.:capital christian center:.

Looking For What God Is Doing

Cheryl Bangs | Looking For What God Is Doing | Tuesday, April 22, 2008 4:48 PM | No comments available

Spring Time!

Spring time is a lovely time of year. There is just something about the season that is life giving. After the cold, dark days of winter, we come to the bright, warmer days of spring. Everywhere we look, God’s nature is saying – New Life! Incredible!

I awake in the morning and the birds that have been away during the winter are back and singing a new song. I look at the plants, appearing barren during the winter, now sprouting with new buds and green everywhere. The color palette that is around me is amazing. Beautiful. All around us – God has placed beauty – we only need to stop and observe it and take it all in.

The seasons of each year are like the seasons of life. There are times of winter for all of us. These are days of what appears as barren and still. But all the while God is at work in us, because spring time will come. And what He was doing in the winter, will reap a harvest of beauty in the spring.

In the winter months, you may feel like no one knows your pain. No one knows your loneliness or how insecure you now are due to a sudden life change. It may be true that no one around you knows, but I have found a need to add to that thought – No one knows, but Jesus.

David makes mention of this truth many times in the Psalms.

Psalm 31:7 (TLB) “You have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis in my soul.”

Psalm 56:8 (NLT) “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

I am experiencing these scriptures as a reality in my life. No longer just a verse from the heart of David but now a verse that I have adopted to get me through day to day.

I love that God is true to His name – FAITHFUL. He is a GOOD Shepherd; He cares for us because we are His own. He is always there, to carry us, love us, comfort us and forgive us.

So as I sit in my own backyard and hear the soothing sounds, the water fountain, wind chimes and the birds, as I look at the beauty in the color of each rose, and each climbing vine, as I see the light show from the solar butterflies, I am reminded that a new season is upon me and I will purpose to take it all in and embrace it completely.

Isaiah 43:19 is a verse that my children and I have adopted for our family this year.

“For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”

Will you join us in looking for what God is doing?

Disappointed!

Cheryl Bangs | No tags assigned yet | Thursday, February 07, 2008 11:01 PM | No comments available

Disappointed

Dare I say it; dare you ponder it?

Have you ever been disappointed with God?

I recently heard someone say in a public prayer that because God is so good to us, we know there is never any disappointment with or in God. I had to take my seat on that one, get out my pen and start writing.

Here’s what was going on in my heart and mind at that moment. Three years ago, I was a very happy, contented woman. Life was really great – my husband and children were in great relationship, my grandkids were healthy and whole. We loved God and lived our lives to reflect that devotion and belief. And then, in just a moment’s time, my world was drastically changed. My soul mate, friend, and dream- sharer was gone. Not only was MY world altered, but my children no longer had that earthly father they loved and the grandkids will never really know the love of this man they called Papa.

In all honesty, I am disappointed with God and the path He has allowed my life to take. Some may think that by making that statement, I must have lost not only my husband, but also my faith. Let me assure you, my faith is strong, but the questions are just as strong.

I am grateful that God is faithful. He is present and constant, and if not for that I would have already given up. Yet, even with these attributes of His character active in my life, the way has not been easy to accept or navigate.

Why is it or how does it happen that we buy into the idea that if I do right and make right choices, my life will not encounter crisis?

I think of the words of a song by Rascal Flatts (not a “Christian” piece- I know) that says:

You waved your hand and it was done
Said let it be and there it was
A mountain so high it broke through the sky
A canyon so deep it’ll bring a man to his knees
I’ve seen what you can do
Seen you make miracles and hopeless dreams come true
You made the heaven and the stars
Come on how hard could it be . . .

A large group in our world today acknowledges that God is able – He has the power, yet even with His ability, we are still allowed to suffer.

Here’s what I have come to know in a new way. God has a plan, and we may have to come to the realization that what I think is a good plan, even a promise to the righteous, may not work out the way I envision. I believe there are others who have walked before us that perhaps were disappointed with God. Take a look at Psalms 88. I could reference more but you get the picture.

