Occupy Heaven

Before Church 10/20/2019

Occupy Heaven

by Elizabeth Stone

But Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  It shall not be so among you, But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  ~Matthew 20:25-28

Mrs. Zebedee wants prime seats for her sons in eternity.  But in order to occupy Heaven, to have honor and position in Heaven, we must be able to drink the cup Christ drank, and be appointed to that position by the Father.  Christian leadership is not based on the worldly cut-throat competition for achievement, nor is it based on human authority and rule, but on the upside-down paradigm of leadership that Jesus established and lived out before us: sacrificial servanthood.  Being first in the community of believers means to humbly take up our position as last, as slave and servant to the LORD and to His church; to follow in Christ’s footsteps, coming to serve, giving up our lives for others.

Orientation at seminary found me sitting with a young man who wore a snazzy fedora, set at a jaunty angle (which he didn’t remove indoors).  We shared a table with two professors, both men, and this newbie talked exclusively to them, talking about his goal of starting a mega church; he was going to do great things for Jesus.  I thought about my two small churches in West Virginia, and the soul-draining work of walking with my people as I strove to complete my education and my ordination.  And it occurred to me that this young man despised the day of small things, that he was determined to have personal glory, missing the whole point Jesus was making here: to be great in God’s Kingdom is to dedicate one’s life to servanthood, and the greatest leaders are the ones who humbly serve others.

What does this mean practically? It means that Christian leaders take on a job that will tax all their energies of life, learning, and compassion. It means to be passionate about salvation, as Christ was, to always be seeking to save others, and to save them for their spiritual good.  It means to humbly take on tasks that forward the passion Christ has for souls, to listen, to ask people what they need, to help them, to touch the them, to bring the healing of God into their souls as well as their lives.  This means to be last in the eyes of the world so as to be first in God’s.  It means to share in Christ’s sufferings, the betrayal, the false and unjust testimonies and trials, the unjust condemnation and sentencing, the mockery, beatings, punishment from the world, so that we may also share in the joy of His resurrection (Philippians 3:7-11)  It means that we stop, we don’t pass by the people shouting for help, nor the people whose voices are hoarse and weak from crying out. We silence those trying to exclude them, we help them and by Jesus’ power to heal them, and we invite them to also follow Jesus. 

November is the time churches in my denomination select elders to rule the congregation.  What attributes are we looking for in leaders?  Are the people chosen to lead the people who know what it is like to be in the trenches with God’s people, to serve the least of these, the ones who often are overlooked?  Because to occupy Heaven, we must take up cross, and follow Him.  The best leaders in the church are the ones who have a history of serving others. 

Before Church 10/13/2019

Muscle Memory

by Elizabeth Stone

Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He Who promised is faithful  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ~ Hebrews 10:19-25

 I sat down to a piano piece, Beethoven’s Sonata in G Major (Opus.49, No. 2), which I had memorized for a recital when I was. . . well, a long time ago.  Eight pages not including repeats, and I experienced: muscle memory.  As the notes swam in and out of my field of vision, my fingers took over and just played the music, not perfectly, but with the rhythm and melody of greeting an old friend, one long missed but much loved, and I was surprised at how well it sounded after forty plus years.  It was as if my brain was trying to keep up with my hands, not vice versa.  And I thought, spiritual disciplines are like this. We create spiritual muscle memory when we make a practice of prayer, of Bible Study, of worship, of fellowship. 

            Hebrews teaches us that having faith assurance, keeping our confession of Christ vibrant, remembering our baptism are the foundation of our hope; signed, sealed and delivered by Jesus, the One Who is faithful and Who promised.  Creating spiritual muscle memory comes from prayer, from worship with other believers, from sharing Gospel truths in our own quiet time and in fellowship, from encouraging one another, stirring one another up to love and good works, and making it a habit to meet together with other Christians.  Habits become routines, and routines kick in and help us when life gets crazy.  And just like our muscles remember playing an old piano piece, or riding a bike, our spirits are built to retain the truth and patterns created by our habits of spirituality, our practices of faith.  If we are faithful to believe and to keep active with our prayer and devotions and worship, when we need it most our spiritual muscles will take over and will guide our minds.  What habits of faith do you practice?  What habits do you need to create?  What routines do you need to bring back into your life?  Spiritual muscle memory is created with practice, practicing the principles of faith. 

John 5:1-9 “Poolside Miracle”

by Elizabeth Stone

How long have you waited for your miracle? 38 years? That’s how long this man had been crippled, lying on his mat on the ground at the pool of Bethesda.  It was said that an angel would come down and stir the waters every so often, and if you were the first one who got to the pool and bathed in the waters, you would be healed of whatever disease you had.  So this man has been here a long time hoping that somehow he would be able to maneuver down into the water first when the waters were stirred.  But his infirmity is that he cannot walk, so others who are there when this miracle happens, the blind, the deaf, the lepers, they can walk so they can get down into the waters first and he misses his opportunity.  This man is alone; he has no companion who could bring him down into the pool at the perfect time to be healed. 

