Jesus

#Blessed – What does it mean ?

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Jesus, Self Managment / Leave a comment

Lately I have had quite a few conversations with people who’s lives have not followed the traditional pathways. They have followed Jesus into incredible adventures and callings but they have not ended up with a spouse, three kids and a their own home. (or some combination thereof)

There is some regret and sadness in this that is very real – however I wonder if  much of it is caused by our perception of #blessed.

Now I am not picking on people who use #blessed to describe the amazing things in their lives. I know they are expressing gratitude and a humility that understands that every good gift comes from above.

It does cause me to ponder though on what we perceive as a blessed life.

I also wonder how much this is shaped by the Australian/American/ “Add in your western nation’s” dream – and very little to do with a life following Jesus.

Now I am also not saying that a  financially blessed traditional life is not the will of God (heck that would be hypocritical as I part own the gorgeous house you see in this post ) .

However I am wondering what blessed means in a new way.

Jesus said some fairly outrageous things about #blessed . Things like “Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted” Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God “.

I am far from figuring this out – but I am on a journey to discover what does #blessed actually mean.

Can #blessed feed into i-will-be-happy-when/ ?

I am wondering if we settle for a traditional life  and we don’t risk it all for the adventure sometimes.

I am wondering if we allow the external #blessed to satisfy when the internal journey of becoming pure in heart is what we need.

Golly  these are all very deep thoughts for a Thursday night – and I don’t really have an answer yet .

However this I know. I want to understand more what a Jesus blessed life looks like.

On thing I am sure of – it looks different for every person and is attached to their calling and purpose and the journey in their heart to see God.

Stay tuned !

(If you would like to get content like this  in your email regularly and never have to look for it on social media again – just put your email address in  the subscribe section . My goal is to help you avoid some of the mistakes I have made and to encourage you on your journey, to be real and to be helpful!)

I’m Doing Something I never Thought I would Do and I like it !

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Jesus, Self Managment / 6 Comments

I am not only doing something I never thought I would do, but I am also doing something to be really honest I have  judged other people for doing !

I am doing something I thought was for people who are spiritual light weights – or people who have no freedom and flexibility.

OK so lets start at the beginning of this story!

About a month ago I was at the C3 Service Manly Connect Group I run at Frankie and Ben Dawes home. (They are incredible hosts, every time we meet and eat dinner the table looks like its set for Christmas.)

One week Ben Dawe wanted us to watch an interview between Bono and Eugene Peterson on the Psalms . I am a serious U2 fan who has seen them live in my 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, our connection is deep. Also having been an early adopter of the Message for my personal reading – I knew this interview would be good – and it was.

Somehow in the midst of the interview I started to wonder if there was a Devotional by Eugene Peterson, and the thought was still there 2 weeks later. So I google searched it , then opened my Amazon account and with one click, it is on my various Apple devices.

I have become one of those Christians who reads a devotional as their regular Bible reading ! To be honest I am shocked.

I thought devotionals were for people who were not serious about studying the Bible. I thought they were for people who liked to be locked into a rigid schedule . I thought they were for people who didn’t want the Spirit to guide them and lead them.

Turns out I am incredibly wrong – and was very judgmental (again !)

This devotional is the perfect thing for me right now in my life. I am learning things from the Bible and pondering things I haven’t in a long time. It has also refreshed my connection with the Word of God – and totally separated my “work” class prep Bible reading from my personal reading. ( It might help that I don’t have to fill in a little booklet with lines- my scrappy left-handed handwriting never worked well with those. It also doesn’t have dates so if I miss a day, I don’t mess up the schedule and feel guilty.)

It is working for me. Devotionals may never work for you but trying something new frequently will.

We all need to stay open to new experiences in every area of our lives. This really is only a small one which only cost me $12 and one click. However if I had have stayed locked in my judgments I would have missed out on something pretty special.

I wonder how many other areas of our lives God is trying to lead us into new and wonderful places but we have decided for a multitude of reasons “I don’t do that!”

Now I am starting to get convicted about other things “I don’t do”  – so better sign off quickly !!