The real question isn’t “Have you been disappointed with God?” but rather “What do you do when you are disappointed with God?”

I have chosen to go back to the core of my very foundation. I have found a great strength coming from the Word of God that is in me. How thankful I am that there has been living water already deposited in the deep well of my being. The truth of His Word is what is helping me through. Here’s a sample of what I have been drawing from:

Jeremiah 29:11 God has a plan for my life, a plan for good and not evil . . .

Psalm 139 every day of my life has been ordained by God. . .

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. . .

Habakkuk 3:19 The sovereign Lord is my strength. . .

Romans 8:28 We know all things work together for good to them that love the Lord. . .

Romans 15:13 – May the God of your hope so fill you with joy and peace. . .

You know I have been disappointed by many things, friends and family in life and that hasn’t changed my love for them. Why should my disappointment in a plan God has allowed change my love for Him?

It shouldn’t and won’t.

The Gifts of a Godly Person

Cheryl Bangs | The Gifts of a Godly Person | Wednesday, December 19, 2007 7:47 PM | No comments available

The focus in our life this month is Christmas. Christmas is a time that we celebrate the birth of our Savior "Jesus Christ" and God's gift to us of eternal life. We play that out in many expressions. One of those expressions is to give gifts to family and friends. The traits of a godly person are the best gifts you can give others. The following acrostic can be helpful as we look at being a gift.

G- Grace
Grace is defined as a disposition to be generous or helpful, goodwill. Grace comes from a humble heart. Possessing an attitude of goodwill is an attribute of a godly person. Now, not everyone is naturally bent toward goodwill or generosity. These are character traits of Christ, and for the person who desires to be known as a good representative of Christ one must seek this disposition.

James 4:6 (21st Century King James Version): “But He gives more grace; therefore He saith, ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.’"

But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, “God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).” [Prov. 3:34]

I - Integrity
Integrity is acting morally. It is the quality of a person's character. Synonyms are honesty, uprightness, wholeness, purity, sincerity and goodness. Integrity is more than just honesty, it is the combination of the synonyms - a life lived with these character traits. When integrity is compromised, it’s at risk of being lost.

Psalm 25:20-22, “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.” When we build our lives on integrity we can depend on God's protection.

F - Faith
Faith is belief, trust in and loyalty to God. It is having complete trust in God. Hebrews 11 is the faith chapter of the Bible. It starts like this: What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old, because of their faith.

T - Trust
Trust is both an emotional and logical act. Emotionally, it is where we expose our vulnerabilities to people, believing they will not take advantage of our openness. Logically, it is where we have assessed the probabilities of gain and loss, and concluded that the person in question will behave in a predictable manner. In practice trust is a bit of both. I trust you because I have experienced your trustworthiness and because I have faith in you. We feel trust. Emotions associated with trust include companionship, friendship, love, agreement, relaxation, and comfort.

Everyone of us needs to have people in our lives that we can trust, but my question to you is are you that person for someone else? Do others trust you? A godly person is a person who can be trusted. They can be trusted because they value the confidences of others, and have placed "trust" in Christ, and out of that relationship they live.

King David said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. Oh God, I praise your word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” (Psalm 56:3-4,11).

S - Simple
A godly person asks God to show them where to spend their time and energy. They set their boundaries and keep life SIMPLE by focusing on the things that really matter.

There are many things that we can be involved in, but a godly person will learn how to pick and choose, so that life is lived with intention, passion, and purpose, not confusion, crazy drama and in a constant state of emergency. A godly person is one who is balanced. Balance can only come from spending regular time with Jesus and allowing Him to be not only your Savior, but Lord of your life. One of my favorite scriptures is John 10:10: “The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”

Living life to the full can only be realized when I am asking the one who has promised me a full life how I am to live. There are many GOOD things that we can do – but good is the enemy of GREAT. What are the best things that you are to be involved in or be focused on?