            I’ve seen this place in Israel; it is a complex of pools and walkways on many levels; very beautiful, but not handicapped accessible.  And I wonder how many ill or disabled people were lying around this pool, yet Jesus singles this particular man out.  What did Jesus see in him that made him remarkable? 

            Jesus looks at the man and sees his need.  It is sort of obvious.  Our Lord knows that this man has been lying there a long time.  And taking everything in, the pool, the other invalids, Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be healed?”  What kind of question is that?  Here is this man, a 38 year invalid, unable to walk, and Jesus asks him does he want to be healed.  But the man doesn’t answer His question.  He goes into this long explanation about how he is a cripple, and how when the waters are stirred and the miracle happens, he can’t get to the waters first.

            Hope is an incredible thing.  It can make us do crazy things.  You have to imagine, with this legend so firmly fixed in the mind of the people, that when there was even a breath of wind, and ripples floated across the surface of the water, there was an unholy rush to get into that water first.  Desperate people, clinging to hope, pushing and shoving others away so they could plunge into that pool first, and walk away healed, leaving everyone else to the race the next time. 

            Notice that the author does not make any commentary about the healing waters.  His concern is not whether or not they actually work, but showing the hope people had in them.  Can you imagine this man, lame and hurting, trying with just his arms to pull himself painfully over the stone patio and over the edge of the pool to fall into the waters?  Some days he waited as close to the edge as possible, sometimes he may have been getting his dinner, or answering a call of nature when the waters were stirred.   But for a long time he had been waiting there for his miracle, and time after time others pushed ahead of him to get into the pool.  A photo finish for the winner.

            But Jesus isn’t interested in the pool or the waters.  He is interested in the hope.  He is interested in the persistence of this fellow to lie by this pool day after day, month after month, year after year, and hope that on one occasion he would be the closest to the water when the miraculous turbulence of the waters started, and he could just fall in ahead of everyone else.  The man’s explanation shows that he still has hope, and that is what the Lord Jesus is looking for.  And when He sees that hope He simply says, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 

            And at that moment, the man gets his miracle.  After all this time, the healing does not come from the pool or the waters, it comes directly from the almighty Son of God.  The man rises up, his misshapen feet become normal, his useless bones become strong, the atrophy of years falls away from his muscles, and he stands up on his legs, his own legs, and he begins to walk like a pro, like he’s been doing it all his life.  He doesn’t shudder, he doesn’t stumble, he even walks while carrying his own bed.  Christ saw hope in his heart and Christ commended the hope by this miracle of healing. 

             So as we wait for our miracle, we have to answer two questions: One, do we want to be healed?  Do we want to leave behind the illness, the sorrow, the addiction, the excuses, and really give God full control to heal us in His own way?  Or are we still lying around the pool in self-pity, counting on one and only one way of healing?  Do we think that God is limited to our solution for our problem?  And the second question, do we have hope?  Can Jesus Christ see the hope in us?  Can He look into our hearts and see that we trust in the One Who died for us and rose again from the grave?  Our Lord Jesus Christ took our punishment upon Himself, the chastisement of our sin was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.  Even more than that, He rose from the cold tomb, made alive again by God to live forever with  the power of an indestructible life.  That, more than anything, should prove that God’s solutions are not our solutions, and that in that kind of power, we can surely hope.

Before Church – Sunday September 29, 2019

How Do You Remember Who Your Backup Is?

by Erin Stone

“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  - Jeremiah 29:11  ESV

This was a verse I heard so much in my youth. It was even the verse of our summer church camp the year after I attempted suicide. This had been my verse for a long time. It is a great way for me to ground myself when the weight of the world is ready to crush me.

In our current society, we are bombarded by so much information. What we should look like, how we should dress, what we should think, how we should speak; and it’s exhausting. It is easy to understand how all of these pressures along with work, school, bullies, kids, family and significant other dynamics can cause anyone to want to pull their hair out.

This is the moment. This is it. When I am teetering on the edge of the abyss of my mental and emotional sanity, I have an out. This is when I pull out one of my many verses (usually this one) and remind myself to Whom I belong. I am a child of the Most High God. In Him, I have HOPE and a FUTURE. Not only am I not walking this path alone, but I am walking it hand in hand with The Creator. The One that designed me to be exactly who I am. Anxiety, depression and all. Though a work in progress, I am unique and precious. Just like you. And though we are broken, God, the Great Designer, uses imperfect people for perfect purpose all the time!

