A Loving Parent

Parenthood is a journey filled with love, sacrifice, guidance, and growth. God shows us what it means to be a truly loving and nurturing parent. The Bible offers incredible insights into God's nature as a parent, and I’d love to share a few of those with you.

God’s love for us is a perfect example of loving your children unconditionally. In Romans 5:8, it says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This verse reminds us that God's love isn’t based on what we do or how good we are. It’s constant and unchanging, just like the love of a devoted parent who cares for their child no matter what.

God provides for God’s children's needs in abundance. Matthew 6:25-27 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?” (NIV)

 God makes sure we have what we need, whether it's physical sustenance, emotional support, or spiritual guidance. This is a lot like how we, as parents, work to ensure our children are well taken care of in every aspect of their lives.

By looking at how God interacts with us, we can learn a lot about being good parents. God’s unconditional love, provision, guidance, comfort, and patience provide the perfect model for us to follow. Through the Bible, we see that God is not just our Creator but also our loving, caring, and ever-present parent, ready to nurture and uplift us at every turn.

Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 in-person in our sanctuary or online.

Peace be with you church,

Chelsea Maitland

Worship Leader

Toddler Wrestlemania

I know there is research behind this, but why is it that before bedtime little kids turn into WWE wrestlers? The nighttime routine in our house goes something like this: Dinner, Wrestlemania, bath, Wrestlemania, books, Wrestlemania, bed. It is definitely the wildest time of the day for us. Don't think you can get on the ground to change a diaper without at least one shirtless four-foot wild man at full-speed tackling you from behind, or climbing you like a tree.

 Before my wild little toddlers go to sleep we always end our prayer time with, "And would they know who they are in you, Jesus." Because imagine what kind of people we would be if we knew our worth in Jesus, and we operated from a place of knowing who God made us to be. Not who our families, our friends, the media, our schools or work say we are- but who God says we are. It is my greatest desire as a parent that my kids would know their worth in Jesus and live their lives- made decisions, cared for people, cared for themselves- from a place of knowing who they are in Jesus. 

On Sunday Pastor Mark is preaching from 2nd Timothy and wrapping up our sermon series, Diving Deeper. In his sermon summary he says, "Perhaps you’re familiar with the saying, ‘God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called.’ According to this perspective, God equips us to serve and utilize the gifts He has bestowed upon us through His Holy Spirit. As believers, our initial calling is to be God’s children, and subsequently, His Spirit empowers us with gifts to strengthen the body of Christ and establish His Kingdom on earth. The Apostle Paul serves as an excellent example of someone who confidently embraced his identity and calling, demonstrating unwavering certainty in his gifts from the moment he recognized his true self in Christ."

Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 in-person in our sanctuary or online as we dive deeper into embracing our identities in Jesus. 

Peace be with you church,

Chelsea Maitland

The Artist

If you joined us in our service last week you may have heard me talk about healing in our guided prayer time, and this week Pastor Linda is going to preach from Ephesians 4 and talk us through forgiveness. There is great healing that happens when we forgive. Whether this devotional sounds familiar to you or feels brand new, I encourage you to let God reveal places in your heart that need healing and forgiveness. 

May is Mental Health Awareness month and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage month, and in a devotional from the Asian American Christian Collaborative I learned about an art form called kintsugi. The devotional says,

“We recognize this month that Scripture is full of stories where people encounter trauma in different ways. Since Cain and Abel, we see people in Scripture grapple with trauma caused by pain, suffering, and death. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, we are jars of clay. We are fragile and most of us have cracks.

The Japanese have an artform called kintsugi. Here, the artist takes cracked and broken pottery and mends it back together with gold embossing. Though we may be cracked pots, we find healing and mending through Christ who shines through our cracks. This mental health awareness month we pray you pursue your healing.”

As I did more research on this art form of kintsugi, I found a beautiful description of it from Mari Kondo’s website. 

