Friday, November 20, 2015

Remembering our history



Last Sunday Pastor Caz went through Psalms 77, where the writer laments God’s silence in the first half of the poem, and then in a drastic turn, he then chooses to focus on God’s deeds. There’s no explanation for the turn in the poem. There is no indication that God spoke to the writer. The writer just chose to change his focus. We can learn a lot from that approach. I loved how Caz shared some of his family history. We all have times when we feel as if God is silent and not answering our prayers. There is great suffering in the world.
            When we can, in our own lives and in the lives of our families, we need to remember the times God answered us. The times He spoke to keep us from riding a bike into the street. The time He guided us to the right job, or the right college, or the right neighborhood. The times He spoke to someone with addiction and a new path was chosen. The mornings we wake up in a warm house with a healthy family.
            Dark times are real. It is not always easy to have faith that God is listening. Let us remember those bright moments when we knew God heard our cries. Write them in journals, in documents, tell them as bedtime stories to your children or as part of holiday traditions. Post it to social media. Whatever it takes for us to remember the deeds of a God great enough to make water tremble. (Psalm 77:16)

Beth Kropf

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Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The Power in the Psalms




As a poet, the Psalms are especially significant to me. The Psalms are not about theology, they are about pouring out our hearts. For me, there is great catharsis in writing when I am grieving. People love sad songs and sad movies because it turns loss into beauty. I’m not suggesting that everyone start writing poetry, but find your own way to show your whole heart to God. Journal, pray out loud, whatever is natural. Or, claim words written by someone else. Here’s a wonderful song by Nichole Nordeman:
 
Camie has said to tell God when we are angry with Him. He already knows that we are. This kind of honesty is the only way to have an intimate relationship with God. It is a scary thought to bring grievances to a God so much larger than us. And yet without these conversations our relationship lacks authenticity. Let us find the path where we both have reverence for God’s power and authority but cry out to Him as children to a father. He’s listening. Beth Kropf
Camie has said to tell God when we are angry with Him. He already knows that we are. This kind of honesty is the only way to have an intimate relationship with God.  
            It is a scary thought to bring grievances to a God so much larger than us. And yet without these conversations our relationship lacks authenticity. Let us find the path where we both have reverence for God’s power and authority but cry out to Him as children to a father. He’s listening.
Beth Kropf

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

we're missionaries whether we like it or not



Caz’s message on Sunday talked about how the famous verse Jeremiah 29:11 was given to a people who were completely displaced and kicked out of their Promised Land.  God’s people were called to integrate into a new society, and God even shares that He carried the people there.  I might have argued that Jeremiah heard God wrong after hearing those words.
            We all have times when we feel out of place, and possibly that God has forgotten us. I clung to Jeremiah 29:11 when I was a scared college freshman living away from home for the first time. And I related to Caz’s experience of moving to Austin as being quite different, as I moved from California. It was lonely. And yet God had very clearly called me to this strange place.  After a while I began the immersion process Caz described. It was not the church where I first made close friends, but the poetry community. Not a fortress for Christians by any means. And yet this community is as vital as church to me, and my poet friends know me better than anyone I’ve gone to church with.
             We all live in an un-Christian world. We are all missionaries whether we like it or not. When our building is done, we will have greater opportunity to be a beacon in the community. Until then, our mission field is our neighborhoods, workplaces and community. We don’t need to hand out tracts. (What a relief, right?) Our calling is much greater: to build relationships, to listen and to point others to God through our own lives.
Beth Kropf

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Sunday, October 4, 2015

Forgetting What is Behind

"Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ... that I may gain Christ and be found in Him."  (Philippians 3:7,9)

Those are the words of someone who knew exactly what he wanted out of life.  And he was focused- he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of attaining "the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"-- including his past.  And Paul had a pretty difficult past to overcome: he was guilty of overseeing the deaths of the very people he was now trying to minister to.  Talk about baggage!  But he was determined that his past would not disqualify him, either from the GRACE and love that Jesus offers. 