You are so much more important than you can possibly realize. And while things are not always easy. While things often don’t go our way, there is more than this life. There is more than just this moment. And God has a plan for each of us. You just happen to only be in the middle of the journey right now.

Now I know that this verse may seem misleading because God never promised us an easy road. He didn’t promise luxury, wealth, or comfort in this life. He promises so much more. He knows what is to come for each and every one of His children. That is such a comfort to me. Knowing that the God of the Universe has a plan for me. And for you.

I have battled with depression and anxiety for many years now. The older I get, the easier the battle becomes because I’m ready for it. I have my armor, support system and action plan ready to go. I understand that many people are still in the most difficult parts of this battle or similar ones. I think that it’s important to understand that we are being held within the arms of the Almighty Savior. He is our Hope. He is our future. And what an amazing future it will be!

I would like to challenge you to find a verse that really speaks to your soul. That really breathes life and love into you. Something that reminds you that you are not alone and that you have the BEST backup imaginable in our Lord Jesus Christ. Memorize this verse. Rehearse this verse. Know it forwards and backwards and put it into your arsenal. Then, when this verse is a part of you, choose another. Pack your arsenal full of love and life. When the dark comes, you will have the light within you to withstand the storm. God bless you.

Before Church Blog

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Make Your Mark! by Elizabeth Stone

Matthew 4: When Jesus was tired and hungry, when He had been fasting and praying in the wilderness for 40 days, the devil comes to tempt the Savior. Satan doesn’t come when Christ is rested, strong, and satisfied with good food and drink; he comes when Jesus is physically vulnerable.  The devil attacks on three fronts: hunger, suicide, and power with glory.  Each time the devil is trying to get Jesus to obey him, rather than God. Most of all, the devil is trying to derail the plan of salvation. You see Satan knows that Jesus, well, He’s THE GUY.  So if he can get Jesus to sin – even once – then Jesus can no longer do the work of the Father.  And let’s not give the devil too much credit here; Satan cannot see the future and has no idea of the Father’s plan to save us. But when God steps out of eternity in the Person of the Son, Satan knows he has to stop Jesus, he has to stop THIS GUY. 

Round 1: make stones into bread.  Use divine power to satisfy personal need.  Jesus counters with Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Round 2: Jump off the pinnacle of the Temple. Jesus’ Scriptural response again: “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test”.  Round 3: worship Satan to get power with glory, but without the cross. Jesus responds: “You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only shall you serve.”  Every one of these temptations was designed to derail Christ’s mission to save the world. Today let’s focus on #2. 

In Jesus’ time, the Temple of the LORD stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, the highest place in the city.  Built on a foundation of immovable stone that still stands today, it rose 135 feet above the plane.  When the devil took Jesus here, it was to have a high enough position to ensure death if He caved, if He would throw Himself off the Temple to see if the angels would rescue Him.  Crafty little demon even uses Scripture to convince Jesus that this is okay.  But Jesus knows it is a trick, and knows that if He completes suicide, if He dies like this, the plan of salvation dies too.  Christ’s mission, His contribution to the world, is to die for our sins, at the right time, in the right way.  So Jesus passes; He chooses, as He does so many times in His lifetime, to fulfill His mission in God’s way and in God’s time.

Are we any different?  Does Satan wait until we are strong to tempt us? No, never.  And when he comes to us with the temptation to end it all, to complete suicide, it is so that we won’t do our mission for God either, it is so we will never make our contribution for God’s Kingdom.  The devil wants us to cut our lives short so that we never share the love of Christ, never share the good news of salvation, never find our calling and use our gifts, never live our lives out in grace.  Because Christ died for us, we have the blessing of living for Him.  So if the devil comes at you with this particular temptation – to complete suicide – remember two things: Satan wouldn’t be trying this on with you if you weren’t vulnerable, so get some help to find your strength; secondly, Satan wants to stop your mission too, so don’t deny the world the awesome contribution of your mission in Christ.

At her recent book signing, author and speaker Cathy Fyock signed her book to me: “Make your mark!”  This is what we are called to do, to live our lives out fully and make our mark for Christ. After all, He made His mark for us, on the palms of His hands.  Can we do any less for Him?  

Notes: Matthew 4:1-11; Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13; Photo credit: Greg Stone, Jerusalem, model of the Second Temple.

Before Church Blog

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Because this week (September 8-14 2019) is National Suicide Prevention Week, I am hosting a guest blog by my daughter and co-author, Erin Stone. 

We All Know Where We Have Been. Do You Know Where You’re Going?

by Erin Stone

As Suicide Awareness and Prevention Week approaches, I am hit with overwhelming feelings. Anyone that knows my history will understand because I attempted suicide when I was 17.