(If you would like to get content like this  in your email regularly and never have to look for it on social media again – just put your email address in  the subscribe section . My goal is to help you avoid some of the mistakes I have made and to encourage you on your journey, to be real and to be helpful!)

Sometimes its OK to be Not OK

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Boundaries, Jesus, Self Managment / 30 Comments

In recent months  I have had a few moments of driving home from work thinking – “I am not OK” .

This is a weird concept for me because as a person with areas of leadership responsibilities I am used to pulling myself up by my bootstraps and carrying on.

However here is what I have discovered in this season, that most of you already know I am sure.

If I admit to myself I am not OK – then I can then start to do something about being not OK.

If I continue to tell myself and the world, its all good, I am OK, then I don’t do anything about what is going on and nothing gets resolved.

There were times when Jesus was not OK. He wept when Lazarus died. He withdrew when John the Baptist was beheaded. In the garden of Gethsemane his soul was overwhelmed ( this is an extreme example I know but you get the point)

Jesus did not bottle those emotions and say “Don’t worry people ! Its all good” .

No he dealt with the pain in a real and honest way.

As people in areas of leadership and ministry, we have to be able to deal with what is going on in our world in a healthy way. We have to be able to say to the people closest to us  “I am not OK at the moment “. We have to be able to say to ourselves ” I am not OK at the moment – and I need to stop and do something about it” .

We need to be able to look at the dashboard of our lives and see which gauge is dropping through the floor, and then know how to go about remedying that.

Some times life just knocks the stuffing out of you – as my friend Vicki Simpson said to me the other day – and you just need to know that and be OK with it. You need to know that with time you will be OK again.

Sometimes when I am feeling not OK, all I really need is a few early nights with a good book or some good food and good wine with good friends. Sometimes it is more serious.

We will never know unless we can admit to ourselves, “I am not OK “.

Most importantly if we never say to God “I am not OK”  – we can never allow him to fill us with what we need. We can never make the great exchange with him of our ashes for his beauty, our worries for his peace, our weakness for his strength and our pain for his comfort.

Now that’s a great motivation for getting honest with yourself right there !

(If you would like to get content like this  in your email regularly and never have to look for it on social media again – just put your email address in  the subscribe section . My goal is to help you avoid some of the mistakes I have made and to encourage you on your journey, to be real and to be helpful!)

What are You Believing ?

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Church Life, Jesus, Theology / 8 Comments

This is my first post for 2016 and it comes from a message I preached at C3 Service Manly yesterday. I preached on something I am passionate about – what we believe.

This message came out of a season in my life last year when a thought popped into my head one day while I was walking the dog. The thought began as a seed and it quickly took root and before I knew it I had a new belief system in my mind – I had a new doctrine.

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The sad thing about this doctrine was that it caused me to doubt God and despair that I wouldn’t see his goodness in an area of my life.

Good thing for me – this season didn’t last too long. Thanks to the Still Small Voice I came to my senses and dug out that faulty doctrine. However it reminded me how important it is to watch what we are believing.

Doctrine is not for Bible College students or academics – it is crucial for all of us. Paul speaking to Timothy says “Watch your life and doctrine closely”.

The reason it is crucial to watch your doctrine is because what you believe will determine how you live.

Here’s the key beliefs that will determine how we live and love.

1.  God is the Father

If I believe God is a Good Father it will change the way I live. People with Good Fathers are confident in who they are and happy to ask their Fathers for help

2. Jesus did it ALL on the Cross.

We have got to keep central in our minds that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace . This will keep works mentality from sneaking  into our thinking . We cannot earn God’s love- we have it 100% every day!

3. The Holy Spirit is NOT the Force (Sorry Star Wars fans)

He is the third person of the trinity, he is our guide, comforter and friend – he is God and He is the power that raised Jesus from the dead and lives on the inside of us. Incredible!

4. The Church is NOT a Meeting on a Sunday.

It is not a religious box we tick once a week. It is a dwelling place that God lives by his Spirit – it is the family of God- at points dysfunctional but still our family.

