When Grief Strikes

Today, our family had to put down the dog that we have loved for 12 years. Her breed, the Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier is one of the best kept secrets among dog owners. She was a great dog and well loved and will leave us with many fond memories! I think the hardest part for me is seeing the affects that it has on my family as a whole. I say that because this has been the year from hell for our family. We have all been attacked and gone through the emotional stages that life often brings us but rarely is my first response to give God the glory. Here's a thought...When tragedy or hardships strike, do we immediately worship the Creator?

We all know the story of Job and the affliction he faced but I noticed something for the first time recently. In the first chapter, he is informed four times by four surviving servants of the loss to his oxen, donkeys, sheep, camels, servants, sons, and daughters. Then verse 20 says: At this, he fell to the ground and worshipped! Wait, what?! The very first thing he did after he received the horrible news of the tragedy that literally took everything from him was he worshipped God. I read that and think about the trails and hardships I have faced and rarely do I worship immediately. There are countless stories throughout the Bible that show men and women worshipping God immediately after tragedy. Jeremiah worshipped after God used the Babylonians to judge Judah, Habakkuk worshipped at the reality of his abandonment, David worshipped following the death of his child, and Jesus worshipped in the Garden right before he was crucified. The point is, our first response should be worship in the face of tragedy. Unfortunately for me, it hasn't been.

Grief however, is something we all will experience. Grief is normal and apart of the recovery process but our attitude in our moments of grief determine our worship. After a conversation with my friend Reggi, he explained that there are three responses when life hits rock bottom and I wanted to expand on them. Our first response is we either question God with why He allowed this to happen or blame Him and turn from our 'faith'. Sometimes things happen and we don't understand why, nor will we ever receive an explanation but know this: God is more concerned with your development as a believer than He is with delivering you from your circumstances. Our second response may be that we begin to understand that God knows what we are going through. He knows how we feel and therefore we see God as sympathizing with us. We are comforted by His grace and are able to persevere through our moments of grief. The third response towards grief is being able to sympathize with God. We often times forget of what Christ actually went through. We forget how bad it was for Him! We forget that the religious people didn't like him, that His message was ignored, and that He constantly was mocked. We forget that He experienced the betrayal of one of his disciples, a man that He loved and had experienced life with. We forget that He paid our penalty on the cross and suffered more than any of us ever will. Our response to the grief we experience and the hardships we endure should be that we now have an idea of what Christ went through. God, I thank you for the hard moments because it gives me a glimpse of what you actually endured! "Our grief should cause us to sympathize with Christ!"

I Don't Understand?

One of the biggest lessons and challenges in Christianity is to be obedient to God even if it doesn't make sense. I do know that even when we don't understand, God has a much bigger purpose. You will one day look back and see that God had a plan all along and that the journey He took you on was building your trust in Him. The greatest thing I can do when I get discouraged or don't have clarity on an issue is to look at God's past faithfulness in my life. He always brings me through the trials and difficulties, so why do I still question Him?

God wants praise, in the great seasons of life and the tough seasons. God wants us to be an example of love, grace, and sacrifice so that people will see Him in us. David Platt says, "God blesses the human race, not because of any merit or inherent worth in us, but simply out of pure, unadulterated grace. God created humankind to enjoy his grace in a relationship with him, but also to extend his glory to the ends of the earth." The reality is, God initiates the relationship with us. We only need to respond. In that response, we have great freedom yet great responsibility to bring God glory in all things...living in grace, while extending his glory. 1 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus BECAME so that we could BECOME.

With that being said, the Lord is leading me away from Valley Church. I don't know where or why but I do know that God is in control and He had this planned from the beginning. I absolutely love the staff and they have been nothing less than family to me. I will miss you all! I love the volunteer leaders we have in the student ministry. You are all amazing and going to do incredible things for the Kingdom of God as long as you keep focused in prayer and seek after God in every area of your life. To the students: You have all impacted my own walk with God tremendously. The week of camp we had will go down as one of the greatest moments in my life. To see the Lord work in you guys throughout the week and to actually see the heart change was incredible. I'm so glad God called some of you into a relationship with Him and others of you into full time ministry or missions. You all have the ability and potential to rock a generation with the Gospel of Christ! Stay focused, stay obedient, and trust that God is in control. The journey He takes you on is so amazing and worth every tear and heartbreak...even the tough lessons you will learn. To everyone else that walked into my life here at Valley, I appreciate your kindness and love.

