Everything is Spiritual

An article by this name recently caught my eye. It is an excerpt from a book, Garden City: Work, Rest, and the Art of Being Human by John Mark Comer.  It is about making everyday life a spiritual walk with God.

 

The author talks about how unglamorous and mundane our everyday lives are. Sure, some exciting, spiritual things happen along the way but most is routine. We’re just doing never-ending laundry, bathing kids or answering emails. This contributes to us creating a difference between the secular and the spiritual. Comer says this is not only untrue, but also dangerous.

 

The dictionary defines spiritual as “relating to the spirit, soul; supernatural”. Secular refers to worldly, nonreligious things. But in the Hebrew language there is no word for spiritual. Because in the Hebrew world, all of life is spiritual. Wow! I want that life view.

 

Jump to the New Testament. Only the apostle Paul uses the word spiritual. In his writings, it means “animated by the Holy Spirit. He, too, believes every part of our lives should be spiritual.

 

Comer puts it this way, “If you had asked Jesus about His spiritual life, I think He would have looked at you very confused. My guess is He would have asked, “What do you mean by My spiritual life? You mean My life? All of My life is spiritual.”

 

To Jesus, all of life was an integrated sacred experience. I personally know that God wants to be involved in every second of my life. But how does that look in the midst of the mundane? The Bible tells us, “Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men” - Colossians 3:23. I put this into practice every time I take the roll of toilet tissue from my kids’ bathroom counter and actually put it on the roll. I say, “I’m doing this for you, Lord.” But, that’s only so I don’t nag at my kids about it…again.

 

As I ponder how to make everything in my life spiritual, vitalized by the Spirit of God, it becomes tied to my awareness that He is right near me. He is present at all times but I may not have a complete minute-by-minute awareness of that fact. I regularly say prayers for His direction, healing and wisdom throughout my days. However, in the in-between times I probably don’t realize that He’s always near me – on Earth.

 

In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul puts all people into two categories. The spiritual followers of Jesus who have His Spirit and those who don’t follow Jesus. Many Christians don’t know that, at the moment they wholeheartedly chose to follow Jesus, His Holy Spirit came to dwell in them. Everybody else is not spiritual.

 

I hope you will join me in learning how everything in our lives can become spiritual, because everything should be spiritual to the believer. Everything matters to God.

 

“We received the Spirit that is from God, not the spirit of the world. We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us…But we have been given Christ’s way of thinking.”

-1 Corinthians 2:12, 16

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Sylvia Gaston is Family Ministry Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at sylvia@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

A Mere Reflection

 Have you ever lost something SUPER important to you? When my husband and I first

got married, we didn’t have much. We didn’t really put our ducks in a row before we got

married. Neither of us had graduated from college, we didn’t have major career plans, and we

didn’t have much in savings. We did know we were committed to figuring it all out together.

 

With our very limited income, we purchased simple rings for each other to signify the eternity of our bond to each other. Around 14 days into being married, while walking around in the grocery store together, which was way more exciting at that stage than it is now, my husband grabbed his head with his hand and exclaimed “Oh no, my ring is gone!” It was loose on his finger and we were not able to get it refitted. We re-traced his steps but never tracked it down. It was a bummer for sure and we knew we couldn’t afford another for a while. It took a few months, but we saved and bought another simple band.

 

During those few months when my new husband walked around town, without the

obvious distinction of being a married man, nothing about the quality of our marriage actually

changed. He was still devoted to me and I to him. We served one another in love and focused

on preferring each other over everyone else. He didn’t walk out during my first time being sick

and I didn’t leave when our finances remained tight. The ring did not make the marriage. That

was way deeper.

 

This is not revolutionary or groundbreaking information. It would obviously be backwards to assume that losing a ring is akin to losing value in a marriage. I also recognize that sometimes I live with backwards thinking in my relationship with Jesus. I sometimes put a premium on aspects of my faith that are actually mere reflections of my love of Jesus and not a true source. I love and serve the church. I do so with much of my time and resources. It is one of my greatest honors. But that does not replace loving Jesus. I love and study God’s word. But I know that reading the Bible is not the same as getting to know Jesus. I am a slave to serving the people in my life and even people I’ve never meet through acts of service and financial generosity. But serving and giving is not synonymous with surrendering to Jesus’ leadership.

 

In our culture, a wedding ring reflects a relational position. In Christian culture, practices

like attending worship services and volunteering to help people are reflections of a relationship with Jesus. The analogy also works the other way. An unmarried person cannot wear my wedding ring and assume a relationship as my husband’s wife. I cannot simply attend church or serve people and assume a relationship with Jesus.

 

So, how’s your commitment? Do people know that you follow Jesus? Are you reflecting that relationship well? Maybe you’re not a follower and you stumbled upon this religious section for a different reason. Are you curious about what a transformed life would look like on you? I pray today that you truly know and follow Jesus.

Let’s not be convinced that doing Jesus-y things is the same as being a follower of Jesus. While I wear the “ring” of my relationship with honor, I don’t let it take the main place of importance in my heart.

 

 

Candace Cortez is Executive Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at candace@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

The Process

 The process of life is a difficult one sometimes and it’s sometimes overwhelming. We get to places where we feel like maybe we are failing and it’s not worth it. We then begin to realize we can grow and move to another level of understanding and success.

 

In our walk with God, we can feel this way as well. But there are a few things we need to remember as we learn how to understand and succeed in God. We need to remember that this life of faith is meant to last the entirety of our time here on earth. It is a long-distance run; not a sprint. God is patient with us in the process.

 

The book of James (1:2-4) says, “Consider it all joy… when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

 

Faith is developed when it meets resistance. We are not joyful in the pain of the trial but in the knowledge that we have an opportunity to become better. When things are crafted, wood and metal are bent, cut, molded to form the end result. The trial - the process - is to help take out the imperfections.

 

Our ultimate goal in the process is perfection. Not perfection as in the perfect person as Jesus is. This is something that we can’t really attain in our imperfect selves. However, we can mature; we can be made complete. This is the perfection that God wants for us and something we can grasp.

 

The process is hard but will have great results if we stick to the plan. The poison of this process is “double-mindedness”. James (1:8) puts it this way, “…being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

 

If we are not committed to this process, if we have doubt or let in compromise, we will fail. Now this will happen at some point but know that the obedient heart is the one that will prevail. Obedience will not happen if we have not commitment, if we are double-minded. We won’t give all we have for this purpose.

 

This is not about being legalistic or religious; it’s about having the discipline to meet our challenge with all joy. We will grow the needed faith for the next step in the process, gaining endurance and strength.

 

 

Rene Solis is Director of Koinonia School of Ministry, a ministry of Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at ksm@kcfchurch.org or by calling 559-582-1528.

Get Out of That Pit!

I’ve previously shared about my struggle with depression and anxiety. Thankfully, God has brought me a long way from the days when I didn’t think I could get out of bed in the morning. Life seemed so hard and overwhelming. Many people go through a season when they're needy and emotional. Once you have overcome that season, you may find yourself called to help someone else who is struggling. As Christians, we are called to help the hurting and the lost. Our deliverance and love for God motivates us to reach out and give them a hand up out of the darkness.

 

Several years ago, I read a book by Beth Moore, Get Out of That Pit! In it, she explained how we can find ourselves in a pit of despair, loneliness, addiction, disease and drama. When we're in that pit, all can seem hopeless. After a while, the pit can seem like home. That's when we need to get out of that pit!

 

How do you do that? My mom used to have a saying tacked up on her refrigerator that I've never forgotten. It said, "You leave the Valley of Despair by climbing the Mountain of Praise." When you no longer focus on yourself, your feelings and your circumstances, and turn your eyes upon Jesus, you are able to climb out of the valley, the pit, the cave and the darkness.

 

If you've been in a pit, the walls are steep, the interior is dark, you have no access to the outside world, and you're cut off. Once you accept the hand up from Jesus and get out of the pit, you have the whole world ahead of you. Yes, it's a big place and might seem intimidating, but now you can breathe, brush off your knees, put your head up, and go!

 

In her book, Beth Moore talks about how comfortable we can become in our pit. In a strange way, it can become a safe place where we put in a lot of energy to make it that way. With humor, she points out that we often decorate our pit to make it palatable. We put up wallpaper and curtains, install a TV and a nice couch. Once in a while we even leave the pit, but then end up right back inside it because we've allowed ourselves to make it our home.

 

Our true home is with Jesus! He has prepared a place for us. Just as His disciple, Peter, trusted him and stepped out of the boat to walk on the water, we need to step out of our pit and keep our eyes on Jesus. Don't look down. Don't look at the storm or the wind and waves. Hang on to Jesus and He'll deliver you.

 

Another example of how we stay in that place of pain is to compare the pit to a jail cell. A jail cell is a place of despair and confinement. When a prisoner is paroled, set free, and given a pardon, they can leave the jail cell. If you're in jail and they open the door for you, you have a choice. You can stay in jail where you've created a comfortable, if not confined and painful, existence, or you can step through those doors into freedom. We all have that choice, and we all have the strength to move beyond where we've been.

 

In Isaiah 61:1-3, the Lord proclaims:

 

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me,

for the Lord has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted

and to proclaim that captives will be released

and prisoners will be freed.

He has sent me to tell those who mourn

that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,

and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.

To all who mourn in Israel,

he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,

a joyous blessing instead of mourning,

festive praise instead of despair.

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks

that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

 

In the Gospels, Jesus says that He has prepared a place for us to dwell with Him; not in a pit!

 

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (John 14:3)

 

Don't decorate your pit! If you're in there, come out! Like Lazarus who was once dead, you will have eternal life with Jesus when you let Him lift you out of the Valley of Despair as you climb the Mountain of Praise. Amen!

 

 

Paula Aiton is a member of the Koinonia Church worship team and a freelance writer, musician and artist. Her blog, ‘God’s Glory Girl’, can be found at godsglorygirl.com

 

The Ministry of Presence

 

As I scrolled through Instagram, I came across an interview with actor Shia Lebeouf. In the interview, he talked about mistakes he had made. These mistakes led him to one of the lowest points of his life. In this low point, no one came along his side. He felt alone and abandoned by all of his family and friends. Or so he thought. At his lowest point, his wife at the time (who apparently did bad things, too), came and visited him where he was staying (either jail or a mental recovery facility).

 

At the lowest point of his life and feeling abandoned, the person he thought would never show up, showed up. She was there. She didn’t say much but Shia said she saved his life. He said that she didn’t have to say anything. Just showing up and being there saved his life. He realized that he wasn’t alone. He went on to say the ministry of presence is powerful. Just showing up and being in the room can save someone’s life. 

 

Isolation is dangerous. Isolation kills people. Being alone is bad for humankind. Some can bear the weight of loneliness for a season. Ultimately, it will erode your mental and physical health.  

 

In the book of Genesis, God says that it isn’t good for man to be alone. Adam was in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden, and in the presence of God, yet something wasn’t right. God goes on to say, “I will make him a suitable helper.” (2:18)

 

God’s presence is transforming. The good places He has for us are peaceful and pure but they are incomplete without the presence of others. God’s design is for you to be connected with other people. Loneliness is a tactic of the enemy of our soul to kill us slowly. God has made the church (His people) to be a caravan because there is strength in the herd. 

 

My hope, for whoever is reading this, is that you are connected to a community in a real way because let's face it, you can be isolated even in a crowd of people. 

 

My encouragement is this - spend the rest of your life investing in people. Yeah, it’s dangerous because people hurt us and they betray us, but the alternative is much worse. This investment will be difficult at times, but it will yield a harvest that will save your life in the darkest hour. 

 

Get connected in authentic relationships. More than that, get connected to those who know God. Getting connected to the wrong crowd is better than isolation, but it may direct your life in the wrong way. 

 

If you are looking for a place where you can connect with people and work on authentic relationships, I’d like to invite you to Koinonia Church or to shoot me an email at chad@kchanford.com. We value authentic relationships and spend time investing in them. We don’t always hit the mark but we are diligent in the practice. 

 

Blessings, 

Pastor Chad

 

 

Chad Fagundes is Men’s and Outreach Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. He can be reached at chad@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

The best gift ever

As humbling as it is to admit, I have failed as a mom many times. There were times with each of my four kids when I just got it wrong. They are all young adults now and they survived. THANK GOD that He is there to stand in the gap when we fall short. However, I do take great comfort in knowing that I got one thing right . . . I taught my kids to pray.

 

One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is prayer. For them to learn how to reach out to the Creator of the universe is priceless. Life can be beautiful but it can also be devastating and difficult to navigate. Why wouldn’t you take all your hardships to the One who cares and helps?

 

Our kids need us to pray for them and to teach them to pray. Not sure how? Keep reading.

 

The reasons for including prayer in your family’s daily routine are too significant to ignore.

 

1. It lets your children know what’s important to your family.

 

When parents demonstrate that God is first in their lives, it establishes a foundation that will sustain them throughout their lives and hopefully, into their next generation. Even if our children aren’t following closely after Jesus, when the storms come, they will always know where to turn – even after we’re gone.

 

2. Prayer is foundational to spiritual growth.

 

God tells us that we are the spiritual leaders of our children. “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when. You walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19) As such, the best things we can teach our kids is who God is and how to talk to Him. The season and culture that our kids are navigating is challenging. They face issues and situations we never imagined. When our kids learn that they have direct access to The One who has all the answers and all the power, they can feel more confident and safe maneuvering through life. He becomes their refuge in the midst of their storms. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

 

3. Family prayer strengthens your relationships.

 

When your kids hear you pray for them, it demonstrates that you are their advocate. It shows that you care about them and the things that they are concerned about. It can improve trust and openness. Prayer time provides an opportunity to open up and share in a safe and supportive environment.

 

4. Your family’s prayers are needed!

 

Prayer changes things. Your home, neighbors, and community need your prayers. Your kid’s friends, teachers, and school need their prayers. The Bible tells us, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16) We ALL need to be praying for ourselves, our loved ones, and the world around us!

 

But how?

 

·  Start today! If you don’t know how, learn together. A simple format is, “Thank you, God, for ______” or “Jesus, we need your help with ______” and grow from there.

·  Make it a routine. Find a time of day that works for everyone and stick with it.

·  When struggles or crises pop up, immediately pray together about it.

·  Keep it short (to begin with). Prayers don’t have to be long and religious-y (not a real word) to be effective. It is a simple conversation with God.

 

Just talk to Him – He’s waiting!

 

 

Sylvia Gaston is Family Ministry Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at sylvia@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.

What are you passing on?

I am a Navy brat. We moved to Lemoore because of my dad’s orders to NAS Lemoore. My parents have been redeployed and are now living in Florida. It’s been 5 years since they lived here and living away from my family has not been my favorite thing.

 

During a recent substantially long visit, I noticed many things about both of my parents that I had not realized before. There were little gestures or sounds that I had missed during our time apart. Taking notice of these habits, I was shocked to see some of those same tendencies in myself. I know, I know! There are a dozen clichés out there about being the product of our parents and becoming just like your mother that flashed through my head.

 

I know that I picked up my work ethic, my creativity, and my ability to listen from my parents. I suppose I just hadn’t noticed how many other things they had passed on to me. Now, my husband and I are passing certain things on to our children. Some things are on accident and others are with specific intentionality.

 

In scripture, I recently read Judges 2 about an entire generation that did not pass on the story of their faith in God to the next generation. I have been wondering about this since I read that passage. I wonder what kept their story from being heard. Maybe it wasn’t articulated well. Maybe the outside culture was louder and more convincing than the message of their parents. Maybe the parents were afraid of controlling their children’s beliefs so they watered down their passion and faith. Maybe the generation before had stopped living their faith in their real lives and allowed it to become predominantly ceremonial. Maybe they hadn’t figured out how to include their own children in the process when the miracles didn’t happen for them. The maybes are endless. Maybe we are doing the same.

 

I do not want to miss passing on the fire of my faith to those younger than me - either in age or in belief. God gave EVERYTHING to make sure the way to Him was possible for us. He gave His Son to die. In order to make sure people know, most of the time, we just have to have some conversations.

 

You may not have children or your children may be grown. You may not have a good relationship with your children or you may be a “child” yourself! But we are all called to raise

up the next generation. Part of knowing how to show love, and your love of Jesus, to someone

means you may need to know who that someone is. A conversation, with the understanding of acceptance and love, goes much further than those that are shrouded in person-less agenda.

 

Here is some of the data collected by Barna Group regarding Generation Z. Gen Z is the generation of young people currently in middle school, high school and young adulthood.

 

·  Teens 13-18 years old are twice as likely as adults to say they are atheist (13% vs 6%)

·  About half of Gen Z is non-white

·  Half say that happiness is their ultimate goal in life. For 43%, happiness equals financial success

·  More than half of teens use screen media 4+ hours per day on average. One-quarter of them look at screens on average 8+ hours per day

·  One-third are being bullied online

 

This is just the most basic snapshot. If you want to pass on something important to someone, you may want to consider getting to know that someone.

 

I hope I pass on more than my laugh to my little ones. I am praying daily that they catch more than even our value of hard work. My prayer is that they, and their generation, fall in love with Jesus in a way that is real and life-changing.

 

Be a part of making disciples in this generation! Get to know a person younger than yourself and pass on one of the most important gifts you can ever give: the story of why you believe.

 

 

Candace Cortez is Executive Pastor at Koinonia Church in Hanford, CA. She can be reached at candace@kchanford.com or 559-582-1528.