“Perfectly Imperfect
Kintsugi celebrates a break, honoring the story of the object, its ruin and repair. Mistakes and accidents are simply a part of the experience of living. Rather than trying to restore a broken object to its original glory, kintsugi focuses on creating a newly imagined, distinctive vessel….Our scars are what make us uniquely beautiful. By embracing the perfectly imperfect, we can use this beautiful craft to breathe new life into our oldest treasures and practice walking through our daily lives with grace sand loving acceptance. “
Our experiences are what shape us. And they are what shape our neighbors, too- this art form gives us a visual of how we behave and become the way that we are. We are a broken people. All of us. God is the artist. God is the gold embossing that takes our broken pieces and creates something new, and beautiful.

So we are going to take a minute to pray for our own healing, as well as the healing of our neighbors- our siblings- and we’re going to do that through listening prayer. I encourage you to write the following questions down and ask God each question, and then listen. Remember when listening that God is good. So any responses to your questions to God should not feel anxious, they should not feel angry, or condemning. If they are, remember that God is good, God is love, God is peace, God is slow to anger, and quick to rejoice.  
God, what are you trying to heal in me right now?

God, reveal to me relationships and areas in my life where I need to forgive, or ask for forgiveness. 

God what do you want to say to me about forgiveness?

God thank you that you are good, thank you that you are a God who heals, thank you that you are a God who forgives, and thank you that you are making us new. Amen. 

Peace be with you church,

Chelsea Maitland,
Worship Leader

Ubuntu

I was walking into Albertsons the other day when a man in a wheelchair- who was a double amputee- mumbled something in my direction. I felt the urge to keep walking, but in my journey with God I have been feeling God highlight people to me that I wouldn't normally notice. This man was one of them. I turned around and said, "sorry sir, what did you say?" 

He was asking for cash. I told him I didn't have any, but I could get him some food if he wanted. He said, "Will you get me Snickers ice cream?"

Let me tell you something. It was cold, and he was wearing shorts- but he wanted ice cream. As he changed his mind and asked me for a gift card for groceries, it occurred to me that this man likely had special needs. After I came out with the gift card, I saw that he was sleeping outside of Albertsons that night. In shorts. 

When my oldest was just a baby my sister gave me a children's book by Archbishop Desmond Tutu called, God's Dream. The book says that Archbishop Tutu was a Nobel Peace Prize winner for his lifelong struggle to bring equality, justice, and peace to his native country of South Africa. It's a beautiful book. It says, "God dreams that every one of us will see that we are all brothers and sisters- yes, even you and me- even if we have different mommies and daddies or live in different faraway lands." It is teaching kids to that we can love people by caring about who they are and where they come from, and by being in relationship with them. And by doing that, we make God very happy. I didn't know this then, but this book was the beginning of an unfolding that God was doing in my heart to learn about what it really means to see your neighbor, and love them. 

God's Dream is the children's version of Tutu's book called, God Has a Dream. I want to leave an excerpt here from God Has a Dream about a term he teaches called, ubuntu:

"The first law of our being is that we are set in a delicate network of interdependence with our fellow human beings and with the rest of God's creation. In Africa recognition of our interdependence is called ubuntu in Nguni languages, or botho in Sotho, which is difficult to translate into English. It is the essence of being human. It speaks of the fact that my humanity is caught up and inextricably bound up in yours. I am human because I belong. It speaks about wholeness; it speaks about compassion. A person with ubuntu is welcoming, hospitable, warm and generous, willing to share."

There are a few things that stuck with me about the man outside of Albertsons. By stopping to hear that he wanted Snickers ice cream, it helped me understand that he may have special needs. I could tell he just, really wanted some ice cream. But he needed groceries. I watched from my car as people created physical distance from him as he was trying to get their attention. How can a man who has a physical, and mental disability end up living on the street? A broken system. A system of oppression. 

Why is it important to understand this term, ubuntu? Why is it important to let this term affect us? Really affect us? Because it teaches us how to love our neighbor. The book continues, "Such people are open and available to others, willing to be vulnerable, affirming of others, do not feel threatened that others are able and good, for they have a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that they belong in a greater whole. They know that they are diminished when others are humiliated, diminished when others are oppressed, diminished when others are treated as if they were less than who they are. The quality of ubuntu gives people resilience, enabling them to survive and emerge still human despite all efforts to dehumanize them. You know when ubuntu is there, and it is obvious when it is absent. It has to do with what it means to be truly human, to know that you are bound up with others in the bundle of life."

