I Want to Say THANK YOU...

People often ask me what I love about Watermark and why I’ve chosen it as my church home. My answer is always, “I’ve never been a part of a church where I truly felt cared for until I came to Watermark. Here I've found the church body lives out their faith through transparency, community, accountability, grace, and compassion.” I realized this past Tuesday that I should also add generosity to that list. Before having a relationship with Christ we often live our lives consuming all we can with a “get mine” mentality, and taking/buying way more than we need. As we grow in Christ we start to give more, serve more, and love on others more intentionally.As I listened to JP’s message last Tuesday on generosity I had an overwhelming sense of gratitude thinking about all the people here that have been so incredibly generous to me since I started coming to The Porch/Watermark.

“Generosity meets the needs of others. Generosity is an investment in the Kingdom. Generosity comes from God.” –JP

So often we think of generosity as just being about giving money, but often times generosity is shown by giving of your time, engaging in conversation, and meeting people’s needs. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to a few people that have been so generous to me, and who continue to encourage and challenge me by the way they give to be more generous myself.

“GENEROSITY MARKS THOSE WHO KNOW AND TRULY BELIEVE THE GOSPEL.” -JP

Janet Godby- I haven’t known Janet that long, but from day one of meeting her I realized just how truly selfless she is. We were in the car together and I overheard heard her having a conversation with someone and anything they needed she would respond, “Sure! I’d love to help. Just let me know what you need.” Since then I have consistently seen her live this out. Janet constantly goes out of her way to serve others. She cooks for people, spends time listening to them, and even has made people cd’s of Christian music they can workout to. Thank you Janet for all you have done for me and how without even knowing it you’ve challenged me to give even more of myself to others.

Chris Gurley- We have served together here at The Porch and Chris has continued to stand out as a servant leader. He is someone who serves so much and does it often times without people knowing how much he is truly doing for this ministry and for others. He’s become a dear friend and is always there to check on me, pray for me, and even bring me coffee on days when I’m not feeling well or need a little energy. If you’ve ever been around him you probably too have a story about how he’s generously given of himself too. Thank you Chris for being such a great example of living generously, and giving so much to others.

Jonathan Pokluda (JP)- I couldn’t thank people and not include JP. One thing I love about serving at The Porch is the example JP is to us all. Not only does he share with us incredible truths every Tuesday night, but he leads us so well in giving us an example of what it looks like to follow Christ. As he spoke Tuesday I started thinking of the ways he has lived out this message of generosity. He has always been there to challenge me, answer emails, take time to talk through my questions, offer forgiveness, and encourage me to grow in Christ. He truly pours himself out into this ministry. Having served with JP for over two years and gone on two mission trips where he’s lead I am constantly in awe and challenge by the way he generously gives to all those he meets no matter where he is. Thank you JP for not just preaching a good message on generosity, but truly living it out as well.

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” –Proverbs 11:25

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” –Deuteronomy 15:10

I actually have an a very long list of people I could have included here including Melissa Rubin, Kiersti Orr, Lauren Godby, Joe Waters, Jon Lantz, and all of those I have the privilege of serving with at The Porch. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity and for being an example to myself and all those around you of what it looks like to live generously. I feel blessed, encouraged, and challenged at the way you have given, and love that we can follow your example as you follow Christ.

Here are some questions for us to continually think through:

What do I have to give?

We all have something whether it is time, money, food, extra clothing, a helping hand, a smile, and prayer. See Romans 12.

Why am I not giving?

Any reason you come up with is an excuse. We all have something to give and trust me when I say, you aren’t truly experiencing life until you are generously giving to those in your life. It brings much joy!

What are you holding onto so tightly that it will hurt if the Lord takes it from you?

“I've learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!” –Charles Swindoll

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Full of Life.

"Who is with us is more important than what we have or where we are."-A.T.

How true is that?! I love the people in my life that make the simple things that much sweeter. The ones that no matter where you are or what you are doing you know it's going to be a good time. I've found that those people are usually the one's "full of life". As I type that it's funny because I've never thought too much about the statement "full of life", but that actually could translate to full of the Spirit.

"The Spirit gives life..." -John 6:63

"...through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." -Romans 8:2

I loved Adam's question from Tuesday, "What would you do if you were confident that God was with you?" I started thinking about the friends in my life that seem full of life...full of joy and I truly believe that they too live as though God is with them always. It is so contagious being around these people that are full of love, joy, excitement, compassion, and laughter. Life is sweet being around them. Unfortunately many of us often let our circumstances dictate our happiness, forgetting that God is with us and has best for us. When any sort of adversity comes our way we pray that God would please change our circumstance, and when things are going well we start getting complacent and ask God for more. We continually look for and pray for God's blessings to satisfy us rather than God himself. Think about that statement for a second...we look for and pray for God's blessings (Him to change things, give us more of things) to satisfy us, rather than being truly satisfied with God himself. I'm not sure about you all, but that is pretty humbling to realize.