Sometimes our expectations don't line up or our personal preference gets in the way. Other times, God just calls you elsewhere and you don't understand the unknown questions or reasons for why He does things. The only requirement of me is obedience. God is more concerned with my obedience and character as a follower of Him than where I do ministry. The same is true for you. It's not about who leads but about following the ultimate leader, Jesus Christ. God wants all your heart. Not half, not 99%...all of it! Are you willing to give up the fancy things, the friendships, and your 'rights' to walk with Christ and obey Him in every area of your life? I can't control how people will think of me or what they will say but that's not for me to be concerned about. I don't know why God does or allows the things He does but who are we to question Him or claim to know how He works? (Isaiah 55:8-9) It just comes down to trust. I wish you all the best! I am always a phone call or Facebook message away. Much love, Cory!

Con or Man

Lately I have been religiously watching the show White Collar. It's about a former con man turned FBI consultant named Neil Caffrey. In season 2, there is a scene where Neil is contemplating his old lifestyle when one of his friends says, "You can either be a con or a man, but you can't be both." It was a simple sentence but it completely changed the thought process. He was given a choice: either to fall back into his old habits; lying and stealing for his own benefit or continue in the lifestyle that gave him new meaning to his life, one that was filled with honesty and responsibility for his actions.

The same is true with Christianity. There are many people who claim to be Christ followers yet their lifestyle rejects Him. The choice is extremely simple: either keep living in sin with guilt and the 'not good enough' falsehood, going back to momentary pleasures that never satisfy or surrender your life to Christ; depending on Him for grace, love, and guidance. I say the choice is simple because it is. We often get caught up in the 'things' you must give up or the so called 'rules' that you think you have to live by, but the choice is still simple. You see, when you understand the cross and what Jesus did for you, love begins to make sense. You realize that you can't earn your salvation and your heart begins to soften. Then God begins to change your wants and desires to match up with His. The Bible isn't a rulebook, it's the guidebook to life and life to the fullest. You either are going to make the choice to reject Christ or accept Him, but the choice must be made. The choice is simple, the process will be difficult, but the reward is eternal. You can either be for God or against Him, but you can't be both!

When you live a life above reproach with full integrity, people notice. One of the greatest defensemen of all time is current Detroit Red Wing captain Nick Lidstrom. In fact, not only is he great at what he does but he has the entire leagues respect. Coach Mike Babcock is quoted saying this about him, "I think the number one most impressive thing about Nick Lidstrom is the kind of man he is and when you see him around his family, around his teammates, and in the community, how can anyone that good be that humble."

What type of person are you?

Fan Mail - By Shaun Groves

I was twenty-four and I knew everything. I had a diploma from a university where I’d studied music composition.
I moved to Nashville to save the Christian music industry – starting as an unpaid intern wearing a tie, making copies at a music publishing company. But someday, I thought, I’ll ditch this suit, and get paid to write better music than what’s on the radio.
“It’s not art,” I’d preach.
Art was god.
Then, one day I saw Joel Lindsey in his writing room down the hall from my office, reading a piece of paper and sniffling. It was fan mail sent to him by someone who loved those radio songs. God had used a song Joel had written to comfort the letter writer – to partially mend what was broken inside her.
It’s a mistake to appraise the value of a created thing on the basis of my ability to appreciate it rather than God’s ability to use it.
“Art” is a moving target, with a relative definition at best. “…the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.”
Significance?
Ultimate significance – Christian significance – isn’t found in chord progressions, simplistic or complex. Or production techniques, vocal timbre or range, instrumentation, rhyme scheme or metaphor. Ultimate value is measured in the secret spaces of the heart and mind, and across the span of eternity, by the Creator of us all.
How immature and unloving to turn love of “art” – however we define it in this culture and generation – into disrespect and disdain for one another. Or an entire industry. God, forgive me.
If only we could read everyone’s fan mail.