Last Sunday Caz went over three areas that keep us tied to our past:
       GUILT  (over past sins)
       RESENTMENT  (towards others who have hurt us)
       REGRET  (over circumstances or mistakes we've made)

I have to admit that in my life, I have wasted much time and energy on all three of these-- mostly, regretting mistakes that I've made-- because the way I'm wired, mistakes are terrible and most mistakes were my fault and could have been avoided, if only....  Can anyone relate?

The wonderful thing about Christianity is that in our faith, REDEMPTION  is a very big word.  There is nothing in your history, in your life, that cannot be redeemed... as long as we're willing to give it to Him to work with.   All three of the problems that Caz mentioned have "antidotes" to them.   (I think of them as antidotes because these three- guilt, resentment, anger-- are poisons.  They poison our spirits, our minds, and everyone around us.)  The antidote to guilt is repentance-- available to all of us, regardless of what we've done.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins."  (1 John 1:9)   The antidote to resentment is forgiveness-- letting go and freeing yourself of bitterness that will poison everything in your life.   And regret has an antidote too- I love this one:  hope.  Hope!   In the life of a Christian, there is always hope-- because anything can be redeemed that we give to God.   HOPE tells me that going over my regrets, my mistakes, is a waste of time and actually dishonors God (as if my mistakes are too much for Him to handle?)

If you are one of those people, like me, who has spent too much time focusing on your past, your mistakes, regrets, whatever, I have a suggestion.  Every time as regret comes into your mind, and you hear the words, "If only..."  stop listening!  And instead replace those sorry, disabling words with two other words:   "BUT NOW!"   Now you are a "new creature in Christ."  Now your past does not have to define you.   Now you have unlimited possibilities... to experience GRACE and LIFE lived to the fullest- which is what Jesus promised us.

~Pastor Rick

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Fwd: "FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND"


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rick Koepcke <rkkrdad@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 2, 2015 at 12:28 PM
Subject: "FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND"
To: LiveOak-Church Blog <info@liveoak-church.org>


"Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ... that I may gain Christ and be found in Him."  (Philippians 3:7,9)

Those are the words of someone who knew exactly what he wanted out of life.  And he was focused- he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of attaining "the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus"-- including his past.  And Paul had a pretty difficult past to overcome: he was guilty of overseeing the deaths of the very people he was now trying to minister to.  Talk about baggage!  But he was determined that his past would not disqualify him, either from the GRACE and love that Jesus offers. 

Last Sunday Caz went over three areas that keep us tied to our past:
       GUILT  (over past sins)
       RESENTMENT  (towards others who have hurt us)
       REGRET  (over circumstances or mistakes we've made)

I have to admit that in my life, I have wasted much time and energy on all three of these-- mostly, regretting mistakes that I've made-- because the way I'm wired, mistakes are terrible and most mistakes were my fault and could have been avoided, if only....  Can anyone relate?

The wonderful thing about Christianity is that in our faith, REDEMPTION  is a very big word.  There is nothing in your history, in your life, that cannot be redeemed... as long as we're willing to give it to Him to work with.   All three of the problems that Caz mentioned have "antidotes" to them.   (I think of them as antidotes because these three- guilt, resentment, anger-- are poisons.  They poison our spirits, our minds, and everyone around us.)  The antidote to guilt is repentance-- available to all of us, regardless of what we've done.  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins."  (1 John 1:9)   The antidote to resentment is forgiveness-- letting go and freeing yourself of bitterness that will poison everything in your life.   And regret has an antidote too- I love this one:  hope.  Hope!   In the life of a Christian, there is always hope-- because anything can be redeemed that we give to God.   HOPE tells me that going over my regrets, my mistakes, is a waste of time and actually dishonors God (as if my mistakes are too much for Him to handle?)