Staying in personal relationship with Christ will allow us to live our lives focusing on the things that Christ knows will make a "FULL" life for us.

Ps. 139: 3, 5: “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.”

I find myself asking the question, “God, who are you that you can both precede and follow me?” How amazing is that – I should never live my life ruled by fear and confusion – He has it all worked out. I must learn to engage my faith, my trust and let Him lead.

That is how I want to live, in such a personal relationship with Jesus that His hand of blessing is on my head. The scripture tells us that “a person’s gifts will make room for them.” If you seek to know the unique plan God has for you, at the end of your time you will be able to say, “I have run a great race, I have finished the course.

Be one who seeks to possess the GIFTS of a godly person.

Merry Christmas.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Cheryl Bangs | No tags assigned yet | Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:03 PM | No comments available

Thanksgiving: one day every year, the third Thursday of November. So, does that mean that we need only to give thanks one day a year? As I look at my life, I know one day with an attitude of gratitude couldn't be enough.

However, there have been many seasons and days when it was difficult to express an attitude of gratitude; times of personal crisis, loss of a loved one, challenges with family members, loss of employment, and continued illness.

I have had to figure out how to be "thankful" in the midst of less than desirable cirrcumstances. It has been a journey that still continues; one that has taken much soul searching , alot of prayer, reflection and reading of Scripture. I can relate to Paul when in the Scriputre he says: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." (Philippians 4:11)

There are days when this attitude is easier displayed and lived out than others but I press on. Deep in my heart is the desire to trust in the Lord, lean not to my own thinking. This too is a process. There is often a battlefield in our minds and with God's help we can win that battle.

Phillipians 4:8 is a great instruction sheet from Paul for this that it has helped me greatly. It says:

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Thanksgiving - you bet! I have a relationship with a loving God who has promised that he won't leave me, and he won't remove anything from my life that is essential for me (that one makes me ponder, but it is truth), I have an awesome immediate family who all love the true God and are friends with one another, I have many great friends who have chosen to stay close to me on this journey called life - helping me weather the storms, I live in America and have great freedom, I enjoy my job and have a passion to help people become all they were destined to be. And I have a new little puppy who is so sweet and cute! She is a constant presence in my lonely moments.

Today I can agree with the statement of Paul in Philippians 3:12, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of for me."

Thanksgiving - not just a holiday but a lifestyle!

Destiny

Cheryl Bangs | No tags assigned yet | Tuesday, October 16, 2007 12:52 PM | No comments available

Destiny.

What is it and how do we find our way to it?

Webster defines it this way:

Destiny - The inevitable or neccessary lot to which a paticular person or thing is destined.

The scripture says it like this: I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to give you the future you hope for." Jermiah 29:11 (The Message)

I often find myself wondering what my destiny is. There have been times of my life in which I felt like I was fulfilling my destiny and then times when I wondered when I would ever sense "fulfillment" again. What I have learned is that life is full of seasons and with each season there can be a mix of emotions.

In the season of questions, I have learned to hold on to the truth of God's Word. He does have a future for me, it is a good future and I can have hope for the tomorrows.

I heard a speaker recently share these truths and I would like to pass them on to you.

Here's what God says:

You are loved
You are accepted
You are approved
You are gifted
You are called
God is well pleased with you

Today I am confident that God has a plan for each of us, a destiny if you will, and no matter what life throws at us, we can walk in such a way that the destiny will be fulfilled. And if God has given me a destiny, as long as I hold on to Him, He will continue to work in me and my life until He can fulfill the calling He has placed in me.

Life does have some rough waters but could it be that our darkest hour could turn into our brightest hour?

Will you join me in continuing to pursue the call, destiny, that God has on your life?

Together Discovering Our Destiny,

Cheryl
Small Groups Community Pastor