For Those With Ears - Entries written by Amy Passafiume

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WedWednesdayMayMay1st2013 Hospitality
Posted Wednesday, May 01 2013 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
“Hospitality” – a word that sends shudders down the spines of many <grin>…I was one of those people, but I’m growing. You see, it’s not that I don’t like spending time with people, I love people…but having them into my home and "entertaining" seemed daunting (okay, sometimes it STILL seems daunting!).

I had this idea in my head that my home had to be PERFECT to receive guests – not so! My home simply needs to be comfortable so that people feel welcome. When I visit someone I’m not there to inspect their house, I’m there to see them…I should give my company the benefit of the doubt that this is their attitude as well.  Hospitality is much more about my heart than my home. Hospitality doesn’t have to mean elaborate five course meals with place cards and centerpieces! And it also doesn’t have to mean that it’s been on the calendar for a month or two (WHAT!?!) – it CAN be last minute or even unexpected…sometimes these are the sweetest visits.

God’s Word is pretty clear…let’s look at a few verses:

1 John 3:17-18
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Romans 12:13
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

1 Peter 4:8-9
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Seems to me like we don’t really have an excuse to get ourselves out of this! I recently heard about a couple at Harvest who are striving to invite a small group of people (from outside their small group!) over on Sunday evenings to share a meal with them because they want to get to know people more – how great is that!?! I am by no means a hospitality expert…but I’m working on it!!

Here are some simple and practical ideas that you could do to grow in hospitality:

1.    Pray – ask the Lord to put some people on your heart that you could show hospitality to…then be obedient when the opportunity arises
2.    Open up your home - invite someone (or a few people) over for a meal…if that seems a little too much right now there is nothing wrong with inviting them over for dessert and coffee…or even just a cup of tea!
3.    Make a meal (or some mini muffins). If someone has recently had a baby, had surgery or has been feeling under the weather, making them a home cooked meal and delivering it to them can be an incredible blessing and display of hospitality.
4.    Meet your neighbours. My mom was such a great example to me in this way. When new people moved onto the street she would bake them something and deliver it with a note that introduced our whole family, told them where we went to church in case they were looking for a church, informed them what day garbage pick up was and gave them our number in case they ever needed anything…this was a great bridge into our neighbours' lives. Have a bonfire and invite your neighbours. Bring them a meal if you know something is going on in their lives…by building the relationship it makes it easier to put an invitation to church into their hands!

If you have any other ideas please feel free to comment and share!!



WedWednesdayAprApril10th2013 What is your story?
Posted Wednesday, April 10 2013 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
We all have a story to tell whether we’re 16 or 86 - where we’ve come from, what we’ve experienced that has shaped us, funny childhood memories, tales of loss and disappointment…but the most important story that we have is the story of what Christ has done in our lives. I love stories…I love reading them and hearing them…so I’m super pumped for our next women’s event – “What’s Your Story?”

There are three incredible women who will each be sharing a bit of their story. These women love the Lord and seek to serve him with all that they are. You will be SO blessed to hear from them. I wasn’t going to, but I’ll tell you who they – Carly Ververs, Amber Steingard and Joyce Martin…so much passion, wisdom and love in these women. I’ll also mention that our very own Jenna Wickens will be doing a spoken word…this girl ROCKS. She’s told me a bit about what she’s working on. Oh I’m so excited!

Ladies, book this into your calendar NOW!

Here’s what you need to know:
  • The ladies from the Steingard small group are looking forward to hosting a morning that will allow you to connect with other Harvest women through a fun surprise adventure (don’t be scared!).
  • In order to be a part of the adventure you need to sign up in advance and make sure you have childcare lined up (yes, even for your babes!).
  • You will NEED to sign up in the lobby and pay your $5 on April 14, 21 or 28 (or by contacting Amy or Amber).
  • We’ll be meeting at Unity Christian High School (25 Burton Avenue in Barrie) on Saturday, May 4 at 10 a.m. SHARP.
  • This is a FUN and intentional event that would be great to invite friends to…so do that!
Looking forward to an exciting time with the amazing women of Harvest Barrie!