If you are one of those people, like me, who has spent too much time focusing on your past, your mistakes, regrets, whatever, I have a suggestion.  Every time as regret comes into your mind, and you hear the words, "If only..."  stop listening!  And instead replace those sorry, disabling words with two other words:   "BUT NOW!"   Now you are a "new creature in Christ."  Now your past does not have to define you.   Now you have unlimited possibilities... to experience GRACE and LIFE lived to the fullest- which is what Jesus promised us.

~Pastor Rick

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Friday, October 2, 2015

"FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND..."

Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ... that I may gain Christ and be found in Him."  -Philippians 3:7,9

Those are the words of someone who knew exactly what he wanted out of life.  And he was focused-  he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of attaining "the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" -- including his past.  And Paul had a pretty difficult past to overcome:  he was guilty of overseeing the death of the very people he was now trying to minister to.  Talk about baggage!  But he was determined that his past would not qualify him, either from the GRACE and love that Jesus offers, or from the joy and privilege of ministering effectively.

Last Sunday Caz went over three areas that keep us tied to our past:
      GUILT (over past sins)
      RESENTMENT (towards others who have hurt us)

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

empty and pour



Caz’s sermon this morning was so important. In the series on happiness, Caz is talking about how if we seek happiness we will not find it. But if we search for meaning, we will find joy. I believe a couple of weeks ago he said that research showed that the parenting years left parents with a low level of happiness but a greater sense of meaning. This is clearly true for parenting, and also probably similar caring roles: teaching, nursing, ministry.
            Caz focused on the first few verses in Philippians 2, which was an invocation to be humble. I found it interesting what Caz shared about the Roman culture, and how it was focused on shame versus honor.   The focus was on how people were viewed by others. So for Paul to tell the Philippians to humble themselves was really drastic. Maybe today he would tell us to post unflattering pictures of ourselves on Facebook. I think an important distinction between shame and humility is that shame is often something others place upon us, and is often based on actions. Humility is a choice. Jesus and Paul chose to humble themselves. We choose to humble ourselves or not.
            Caz closed with the invocation from Philippians: Don’t seek empty glory. Empty yourself to be filled with God’s glory. Joy is found in emptying ourselves. Caz asked “What would it look like to empty ourselves to serve others?” The idea of emptying ourselves can be hard to grasp. But I think a good place to start is to think of pouring into others. For me it would be making my husband coffee, or doing any of the many chores that fall into his domain (good thing he doesn’t read the blog!). Any form of serving others is an act of humility. It says to the person served you are valuable, and I am putting your needs before my own. How much would our lives changed if we chose to humble ourselves and pour into others? What are we waiting for?
Beth Kropf
           

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Monday, September 21, 2015

WHEN HAPPINESS WAS A PT CRUISER

This series on happiness touches on a lot of areas in our lives-- most importantly, I think, what's worth going after?   What life goals are really satisfying?

For a lot of people, happiness involves getting things.  ("He with the most toys, wins.")   We probably know, theoretically, that it's not true.  But we often live as if it is true.   I know I did, for a long time.   Happiness for me was getting something I wanted-- and I wanted a lot!  And if I wanted it,  I needed it...  Can anyone relate?

Do any of you remember when Chrysler came out with the 2001 PT Cruiser?  It was different.  It was weird.  It was retro.  It was cool!   And hard to get (which made it even more cool.)  You had to order them and then wait months to get it.  Well, I was one of the first ones to get one.  It was so cool.  People would stop me at gas stations and in parking lots and ask me about my car.  One woman came up to me and said, "I'm so jealous!  I love your car!  I want one so bad!"  I loved getting those reactions.  I was happy!   When I took my son my son to school and we'd cruise into the circle drive of the elementary school, I'd hear his classmates say, "Mom!  A PT Cruiser!  They're so cool!  Can we get one?"   That made me happy.   I was cool and my son was cool.  

But of course, they didn't stay cool and unique forever.  Eventually they were everywhere.  I still loved my car but it wasn't... as cool.  The happiness factor diminished.  I knew it was over when I got out of my car in a parking lot and a 10-year-old boy almost sneered at me, "My grandma has a car like that."   That was the end of my cool driving days.