Do you truly believe that God is with you ALWAYS?

"Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authoiry in heaven and on eath has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" -Matthew 28:18-20

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you...The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." -Deuteronomy 31:6&8

"No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of you life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." -Joshua 1:5

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" -Hebrews 13:5

There was a long time where I couldn't wrap my head around this idea that God was always with me. That he would never leave me nor forsake me. It wasn't until I truly took the time to understand our Lord and his character that I was able to see that God has always and will always be with me through the good and bad times, and when I have a lot and when I have little (Philippians 4). I've learned that even the times when I felt completely lonely, broken, and helpless...God was there. He probably was sitting there broken hearted with me, saddened at the poor decisions I have made or others have made that have brought saddness. God was always waiting for me to turn to Him and trust Him, and once I did he has redeemed and restored every bad situation I've been through. He didn't change the circumstances or give me more worldly blessings, but He gave forgiveness, peace, and finally joy. I'm not sure what you may be going through, but I know God is with you always. Be satisfied in HIM, be full of LIFE!

"Here in the desert with you God is far better than the promise land without you...Anywhere with God is infinently better than anywhere without God."

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD...Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are thee. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, eve there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night aound me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

-Psalm 139:1-14

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Sacrifice for Freedom.

When you hear the word 'freedom' what are some of your first thoughts?

I'm sitting on top of a mountain in Vail, Colorado and can't stop thinking about how truly blessed we are, and how much we take for granted our freedom. Today as I hiked up the mountain to spend some quiet time with God the words 'free' and 'freedom' just kept coming to mind. Perhaps it was because I felt so free as I hiked, free of worry, free of a "to do" list, free to just climb, and obviously the freedom we are celebrating this 4th of July.

After I had some quiet time and started thinking about this devotional, I thought it would be fun to ask random people what they thought of when they hear the word freedom. Children seemed to answer either "I don't know", or "I get to do what I want". Our generation and the generation above us mostly answered along the lines of "the opportunity to do things", and one father even answered his son's answer of "I don't know" with "Son you do know. You get to play outside, and do what you like to to". The people in our grandparents generation that answered seemed to have a very different idea of freedom. Their responses were more similar to this, "The men and women who have and still fight for and protect our freedom", and my favorite response that got me thinking "SACRIFICE".

To be honest, we have a lot of work to do. I was shocked that children had no idea why we celebrate the 4th of July, and even more shocked that the parents weren't taking the opportunity to explain to their children, but rather the just encouraged them that they get to do what they want. We should be in such gratitude for those who fought for our freedom and continue to protect that freedom. This freedom we have isn't free...there is sacrifice.

The difference in the older and younger generations is that the older generations have experience great sacrifice, some in ways we could never imagine. While our generations far too often have the sense of entitlement. As I sat there spending time reading my Bible and praying I started to think of what my first thoughts would be if someone asked me about the word freedom. My answer would have been: incredible gratitude for our military, for the generations before us that have sacrificed so much and worked so hard, and more than anything freedom I have found in Christ. We've all experienced the freedom that comes from living in the USA, the land of the free and the home of the brave, but have you truly come to understand and experience the freedom found in Christ? Do you truly know what freedom is?

The Declaration of Independence says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that the are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

As JP went through part of Philippians 4 last Tuesday he also mentioned this idea of the pursuit of happiness and that it actually is a chase of happiness, and that would mean you are never happy in a way that satisfies. Contentment however would mean that you can be content whatever the circumstance may be. Paul (while in prison) talks about the secret of contentment and that it starts in the mind. Contentment will not ever come from what you have. It is a state of mind. Are you chasing happiness by just doing what you want? Or are you following Christ and finding freedom in Him in a way that no matter what comes your way you know that you have all you need in Christ, that God's got you, and are truly content?

"To the Jews who had believed him. Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be free?' Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'"- John 8:31-36

Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. He gave his life so that our sins would be paid for once and for all. (Romans 6) We have been given this right by our Creator to walk in that freedom, not freedom to just do what we want in ways that do not glorify Him, but rather freedom from sin and freedom to follow Christ and worship!

Father I thank you for the men and women who have given their lives to fight for and protect our freedom. I pray that you would continue to protect those still serving and be with their families. I humbly thank you for the greatest sacrifice of all, your Son Jesus Christ and the freedom we have in Him. I pray that you would continue to bless this country, not in a way that we would ever think we don't need you, but in a way that would grow us and bring us closer to you. I am forever grateful that we live in place where we are free to worship, and pray that we would be a light in this world for You. I pray we would never lose sight of the sacrifices made for our freedom. In Your holy name I pray ~Amen.

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