Author: Chrisy

Christmas Letter 2010


Snowflake Wishes Noir Holiday
Shop hundreds of holiday photo cards at Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.

Dear Friends,

Can it really be December of 2010? This year has just flown by. I remember mom telling me that the older you get the faster the years go, but I am not sure I believed her until this year.

Anne, who will be 10 in January and is in 4th grade this year, still loves to dance, play basketball, and just generally have fun. Her summer was spent at camp: Family Camp with Ty and I, church camp, and basketball camp. She had so much fun, but I was ready to have her back home. She is really starting to grow up and Mike and I are so proud of the young lady she is becoming. (She was the subject of this post, if you want to read about her.)

Ty and I spent some quality time together at Children’s Hospital in May, when we discovered he had a serious infection in His knee. (You can read more about it here.) But thanks to some great doctors, surgeons, nurses and meds, within a few weeks, he was back up and going again.  He played baseball  this summer and flag football this fall. He was super excited to start first grade and to turn 7 years old. It hardly seems possible that he is that old already.

This year, I completed half marathons 3, 4, and 5 (the fifth one in Alabama Thanksgiving weekend with my family—including Mom and Dad—cheering me on); I renewed my love of theater by playing Renee in the female version of The Odd Couple; and I have begun blogging more regularly. I am still at the church—10 years this fall—and loving it and have also been doing some preaching at some little churches nearby.

Mike is now in year 7 at Carlisle Syntec. He is doing well and has filled his free time with kids, golf, hunting and fishing (as always). New this year was a boat that he and my dad bought so between working on it and fishing from it, he has been a happy guy. (Anne and Ty might be a little happy, too, since he did buy them a tube to use when we take the boat out sometimes.)

As I have looked through pictures and reflected on the last 11 months I am so grateful for our family, friends, and the time that we have had together this year, and I look forward to even more memories in 2011. We hope and pray that you have been blessed this year and those blessings will continue as the new year begins.

The Ennen Family

Mike, Chrisy, Anne and Ty

Give This Christmas Away

Here it is – the Christmas season is once again upon us. And here I am again, desperately trying to figure out how NOT to get swept away by the busy-ness and materialism that are the hallmarks of this time of year.  I want to be able to take time and read and reflect on Christ and His advent, and I try, but sometimes other things not of my choosing (like grade school Christmas programs and such) take my focus. I want to be able to give of my time and my resources to those in need but either a) I don’t have any extra time or resources or b) I don’t even really know where what I can give is needed most. I know of a church (I am sure there are lots of them) who does an event each Christmas where they really are giving to people in their community who are in need. Giving LOTS of BIG stuff. Especially considering this church isn’t a mega-church. It wouldn’t even be considered a large church. And I want to be involved in stuff like that. (I am too far away to participate in that particular church’s efforts.) So this is where my head is these days – trying to figure out what I can do to help someone else this season. What  I can do to make Christmas more real to me, my family and others. And perhaps that’s why when I saw this video last week I was drawn to the song.

Two lines, “You have the power to give hope” and “What if December looked different this year?” Are the ones that keep rolling around in my head. How could I make December look different this year? What can we do differently? How can we offer hope to someone who is just waiting for it to be offered? And as if it is not enough for me to already be thinking these things, both my reading from Rediscovering the Christmas Season on youversion.com and the reading from Today in a Manger: An Advent Devotional were asking some good questions right along those lines.

(From Rediscovering the Christmas Season)

The Gift

Exposure: Read these verses about giving. (Acts 20:35; 1 John 4:10) Go Christmas shopping for someone that is not a part of your immediate family like a patient in a nursing home or hospital, your mail carrier, your garbage collector, or a foster child.

Exploration: What is the real point of giving a gift? How is Jesus the best gift you have ever received?

Expression: How generous are you with your time, treasures, and talents? Do you live as if it truly is more blessed to give than receive? How can you live this out more fully this Christmas season?

Experience: Discuss with friends or family or journal about a time when you blessed someone with extreme generosity or a time where you were blessed by someone else’s extreme generosity. Spend time praying asking God to help you become more generous by better comprehending the gift of love He has given us.

(From Today in A Manger)

The excitement of approaching Christmas sometimes lulls us into a sense of contented spiritual inertia (italics mine). What risk, what leap of faith, does God want you to take in your life today?

So I am asking myself and God these questions today. I don’t know that I have the answers yet, but I am looking for them and looking for opportunities. And I am praying, “Make me like Mary, ready to serve You. Let it be with me just as You say.”