Amy

(I should also mention that women’s Bible studies are starting up again at the beginning of May! You can drop by their booth to sign up in the lobby on the same Sundays that you can sign up for the women’s event or check out the website for more information!)
TueTuesdayMarMarch12th2013 Marriage Sucks (the selfishness right out of me)
Posted Tuesday, March 12 2013 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
Great title right!?! ☺

I read a blog with this title at the end of last April when I was about two weeks away from my wedding. I remember reading it and at the time being somewhat horrified as I *skimmed* this blog, proudly thinking about how wonderfully selfless a person I was and how I couldn’t wait to serve Kevin as his wife. I couldn’t imagine ever getting frustrated by daily life stuff…I mean, I wasn’t naïve enough to think I was walking into a fairy tale but turns out some of those Christian romance novels didn’t really set me up for reality!

We got married May 12…I went back to work on May 17 and I think that was pretty much the day that REALITY hit (or sometime very soon after that). Here’s a pretty honest confession for you – I am an incredibly selfish person! Although, looking back I don’t think anyone was quite as shocked as I was about this self discovery. I can laugh about it now but I think I cried almost every day for the first month after I was married because the Lord was revealing sin in my life…selfishness like I had never seen before…and I desperately wanted to be done with it!

I can’t tell you (Kevin won’t tell you this either!) that every bit of selfishness has been sucked out of me…it’s still there…it lurks in dark corners of my soul and seems to spring out from me usually in really bad timing. But I see it a lot quicker now and once I’ve identified it I can call it out for what it is – SIN and I can confess it and ask the Lord to show me what’s  really going on in my heart at the root of this selfishness so that I can be done with that. Sometimes I can feel it rolling around inside me and can stop it before it pops out of my mouth (or eyes, or facial expressions etc.)…this is a very clear indication that the Lord is growing me and changing me – I am overwhelmed with gratitude for this!!!

Philippians 2:1-4 is a pretty fantastic passage:
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

I need to count Kevin (and others!) as more significant than myself…I’ve always known this but it’s different being with someone 24/7 <winks!>…I need to look out for other’s interests and not do things from a heart of selfish ambition. Today these words are much more of a challenge for me than they were a year ago…and I’m thankful for the challenge. My marriage is an incredibly sweet blessing and something that the Lord uses daily to teach, challenge, grow and reveal things to me. I am incredibly blessed with a very patient and gracious husband who I love working through life stuff with. Life sure is different these days…and I am thankful.
WedWednesdayJanJanuary30th2013 My name is Amy. I am an Over-Planner.
Posted Wednesday, January 30 2013 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
At the end of December I read a blog entitled “Overplanners Anonymous” – it didn’t make me feel great…it brought conviction, but not condemnation. The blog began with Proverbs 16:9 that says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

If we’ve spent more than five minutes together you know my *need* to plan…and I believe that the Lord has gifted me to be a planner…but there’s this balance that I don’t always do well at. You see, my need for planning can often find me holding the reigns of something far too tightly or has me running ahead of God telling him he needs to catch up…take a wild guess at how often that works out well for me!

So as I read this blog by Suzie Eller this line really hit me:

“My planning was less about organization, and more about worry. I felt more in control if I made lists because I felt like I was doing something.”

My immediate response was – "Oh, I’m way more about the organization, I’m not a worrier!"…but as I reflected throughout the day on Proverbs 16:9 and talked to Kevin about the blog, the Lord began to reveal my heart to me…and it wasn’t pretty. I like to be the one in control and planning often allows for me to feel like I’m in control. I’m not sure that worry is a root issue but it’s somewhere in the mix. The control thing is currently a work in progress…I’m enjoying the moments of freedom and victory that I’m experiencing but to be really honest there are painful, frustrating moments in working this out with the Lord.

Another point that the author of the blog made that struck a chord with me was that, “When we are trapped in excessive planning and things don't work out the way we want, it can create anxiety, frustration, or anger towards God.” Yep…been in that place…not fun. I KNOW that the God I serve is FAITHFUL and his plans for me are perfect, far better than anything that I could plan for. And so, I’m striving to reflect on God’s faithfulness daily, to include him more in my planning (let’s be honest – I still love my calendar and to do list!) and to quickly confess when I’ve crossed the line into "psycho planner". I want the Lord to plan my steps because we all know that things will just go better that way!