5. EVERY Person is valuable and made in the image of God!

That no matter the gender, age, status, ability – every person deserves respect and care. No person’s life is disposable for any cause. I hate to get political on a Monday morning but gosh I wish more people in our world understood this doctrine – life is sacred because it comes from God.

I know this is all pretty basic, but if I could forget God is Good for a season – I figured maybe you could too.

Believing for a great 2016 for you all – filled with great doctrine !

(If you would like to get my blog in your email and never have to look for it on social media again – just put your email address in  the subscribe section . I can’t guarantee it will always be brilliant, I can promise it will always be real – my aim is that it would always be helpful)

 

 

 

What comes after Trust ?

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Jesus, Self Managment / 7 Comments

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A few ago I wrote on trust – once you get to a place of trust what happens next ?

Trust is a secure and safe harbour, a place to rest until we are strong again.

The place where we simply are, with God, even when we don’t have answers.

But at some point we have to start looking again out to sea.

We have to turn around and face life again.

We have to dare to see the future again.

We have to start to dream again

We have to Hope.

Hope is the expectation that the future is good, because God is good.

Hope is the anchor for the roller coaster of emotions that hit in times of challenge and change.

Hope says this is not what I thought life would be – but that’s OK – it can be rich and wonderful and different.

My hope is not in what I see now. My Hope is in the One who sees the beginning from the end.

Hope allows me to believe that I can risk my heart again.

Hope looks out to sea and moves past Trust to a smile.

Its a tentative smile at first, that moves into a grin of expectation.

Hope starts to get excited at the possibilities ahead.

Trust is Silent and but Hope smiles.

And then giggles.

“She is clothed in dignity and grace, she can laugh at the days to come” Prov 31:25

(If you would like to get my blog in your email and never have to look for it on social media again – just subscribe on the side. I can’t guarantee it will always be brilliant, I can promise it will always be real – my aim is that it would always be helpful)

Easter Reflection

Posted on by pam.borrow@myc3church.net / Posted in Jesus, Uncategorized / 2 Comments

Today I had the honour of preaching on Good Friday at a stunning Indonesian Church – called Ecclesia Church . Two of the College graduates Andrew and Beth are on leadership there – I love them – I would do anything they asked me to – so today with not a little fear and trembling – I delivered my first ever Good Friday message.

As I prepared I read all four gospel accounts of the Crucifixion of Jesus and two little verses stood out to me- and I realised that they summed up all that happened on Good Friday . That before Paul could write Romans and unpack the theology of the Cross- that God had shown us what it all means in two incidents it is easy to overlook.

1. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split. (Matt 27:51 )

Why is this so significant ? We all know that sin deserves punishment- when some-one does something wrong, our society will prosecute them and punish them, it is a value deep in our culture. So as humanity we know  we are all fallen and that most days we also individually sin and do something that separates us from a Holy God.

Because of  this only the priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only after having performed the proper sacrifices to pay for the sins of the nation. This curtain it is estimated was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide and 4 inches thick – a man could not have torn it – God tore it to show that Jesus had made the sacrifice once and for all .

The curtain was ripped and anyone could approach God! I wish I could tell you how excited this makes me !!

2. “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:43)

I love this little conversation between Jesus and one of the thieves  hanging on another cross that same day.

Here is why I love it – because that thief could do nothing to please God at that point. He was hanging on a cross dying. All he did was acknowledge that Jesus was king (you have to be a king to have a kingdom) – he put his faith in Jesus . Jesus said that Today he would be with him in paradise.

Why does this move me- because the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is enough – nothing we can do can add to it. I can stop trying to please God – Jesus has done it on my behalf once and for all.

This week I remembered that the curtain that separated me from God was torn – Jesus had paid the price – and there is nothing I can do to add to it.

This my friends is Good News !! Maybe we all need to remember it today. Happy Easter !

The beautiful cross is from Phil Pringle Art http://philpringle.worldsecuresystems.com/artgallery

(If you would like to get my blog in your email and never have to look for it on social media again – just subscribe on the side. I can’t guarantee it will always be brilliant, I can promise it will always be real – my aim is that it would always be helpful)