What are you doing differently this Christmas?

Available Always, Part 2

I just watched this video (you should too) and was reminded of a post I wrote a couple of months ago about always making sure we are available for God to use, as well as something that I experienced just last weekend. And I am again in awe of how God works in our lives and in the lives of those we come in contact with.

As I ran this past weekend in Alabama, I was planning on just being alone. I knew no one and it was a very small race. Not to mention, my knee had been giving me fits, so I wasn’t sure how much I could push it and still finish the race. About 2 miles in, another racer caught up to me and we started chatting. She had been trying to catch me and I would say that it was a God-thing for both of us. We stuck together and finished the race, even when she struggled and my knee started hurting. I truly believe that God brought me to her for encouragement and help, and her to me so that I didn’t push too hard and hurt my knee.

Some people may simply chalk events like this up to coincidence, but I don’t see it that way. I have experienced too many of these “coincidences” to brush them off as random. I believe that God is at work, and if we make ourselves available, he will use us.

What are your stories of God-at-work in seemingly coincidental ways?

A Father’s Love

I read. A lot. And if you look next to my bed, you will usually see a book or two that I am currently reading. Not to mention the stack on my desk at work. And I read both fiction and non-fiction. Lately I have been reading some fiction books by Angela Hunt, and last night as I read in my bed before going to sleep, I finished another one of hers called, The Awakening. And I can’t remember the last time I was so moved, to the point of just sobbing, by a book. And it really had nothing to do with the book itself, and everything to do with how the story in the book became a vehicle through which my Father showed me just how much He loves me. And You.

I won’t give away the story, because I hope you will read the book yourself, but I do want to share with you a bit of what I was impacted by as I read.

Our Heavenly Father loves us. He has loved us since before we were born. He has offered us good gifts. He has written an entire book about His love for us (the Bible). He longs to have a relationship with us. And what He wants us to do is accept His love. Accept His gifts. Reach out for Him.

But sometimes, we accept the lies of this world instead. We believe that He is not a good God. We believe that He is distant and doesn’t want anything to do with us. We refuse to believe that He is trying to talk to us. We choose to live isolated from Him because we either don’t want to know Him or we are afraid to get to know Him, afraid to know His true nature.

And yet, He is trying to contact us. The gifts He sends are refused or unrealized because we aren’t listening or are unaware. But He continues to send them our way in anticipation of the day that we will see them and we will accept them. He is waiting for the day when we will come to Him and will hear Him say how much He loves us and how He has been waiting for the day that we will come home to Him.

Here is an excerpt from the book (don’t worry – it doesn’t give away any of the real story – it is a story from within the story):

And Lord John, who had traveled from one end of his territory to the other searching for the child of his heart, dismounted and drew the frightened girl into his arms. For a long while neither spoke, their hearts merging into one contented rhythm.

At last he lifted his head to look upon his daughter’s face. “I have yearned for you,” he said, smoothing her dark hair, “since the day I first learned you would be born. I have searched for you without ceasing. The blood of my dear messenger has been shed on your behalf, but I would have given the last of my treasures to win your heart.”

“Papa,” she whispered, the word musical on her tongue, “I am so glad to have come home.”

And the wind whistled outside the castle walls, while the demons of Aragon howled in protest, the father and his daughter crossed over the drawbridge and went inside the fortress to acquaint each other with the lives they had spent apart. Before the shades of night had fallen, each promised they would never be parted again until they were welcomed at the throne of the eternal Father and God of all those who seek heaven as their forever home.

And it is said that whenever a citizen of that realm wished to know what love looked like, all he need do was look to the lord of the castle, who embodied love through his decrees, his deeds, and even the intents of his heart.

For he had loved his child completely and had willingly sacrificed all he could to bring his daughter home.

I have been blessed to know this kind of love, both from my Heavenly Father, and my earthly one. And if you also have been blessed to know that kind of love, be thankful for that today. But if you have not, know that it is being offered to you. All you have to do is accept it. Fall into the arms of God and let Him love you today.

You Are What You…Believe?

You are what you eat. We’ve all heard that saying before and we understand what it means, if you eat junk all the time and are gluttonous, your body is affected negatively. And if you eat healthy foods in healthy amounts, your body is affected positively. But how about this one—you are what you believe? Ever heard that? Me neither, but that doesn’t make it any less true. What we believe affects who we are and how we act.