What does ubuntu look like in our daily life? Who are we passing by that needs to be seen? Who are we listening to that needs to be heard? Is it the mom with a sign on the side of the road that says she needs clothes for her kids and baby formula? Is it a friend who is over-sharing because they are in the throes of depression? Maybe it is someone who isn't even asking for help, but needs it. Maybe it just means viewing people like they are our siblings. 

Hear me when I say, I have been that person who creates physical distance from someone asking me for help. I still am. But God is inviting me to live with ubuntu. And God is inviting you too. 

Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 in-person or online as Pastor Mark preaches from Luke, chapter 10, on loving your neighbor.

Peace be with you church,

Chelsea Maitland

Worship Leader

Inherited Identity

This Sunday we will continue with our sermon series “Diving Deeper.”  We’re currently on the second part of the series which focuses on knowing and loving self. Loving ourselves requires self-awareness, and an important perspective of self-awareness is understanding our family history. We all have ties that connect us across generations. And these ties shape our lives and actions. Remember that family history doesn’t guarantee outcomes, but it empowers us to make informed choices about our health, finances and lifestyle. In Genesis 20 the story of Abraham's deception to Abimelech is seen playing out in Isaac's life too (Genesis 26). Jacob, Isaac's son also lives a life filled with deception, which is seen in his sons. We can clearly see a web of lies trickling down from one generation to the next. This clearly reveals the power of inherited identity! The good news is that God's work is not limited by the flaws in our family history. Through faith in Jesus, we are made into a new creation. Self-awareness in Christ allows us to identify the inherited identity that we are unconsciously living so that we can be set free to be who God created us to be.

See you in-person or online at 10:30am Sunday,

and if you haven’t already- be sure and register for our All In event this Saturday on our events page!

Peace,
Pastor Mark Nsimbi

Loving Too Much

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) says, “The Lord your God …will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Can we ever love too much? Probably not, if that love is rooted in God or from healthy motives. We all know that what we deem to be love can become an unhealthy force, rooted in co-dependency, selfishness, or a sense of control.

Most of us have been blessed by having mothers who loved us, protected us, stood up for us, forgave us when we made mistakes, and tried to teach us to live in a healthy way. That’s how God’s love is for us. He nurtures us and delights when we come to Him. We are the apple of his eye!

When our youngest daughter was preschool age, she had several dolls that she mothered over with all her heart. I remember that one was called “Laughing Baby,” and another one was named “Coach Prince.” What a weird name! She fed them, kept them swaddled and took them with her every place she’d go. One day she came in the house with a large, wounded grasshopper. I had always thought that grasshoppers looked creepy, and this one was no exception. Well, she made a little bed for it, put a band aid over it then wrapped it snuggly in a miniature blanket. She would talk to it and sing to it. The next morning, however, the grasshopper had died. She had loved it too much!

How can we avoid “loving” in unhealthy ways? 1. By looking at others’ needs and not just our own. 2. By not spoiling our children -easier said than done, right? 3. By choosing our relationships carefully, seeking counsel from God and others who are spiritually mature. 4. By trying to balance our lives so our hobbies or work don’t overpower our lives. 5. And living by 1Corinthians 16:14, “Doing everything in love.”

We can never love God too much. He is the source of our joy, strength, and “mothers” over us by sending His Spirit to guide us, to comfort us, to counsel us, to intercede for us, and teach us.

Join us this Sunday in-person or online to expand your view of how God works in our lives.

Pastor Jackie White

Connection

Good morning Church!

Today I thought we could go through a devotional together to prepare our hearts for worship tomorrow. One of Mark's sermon reflection questions is, "What imperfections or weaknesses have you learned to accept in yourself? How has this acceptance impacted your relationships with others?" and it reminded me of Dr. Brene Brown's TED talk on shame and vulnerability. Let's watch it together:

Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability | TED Talk

I love that as she reflects on her research she finds that the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging, believe they are worthy of love and belonging. And that she says the thing that keeps us out of connection is the fear that we are not worthy of connection. 

