What is Faith?

What is faith?

I've been thinking of faith a lot lately and have been asking God for more faith.  It is so easy for me to doubt Him.  Why? Do I know when I have faith?  Do I know when I don't have faith?  

We are getting ready to study faith as a family and we have been studying it in our schooling  (Wisdom Books).

Faith is visualizing what God intends to do in a given situation and acting in harmony with it.  

I have found that easier said than done.

Faith is so important because "Without faith it is impossible to please God."  Heb. 11:6  When we come to the Father "we must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him".

I am justified by faith (made perfect in God's sight).  Romans 3:28

I am saved from my sins by faith. Eph. 2:8-9

I am sanctified and cleansed by faith.  Acts 26:18

My heart is purified by faith. Acts 15:9

I have access by faith into God's grace. Romans 5:2

I can 'move mountains' by faith.  Mt. 17:20 

Here are some neat little quotes I found:

Faith is absolute trust and reliance on the realities we can discern through our spiritual senses.

Faith and obedience are so closely intertwined that I cannot have one without the other.

Faith must be expressed in actions.

James 2:17-18  "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may say,

 Thou has faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works,

 and I will show thee my faith by my works."

A.W. Tozer said, "Faith never means gullibility.  The man who believes everything is as far from God as the man who refuses to believe anything."

Oswald Chambers said, "Faith by its nature must be tried...Faith untried has no character value for the individual."

And then I read some thought provoking questions:

How strong is my faith?

Do I watch for 'rhemas' as I  read through Scripture?

Do I memorize and meditate upon the 'rhemas' God gives me?

Do I believe that God is living and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him?

Do I pray in generalities or take specific request to the Lord?

Do I wait for God's provision, or do I borrow money for the things I think I should have now?

Do I have examples in my life of God working supernaturally through faith?

I've  been wrestling with FAITH recently and would love to hear your comments on FAITH in your life.

A Special Time with Aunts and Cousins

I was so blessed to host a lunch for my aunts, an uncle, and a cousin.

The aunts spent the morning looking for shells at Lido Beach and then came to 

my house for a lite lunch of chicken salad sandwiches 

and spinach, strawberry salad.

  My sister, Joyce, topped our meal off with a 

yummy, chocolate dessert.

After a fun conversation and looking at old dishes 

(of which some of these are pro's and suggested that I put at least one of my 

dishes under close guard until they leave the area! ha!),

we took a trip to Goodwill to see what bargains we could find.

I thought this sign was so cute!

The Wagler family is a huge family with lots and lots of relatives.

When you only have a limited amount of time to be in the area 

it is hard to find time to visit everyone you would like to see.

These sisters came up with a simple solution...

have an Open House.

So they made it known that there was an Open House from 1:00-3:00

for whoever wanted to visit to come.

(Bring your own chair!)

 Wednesday evening Myra (cousin/neice) hosted the aunts for dinner.

She served a delicious meal of enchiladas, mexican rice, several salsa's with chips, 

jello salad and topped everyone off with strawberry delight.

We sat and talked of how Grandma Wagler delivered thirteen babies

at home and how much she paid for each delivery.

She had no baby scales so she 'guessed' about how much each one weighed.

She also allowed the other children to pick out the names of the babies as they came.

Mom and Aunt Dorothy assisted with the birth of Aunt Ruth (the youngest).

I don't think they recommend children helping deliver babies.

It was also interesting to hear about their transportation to church while they 

were still Amish.  I think it was like a van/buggy and sometimes the kids would have to all get out 

when they went up a hill.  Grandma was never happier than when the children were 

all tucked around her.  She also spent many evenings reading aloud to the children.

And Grandpa's reputation was that someone would hate to get between 

him and his children.  Many of the grandkids also remember riding to town 

with Grandpa for a bottle of "pop"......and stealing pop out of Uncle Duane and Uncle Junior's cooler.

Before they had electricity, they read by kerosene lamps.  It was not unusual

to be happily reading away when someone would need to borrow the light

to go upstairs, so you sat in the dark until it was returned.

Most of the aunts also remember when the bathroom was put into their house.

It sounded like there was some wheelin' and dealin' going on to 

have the bathroom put in!  :)

Along with laughing til our sides hurt, there were also tears as we

remembered our cousin/neice Judy, who passed away suddenly this winter.

We can still hardly grasp the concept that she is gone.

She was the first direct relative to pass away and is greatly missed.

We also talked about Uncle Mark (Dorothy's husband) who passed away 19 years ago

and Steve Thomas (niece Cheryl's husband)

Thursday was departure day for those from Michigan.

While not really ready to leave, they were ready to see their families again.

Some got a good dose of Vitamin D yet before they headed into the cold.

While others protected their skin from burns under the porch, 

we were all entertained by neighbor, Fannie Jane.