Over the years, I like many parents have said lots of things to my kids. Things like, I love you, Jesus loves you, God will always be with you, our bodies are the temple of God, etc. I want them to believe those things.  But just saying it, doesn’t mean they are going to believe it. And just saying it doesn’t show that I believe it. I have to do something about it. So I hug on them, love on them, discipline them, teach them right from wrong, tell them why it is important to eat well and exercise as well as show them with what I do. I take them to church read the Bible with them, pray with them, read the Bible myself and set an example, point out ways that God has been gracious and loving to us, ways he has healed us, provided for us and helped us.

Without going into too much detail, I have been impressed by a couple of things that Anne has done over the last couple of weeks that showed me how some of the things that I have been teaching her to believe, she has actually taken to heart and I have watched her not only stand up for those beliefs, but actually do something about them. And there wasn’t a reward waiting, or praise forthcoming for her to do it. She did it simply because she believed it was the right thing to do.

As  I talked with Anne about this and about her selfless motivation to stand up for what she believed in, I was struck by this thought—what do I believe in strongly enough to do something about? Shouldn’t it be Christ? Shouldn’t I be so convicted that people need Jesus that I can’t help but do something about it?

As I read some passages about how faith and works go together, both from some letters in the Bible and from some of Jesus’ words, I started thinking of it this way: what we believe shows in our actions, AND our actions show what we believe.

Think about these:

  • What I believe about death affects how I act around it and how  I grieve. If death is the end of all life, then I grieve without hope. If I believe that there is eternal life with Christ, then I have hope and joy even in the midst of my grief.
  • If I believe that all I have belongs to God, then I will be more willing to give generously. If I believe that it is all mine, then I will want to hold tightly and give only what is required—or give nothing at all.
  • If I believe that God has entrusted me with these children to raise , then  I will raise them with His help and guidance and will understand that I cannot do it on my own. If they are just my offspring, I may want them to be good kids, but I will try to do it all on my own and will give up when what I try doesn’t work the way I think it should.
  • If I believe that our Christian walk must happen in community, then I will be faithful to church and to meeting with other Christians. But if  I believe I can make it on my own, I will not be faithful to anyone else, and ultimately will not be faithful to Christ.
  • If I believe that the Bible means it when it tells us to care for the poor, orphan, and widow, I will do something about it no matter the cost to me. But if I believe that I have to look out for number 1, I will do just that, despite the cost to those in need.

And each of these can be turned around as well: if I disregard the poor, orphan and the widow, then I am showing that I believe that I am to look out for number one.

What we believe determines our actions, and our actions tell us what it is we believe.

Our actions also tell others what it is we believe. Why else do you think that the world has such a poor view of who Christians are? If it is true that actions speak louder than words, then we shouldn’t be surprised when the world doesn’t want to hear what we have to say because of the way our actions are speaking for us when we ignore the plight of the needy, are cruel to people who believe differently than we do, give the impression to all that we have it all together and won’t accept anyone who doesn’t.

So now what? I would suggest to you that there are three things to consider:

  1. Know what you believe—examine your actions and your motives. When you look at your actions, what beliefs are showing through? When others watch you, what would they say that you believe?
  2. If what is showing through in your actions isn’t what you think should be showing through, spend some time with God asking him to help you believe what is true, spend some time in His word and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit—remember—out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
  3. Let the belief that God places in your heart spill over into action. There can’t be worry about whether or not to do something because of what people will think, or the fear of failure, or the enormity of the issue.

All in all, what we say we believe must line up with what we do about that belief.

We can’t just believe. We have to move that belief into action. We aren’t just supposed to believe that God exists, that Jesus is the son of God, and that the Church is supposed to bring Jesus to a hurting world. We have to actually follow Jesus, be like Him, do what He did. We have to be so convinced of what we believe that we have to go out and do something about it.

Fear or Faith?

It’s funny how things often come together from seemingly different places. This Sunday, I am doing Kids Church and it is Halloween, so we are talking about fear. As I have been thinking about kids and what they might be afraid of I think of things like spiders, heights (we are trying to overcome this one with my son), monsters, and bad dreams. Or bigger fears like mom and dad getting divorced or no one at school liking them.  The lesson for Sunday is pretty straightforward – we don’t have to be afraid because God is with us and will deliver us from fear.

