Do you have a church where your gifts are encouraged?

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The High Calling

FB team member Dena Dyer here. Like many people, I've been thinking a lot about Whitney Houston, whose career started with singing in her church, and today I'm amen-ing the wisdom in this piece from UrbanFaith called "The Missing X Factor." I especially love the ending: "We would all be closer to achieving greatness in whatever our particular pursuit in life may be if we had a regular opportunity to practice it, and if we heard the words of folk who love us encouraging us when we mess up: 'That’s alright now, take your time!'" Do you have a church where your gifts are encouraged? If so, how? If not, how could you encourage them to let people's gifts be more fully expressed?

The Missing X Factor

www.urbanfaith.com

Forget ‘American Idol.’ Where’s the church? Why local congregations need to reclaim their function as a training ground for young musicians.

said by Cindy Rushton this morning on her FB page:

said by Cindy Rushton this morning on her FB page:
Did we homeschool so our children would value education more than anything in this life? No. We homeschooled our children first and foremost so they would value relationship first and foremost. Relationship with God, family, church, friends, the world--first. Today, I am so blessed to see both of my children with a priority for relationships. A priority for family. An education is nice. Books are nice. But, it is all empty if education is the mark. An education should first prepare our children for LIFE. The main thing God created us for is relationship. Anything else is a cheap substitute that will bring emptiness. God, give us Your vision, Your priorities, Your best. When we seek YOU first, all these THINGS are added. Help us to see clearly what YOU want in all things and never settle for less than your best.

Does God allow or cause suffering?

Doing some research on this question.

1.  Does God cause suffering or does He allow it? http://ericcarp.blogspot.com/2007/04/question-4-does-god-cause-or-allow.html

2.  In the Midst of Pain -  http://thegodjourney.com/2012/02/17/in-the-midst-of-pain/
Do we have to go through suffering to be shaped by God? Prompted by a question on a blog comment, Brad and Wayne talk about the tension between finding God’s presence in the midst of our troubles and difficulties, and thinking God brings suffering in our lives to teach us something. While God does not orchestrate our sufferings to help us grow, he does promise to be in them when they come to teach us how to live beyond the realities of this age by living deeply in his love. Rather than live in fear of future sufferings to come, we can simply live in his love every day, whether that is in easy times or painful ones. Suffering on the outside does not have to destroy us on the inside.

3.  "THE PROBLEM OF SUFFERING" - Who Or What Causes It?   http://executableoutlines.com/suf/suf_02.htm

4.  Why Is There Suffering? -- http://bible.org/article/why-there-suffering

5.  Does God directly cause suffering... http://kenschenck.blogspot.com/2011/05/does-god-directly-cause-suffering.html

6.  Thoughts from my conversation with two brothers in Christ:

We often tie our suffering to God’s judgement on us.  And the two are not related.  Our sin and our life here on earth have consequences.  But the bad things that happen to us, the diseases and such are not God’s judgement against us, they just are what they are.  They happen.  Sh*t happens.  But God does not do it to us as a judgement against us and our sin. 

And just because we are Christians does not mean that our physical and earthly life will be perfect/pain free/all wonderful.  God protects our soul, the spiritual part of our self but the physical part of us is subject to earthly matters.  If we sin, there are consequences.  If we live on earth, there will be pain, disease and suffering, it is a fact/a reality that cannot be escaped.  But as a child of God, God walks with us through our pain and suffering.