If you want to check out Suzie Eller’s blog you can find it here.
TueTuesdayJanJanuary8th2013 Resolutions - First Things Women’s Event
Posted Tuesday, January 08 2013 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
The Christmas season is over and most of us have probably given some thought to what we want the next year to look like. Some of us have prayed through, written down, found an accountability partner or discussed our resolutions for the coming year. Others of us have flat out refused to set ourselves up to fail <winks!>. But hopefully we can all agree that this year we want to see growth in ourselves:

→    growth in our depth of relationship with Christ, our families, our friends and our small groups as we grow in vulnerability and transparency;
→    growth in our personal disciplines;
→    growth in an area of our lives that we struggle in but long to be better in…
→    the list goes on.

Ladies, I want to invite you our women’s event on Saturday, January 19 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at TCS. This will be an event that will kick start your year and charge you up to get first things first. As women we seem to have a default setting to putting others first – which is GREAT! But we also want to make sure that we’re serving out of the overflow. You won’t want to miss Resolutions – First Things First.

The event is being hosted by the women of the DeBoer small group and they want to encourage and challenge you.  They’ve planned a super fun morning that includes a Zumba lesson from our very own Stephanie Marsh, a sweet photo booth, an opportunity to share tips and hear from others about "what makes your home run really well', a sampling of healthy shakes and treats (along with recipes to take home) and Tara Diamant will be sharing her story – I’ve heard it, you don’t want to miss it!

So here’s what you need to do:
→    Mark this date on your calendar (Saturday, January 19)
→    Invite a friend
→    Make sure to sign up in the lobby on January 6 or 13, 2013 or by contacting or …cost is $5
→    Plan for a morning of connecting with Harvest women and getting some helpful training for how to shape up physically, emotionally and spiritually, and learn a few ways to make Christ centred resolutions for the new year.
→    Saturday, January 19 wear your work-out ready apparel (we did say we'd be showing you some helpful ways to shape up physically!!).

Looking forward to a fun morning with some pretty fantastic women!

Amy

I should also mention that women’s Bible studies are starting up again at the end of January! You can drop by their booth to sign up in the lobby on January 6, 13 or 20 or check out the website for more information!
WedWednesdayDecDecember12th2012 Christmas - She said yes
Posted Wednesday, December 12 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 3 comments Add comment
“Breath of Heaven” is probably my very favourite Christmas song – I love reflecting on Mary’s character and role in history. Mary was an incredible young woman…she was chosen by God to carry his Son and instead of asking question upon question or protesting about how this huge life event might affect her plans she simply said YES to the Lord.

Take a moment and read her words from Luke 1:

46 And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
    For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
    from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
    and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
    in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
    to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

From these words it is apparent that Mary knew the Word of God and had hidden it in her heart. Her prayer in Luke 1 has at least a dozen quotations from the Old Testament. When we spend time in the Word we come face to face with God, we learn his character and most likely our heart is tuned to his.  The times when my heart is tuned to God’s are the times when I’m living most in surrender and obedience to him…and it is a sweet place to be.

I want to know the Word of God, have my heart tuned to his and be a woman who simply says "yes" when the Lord asks me to trust him and follow him. I love the example of Mary – a regular young woman who really wasn’t all that regular but certainly saw herself as regular.

Working on saying YES...
ThuThursdayNovNovember8th2012 Just PIN it!
Posted Thursday, November 08 2012 @ 8 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
Ladies –

…before you read any further - if you unaware of what Pinterest is, please check it out at www.pinterest.com (prepare for your life to change - hundreds and thousands of ideas about everything!).

As some friends chatted about Christmas (yay!) crafts, baking and all of our favourite things of the season an idea began to form and we decided to open our fun up to all of the Harvest women! And so you are all invited to take part in our “Week of Pinterest” that will take place Saturday, November 24 – Friday, November 30. If you want to do a Christmas craft (Pinterest inspired), baking (also Pinterest inspired) or just have an evening out celebrating your favorite things THIS is going to be a fun week for you!

Here’s how it’s going to work:

Throughout this week there will be different homes hosting an evening out. Each event can accommodate six to eight women so you need to sign up and pay in advance (booth in the lobby on Sunday, November 11 and 18) or by contacting and dropping your money off at the church office. Once you're signed up for an event your hostess will contact you with additional details.

You’ll need to check out our website (Upcoming Events) for more details as well as the options of what events are taking place on what evening so you can choose what you want to do.

We’re really excited for the connections that will be made as we spend time together in smaller groups and want to encourage you to invite a friend or neighbour to one of these events!