Happiness is always temporary.  No matter how much we want something, after we get it, the newness wears off and we need a new toy.  Joy, on the other hand, lasts much longer- because it's not dependent on circumstance.  And joy often comes, as Caz has said, when instead of searching for it we search for meaning, which leads to joy.  For me, the greatest joy I've found is in being here for my family and doing things for them.  It also makes me happy!  But it's not a happy that fades like the glory of a new car. It's the deep, warm feeling of satisfaction that comes when you realize you're utilizing the best part of yourself to serve someone else.  You are being the person God created you to be.  There is no greater joy on this earth than that.

Pastor Rick

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Monday, August 17, 2015

FAIRNESS vs. GRACE ---- We win!

Matthew 20:1-16  is titled, in my Bible, "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard."   I think it should be called something like, "The Parable of the Gracious Landowner."   As Caz pointed out Sunday, to the workers the issue was fairness:  when the guys who had only worked part of the day got paid the same as the ones that started in the morning, the ones who had worked all day cried "foul"--  "They began to grumble against the landowner."   But the landowner (who represents the Kingdom of heaven-- the "world as it should be") was demonstrating GRACE.

GRACE is a concept that's pretty foreign to this world's system.  Some people are even offended by it-- they think it means someone is "getting away with something"-- or getting something they don't deserve.  And actually, that is the whole point of grace:   we all are "eligible"  to receive something we don't deserve.   The Father-God is willing to let us "get away with" not paying for our sins... His Son took care of that for us. 

 Interestingly, children are especially concerned about fairness.  That's why grade-school kids love board games:  there are rules, and if you follow the rules, you might win.  But not  following the rules is "not fair!"  It seems like a lot of adults are stuck at this child-level of maturity-- more concerned about their perceived idea of "fairness" than about grace.  I have to admit, grace is messy-- it gets doled out to everyone, whether we think that person deserves it or not.  Because I tend to be naturally a little rigid and judgmental in my thinking, I've often struggled with the "unfairness" of what someone else seemed to be getting away with.   That's not fair....

But what I've discovered for myself is that there is a deeper issue behind this need for "fairness."  And that is...  fear.  I think people (like me) who have stubbornly held onto their need for fairness are fear-based.  And a fear-based system is founded on the belief that there is only so much to go around:  Only so many fudge brownies.   Only so much love.   Only so much freedom.  And if you get 55%, then there's only 45% left for me...  and that's not fair!  I need all I can get!  (of whatever it is.)  In this parable, Jesus was trying to show that in God's world, in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is plenty to go around.   No one gets left out.   No one gets shorted.   And.... no one gets what they "deserve"--    we all get a lot more!   There is more love, and grace, and freedom waiting for us all than we can probably imagine.  So... let go of your need for "fairness"... and step into the Kingdom world of extravagant GRACE.

~Papa Rick  (aka Beth's Dad)

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Friday, August 14, 2015

Follow, Believe and Obey



I enjoyed getting to hear from Jimmy Cazin (I hope that is the correct spelling) last week. He talked about how Jesus invited others to follow Him. With his disciples, he did not tell them to get their act together first.  Our church needs to be a place for people who are ready to follow Jesus. I think we would all be uncomfortable if someone walked into the service reeking of alcohol or seeming somehow unchurchy. A generation ago people went to church because it was what you did, whether you really believed or not. That doesn’t happen now.  So anyone who walks in is willing to be there, and we need to be ready to love that person without reservation. Because that’s how Jesus loves us.
            Pastor Cazin said that the next step after following is believing, and that the last step is obeying. Pastor Cazin pointed out that believing is easy, because it doesn’t require any change. Obeying is what turns the world upside down. The early Christians radically changed their world. They overthrew the government and changed society. They were not afraid of death. What could we do if we were not afraid? What could we do if we didn’t stay in the warm fuzziness of belief and Sunday morning worship?   
            Let’s Go!

Beth

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