Then one day last week, I listened to an interview with Pete Wilson. It was about a number of different ideas, but about half-way through I started hearing things like: “Fear is not the issue. Fear without faith is the issue. Fear establishes the limits of your life if you let it. What you need to do is allow it to become the fuel that pushes you forward. We can’t allow fear to dictate our choices. Don’t allow fear to overcome your faith.”

Wow. Those are all great thoughts. And can you imagine if we had learned those lessons as kids, how different our lives might be now? But instead, I need to learn some of those lessons now. Although I am scared of spiders and things that sting, I don’t let those fears overtake me. I can kill a spider if need be (beat it with a shoe and then use a box of Kleenex to pick it up and throw it away), and even have smacked down a wasp or two when in an area where it might sting my kids (using a long-handled fly swatter, of course). But what about the other fears we wrestle with?

  • Fear of rejection – Would we rather not put ourselves out there if there is a chance we might be rejected?
  • Fear of intimacy – Would we rather not share ourselves authentically because it would demand something more of us? Or is this more a fear of being “found out” – that someone will find out we really are not the person that we want to be?
  • Fear of hearing from God – Of course you will say to this, “I do want to hear from God – I don’t have this fear.” But let’s be honest. If he said you needed to pack up and move tomorrow to a place he would show you at some point in the future – do you want to hear that? Or do you want to hear about the deep issues in your life that need to be dealt with, but life is easier if you just keep them buried?
  • Fear of obedience – Or have we heard from God and we’re reluctant to obey because of what it might cost us?

Perhaps it would be of benefit to really sit down and think about what we fear – and how, with God’s help, we can overcome those fears. Our faith in God must outweigh our fear of the unknown – because really, that’s what all our fears boil down to. We don’t know what’s going to happen when we try to kill a wasp – it might sting. We don’t know how many blessings (or hardships) we will endure on the way to the Promised Land. But that can’t stop us. We have to let our faith in God determine the limits of our life, not fear. And since nothing is impossible with God, the potential for our lives can be limitless!

Available Always

This past Sunday, I ran my 4th 1/2 marathon, 13.1 miles. I am not sure why I got into doing these, but even after saying, “Never again” after the first one, I just keep signing up and going through the rigors of training.

When Sunday’s race started, I found myself praying for a number of things as my feet hit the pavement – strength, endurance, faith (that I could actually finish another one) and availability. The last one may seem a bit strange to some, but what I was asking for was the ability to see anyone that needed a pace setter, or encouragement, or a friendly smile, or whatever, and the courage to do something about it.

About mile 6, there was a woman who said as I passed her, “Oh, you are passing me again and still running. I keep having to stop and walk.” As I talked with Julie, I found out she was participating in her first 1/2 marathon and had only been able to train to 8 miles because of her two small children (3 years and 18 months) at home. For the next couple of miles she kept pace with me and we chatted. I encouraged her when she started to slow and praised her for going for it. At mile 8, I took a quick bathroom break and she went on ahead, but by mile 9 I was with her again and she started to feel discouraged that I could catch her. I talked with her and encouraged her some more and eventually, I ran on when she had to walk for a bit again.

About 1/3 mile before the finish line, Julie was suddenly at my side again. She had gotten a burst of energy as she realized she was about finish the race and see her kids. Then I watched as she caught sight of her kids and husband waiting for her just before the finish. The sheer joy on her face as she realized she was about to complete this 13.1 mile race and that her family was there to share the moment with her was more awesome to me than the fact that I myself was finishing the same race. I was so glad that I could be available to encourage her along the way and see her accomplish what she set out to do.

Being available to others during a race seems like a strange place to be available. I mean, when you race, the idea is supposed to be the first to the finish line and do whatever you need to get there. (That’s not why I race, but follow me for a minute.) So being available to someone else would potentially slow you down and allow someone else to overtake you.

I think that is how some of us go through life. Not intentionally, but we are so rushed and so focused on our goals and our plans that we sometimes forget that we need to think about other people and be available to them. Or better yet, come along side them and help them achieve their goals. And yet, if we would more often be available to the people who the Lord would have us help (whatever that looks like), we would be so blessed as we see them achieve their milestones, and experience their breakthroughs.

I encourage you, as you go through your week (which, if it is anything like mine, is packed full) to pray and ask God to help you to be available to His leading always, to be able to see the people who need someone to come up along side of them and encourage them along the way. See what kind of blessings come your way as you make yourself available always.