At 29 years old now, I can’t believe how amazing my journey has been. 12 years seems like a long time and quite a bit of separation. As they say, hind sight is 20/20. If 17 year-old me could have looked into the future and seen what my life would look like now, I’m not sure I could have gone through with my attempt.

I am so thankful that I am still living in this world. I have so many opportunities to change the direction of my life. When I was 17, I couldn’t image a life like this. A life where I am so happy to be alive. A life where I have people that I can feel their love and acceptance like a weighted blanket (in case you didn’t notice, I want one!). A life where even when everything at work is going wrong, I’m stressed, I’m tired, the dogs pooped everywhere and the cats threw up on the bed, I’m good. I may have a moment of freaking out. Who wouldn’t? But then I just have to laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation.

Why do I say any of this? Well, I want everyone to know that there is an end. It may take some time, but the pain and suffering ends. It has to. You have to let it end. My attempted suicide is such a small part of my life now. It is barely a blip on the scale of my life. I refuse to be defined by the bad things in my life. We go through bad things in this world. We go through terrible, heart breaking things in this life. The key is to not let any of those things define you.

Here’s the point though, this isn’t about me. It’s not about my history. This is about you. This is about the people that you love. If this week means as much to you as it does to me, then you have been touched by suicide or something just as difficult. It is such a difficult thing to put your head around. Someone feeling so low that they couldn’t imagine another moment on this earth.

This is why this week is so important: to let people know that they are not alone. That they have so much to offer this world. And knowing that we were each preciously and fearfully made by the most loving and all-powerful God, doesn’t hurt at all.

The more you rely and grow in Him, the easier this all becomes. Be the light to the world, as God is our Light. Share that love with others and let it GROW! When everything is dark and the walls are caving in, remember, Jesus went before us and showed us the path.

I am NOT a victim. I am THRIVING! You are NOT a victim. You are THRIVING! We have so much power, because we have God. Use this week as a reminder that through God all things are possible. He specializes in impossible. It’s really His sweet spot of operations.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13 -ESV

Before Church

Sunday, September 1, 2019

The King of Comeback

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal flesh . . . So we do not lose heart.  Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory, beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.   

 ~ II Corinthians 4:7-12;16-18 (ESV)

Sad news reached us recently of the death of Bill Boyd, a great man and brother in Christ.  A veteran, a small business owner, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, Bill was the epitome of integrity, with a great work ethic.  As a church leader he had supported and built ministry that blessed his family and his community.  He was my father-in-law’s lifelong friend, and the two of them had been tearing around getting into trouble since primary school.  Wherever they went, they lifted the spirits of everyone around with their crazy antics and laughter, and you wouldn’t know it from looking at him or hearing him laugh that Bill was: The King of Comeback.

Obituaries tell us the highlights of a person’s life, but if you read between the lines you know there were tough times. Every victory is punctuated by the faith to meet challenges, to face hardship, to overcome obstacles, to grieve sorrows, to heal from illness, to recover from heartache; to come back over and over from troubles and be: The King of Comeback.  Whether these came in military service, building a business, a life-threatening illness for a child, making ministry happen in rural Appalachia, the loss of parents, a child, a grandchild, each time Bill’s faith brought him through, each time he came back.  Over and over he battled cancer, coming back from that dread disease and beating it more than once. He was such an inspiration to me when I faced cancer; if Bill could come back from the brink of death with a full head of hair, so could I.  But after his final battle here on earth he did not come back: HE CAME HOME!

We, too, are the kings and queens of comeback.  The abundant life that Jesus promises us is created in the negative space, times of trusting God when difficulties multiply, trusting God that over and over there is going to be enough grace today for today’s troubles.  Like Bill, we come back over and over and over again, until one day we, too, will come home.  In every situation, we trust God that He will bring us through; bring us through affliction, through being perplexed, through persecution, even through being struck down, because in Christ we carry around the life, the very life of the Son of God, in our bodies.  We are not crushed, driven to despair, forsaken, or destroyed because Jesus is with us, giving life to our mortal bodies.  As we age our physical bodies get weaker and weaker, but our spiritual nature gets stronger and stronger.  The life Jesus Christ gives sustains us in the troubles of this world, but it makes us indestructible for eternity.  Walking by faith is how we always move toward life.  The longer we walk with Him, the more life we gain.  So the momentary afflictions of life, of sorrow, of trials and tribulations give way in the end to an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.  That’s when we stop being the queens and kings of comeback and we come home to Heaven, receiving our crowns and stepping into a paradise of unending joy.  Lean on Jesus when the times get tough, and count on Him to bring you through, to come back each and every time, until you finally come home.  Bill will be there with his cowboy boots on waiting to welcome you in.