I’m looking forward to spending time with some of you and being crafty in preparation for CHRISTMAS ☺


TueTuesdayOctOctober23rd2012 McLellan Adventure Update
Posted Tuesday, October 23 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
When I was four I met a girl named Jen who lived down the road. Our moms were in a Bible study together (interesting side note – Kim Griffin’s mom hosted this Bible study) and we went to Timothy together. At the end of grade two Jen moved to Ottawa but we were still pen pals and would visit each other. We ended up both living in Waterloo when we were nineteen and I got to sing at Jen and Doug’s wedding. THEN a few years ago they moved to Barrie and we were able to be back in each other’s lives on a much more regular basis – SO thankful for Jen and her family in my life.

Now onto the update ☺

Back on June 4 Pastor Todd wrote this in the blog:

“Many of you are aware that the Griffin small group had put together a silent auction and dessert night on Saturday to raise money for Doug and Jen McLellan to install a wheel chair lift in their van for their son Sawyer. Well the auction raised about $15,000 which was amazing but left the family about $10,000 short. The original plan for the HOPE offering this Sunday was to give all the proceeds to Judi O'Donnell who had her home damaged by fire recently. Well the insurance company came through for Judi (The Lord came through for Judi) last minute which allowed the stage to be set for another miracle. Todd stood up and with absolutely zero notice, asked you to dig deep and provide the rest of the money for the McLellan's. Well, you pulled through in the clutch and raised just over $10,000!! How amazing is our Lord?!  Just so cool to see God work like that through people like us. This is a big day for our church.”

I know that Sunday, June 3 was a big day for Jen and Doug as well – they experienced the love of God through his people who gave generously to bless their family in a huge way. And the timing was amazing (all God!!) – Jen and Doug had found out only a short time before the fundraiser that the Lord would bless them with a new baby boy early in 2013, making lifting Sawyer a much bigger challenge for Jen. I love how God orchestrates his plans so perfectly and in such a way that he HAS to be the one to get ALL the glory.

So this summer the McLellans dropped their van off in Toronto for a few weeks in order to have the modifications done and are now enjoying the ‘luxury’ of having a lift in the van for Sawyer’s wheelchair. You can check out a couple pictures and a video that they made for their blog to see their ‘suped up’ van.

LOVING what God is doing in and through our church family.

 
WedWednesdayOctOctober17th2012 Contentment
Posted Wednesday, October 17 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I’ve been working on contentment again…reading bits and pieces of a book that challenged me deeply last summer. Ann Voskamp writes this in her book One Thousand Gifts - “We only feel one emotion at a time so it’s impossible to give thanks and feel fear or anger.” I so want to live in a place of gratitude to my great God…I don’t have a shortage of things to be overwhelmingly thankful for.

I wanted to be really intentional about developing this character quality of contentedness, of living in a place of gratitude so I’ve started to record a minimum of five things daily for which I am thankful. I started this last fall and did well for a few months but then got tired of carrying around an extra notebook and pen. This fall I downloaded the 1000 Gifts app for my phone and can input pictures or text – I love it…check it out if you’re up for the challenge.

1 Timothy 6:6-7 speaks to the idea of contentment - "But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world." If I can be content with Christ, my head won’t be turned to the “motorcyles” that so often cause me to leave a place of contentedness. When I truly lock down contentedness I will have peace despite any circumstance or trial that I find myself in – I will trust God’s faithfulness and provision in my life knowing that HIS way is far above my way…the things that he has blessed me with currently are more than enough for me.

It’s easy to write out, and I’m convinced that I WANT the end goal of being in that place of contentedness…but I know that the journey to get there may give me whiplash as I turn my head to look at the motorcyle and then (hopefully!) quickly turn my gaze back to the Lord…I’m pretty sure whiplash would be well worth the end result.
WedWednesdaySepSeptember19th2012 Hello, my name is...
Posted Wednesday, September 19 2012 @ 10 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
Confession time…lately there have been a few Sundays that I’ve looked around and not even recognized half of the faces in the lobby! I LOVE this because it means that new people are checking out Harvest but part of me really doesn’t like it because I want to KNOW who all these people are…and I want to make sure that they feel welcome and help get them connected.

The only real solution I see here is that I go out of my way to meet these new people…slightly awkward if they’ve been around for a few months BUT better to take that risk for a couple seconds of awkwardness then to continue walking past them Sunday after Sunday.