"And so here's what I found. What they had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language -- it's from the Latin word "cor," meaning "heart" -- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect."

Let's look at Pastor Mark's question again: "What imperfections or weaknesses have you learned to accept in yourself? How has this acceptance impacted your relationships with others?"

As we reflect on this question, let's remember the characteristics of God. We can remember the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22&23 which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is what God feels like, and sounds like. As we think on our imperfections we can remember that God does not shame us, but wants us to have connection with us and with one another. And, in our own spiritual formation, we recognize that God loves us despite our imperfections- but it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance. Not shame. Let me repeat that again: it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4).

So if we really let Dr. Brene Brown's research affect us, we can turn to Jesus. We can turn to the cross. We can be courageous in seeking connection with one another by being vulnerable, and we can create space for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts- connecting with God's presence and allowing God to transform us. 

"The other thing that they had in common was this: They fully embraced vulnerability. They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn't talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they really talk about it being excruciating -- as I had heard it earlier in the shame interviewing. They just talked about it being necessary."-Brene

Take some time to reflect and pray. Take some time with the Lord and allow God to work in you. I will do it with you. 

Peace be with you friends,

Chelsea Maitland,

Worship Leader

"Quick rhythm, small breath

The gift of life- Against my neck. "

I wrote this on a whim while holding my first baby. Sitting in a rocking chair in his attic-like nursery- with newborn poop sprayed on the wall- I felt his heartbeat rapidly moving my skin, his uneven breath on my neck, and I wrote this poem. Four wild years later, I stand in a new house, with a third baby against my chest- feeling his uneven breath and his rapid heartbeat. His body and face fast asleep- ear pressed against my chest- breathing into my chin so close I can feel his tiny breath on my skin. And it occurred to me: is this what it looks like to remain in Jesus? To be face to face. Ear pressed against the heart of Jesus. To be looking at who Jesus really is and what Jesus stood to love, defend, speak for, do. To listen to what Jesus said so closely we can feel the very pulse of His heart? 

On Sunday Pastor Linda is preaching from John 15, when Jesus said, "  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." I love the Message version of this passage because it says, "Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you." John 15:4. 

As an artist, this passage makes me think about writer's block. If I'm trying to write music, lyrics, a poem, and I don't have any inspiration- it's because I'm not listening to music, reading books, reading poems, following artists, etc. that inspire me. In the same way, if we want to remain in Jesus we need to seek Him. Not that Jesus is just here to inspire us- unless we are looking at the root of the word, "inspire"- which means, "breathe",  In which case yes! Jesus is with us to breathe into us. To breathe life into us. 

To remain in Jesus is to live the words and life of Jesus and to follow what Jesus did then, and what God is doing now. And we can know what God is doing now by seeking God and trusting that by seeking God, God will reveal God's self to us. 

Let's do that, shall we? Let's press our ear to the heart of Jesus because we trust that God holds us like a parent holds their child. Let's turn our faces to Jesus so close that we could maybe just feel the breath of God on our face. What does God look like? What does God sound like? We can find out by living in Jesus, by listening for God's voice, by living the way of Jesus, and by expecting that God's presence- the Holy Spirit- is with us now. Abide in God. Remain in Jesus. Expect the Holy Spirit. 

See you in-person or online at 10:30am Sunday friends,

Peace be with you.

Chelsea Maitland

Listening with Expectancy

Happy Saturday, Church!

This Sunday Pastor Mark is taking us through 1st Samuel 3:1-11 to talk about hearing God's voice and continuing our sermon series, Diving Deeper. I found some things about the first 7 verses that I love and wanted to share with you today, so let's start by reading them together:

Samuel 3:1-7

“The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.”

There are three things that stand out to me about this passage:

1. that God speaks to everyone. Even people who do not know God. Verse 7 says, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him." God was speaking to Samuel even though Samuel did not know God's voice.

2. Eli is expectant that God will and is speaking to his son, Samuel. After the third time Samuel goes to Eli thinking Eli was calling for Samuel, Eli does not send Samuel back to his bed. He doesn't discount that Samuel is hearing his name. Eli believes Samuel- believes that his son is hearing God call Samuel's name- and sends him back to listen to God's voice. Eli is expectant that God will speak to his son. Wow. 

