PRAYER: Human Doers vs. Human Beings

“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a LIVING BEING.”

— Genesis 2:7

One of my consistent prayers for FCC leadership has been to have strong abiding relationships with the Lord individually, in order to make an impact corporately.

Photo by Lani Darden

It is evident in the light of these circumstances that we are a Church of not just “human doers,” but “ human beings." We can all “do” a lot to help others in need and that is impactful, but when we are “being” who God creates us to be in our souls, then what we “do” is more than just a physical impact... it is eternal!

Thank you for being a Church that is being a living sacrifice, finding your strength and power in him, that you may serve from his strength and not your own. There is much soil being cultivated right now, and I am excited and anticipate much fruit in the days to come! Blessings to all!

-Lani Darden
Office Staff-Member at FCC

Bread Alone

“He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

— Deuteronomy 8:3

With everything going on right now, I think it’s understandably easy to forget that we are in the season of Lent, the 40 days of fasting and discipline before Easter. I, myself, accidentally and absent-mindedly ate takeout orange chicken this past Friday even though I had made “No-Meat-Fridays” part of my Lent fast. 

Mea culpa.

Funny enough, even though the days are all blurring together for some of us and causing us to forget what day of the church calendar it is, much of what is going on is still making us experience the true meaning of the Lenten season.

Think about it: what are some of the things we have given up over the past few weeks? Watching sports on TV? Spending gratuitous amounts of money at Starbucks? Heading out to Guitar Center to stare longingly and covetously at all of the musical gear that I can’t afford?

Was that last one just me?

However, think about it this way as well: what are some of the things that we have taken up over the past few weeks? More time with family? Helping those around us with their grocery shopping? Walks and bike-rides outside (with small groups of people, of course)?

A forced (but still beneficial) time of sabbath?

The 40 days of Lent are meant to commemorate Jesus’ time in the desert fasting and confronting Satan (“the tempter”). Matthew 4:1-11 shows us that Christ’s first temptation was to break his fast. Jesus was fully capable of turning stones into bread as his tempter commanded him to, but rather than succumbing to temptation, Jesus quoted and acted on a short section from the book of Deuteronomy: “... man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Jesus performed many food-related miracles while on Earth: changing water into wine and turning a small snack into a feast for 5000+ people just to name a few. He could have easily turned that stone into bread, but Christ took comfort in being in the presence of the Lord and following his commandments. He knew that what the Lord had in store for him was better and more beneficial than anything that humankind can dream up.

Present circumstances are inconvenient to say the least, but now more than ever, we as the Church have been called to give up our temptations and idolatries and trust the Lord as Christ did in the desert. We must remember that God’s plans are far and away better than anything we have in mind.

To paraphrase the book of Deuteronomy: “... man does not live on sports or Starbucks or boutique reverb pedals that would totally sound perfect with my Fender Telecaster alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

To catch our Lent verse of the week, follow @fccbrea on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter:

-Travis Morrill
Communications and Facilities Administrator at Friends Community Church

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

— Matthew 5:13-16

This morning as I continued in my Rooted study (even though our group is not meeting), I was so gently reminded that God’s people are called to be the salt and light of the world. We are called to show Christ’s love through our daily lives and interactions. This calling has not changed or altered due to our current circumstances. If anything, the call is stronger!

Photo by Lindley Webster

For salt to be effective for its purpose, it must be used. The salt must be rubbed on the food for preservation or placed on a wound for healing. Salt is not effective sitting on the shelf. Similarly, we must be present and active in the lives around us. We must be bold to strike up conversation, share our story in Christ, show compassion to a hurting neighbor and make it evident that Christ’s love is available to an unbelieving family member. Our genuine love, peace and faithfulness through Christ must be evident as we interact with the dear ones around us. We are called to be the salt of the earth.

Light is strategically placed for it to be used to the fullest. Whether placed on a hill or quarantined at home, our placement is ordained by our heavenly Father. Those who have been placed in our lives are there for a purpose. If our light, Christ’s love through us, is shining bright others around us will see it!

So be present in your current situation. The Lord wants to use you to further His kingdom. As Rooted so beautifully states; “As Christians, our purpose is to love those people (those who are placed in our lives) the way Jesus loves them- with generous compassion, scandalous grace, and undeniable truth.” I prayerfully encourage you to be present and invest in the lives that have been placed in your path. Be the salt and the light you have been called to be.

 -Pastor Darcy Webster
Associate Pastor of Operations and Pastoral Care

Reconciliation

*Before reading this devotional, please read Philemon 1:8-21 (a relatively short passage) in your Bibles at home or by clicking here.

Have you ever considered how many times you have ever asked for forgiveness? Just consider your spouse. There are multiple times a day when I have asked Monica to forgive me for something I have done or said. At work there are times when I have to ask a customer to forgive me for something that happened in my store. Maybe our customer service was lacking, but since I am in charge it is my fault.

One of my favorite Bible stories is the prodigal son. Here is a young man who asks his father for his share of his inheritance. In a real sense he is telling his father, “I wish you were dead!" Now give me my money!” Fast forward to the end of the story, the young man comes to his senses and wants to come home. He has an apology prepared.

The message of Philemon is a message about reconciliation, making things right. Asking for forgiveness is tough. We have to admit our failures, our wrongs. We have to admit we hurt someone. And we need to be humble. But how hard is to give forgiveness? Maybe tougher. It’s easier to hold a grudge.

We do not know if Onesimus forgave Philemon. The apology of the prodigal son was never given. As he approached the family home his father comes running and embraces his son. The father forgives the son. How many people do you know that have disowned a family member and are unwilling to forgive?

Prayer: Help me to be like the forgiving father. Help me to reach out to family or friends I have disowned because I was unwilling to forgive.

-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church

Time Around the Table

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”

— Acts 2:46-47

Ben and I both grew up in homes where family dinners were of high importance. Even though Ben’s father was often away on missionary trips and my parents often tended to responsibilities at our restaurant, family gathering was still a regular occurrence. At our restaurant, family meals tended to be at the side picnic table in our pizza establishment (to answer your question, yes pizza is still one of my faves). Having dinner together allowed our family time to visit, catch up, connect and laugh!

As Ben and I began raising our own family, we both felt strongly that this tradition would continue…at least try to continue. We both greatly value this time with our kids. Ben and I love to catch up with one another as well as our children’s lives, what they learned, how they helped someone, or what made them laugh! Gathering as a family with good food is truly one of my favorite things in life.

As our children grow older and life and activities crept in, our family dinners got few and far between. I found myself needing to be very intentional to schedule this time for the family, but still it didn’t seem regular enough. I couldn’t help feeling like so much connection was being lost, especially with my teens.

As current events progress and effect almost every area of our lives, I pray that we see the blessing in having “forced” family time. As the verse from Acts (above) states, the early church regularly ate together, and out of that came praise and enjoyment. As I sat at the dinner table last night and as the conversation began to cause mass laughter, I felt overwhelmed with joy. Even amid uncertainty, the Lord provided praise, enjoyment, and connection with the ones I hold most dear.

My prayer and encouragement for you during this time is to invest, encourage, connect and enjoy with the loved ones around your dinner table.

-Pastor Darcy Webster
Associate Pastor of Operations and Pastoral Care