Ladies – on Saturday, September 29 at 7 p.m. we’re going to make this really easy for you. For our women’s ministry fall event the ladies of the Griffin small group are hosting an evening called “Hello My Name Is…” – the idea behind this event is to provide a great time of fun and fellowship. For those who perhaps tend to be quieter and more reserved you might be stretched a little but in a safe and comfortable way – we won’t make you do anything crazy or embarrassing, you have my word! And for those who love meeting people and tend to be more outgoing – you’ll just think that this is the best event ever!

This is a GREAT event to invite a friend to and while you’re at it invite them out to a Sunday morning at Harvest ☺.

You can sign up in the lobby or that you plan to be there by sending me an email!

Here is just a hint of how FUN this event will be!  (Tell your friends!)
WedWednesdaySepSeptember12th2012 The Grass Always Seems Greener
Posted Wednesday, September 12 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
The Grass Always Seems Greener

When I was 12, I got bored of my straight hair and got a perm (it seemed like a good idea at the time)…when I was about 15, I got bored of my brown hair and thought that being a redhead would be more fun…I think I’ve been comparing myself to others and wanting what others have for most of my life. I suppose if the only things I compared were spiritual matters it wouldn’t be such a hang up but I can be fairly petty at times – I compare myself to others on a wide spectrum of things that the Lord likely doesn’t want me wasting my time on.

I’m thankful that the Lord has grown me in this area over the past number of years and continues to work away on my insecurities as he reminds me who I am in him. We all have "stuff"…those areas that we just don’t feel confident in but that’s the beauty of the whole idea of HIS power being made perfect in our areas of weakness (1 Corinthians 12:9). I recently told someone that I see myself as a work of art that the Lord is creating – it’s just that I’m one of the weird abstract pieces that people don’t know what to make of yet <winks!>.

I read a Proverbs 31 blog (http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/measuring-2012-05/)  a couple months ago that reminded me of some sweet truths that I just need to cling to in the moments where I feel insecure and unsure:

I am accepted...
Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.
I am secure...
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from condemnation. I can't be separated from God's love.
Philippians1:6 I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me.
I am significant...
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I’m not there yet but I am becoming the woman that God has created me to be. The journey isn’t easy or painless but it’s a good journey and I’m thankful that I can see growth in my life. Also overwhelmingly thankful that I KNOW I am accepted, secure and significant in Christ. I can rejoice with others at the blessings in their life instead of giving into feelings of insecurity and desiring things that just aren’t that important.
WedWednesdayAugAugust15th2012 Problems vs. Purpose
Posted Wednesday, August 15 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I’ll be completely upfront about this – I am a huge Elisabeth Elliot fan. I don’t think I’ve ever read something of hers and not been pointed to the cross and pushed to examine my own life in light of the cross.

I don’t think I need to say much about the following article:

“The Bible does not speak of problems. As Corrie ten Boom says, “God has no problems, only plans.” We ought to think not of problems but of purpose. We encounter the obstacle, we make a choice—always with the goal in mind.

We are conditioned nowadays, however, to define everything as a problem…A group of young wives asked me to speak to them on “The Problems of Widowhood.” I declined, explaining in the first place that I did not regard widowhood as a problem, and in the second place that if I did I was not sure I had any warrant for unloading my own problems onto the shoulders of young women who had enough of their own, and in the third place a widow has only one “problem,” when it comes right down to it—she has no husband. And that’s something nobody can do anything about.

Life is full of things we can’t do anything about, but which we are supposed to do something with. “He himself endured a cross and thought nothing of its shame because of the joy.” A very different story from the one which would have been written if Jesus had been prompted by the spirit of our own age: “Don’t just endure the cross–think about it, talk about it, share it, express your gut-level feelings, get in touch with yourself, find out who you are, define the problem, analyze it, get counseling, get the experts’ opinions, discuss solutions, work through it.”

Jesus endured. He thought nothing of the shame. The freedom, the freshness of that valiant selflessness is like a strong wind. How badly such a wind is needed to sweep away the pollution of our self-preoccupation!”

~Elisabeth Elliot in “The Trail to Shandia”

Focusing on the cross and waiting on the Lord.
WedWednesdayAugAugust1st2012 Day Camp and Nine Things from Sunday
Posted Wednesday, August 01 2012 @ 8 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I love day camp - it's in my blood. I just couldn't stay away so yesterday I ventured out to TCS to pop my head in and see how things were going. I can't say I was surprised but the place was buzzing with excitement!! Parents chatting in the lobby, leaders loving on campers, campers making friends and worshiping Jesus - WOW - what a blessing to spend just 10 minutes in the building!! Let's be praying for the leaders, campers and their families - that lives would be impacted for Christ this week and that families would be saved!

