teacher and friend. RIP in the arms of the Heavenly Father, Dr. Jerry Dortch. You are missed here on earth but we are so ex-cited to know we will see you again!

    - Larry Weber

    In Memory of Our FriendJerry Dortch 07/08/52 - 08/01/15

    Rev. Zack DunlapResident Pastor

    [email protected]

    FALL 2015 // THE FLAME22

  • NEWIMPACT

    BY BRENT ALEXANDER & ROBB HASS

    Not long ago, the leadership team for Youth Ministry gathered to plan the fall events calendar and discuss the details of the upcoming year. As the three of us sat in the lounge area in the Christ Church Coffee Caf, we opened our meeting with prayer, and honestly and openly sought Gods divine inspiration for direction and plans for the new school year. I think we all felt His presence in our midst, as the creative ideas were flowing that night and our conversation was enjoyable, produc-tive and blessed. Zack Funk, our new student director, had asked if there was some type of ac-ronym that we could rally around to provide inspiration and solidarity within the ministry. Ideally, this mantra would be something to inspire our numerous adult leaders, as well as the junior and senior high students, but it would also be something simple to remember that everyone might relate to easily. We were praying for our leaders and students

    to take a larger step in their faith walk, where everyone prioritized attendance, and the students could honestly connect with Jesus in a real and meaningful way. We recognized a need for transformation on multiple levels as we all draw nearer to Christ and strive to be more Christ-like in our daily lives. After some discussion, the letters A, C, T popped into our minds, with the letters representing Attendance, Connection and Transformation. However, we recog-nized that true transformation from God would have to begin with prayer. When we added prayer to our acronym, we realized it spelled PACT Within a few seconds, we all realized, almost simulta-neously, that God wanted us to make a new covenant or pact with Him.

    What could happen if all of us began to really pray and seek true transfor-mation? God also revealed to us that this PACT would need to start with each of us first. We would need to commit to praying more for each stu-dent and each member of our leader-ship teams.

    We would all need to prioritize atten-dance but also attending to one an-other for both physical and spiritual needs.

    We realized that connection held a deeper meaning as well. We needed to not only connect with Jesus in a real, meaningful way but to connect with those whom we minister to and alongside beyond our Wednesday night gathering.

    The transformation into a new cre-

    ation in Christ would be the end re-sult of this new covenant we each agreed to make.

    Once we committed to the PACT con-cept, we realized that it truly applied to our leadership team, the students and their parents. We realized that the parents should also commit to the PACT, as they pray for us, the ministry and their own students, as well as their students friends who need connection and transformation as well. This simple but deeply spiritual inspira-tion provided that night was truly a gift from God. We have shared with many of you how this concept came about that night, and are encouraging our lead-ership teams as well as our students to commit to making this PACT idea a re-ality this year. If everyone is praying for one another and the ministry, as well as attending to each other and focusing on real discipleship and transformation, God has us exactly where we need to be! We know great things will come out of this.

    We are very excited about Gods provi-sion this year. The leadership team senses a great harvest is coming for the youth of the Metro-East, and God has already sent additional and unexpected volunteers (harvesters) as we begin this new season. We are incredibly grateful for Gods pro-vision of Zack Funk, our Youth Ministry Director, who has just joined our staff this fall. God is providing new energy, leadership and everything we need in His timing and for His glory!

    Student Connection

    Robb HassSenior High Student Ministries [email protected]

    Brent AlexanderJunior High Student Ministries [email protected]

    THE FLAME // FALL 2015 23

  • WAITING FOR THE HARVEST

    BY KEVIN SIDDLE

    I love this time of year. When the dog days of summer start to fade, and the cool breeze takes over the evenings. When all of St. Louis focuses on post-sea-son baseball and the beginning of foot-ball season. We start thinking about pumpkin pies and Thanksgiving dinners. More than anything, though, I love look-ing around at all the farmers harvesting the crops. Growing up in a small farming town, I have fond memories of watch-ing my grandfather and uncle out on the tractors and combines, finally reaping the benefits of their hard work.

    Our spiritual lives and ministries follow a similar path to that of the farmer. There are those times where we are planting, the times that we are tending to our crops and finally the time of harvest. When we are planting the crops, it is an exciting time looking forward to what God will use them for, and what they will grow into. During the harvest, we get to see the culmination of Gods plan in our lives and in the lives of others. But when we are tending to the crops, its not always so clear.

    We may not know if the months of hard work will be spoiled by poor weather, or i