More Than You Can Handle

Have you noticed how buys people are these days? If it isn’t work, then it is the kids’ extracurricular activities, or the service clubs or the pet projects. And in the moments in between—at meals or in the car or in waiting rooms—there is no such thing as just sitting. Out comes the phone and these spare moments are used to catch on email, continue that important text conversation or play Angry Birds.

It is amazing how busy the kids are. Half the time they are more scheduled than their parents. Three to four nights a week they have sports or some other type of class. God forbid they have a day where nothing is scheduled.

And it’s not the kids that get themselves into this predicament—yes, they want to play soccer and basketball and football and go to dance class and guitar class. But, it’s the parents that let it happen. Sometimes I can’t decide if it is because the parents want their kids to have and do everything they didn’t, or if it is that they are afraid that if they don’t put their kid in all these things that somehow they won’t live up to their potential. There is a third option, I don’t like to consider, that involves the parents being afraid of their kids so they want to keep them busy and distracted lest their kids want to have a conversation.

Our whole culture is nuts. Nobody has time to do dinner any more. There is no such thing as an unscheduled day. We are addicted to busyness and adrenaline. What’s worse is that all this activity makes it even more difficult for us to unplug. When it comes time to just sit and do nothing, we find that our skin crawls and our thumbs twitch and we can’t breathe without doing something.

There is a common saying that says, “God never gives you more than you can handle.” We repeat this mantra over and over again whenever we are overwhelmed with life. But there are two problems with this saying.

First, it is not found anywhere in the Bible. God never said it. Jesus never said it. None of the dudes with long beards in the Old or New Testament said it. But somehow we use it as an excuse for not saying “no” to things that just make our life busier and more insane. Instead of being wise and selective, we just repeat it as if it is some special magic sauce that will make things all better.

Second, just the opposite is true. God actually does give you more than you can handle. But He does it so that you look to Him for help. The truth is, if you can handle everything, than you don’t need God. And lots of people are telling God with their schedules, that they don’t need Him.

Anyone ever heard of a day of rest? It’s the idea that you take a day and don’t do anything because you believe the God is big enough to take care of everything else.

So the next time you are tempted to add something to your schedule and say “God never gives you more than you can handle”, maybe you should say “no.” And while you are at it, say “no” to a bunch of things you are already doing. Oh yeah, and let God know He can handle the rest.

The pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to help you and your family connect with a God who rested after work. Maybe your first step to finding some real rest is getting into church this weekend?

Andrew Cromwell is the executive pastor at Koinonia Christian Fellowship in Hanford. E-mail him at andrew@kcfchurch.org or call 582-1528.

Back to the Future

by Tim Howard

If you were asked to make a top 10 list of Bible stories found in the Old Testament, a few might come to mind. How about Noah and the ark, the parting of the Red Sea or David and Goliath to name a few! I’m sure your list would include a variety of classics if you’re familiar with the Bible but one great story that comes to my mind is found in Joshua chapter 6.

It was the time when the mighty walls of a city called Jericho collapsed. That miraculous event allowed the Israelite soldiers to conquer their enemies and claim the inheritance God had given them. Even though it was miraculous it wasn’t instantaneous. The siege lasted for 7 days with some very strange directives.

God had instructed their leader; Joshua to have soldiers; priests and people march around the city for six days while blowing trumpets and carrying the Ark. The people were to remain silent for these six days and God promised to defeat their enemy on day seven. On the last day the instructions were a bit different. Here’s what the record reveals:

Josh. 6:4 “Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the horns.”

Josh. 6:5 “When you hear the priests give one long blast on the horns, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the walls of the city will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the city.”

Josh. 6:20 “When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the city from every side and captured it.”

This victory happened because of faith. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30

Trusting God can be extremely difficult when you focus on your problems rather than His promises. The walls or Jericho were unprecedented in that era and it was their first major challenge.

Faith will stretch you because it doesn’t operate on the basis of sight. What you see can be intimidating. What you see can immobilize you and impede your progress if it causes you to run from God rather than to Him. That’s what happened forty years prior to this victory when the last generation of Israelite people stood on the verge of entering the future God had promised them. They listened to the majority, who told them the land was too great, the people too big and the cities to strong. They sabotaged their future inheritance because they lacked faith in God.

Their lack of faith was seen in 3D. One, they focused on their inabilities rather than God’s ability. Two, their mouths did nothing but speak negatively and three, they refused to obey God’s directives.

God has a future for you! You will need to keep your eyes on His abilities and not your inabilities, however. We all have insufficiencies but He is sufficient for all things. With Him all things are possible. You can write a future for yourself but only God can write His future that’s been specifically designed for you. He wants to use your obedience as His pen to write your future. Don’t’ let the devil take away your pen. Walk by faith and not by sight. Be a part of the new generation and get back to the future God intended from the beginning.