I wanted you to be able to enjoy some pictures and this peek into what's been happening at camp so far this week - but first, from Pastor Mike, here are the nine things from 1 John that are proof of a person's salvation.

Nine things that prove a person’s saved from 1 John:

1. Communion with Christ 1 John 1:1-4

2. Confession of Sin 1:5-2:2

3. Commitment to God’s Word 1 John 2:3-6

4. Compassion for believers 1 John 2:7-11, 3:14-18, 4:7-21

5. Change of affections 1 John 2:12-17

6. Comprehension of the truth 1 John 2:18-27, 4:1-6

7. Conformity to Christ-likeness 1 John 2:28-3:10

8. Conflict with the world 1 John 3:11-13

9. Confidence in prayer 1 John 3:19-24, 5:14-15

Day Camp 2012:


ThuThursdayJunJune28th2012 Sitting at the Feet of Jesus
Posted Thursday, June 28 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
As I write this my holidays are mere days away…and I’m pretty excited about that. The last six months have been an amazing whirlwind…but a whirlwind nonetheless. I went on my first date with Kevin on January 1, got engaged on February 18 and got married on May 12…it has NOT been boring and I’m overwhelmingly thankful for this sweet gift and the blessing that my new husband is to me.

But the reality is that the last six months have turned my normally very orderly, planned, disciplined life upside down! I’ve had to work much harder than usual to ensure that my daily time with the Lord isn’t compromised. As I’ve (slowly) been adjusting to my new life and routine I’m finding a deep desire to just sit at the feet of Jesus and be still before him.

Amber recently wrote a blog about Mary and Martha – man, I want to be more like Mary! I’m so ready to have some time to just be still before the Lord…to spend some sweet time alone with the Lord – away from email, Facebook, text messages, housecleaning, meal planning, laundry and every other distraction that seemingly needs my attention.

Matthew West has a great song called Stop the World – these are some of the lyrics that my heart tends to resonate with from time to time:

Stop the world, I wanna get out
I need an escape away from this crowd
Just to hear you speak to me

I need to be still before I make a move
And I need to be humble with nothing to prove
And I need your Word to show me the truth
I need time, precious time

Psalm 46:10 is pretty clear that we are to be still and know that he is God…I’m not great at being still but I’m taking some serious time in the next couple weeks to very intentionally be still and sit at the feet of Jesus. Praying that you too will find precious times over the next few weeks to be still and sit at the feet of Jesus.
TueTuesdayJunJune26th2012 My words should be…
Posted Tuesday, June 26 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 1 comments Add comment
I love words…I love learning new words, playing games that involve words, reading words, using words to talk with people…but sometimes my words get me into trouble because I’m not always great at thinking about the effect my words might have before I open my mouth to speak them.

I’ve been aware for years that my words hold great power – I can build up or tear down with only a few syllables uttered. The Lord has been gracious to me and grown me in the area of words but I know I still have a long way to go as I seek to become more like Christ.

Last week a friend sent me a blog and out of that blog I picked four verses that I’m going to memorize this summer. I titled a page “My Words Should Be…” and have these verses hanging on my bedroom mirror as well as on my desk:

My words should be:

Edifying:
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29

Gentle:
"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1

Self-controlled:
"A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”
Proverbs 29:11

Compassionate:
"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32

There are a few women in my life who I really look up to when it comes to the words that they speak…these women are treasures to me – they challenge and encourage me by how they reflect Christ. I long to be like the woman in Proverbs 31:26 who “opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.”

Once again I’m looking at my heart and recognizing that the overflow of my heart is what pours out of my mouth…working to fill my heart with Christ and his word so that becomes the overflow!
ThuThursdayJunJune14th2012 Friendship Registers
Posted Thursday, June 14 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
There’s a small black folder that sits at the end of the row on Sunday mornings. Most Sundays the person doing announcements gives instructions to fill it out and pass it down the row…do you fill it out and pass it down the row?

