Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey guys,
This week we've asked Stephanie Fournier to share a short devotional with us. Stephanie, her husband Matt, and their kids Tyler, Matson & Lily have been a part of the Meadows family for 6 years. This family lives and breathes Meadows, they serve in a variety of ministries and just flat out LOVE this church and the people God has placed here. Stephanie is in the process of completing her Master's degree in Theological Studies at Life Pacific University. I hope you are blessed by her encouraging words.
This week we've asked Stephanie Fournier to share a short devotional with us. Stephanie, her husband Matt, and their kids Tyler, Matson & Lily have been a part of the Meadows family for 6 years. This family lives and breathes Meadows, they serve in a variety of ministries and just flat out LOVE this church and the people God has placed here. Stephanie is in the process of completing her Master's degree in Theological Studies at Life Pacific University. I hope you are blessed by her encouraging words.
_______________________________________________
While we don't necessarily experience four seasons in Las Vegas, we do have at least two seasons and a unique season that we will just call... wind. After living here for over 25 years, not only have I acclimated to desert living, but I really do prefer it. I remember growing up in Idaho and having to learn to drive with snow chains, spinning out on black ice, and even getting several snow days off from school each year. One winter we even cross-country skied over to our friend's house because the roads were completely undriveable. Growing up as the daughter of a meteorologist, the weather was always a topic of conversation in our house. I picked up a lot of knowledge about the weather through the years, not as much as I probably should have, but to this day the weather and the changing seasons remain significant.
When reading the key verse for our series, Redeeming the Time, there was a particular word that stood out to me. "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV). As Pastor Adrianne shared a few Sundays ago, time is one thing that we simply cannot accumulate more of. The word "time" in the Greek can be translated in several different ways, but the one that really seems to be significant in Paul's letter is 'kairos', which can mean "season". As I dug a little deeper to understand 'kairos' (season) it became clear that Paul was urging the people to make the most of every opportunity, in the time and place in which they have placed by God. So just as the weather occurs in seasons, so does our Christian walk.
We have seasons of joy, seasons of sorrow, seasons filled with adventure and excitement, and seasons of quiet waiting. Some seasons are so chaotic and challenging that we may not even know how to define them, but just as the seasons of nature are cyclical, so is our journey as a follower of Christ. Early in my Christian walk I had this picture of what my faith would like; it resembled more of a trajectory arrow shooting higher and higher. However, as I have grown older it has become very apparent that my faith walk is more like Space Mountain at Disneyland, with a few sudden drops and many very unexpected twists and turns.
Despite the roller coaster of a ride that this life entails, God calls us to utilize all of the seasons. The psalmist writes, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom" (Psalms 90:12 NASB). Just as Paul was urging the church in Ephesus, this verse can be understood as a suggestion to cherish our days and make the most of the season we are in right now. Through all the lessons, tragedies, and outright failures, we ultimately gain wisdom and at the same time utter dependence on God.
It is incredible to contemplate that God has chosen us to live in this time and place with the people we are with to learn, grow, and be in process together. Colossians 4:5-6, "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (NIV). This verse is not saying that we as Christians must have all the answers or know all the things. It is simply saying that as Christians no matter the season, we can lean into God, seek His wisdom, and walk that out in our lives and in our relationships.
So, for me, I think redeeming the time is first acknowledging the season I am in, then asking God to show me what it is I am to learn from it (or sometimes crying out to God on how to endure it) and then figuring out what I am going to do with it. One of my favorite authors sums this up well. "Everything we do as human beings proclaims the theology that we nurture and care for in our heart. Our way of life is God's microphone. Our life preaches. Everything we do." -- A.J. Swoboda.
God is not asking us to pretend this life is sunshine and rainbows all of the time, but He is asking us to seek Him out in all seasons of life, because ultimately God is in the business of redeeming our time. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV). I will leave you with this thought from pastor and author Louie Giglio, "Life is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God."
Much love,
Steph Fournier
When reading the key verse for our series, Redeeming the Time, there was a particular word that stood out to me. "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV). As Pastor Adrianne shared a few Sundays ago, time is one thing that we simply cannot accumulate more of. The word "time" in the Greek can be translated in several different ways, but the one that really seems to be significant in Paul's letter is 'kairos', which can mean "season". As I dug a little deeper to understand 'kairos' (season) it became clear that Paul was urging the people to make the most of every opportunity, in the time and place in which they have placed by God. So just as the weather occurs in seasons, so does our Christian walk.
We have seasons of joy, seasons of sorrow, seasons filled with adventure and excitement, and seasons of quiet waiting. Some seasons are so chaotic and challenging that we may not even know how to define them, but just as the seasons of nature are cyclical, so is our journey as a follower of Christ. Early in my Christian walk I had this picture of what my faith would like; it resembled more of a trajectory arrow shooting higher and higher. However, as I have grown older it has become very apparent that my faith walk is more like Space Mountain at Disneyland, with a few sudden drops and many very unexpected twists and turns.
Despite the roller coaster of a ride that this life entails, God calls us to utilize all of the seasons. The psalmist writes, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom" (Psalms 90:12 NASB). Just as Paul was urging the church in Ephesus, this verse can be understood as a suggestion to cherish our days and make the most of the season we are in right now. Through all the lessons, tragedies, and outright failures, we ultimately gain wisdom and at the same time utter dependence on God.
It is incredible to contemplate that God has chosen us to live in this time and place with the people we are with to learn, grow, and be in process together. Colossians 4:5-6, "Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (NIV). This verse is not saying that we as Christians must have all the answers or know all the things. It is simply saying that as Christians no matter the season, we can lean into God, seek His wisdom, and walk that out in our lives and in our relationships.
So, for me, I think redeeming the time is first acknowledging the season I am in, then asking God to show me what it is I am to learn from it (or sometimes crying out to God on how to endure it) and then figuring out what I am going to do with it. One of my favorite authors sums this up well. "Everything we do as human beings proclaims the theology that we nurture and care for in our heart. Our way of life is God's microphone. Our life preaches. Everything we do." -- A.J. Swoboda.
God is not asking us to pretend this life is sunshine and rainbows all of the time, but He is asking us to seek Him out in all seasons of life, because ultimately God is in the business of redeeming our time. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV). I will leave you with this thought from pastor and author Louie Giglio, "Life is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God."
Much love,
Steph Fournier
_______________________________________________
This Week at Meadows:
- Prayer Meeting on Monday at 10 AM
- No MYG, as they will be at Youth Camp in the San Bernardino mountains. Please be praying for the 50+ young people as they draw closer to God and to each other!
- Prayer Meeting on Monday at 10 AM
- No MYG, as they will be at Youth Camp in the San Bernardino mountains. Please be praying for the 50+ young people as they draw closer to God and to each other!
_______________________________________________
This Sunday we are continuing our series Redeeming The Time and the one and only Pastor Robyn Rojo will be preaching. This series has been highlighting what redeeming the time means to all of our incredible speakers and pastors. We can't wait to hear from Pastor Robyn this Sunday, join us for Part 4 - Our Motivation.
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Nate
Looking forward to seeing you all on the walkway!
Pastor Nate
Recent
Archive
2023
March
June
September
2022
March
July
September
2021
January
Categories
no categories