On My Face

I love reading because I learn so much. Both things that are written on the page, and things that the Lord shows me through the written words.

I have been reading a series of books by Angela Hunt, Stories from Ancient Egypt, about Joseph (Dreamers), his brothers (Brothers) and his sons (Journey). (They are excellent books, and if you like historical fiction, you would enjoy reading them.)

As I have read these books, the idea that has been rolling around in my head has to do with reverence, respect, fear, and honor.

If you don’t know this story (it is from the Bible, found in Genesis chapters 37-50), the gist of it is this:

  • Jacob had many sons, but he loved Joseph more than the others because he was the son of his most loved wife.
  • Joseph had dreams that he would one day rule over his father and brothers.
  • Joseph’s brothers didn’t like that so much and plotted to kill him. But rather than kill him, the sold him into slavery.
  • Joseph ended up in Egypt where he gained power in Potiphar’s house.
  • Potiphar’s wife wanted Joseph, but Joseph would not sleep with her so she lied and said he wanted to take her against her will.
  • Joseph was thrown in prison.
  • In prison, Joseph once again gained power and at one point interpreted two other prisoners dreams.
  • After one of the prisoners was released back into Pharaoh’s service, Pharaoh had a couple of dreams that no one could interpret, and the prisoner remembered Joseph.
  • Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, and was subsequently put in charge of all of Egypt to plan for the upcoming famine that the Lord was telling about through the dream.
  • During the famine, Joseph’s brothers (and eventually father) come to Egypt in search of food and after some time Joseph reveals that he is their brother.
  • The family moves to Egypt and settles there.

I know this story and have known it for most of my life. It is nothing new to me. But what is standing out to me in this story is this: each time someone enters the presence of Potiphar, Pharaoh, and Joseph, they immediately fall to the floor on their face. They are entering the presence of very powerful men (and in the Egyptians case, they see Pharaoh as a god), and they show the proper respect, honor, fear, and reverence for their leaders. They get the fact that these people are important and they need to show that they know it.

And then I start thinking about me and my Ruler, my God. Do I show that kind of reverence and respect for Him when I approach His throne? Am I quick to lay face-down on the floor in His presence? At home? Sometimes, but even then I am at times more worried that the carpet isn’t clean enough for me to be laying on than why I am on the floor in the first place. In public worship? Well, maybe I will kneel at my seat during prayer, but what might the people around me think If I were to go up to the altar and lay on my face?

I think we have lost some of the awe that we need to feel as we approach our Father God. He is accessible and He wants to commune with us and there is a certain level of comfort we have knowing that He is available to us, and yet He is also Holy and we need to approach Him as such.

Nicole Nordeman sings a song, Tremble, that addresses these thoughts – take a listen.

What do you think?

Solitude

For an extrovert like me, solitude is an interesting idea, but not one that I practice as much as I should. I love good conversation and having people around me, and even when there aren’t people around, I find myself doing things to be “around” people like spending time on Facebook, instant messaging my sister, texting my friends, listening to music, or becoming part of the story in a novel. And really, as a wife and mom who works full-time, who has time for solitude anyway?

And yet, when I read about the spiritual disciplines, and about Jesus’ time on the earth, it reminds me that solitude is necessary in my life.  And yet it is so hard to get any. I read this in Anne Jackson’s Mad Church Disease this week:

“It is difficult to unplug. Internet is relatively inexpensive, as are mobile phones that receive email. Our TVs and TiVo’s and iPods and satellite radios give us comfort and convenience, but when we rely on them so heavily, they also give us headaches and no time for solitude.”

Ouch. Get off my toes please.

So when and how do I get solitude? I realized just last weekend that one of my places of solitude is running. I have chosen for the past year to not take along my iPod or my phone when I run. Then instead of singing words in my head (or who am I kidding, out loud) or wondering who sent that text that came through I can pray, enjoy the scenery, listen to the birds, watch the clouds, and revel in the fact that God created my body and I am caring for his creation as I am out running.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I get distracted all the time thinking about what I have to do later or how I am going to figure out this or that issue at home or at work, but I can usually acknowledge those things and bring my mind back around. And boy is it nice to have uninterrupted time with God. Time to talk. Time to listen. Time to just be.

As Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline, in order to get solitude I am taking advantage of the little solitudes in my day. Whether that be running, laying in bed for a few moments after the alarm goes off, or a few moments after the kids are in bed, I can find moments of solitude in my day when I don’t have the time to carve out more.