I want you to know that as a staff we LOVE the Friendship Register and so appreciate you taking the time to fill it out each weekend. Right now we average about 600 people each Sunday – I don’t get to interact with all 600 people (not even CLOSE!) to know that they were at church or to hear what’s going on in their lives. But the prayer requests that people share in the Friendship Register give us a glimpse into what’s going in your life and how we can come alongside you in prayer. I carve out time each week to read through all of the prayer requests and to pray specifically – this is such a sweet time in my week. Oftentimes there are requests that break my heart – so much sickness, marriages that are struggling, people praying for the salvation of their loved ones, ongoing struggles with sin and the world, broken relationships…but it is a privilege to be able to pray for people in these things. And then there are the praise reports of the awesome things that God is doing in lives – LOVE those!

There are people I pray for weekly who I have never actually sat and had a conversation with but I know their heart for the lost, for their family, for their relationship with Christ…and I LOVE these people because I pray for them!

KNOW that if you fill out the Friendship Register you WILL get prayed for by the staff team and the elders…and by the prayer team (they just won’t know it’s YOU they’re praying for). And never hesitate to call one of us during the week if you just need someone to pray with you about something – there isn’t an elder, staff person or small group leader who wouldn’t be willing (joyfully) to stop for a few minutes to pray with you. Or go up to the front on Sunday morning to have one of the elders pray for you – it BLESSES them to be able to love you in this way!

We believe that without prayer nothing else matters…let us pray for you!

Fill out the Friendship Register this weekend! ☺
 
TueTuesdayJunJune5th2012 Dying to self (not an easy thing)
Posted Tuesday, June 05 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
At the beginning of April a friend sent me a link to a blog that she’d read that morning entitled “I Gotta Die” - all she wrote was this:

Reading this made me think of our conversation last week ...about brattiness and not having opinions listened to :-)

We’d been having some conversations about self…wanting to be heard and valued in relationship…but knowing that it really wasn’t about “us” – or at least it needing to be way more about the Lord and honouring him.

The author of the blog talked about Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:31 where he says, “I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!” She went on to briefly talk about what dying to self, to flesh, to "rights" looks like in the every day details of life. I was challenged…for a time…and then I went back to forgetting to die to self.

Then at our wedding Todd spoke to us from Philippians 2:1-5 about Christ’s example of humility:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…

Let me tell you – Hebrews 4:12 (For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart) is NO JOKE. For the last two weeks I have been more aware than ever about the need to die to self – apparently marriage is the thing that will teach me this. Please hear me – I LOVE being married and am married to a man who loves the Lord and is extremely patient and gracious with me…THAT probably magnifies my selfishness and sin more than anything!

There’s freedom in dying to self and honouring Christ…and sweet blessings that come with it. But it takes hard work (and sometimes physical pain as I bite my tongue!). It takes consciously striving to give every moment of the day to the Lord and to live in his strength (not my own!). It means not always forcing my opinion to be heard or demanding fairness, it means considering others before myself (that one is hard!), it means seeking to honour the Lord first in all things…hard…but the desire of my heart.

Attempting to die daily.
WedWednesdayMayMay23rd2012 Bookstore
Posted Wednesday, May 23 2012 @ 7 AM byAmy Passafiume Tagged No tags 0 comments Add comment
I’m a big fan of books…this is always VERY apparent to the people who help me move after they’ve carted numerous boxes that weigh no small amount. I really like reading!! And sometimes I don’t want to borrow books…I want to own them so that I can bend them at the spine, highlight, make notes in the margins and have them to refer to later on.  

A number of years ago I heard Margaret Freeman talk about books and how they can say things to us that would be harder to hear and accept from an actual person – books can confront us with sin in our lives or areas that need growth but we don’t get offended or hurt when James MacDonald tells us how we should respond to trials in “When Life is Hard.” As much as I love reading I know I should be reading more.  

We have a really fantastic church Bookstore in the lobby that is open every Sunday morning. The Bookstore staff are friendly and knowledgeable – they’ll help you find a new Bible or a book that will challenge and encourage you. If the Bookstore doesn’t have what you’re looking for you can probably convince them to order it in for you!  
This weekend we’ll have a whole lot of Walk in the Word resources available. Stop by the lobby to see if there’s a book that would be a great summer read for you. Maybe there’s someone in your life who you could do a book study with this summer. Perhaps you’ve been talking to a co-worker about some things going on in their life and they’d be open to doing some reading on this subject.  

The Harvest Bookstore is well-stocked and is always bringing in fresh new stock. I’m excited about my summer reading list:  

Real Marriage by Mark Driscoll
Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hand by Paul David Tripp (for the third time!)  

Would love to hear what’s on your reading list right now!
Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
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