Actions Of Deceit

One of my favorite hip-hop artists, Andy Mineo, raps in his latest hit Whatever Comes, "I wrote this on Good Friday, but why they call it good? An innocent man was beaten and nailed into wood. It's only through the lens of grace we see, who that really should have been hanging from that tree, who the nails should have been put it...me." It's a reality that we often take for granted until this week every year. Those lyrics made me think a lot about how we deceive ourselves. It's only through grace that we see what Jesus did for everyone yet how often do we try to earn it? Actions are important but many times we can be deceiving, trying to prove to others that we are 'good' people. If you don't truly believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9), the cross means nothing to you. "Live the Cross, it ain't a chain or design cause sin is whack; don't wear one on your chest if you don't bare one on your back." (Andy Mineo, Pick It Up)


Dr. H. L. Wilmington puts a little perspective on it and paints it this way. "Imagine yourself in the vicinity of the Garden of Gethsemane on a warm April night 2,000 years ago. As you watch, a man walks up to Jesus and begins kissing Him. You would probably conclude, 'How this man must love the Master!' Shortly after this you are shocked to hear another man bitterly cursing Christ. Now your conclusion would be, 'How this man must hate the Master!' but both times you would be wrong. Judas, the man who kissed Christ, really hated Him, and Peter, the one who cursed Him, really loved Him." We've all made mistakes but grace is what brings us to the all-knowing, all-powerfull, all-forgiving Father. You either hate Jesus or you love Him. There is no in-between!

Betrayal

There are a lot of circumstances in life that bring a lot of pain. Pain that makes you weaker than the flu. Pain that turns your stomach, hurts your heart, and brings you to your knees. Loneliness is the only word that describes your feelings, even when supported by good people. I think we all have experienced different levels of pain, some much more extreme than others. Death is one, but I believe the worst kind of pain is that of betrayal. We see all kinds of different levels of betrayal in life. You see them in friendships, in love relationships, in marriage, with co-workers, with teammates, and in leadership. It leaves scars, unforgiveness, and bitterness. It brings you to a place of brokenness and grief with uncertainty of the future. This is the place that makes you or breaks you...

Here's a promise: Your grief will turn to joy! Jesus came to save the broken, the people in need! I think sometimes we forget how much Jesus experienced. He was betrayed by one of His disciples. Mark 14:34 Jesus says, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," because He knew what was about to happen. Jesus knows what you are going through. Kenny Luck says, "Leave room for the miraculous God that, with ease, creates and calls into being things which do not previously exist. You keep your eyes on Him and when your eyes and heart tell you 'it's over', just remember everyone said that on Friday and then Sunday came. He specializes in resurrection from the dead because when the dead rises, God gets all the credit." Your Sunday is approaching. Your test is happening and Jesus wants to know if you will stand firm when everything has collapsed around you. Do you trust Him? "Stand firm, and you will win life" (Luke 21:19). "If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all" (Isaiah 7:9). "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Your rescue is coming, hold on!

The Fall

It's quick and easy to fall into sin. There's that brief moment to react to circumstances in our lives, and if we get it wrong it can cause a downward spiral into destruction. There's that saying that says it takes years to build up character and only a moment to tear it down. That is very true. That is why it is so important to stand firm in Christ and have the truth of the Gospel embedded in your heart.

Sex sells. You see it everywhere! Companies that have nothing to do with females, have women in loose clothing advertising their products. It is something that we will never get away from. For guys, the temptation of women has been around since the beginning. Just take a look in Genesis. Genesis 3:6 shows that Adam had an opportunity in the garden right after Eve fell into temptation. He had the opportunity to follow what God said and obey, or eat the fruit that Eve gave him. There was a moment in the garden where Adam had to choose. This moment played a pivotal part in humanity as Adam followed after a woman instead of the truth of Christ. Man has been chasing after woman ever since and it is something that we will constantly have to battle. It is so easy to get distracted and carried away from the plans that God has for you if your focus is on the opposite sex and not on God first. Don't allow yourself to be consumed by someone to the point of compromising your relationship with God. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." When your relationships are God honoring, He blesses you in incredible ways.