I still love to run with other people sometimes (after all, community is very important in our lives as well as solitude, and I have some great running partners), but for now, I’ll continue to cherish my solitude runs and time with the Lord.

How about you? Where do you find solitude in your day?

Infections

32062_394138262975_513222975_3929716_4709764_n
Ty, on the day we got to go home.

It has taken me awhile to reflect on some of the stuff that has happened to us the past few months, particularly the months of May, June, and part of July and the circumstances surrounding our son, Ty, and an infection that we spent a significant amount of our summer battling.

You see, Ty is 6. Ty is a boy. Ty is a daredevil. And on April 30, Ty thought it was a great idea to jump out of a swing. Now we will never know if the jump and subsequent landing on his knee is what precipitated the following saga, but it is at minimum what God used to keep our eyes open to what was happening to Ty. Two days later, he told me his knee hurt a little. I thought there was a little fluid on it, but not bad, so just kept watching it. By the middle of the week, he was complaining a bit more, and it was swelling so we visited the doctor who said everything looked good – no breaks or tears that he could tell – give it some time. By Friday, he couldn’t walk on it. By Monday, we couldn’t move him without eliciting a bout of screaming from pain, not to mention a very high fever. By that night, he and I were beginning a week-long “vacation” at Children’s Hospital. It wasn’t until Wednesday’s MRI did we discover the problem. An infection that was in the center of his kneecap. And by in the center I mean inside. Like his kneecap is a jelly doughnut and the infection is the jelly part. I then had two questions: 1) how did it get there and 2) how do we get it out. The answer to the first was a resounding “we don’t know,” but it was likely an injury to the kneecap (possibly from swing jumping), that got the blood pumping to go fix the injury and the bacteria that we all have hanging out in our bodies took a ride to that spot and set up shop. The answer to the second question was surgery and a ton of antibiotics. They actually had to go in and wash out the infection through surgery and then to kill any they missed and keep it from coming back he had to take some high-powered IV and oral meds for the next several weeks.

In the midst of the crisis, in my sleep-deprived and protective mother bear state of mind, I couldn’t even ask God what I might be able to take away from the experience. And once things started to get back to normal, it didn’t occur to me to ask. But this week, the Lord has really impressed upon my heart some ideas that I am thinking about.

  • Infections don’t start as big, bad, raging issues that we can see. They start small and unnoticeable. Whether this be a derogatory comment made about a person, a complaining conversation about how the church is doing something in a way we don’t like, a glimpse of something we shouldn’t be viewing, or a taste of something we’ve never tried before.
  • Infections grow. Quickly. I’m sure we can all remember the game of telephone where one person whispers something to the next person and on down the line. Good or bad, right or wrong, that piece of information gets passed on and on and on and before you know it, it is completely out of control. This is true with infections in our lives and in our churches, before we know it, they are out of control.
  • Infections need to be stopped and cleared up. Sometimes a little antibiotic will take care of it. Other times surgery is needed to clean the infection out and after the surgery even more antibiotic support is needed. The same is true with infections in our lives. If gossip is our infection, maybe we just need someone to hold us accountable and help us learn how to seal our lips. But if we continue to gossip because of the people we choose to spend time with, perhaps a little surgery is needed and we need to take ourselves out of that situation for a time. The same goes for the church. Infections need to be stopped and cleaned out as soon as they are recognized.
  • If untreated, infections can cost us our lives. The type of infection in Ty’s knee was actually eating away at his bone. We have a friend who had this infection that was eating away at his flesh, and it nearly cost him his life. If infections in our lives go untreated, we risk losing our lives. If they go untreated in our churches, we risk losing our church and losing all the lives that our church could have touched.
  • Infections can be healed. With the proper treatment, Ty was up and playing baseball by the middle of July. Other than the nasty scar on his knee, you’d never know just how sick he was. With God’s help, infections can be cured. We may be like Jacob (whose infection was to want to do things his way and even wrestled with God about it) and walk with a limp when the infection is healed, but we will be stronger and more willing to let God take over where the infection had been.

So take a few minutes (or longer) and think about any areas of your life (or your church) that may be showing signs of infection and consider what type of treatment may be needed in order to bring about healing.

Here is a book I am reading and a book that I will be reading (I got a preview on a few blog sites the other day) that have contributed to my thinking this week.

Permission to Speak Freely: Essays and Art on Fear, Confession, and Grace

Mad Church Disease: Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic