Written by Rhonda Alstott

It’s that time of year that gardeners like me love. New life in the ground with promises of bounty to enjoy later. This year has been a year of “catching up” for me. Several years of failing knees left me unable to take care of things like I always have. Two new knees have allowed me to get back to the business of caring for my perennials. This has been exciting and both heartbreaking at the same time.

One particular tough job I’ve been working on is my largest flower bed. It’s overcome with plants that do not belong there, or in other words weeds. My flowers are trying their hardest to thrive there, but many are being choked out and overrun by invasive weeds. I’ve been working by carefully pulling those plants that don’t belong there, and it’s a hard job because I pull them up by the roots. I know this is the best way to get rid of them, taking them out root and all, and often their root is so strong and established I’m not able to get it all with a yank and have to bring in a garden tool. Other times, I unknowingly leave part of the root behind, and the weed comes back bigger, stronger, and more determined to stand. In my inability to get these weeds, my loving husband has attempted to help by using the “weed eater” or mower. This may have kept the weed out of sight, but the root is still there and has continued to grow, not to mention a few of my perennials have become some of the warfare casualties.   My largest flower bed has become overwhelming to me instead of being a source of joy and relaxation.

Isn’t this what happens in our personal lives as well?  Whether it’s a sin we wrestle with or an issue that plaques one of our relationships, if we don’t take care of the issue at hand and get to the root of it, it ends up overtaking us and growing to the point that our lives and relationships become the sin or issue instead of the purpose and design that God has for us. Often we try and “mow over” that which needs dealt with only to have a bigger issue continue to plague us. Anyone who has dealt with recovery from an addiction knows what it is like to try and cover up their behavior. They also understand that stopping their destructive behavior is just one step of the process. If the trauma or root cause of the addiction isn’t dealt with, that weed will continue to try and pop up through the soil. Ask any of us that have been married more than half of our lives and we can tell you that the “issues” we deal with as a married couple continue to plague us until we get to the issue at its root and get it out, making way for a healthy marriage to grow. The other thing we can all count on is that no matter how beautiful the garden appears, every garden has weeds. 

It isn’t all hopeless for those of us that want healthy gardens.  With consistent and intentional hard work, the weeds can be uprooted and replaced with the intended plants.  Those plants will need attention and feeding, but our spiritual lives and healthy relationships are worth it.  I have made it a practice to ask God to show me the weeds of my heart and to help me to get them out of my life.  I’ve made it a practice to study God’s word so I can have the right fertilizer for my soul.  There have been times my weeds were too high and I couldn’t distinguish them from the flowers and I’ve found a spiritual director or counselor to help.  I know there are those that are weed experts and know the right course of action to get them out once and for all.

I took my husband out to the flower bed this week.  I showed him how it was hard and overwhelming for me to take care of this alone. I accepted and confessed my responsibility in the neglect these past few years.  He acknowledged his responsibility in not getting those weeds up by the roots and just mowing them over.  More importantly, we both agreed that this garden and its future health and beauty will take the work of both of us.

This verse reminds me that Jesus will continue to do the work He has started in me.  My job is to lay aside every weight and sin, or in gardening terms “weed”, and finish this race I find myself in.  Others before me have done it as well.  I need only keep looking to Jesus…

*For any of you gardeners that may be thinking “till that bed up and start over”, let me say in the early years of neglect that was tried.  Our cable lines are underneath it. Ask me how many times we had the cable company out to restore power…

1 Peter 5:8-9a

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.”

It’s been a few days of introspection for me and I’m embarrassed to say that I had forgotten how Satan works. I had forgotten the tactics he uses to take my focus off of Jesus. Satan loves to use relationships and my need to be liked and respected to get me sidetracked from the work that I’ve been called to do. Satan knows exactly how to bait me to cast the doubt that leads me to conclusions that get me off the works that God has prepared for me. You let down your guard and he gets you. Thankfully, I have wise and godly friends to steer me back onto the right path.

Note: This concept of the “Bait of Satan” came to me through spiritual direction at a time when I was working on unforgiveness in my heart. It is outlined thoroughly in the book, “Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. While I do not agree with all of the author’s theology, this book was helpful in moving past the bitterness in my life.

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood/offering Spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture, it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the One who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”    

I first became fascinated with an inukshuk (n- nook- shook) on a 2018 trip to Ireland. One of our stops was a small fishing village on the west coast of the island. While enjoying a walk on the beach, our guide pointed out to us as we faced out to the ocean, the next stop from here is America! Further down the beach, we came upon several stacks of stones. It was clear they were not a natural phenomenon but were man-made. My curiosity got the best of me and I began to inquire about these interesting pillars of stones. One of the locals told me these stacks of stones were inukshuks, left by someone communicating “someone was here” or “you are on the right path”.

Last March, our lives were changed in ways that we could never have imagined. A few days after the shutdown, I decided to build an inukshuk at the end of our driveway. At first it was a physical sign for me of hope and friendship.  Then it became a sign we were headed in the right direction.  And now it stands as a testament to the human spirit. We grieve with those who have lost loved ones. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and we will get to the other side of this pandemic.

A couple of weeks ago, Pastor Tony shared with us about a Hebrew mizpah from the story of Jacob and Laban. They erected a pillar of stones marking an agreement between the two of them, with God as their watching witness or watchtower. Loosely interpreted, mizpah means “may God watch over between you and me while we’re apart.”

People have been using pillars and stacks of stones to communicate for centuries.  Pillars of stones, monuments to God, buildings—-they all are built by man and can be destroyed. Wesley Chapel is a beautiful facility and we have been blessed, but the building itself is not the church. Never more than during this pandemic has it been made clearer that the church is not a building of brick, mortar, and stone. We, God’s people the – “living stones”- are the church! Throughout the last year when we could not meet in person or were limited in numbers, Wesley Chapel turned to new and different ways to reach people outside the walls of the building. Nothing is more important to God than people. Each of us are the “living stones” with Jesus as our cornerstone. May we never lose sight, no matter the circumstances, of being rooted in Christ, growing in grace, making disciples to transform the world, and always loving well!

Written by Nancy Predmore

One of my favorite sets of rocks are some that we found on a rocky beach in Maine.  There were rock formations all over the shore. One of our favorites was a set of rocks that were balancing in the shape of a cross.  People put so much thought and effort into making these freestanding structures.  We made our own, but it wasn’t easy.  We had to start with a flat rock for the foundation.  Then we had to put together the rocks in a certain way to make them balance.  Some of the rocks worked better in one place than another, but they all had to work together to stay in balance.  If we shifted one rock, the entire stack needed to be shifted to stay in balance.  It was hard work, but the results were so satisfying.

When we first started attending Wesley Chapel, we weren’t sure where we fit.  Delainey jumped right in with Sunday School, but Jim and I moved more slowly.  While D attended Sunday School, we attended worship.  We found a class on Wednesday night that was a good fit for Jim and I while D attended youth group.  That class lead to being part of a Sunday School class.  Sunday School lead to being asked to help at VBS, which lead to teaching Sunday School.  We are not sure where teaching Sunday school will lead us, but we are willing to serve.

It all goes back to the rock formations.  Every rock in those formations have a purpose, for all of us at Wesley Chapel have a purpose.  God has placed us here together to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  We need each other to stay in balance just as those rocks need to be balanced together.  When one of us needs to shift, we need to shift together.  As long as we keep the living Stone as our foundation, we will be able do the work that He has called us for.

Written by Rhonda Alstott

I once read a quote that said,

“Apologizing does not always mean you’re wrong and the other person is right. It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.”

-Mark Mathews

The more I age, the more I value relationships. The more I value relationships, the more I value an apology…

As Christians, we have come into the family of faith through repentance. Repentance can be described as having a sincere remorse or regret for our thoughts and actions. We, in turn, tell God we are sorry and real repentance follows with a changed attitude, behavior, and life. It’s transformative. I believe that’s how our Creator designed it. It is the way we can be reconciled to God. It is His gift to us, and because we are reconciled to God we have the call to a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). I believe saying I am sorry when we have hurt someone is part of reconciliation. I’ve witnessed lately that people can take responsibility for a mistake by saying “my bad” or “yep I did it, it was my fault” and never say I am sorry for what they have done. It seems like defensiveness and excuses are the standard places many resort to when it’s been brought to their attention that they have hurt someone. To have health and healing in our relationships, I believe we have to not only accept responsibility for our words and actions, but apologize for the ways we have hurt others. I believe it is part of living godly lives where we recognize we have hurt someone and do our best to make it right. The good news is that we have been given everything we need to do this with (2 Peter 1:3).

I remember so well one of the first and hardest apologies I ever had to make as an adult. It was 1990 and I had just finished working on a team that did a weekend retreat in the Kentucky Women’s Prison. God opened my eyes to some of the ways I was living in a different kind of prison that weekend because I harbored deep resentment towards my father for all the hurt I had as a child and teen. I called him as soon as I returned home. I told him I was sorry because I had resentment and bitterness in my heart. He came back with an apology for the childhood I lived and took responsibility for some hurt he had inflicted. We both needed to say we were sorry. We both needed forgiveness. That moment forever changed my relationship with my dad. I was able to love and accept who he was. It was also my first big adult lesson in what humility looks like…it took humility for both of us to say I am sorry. It was also one of the most spiritually rewarding things I have ever done. Chains fell from my heart that day and I was set free to love my dad and work on healing from my past.

When I’ve taken the risk to apologize to those I love in a sincere way, my relationship with them has always been restored to a better place than before the apology. It has paved the way for better relationships in the future. I remember a few years back when I felt the weight of the hurt that I had inflicted on one of my children. I swallowed the lump of pride I had rising in my throat and told them how sorry I was. I was specific. I told them exactly what I had done that was wrong. I fought the urge to make excuses for my poor behavior. We were sitting outside in a downtown restaurant. I cried so hard I had to put on my sunglasses to keep from being a spectacle in the crowded cafe, but what really mattered is that I was sorry and told my child so. I was assured I was forgiven and our relationship was restored and set on the path of healing and wholeness. I am blessed to consider my adult children some of my best friends today because of our collective willingness to say I am sorry. They have apologized to me as well for things that they have done and said. Saying I am sorry to one another has made our lives richer.

I was alone with my mother when she went to be with Jesus in the early hours on a Monday morning. The nurse gave me a few moments to be with her. I wept and told her how very sorry I was. I had taken care of my mother for most of my life. I was deliberate and intentional about the decisions I made for and with her, but I still felt the need to tell her I was sorry for all the ways I failed her. I told her I was so sorry for how much suffering and heartache she had to go through. I knew that it wasn’t my fault, but it still helped me to verbalize how sorry I was. I knew that my mother didn’t hold those things against me, but I held those things against me. I was the one that needed to hear I was sorry. It’s funny how saying I am sorry can free you from all the “what ifs” and “maybe I should haves”.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve also recognized when I’m hurt and need an apology. I tend to respond like a wounded dog when I am hurting. I get under a bush and try to bite anyone that tries to help. I’ve gotten better at recognizing that my bitterness will grow unless I have told the person they have hurt me. Being honest and vulnerable about the wound gives them an opportunity to make peace before more hurt is done. Wisdom has taught me that it’s ok to know what you need and ask for it. If we don’t address these hurts as they happen, they accumulate and can make the bitterness grow. As I become increasingly aware of my own mortality these days, I want to love better in all my relationships. I don’t want hurt and bitterness to fester and grow.

I also want to say what a heartfelt apology isn’t. It isn’t a flippant “I am sorry you are upset.” This takes no responsibility for the wound. It just acknowledges that you are upset.

In my life I have had to forgive those who have apologized to me. I have also had to forgive those who haven’t apologized to me. Both have been out of obedience to Jesus. I cannot read God’s word without seeing how important forgiveness is in God’s grand scheme of redemption and reconciliation. Receiving an apology has been a catalyst in my work of forgiveness. Like I said, I have had to forgive without one, but I liken it to getting over an infection without the right medicine. Sure, I can get better, but it usually takes a lot longer to fight through it.

This past year has been a trying time for all of us. We have all lost people we love. We have watched relationships struggle. We have witnessed pride and destructive decisions that tear families apart. We have so much suffering we cannot control right now, but we have a lot we can control. That’s what I try to focus on. Is there suffering or hurt that I can bring some peace and healing to? Is there someone I need to offer a sincere apology to?

Shalom-

Rhonda

Written by Tom and Pat McKain

Song of Solomon 2:2-5

“Like a lily among the thorns is my darling among the maidens.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade and his fruit is sweet to my taste. He has taken me to the banquet hall and his banner over me is love.”

Pat McKain

Can this love grow?

The short answer to this question is yes! Let me explain.

As our children came along, Tom was working a lot of hours and I was a stay at home mom. Those years were hard! And we were very immature. We were both selfish and wanting more than we thought was our right. My mom used to tell me there is a special grace for young parents. I believe that is right. We were tired all the time and pinching pennies. Stress was high. However, we were committed to each other and the Lord.

I have found that if you grow close to the Lord, you grow closer and more in love with your spouse. Not only does your love last, but it gets deeper and more fulfilling. The secret: Grow close to the Lord and let Him change your heart. He will fill you with His fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control for your spouse and others.

Can this love grow?

Tom McKain

God is our Creator. He has built into this marriage a mystery that only He could design – a growing, permanent, literal oneness, a blending of the two bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits.

This can happen even if the two aren’t Believers. But, oh, what potential when we believe and cooperate with God’s transforming work in our hearts! God wants us as spouses to be in agreement- with Him, and with each other– to agree on the important things of life. To be of one mind is a tremendous blessing and a key to marriage!

Pat and I know that this oneness is a spiritual miracle– because after 50 years of friendship and 44 years of marriage we’re not tired or bored with each other. Everything literally has gotten better with age!

One of the main keys here is to just realize, and fully KNOW the amazing gift that is your mate! We take our marriages for granted. What really works is to focus on what you like about your spouse! Look for the beauty, for it is surely there! Appreciate all the goodness and blessing that your mate brings to life!

This is what it means to cherish each other; to build up each other, to sacrifice for each other, and to stay close. In fact, this picture of Christ and the Church, is what we are made for!