How Old Are You?

by Andrew Cromwell

My wife is celebrating a birthday today as I write this column. She is one of those rare individuals that age twice as slowly as the rest of us. She also grows more beautiful and kind by the year. When I first married her I knew that I was getting the better part of the bargain. Four kids and more then a decade later, I’m still convinced marrying her is the best thing I’ve done apart from deciding to give my life to Christ.

She represents that special breed of people that are always thinking of others first and themselves last. I struggle with this because I am a chronically self-centered individual. I hear it in my response to people or in my inner talk all the time, including my own children. I am perpetually telling others how busy I am and how I have so much to do.

My prayer is that as I get older, I am getting wiser and thinking less about myself. I think these qualities are a much better indication of a person’s real age then the number of years that have passed since their birth. Just because someone gets old doesn’t automatically mean that they are getting better and becoming less of a jerk!

I am sad to say that our culture seems to be getting more selfish rather than less. It seems that we are more and more focused on the things that matter to us as individuals—our personal happiness, our goals and our work. We keep telling ourselves that “we” deserve “it”, with “it” being whatever floats our boat at the moment.

I think it is fair to say that children are generally selfish. As a general rule, they just come out that way. Half of the job of a parent is teaching their child that the world is not centered around them. We expect kids to be selfish, and we also expect them to become less selfish as they grow older.

But it seems that fewer and fewer of us are actually learning this important lesson. And so people walk around in adult bodies but still act like children. They still throw tantrums when things don’t turn out the way they thought they were going to. They still get their feelings hurt when someone doesn’t treat them just right. And they still demand all the attention in the room.

Meanwhile, there is a world all around us that is hurting and that we could help make a better place — but we don’t because all we can see is our own little world where all that exists is our own stuff. Our kids are begging for our real attention but we’re too busy to give it. Our friends are frustrated because all we talk about is ourselves. And our spouse is fed up with having to parent their husband or wife because they refuse to be anything other than a child.

So the question I pose is, how old are you? Are you just getting older or are you maturing? Are you better this year than you were last year? Make a choice to exchange your happiness for someone else’s every once in a while and watch what happens to your own!

The pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to talk to you this weekend about the ultimate servant Jesus Christ. Why don’t you get your family in church this weekend and see what God can do.

You Said What?

by Tim Howard

I made some comments the other day, which caused a host of problems. I regretted the words spoken, but it was too late! It was like writing an e-mail to someone and then pressing that dreaded ‘send’ button without proofreading the text. You can’t take it back, it’s already gone and all you can do is wait to see what happens.

The fiasco I created reminded me of the truth found in James 3:2-6: “We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire…” NLT.

A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that! By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation and send the whole world up in smoke because we started a fire that comes from the pit of hell.

This is a bit scary wouldn’t you say? You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue—it's never been done. The tongue runs wild. With our tongues we bless God our Father and then with the same tongues we curse the very men and women He made in His image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! WOW! This shouldn’t be happening.

Back in the day, a comedian named, Flip Wilson, often said: “What you see is what you get.” It’s also accurate to say: “What you say is what you get.”

What you say has the authority to open doors for tomorrow’s troubles or triumphs! Many people have been influenced and swayed throughout history both positively and negatively by the use of words. There is a tremendous force released when you speak! The words you declare actually have the power to produce an atmosphere of life for people to enjoy or create a morbid gloom that results in death. Proverbs 18:21 makes this truth verifiable.

The Israelites witnessed this fact in the Old Testament when the twelve spies returned from a reconnaissance. Ten of them gave a bad report while the other two remained true to what God had told them and spoke His words to the people. The results were devastating. A whole generation missed out on their inheritance because they listened to the words of the majority. As in this case, we often discover the majority isn’t always right.

It’s no wonder David said in Psalms 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth Oh Lord and keep watch over the door of my lips”. Or why James said in chapter 1 of his book “My dear brothers and sisters be quick to listen and slow to speak…”

If your mouth has gotten you into trouble in the past, you might want to try to be more like David and ask God to put a filtering system on your tongue because only He can tame it. And try to listen more and talk less - or at least think more before you speak. It just might guard you from those loose-lipped comments that can cause a fiasco.

Possibility

by Andrew Cromwell

Each one of us has a powerful God-given ability. But more often than not we fail to realize the great gift that is residentwithin each of us. We have the power to see people and situations through the lenses of possibility and potential. We can look beyond their limitations and failures, through the imperfections of the present, and see through eyes of faith.

Eyes of faith give color to what can be a drab, gray world. And it is because this world is often disappointing and reminds us of all the things we cannot do, that eyes of faith are so important. No one need remind us of what we have not done or of what we have tried and failed. We don’t need someone to remind us about our limitations—our lack of education, our relationship screw-ups, our failed attempts at moving forward—we need no help remembering these.

What we need is not a reminder of our failures but of our possibilities. We need someone who will choose to look at us with eyes that see potential. A parent who sees his children and chooses to look beyond the limitations of their age or experience and sees instead the hidden spark. A husband that sees his wife’s true potential hidden under the layers of disappointment that life has placed upon her.

But it is not enough to just see that possibility is present, we have to go one step further. We must call it out. We have to speak into the person’s heart and inspire them to step forward into a new future. Left to ourselves, we often cannot see what others can see. But when someone comes along and says, “You can do it”, we are suddenly lifted on their shoulders to see what we once could not.

What incredible power we have to lift people beyond where they currently are and give them a glimpse into another, better future! Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When we help people move beyond what they can do in their own strength and encourage them to step into the strength of the One who makes all things possible, then we have stepped into a new dimension—the dimension of God-possibility.

So what type of person are you? Are you the kind that only sees the failures of the past, or do you see the possibilities of the future? Will you choose to look at your life and the lives of others through your own eyes or through the eyes of Christ? The world will be a better place if you do the latter.

The pastors in Kings County would love to help you see the world through eyes of possibility. Why don’t you give them a chance this weekend to encourage you and your family?

Take Out The Trash

by Tim Howard

Recently while talking to a doctor friend about some physical challenges, we began to discus some of the systems in the human body which enable people to live a full life. It was fascinating to hear him share insights into the Digestive System, Respiratory and Circulatory System, Musculoskeletal System and Nervous System. He went on to explain the excretory system It is one of several major body systems designed by God to regulate the volume and molecular and ionic constitution of internal body fluids and eliminates metabolic waste products from the internal environment - In simplified terms, the human excretory system functions to remove waste from the human body. This system may be less glamorous when compared to others yet it too is absolutely necessary.

Don’t laugh! We all have waste. Every household has trash that needs to be removed and that’s true for our personal lives as well.

We all have some garbage laying around due to unhealed hurts, disappointments, painful memories, wounds, broken promises, broken hearts, unmet needs and unresolved issues. If we don’t have a systematic way to dispose of these items, problems tend to grow, emotional sickness often develops and Spiritual growth can be stifled.

Simply stated; life stinks when you don’t remove your trash. The system necessary to experience cleansing is revealed in 1 John 1:9. It says: “…if we confess our sins to God, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

When you confess your hurt, your needs, your sin, you bring it into the open. You quit hiding and admit to what’s really going on. You choose to reveal it rather than conceal it. In doing so, you experience forgiveness from God, a cleansing from the stench and a brand new start. In the same way you take your waste container to the curb on the proper day of the week so the waste management department can take it away, we are to bring our contaminants to God. Once a year Kings County gives each homeowner a free trip to the Kings Waste & Recycling Plant but God gives you free access to Himself each and every day.

What needs to be disposed of in your life? What have you been holding on to that is holding you back? Is there any hurt that is in need of forgiveness? Is there a painful memory in need of healing? Why not take out the trash?

The cross is the place where Jesus died for you. He dealt with your personal failures, sins, weaknesses and trash of all types. The cross is the place where sins are forgiven. The cross is the place where you can exchange the old for the new. The cross is the place where you can confess without the fear of being criticized or attacked. God can deal with your garbage! So take your trash to Him.

Why not visit one of the many Church families this weekend in Kings County. They would love to help you experience the forgiving, cleansing, healing and restoring power of Jesus Christ.

Capital "A" Confession

by Kim Hogue

Maybe it’s because I regularly talk with Christ-followers and not-Christ-followers that live condemned or ashamed. Maybe it’s because a recent conversation caused my deeper reflection on confession and my Catholic roots.

But one confession still comes to my mind today; I remember a time when I was a little girl, 9 yrs. old, with six children in our family and one working parent. There were not a lot of frills, but mom had one prized possession, her dining room table. It was a special table to her and to us. I think it was special because of the way it was treated. We were always careful pulling the chairs out making sure not to drag the legs across the floor, everyone had their own place around it, and extra attention was given to every setting, everything in its proper place. Sitting around that table was almost magical, the talk of everyone’s day and the laughter shared around that table are forever etched in my fondest memories.

But one day something happened to that table. My mother was setting all its places when she found a very large capital “A” carved in to its dark, polished wood. I remember being lined-up like all the children from the movie “Sound of Music” and Captain VonTrapp (my mother) wanted to know who the culprit was! No one fessed-up, can’t say I blame them, the death penalty seemed imminent!

Forward two years later, I’m 11 yrs. old, our youngest sister Colleen is 7 and making her first confession. She enters the little booth, pulls the curtain shut and begins in strangely enough, a very loud voice, I mean she is loud! Everyone in the church can hear her! She starts in the Catholic way, “Bless me Father for I have sinned, aloooong time ago I carved a capital “A” in my mom’s table!” It was out! We finally knew who the woodcarver was! My mother’s knuckles turned white clenching the pew in front of us. Me and my other sister Kelly, barely manage to keep our laughter from filling the high ceilings of the church. Mom gives us “the look” and then says, “don’t you dare tell your sister we know!” I can still see their faces, I remember the look of relief on my little sisters face as she exited the confessional, the weight of her deed lifted and the look on mom’s face, was one of my first pictures of grace. To our amazement mom never said a word. So? How much more is our Father God willing and desirous to forgive us?

Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to confess?

1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.