3. Sometimes, God's voice sounds like other voices. In this instance, Samuel thought God's voice was his dad's. When I hear God's voice, sometimes it sounds like my own voice. That being said, it's so important to check in with how you feel when you are listening, and check what you hear with what we know God is like. We know God is good, loving, kind, patient, and just. We know God is not condemning, God is not shame, anxiety, fear, and we know God does not hide from us. So if we hear something that makes us feel what God is not, then it is likely not God and we can have peace in the fact that we know what God is like and who God is. In the same way, if we hear something that makes us feel the things that we know God is, then it's quite possible that God has spoken. 

As we listen for God's voice, let's also remember that God can speak differently to each of us. And God will speak differently to each of us because we are God's children and God knows us better than we know ourselves. Let's try it out. 

Place yourself in an environment where you find peace. Go for a walk. Pick up a pen and paper. Paint. Lie down. Listen to worship music. Go for a run. Do what gives you peace, because God is peace. Say to God what Samuel says: "Here I am Lord, you called me. Speak." Recognize the first thing you hear. Check with how you feel, and what you know God is like. Be expectant that God will and is speaking, and know that God will speak in a way that you will hear God, because God loves you. It may not be right away, it may not even be tomorrow. But you will hear God, you just have to listen. 

See you tomorrow in-person at 10:30am or online friends,

Chelsea Maitland

Worship Leader

Listen

This week we are continuing our sermon series called, “Diving Deeper” and Pastor Mark will preach out of Matthew 14, when Jesus calls to Peter to come out and walk on the water with him. One thing I love about this passage is that Jesus sees that the disciples are terrified- and he calls out to them and says, “Take courage! It’s me, Jesus. Don’t be afraid!”. And then Peter tests him out and says, “If it’s you Jesus, call me out to come with you on the water.” And Jesus obliges him and calls Peter out on the water.

We can do the same thing Peter does, when we are praying. We can remember that God is not fearful, anxious, angry, or condemning. We can remember that Jesus says to us, “Don’t be afraid! It’s me Jesus!”.

The following is a prayer from Pastor Jackie designed to help us listen for God’s voice. As you pray and read this, remember Peter: “If it’s you Jesus, call me out to come with you!” Check how you feel as you are praying- am I feeling anxious? God is not anxious, so if you feel anxious while you are praying you can say to God, “God speak truth to me as I listen.” Am I feeling scared? Jesus says, “take courage! It’s me Jesus! Don’t be afraid”. So you can pray, “Jesus, call out to me and give me your peace as I listen for your voice.”

Remember God is good, and God is love.

Here is Pastor Jackie’s prayer:

“There are many types of prayer, and this type focuses on quieting our own thoughts to be receptive to God’s voice. As we do this prayer the way to know that we are hearing from God and not just our own thoughts is that it will align with Scripture. And if we don’t hear from God during this prayer, we can relax in his presence, being still and knowing He is God.

Lord, we come to you today with open minds and hearts, ready to receive your words of love and life. Holy Spirit, will you rest on us and help us quiet our minds and still our hearts? Jesus, just like you asked Peter to “Come”, when the waves were treacherous, you are asking us to come into your presence. To trust you to calm the storms in our lives. You want to speak to us so we can experience your peace. When we are with you, our fears and worries fade into the distance because the light of your love is shining on us.

We want to sit with you now, while listening for your voice, finding strength in your embrace.

Take 5 minutes to listen and talk with God. Write down what you hear.

Thank you for drawing us closer to a place of peace with you. Holy Spirit, will you help us practice stealing these quiet moments with you? We want to dive deeper into the life-giving relationship you have for us. When we listen to you will give us clarity in your purposes for our lives. You give us discernment so we can make better choices. Lord, listening for your voice in our life takes patience and practice. You are constantly speaking to us. Will you help us be patient with ourselves as we strive for deeper intimacy with you through listening?

In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

Come dive deeper with us this Sunday at 10:30 am in-person or online.

See you Sunday church,

Chelsea Maitland

Worship Leader