Fannie Jane is a widow lady who enjoys people and can keep 

a whole group in stitches from her random remarks and sense of humor.

(by the way, this is in front of Aunt Rose's house)

Aww, how sad... it is time to leave.

But as Aunt Lois said, "We can't say 'Hello' if we don't say 'Goodbye'".

Uncle Danny taxied them to the Tampa Airport.

Aunt Dorothy, Mom and I visited Vera Overholt's new bookstore

in Pinecraft afterwards, which was very interesting.

Special memories of the Wagler Sisters' reunion in Sarasota.

Nieces:  myself, Pam, and Myra

What an important role aunts play in the lives of nieces and nephews.

These aunts are all pretty special people and will probably never

know how much we all love them

and all the special memories we have of good times at 

Grandpa and Grandma's house.

There are a whole "herd" of us grandkids and great-grandkids

and many times they worked hard to feed us all and clean up after us.

Praying God blesses them with many more

 happy, healthy years together!

And just for the record...

we officially extend an invitation to the seven uncles

(and all the in-laws)

to come to Sarasota and enjoy time together

and load up on Vitamin D.

The Gift of Giving

How would a Church Body survive without Givers?  Apostle Matthew was probably a Giver.  He is the only Gospel writer who emphasized secret giving.  He also the only writer who mentioned "the treasures" brought by teh Magi; he described Mary's ointment as "very precious" and described Joseph's tomb as "new".  

1.  Givers are able to see Resources.

A giver has the ability to discern with investments.  His motivation is to use assets of time, money, and possessions to advance the work of the Lord.  If a person with the gift of Giving has limited funds, he is still able to use his ability to recognize available resources and draw upon them when needed.

...but a Giver is tempted to hoard resources for self.

The fear of the Lord is the key to effective use of the gift.  One way we learn the fear of the Lord is by regular giving.  If a giver stops exercising his gift, not only will he begin to lose his fear of the Lord, but his practice of storing up will cause him to become stagnant.

2.  A Giver invests self, then his gift.

A Giver needs continuous reassurance that his decisions are in God's will, whether he has little or much to give.  To achieve this, he will first give himself and then his gift to the Lord.

... but a Giver can use his gift to control people.

A giver has a desire to make sure that his gifts are wisely invested and used.  He will often buy a quality item to donate rather than give the money for it.  However, if items are purchased or projects are sponsored by a giver, he may be viewed as using his gifts to control lives and ministries.

3.  A Giver desires to give high-quality gifts.

The Giver's ability to discern value motivates him to provide quality gifts.  He wants them to last.

...but a Giver can force higher living standards on others.

If a giver's focus is more on the quality of the gift rather than on the need, he can cause the receiver to be dissatisfied with the quality of other things he owns.  A giver could also excuse personal luxuries on the basis that he is generous with his money.  However, when he is not faithful in little, God will not trust him with much.

4.  A Giver hopes his giving answers prayers.

A Giver who is in fellowship with the Lord will be prompted to give even when a need is not obvious.  The ultimate confirmation that his gift was according to God's will comes when he learns that it fulfilled an unknown need or answered a special prayer.

...and a Giver can feel guilty about his personal assets.

A Giver who is not in fellowship with the Lord will begin to feel guilt as he stores up funds.  Even is he is preparing for a special need, he must have the reassurance from the Lord that his plans are according to God's will.

5.  A Giver desires to give secretly.

Just as the giver looks to the Lord for direction, so he wants recipients to look to the Lord for provision.  The giver knows that the future reward is more valuable than present praise; therefore, he will give quietly and often anonymously.

....but a Giver tends to reject pressure appeals.

If a giver reacts to all appeals for funds and looks only for the hidden and unannounced needs, he may fail to recognize the Lord's direction. He may also miss and important opportunity to give wise counsel or needed funds to a worthy ministry.

6.  A Giver is concerned that giving will corrupt.

A mature giver understands the destructiveness of the love of money.  He is very aware that the disciplines that God taught him in acquiring assets may not have been learned by those who need his assistance.  Therefore, he looks for ways of giving that avoid dependency, slothfulness, or extravagance.

...but a Giver can give too sparingly to family.

The frugality of a giver is often extended to his wife and children.  However, if he does not show the same concern, care, and delight in meeting their needs as he does in meeting others' needs, they will react to his generosity.

7.  A Giver exercises personal thriftiness.

The personal assets that the giver has are often the result of consistent personal frugality while being content with the basics.  A giver will always be concerned about getting the best buy, not with how much he has left.  He will spend extra effort in saving money and being resourceful with what he has left.

...but a Giver can tend to give to project vs. people.

If a Giver loses his focus of meeting the needs of people, he may be unduly attracted to projects.  The emphasis of Scriptural giving is distributing to the necessity of the saints.  Paul's collection was for the needy Christians.

8.  A Giver uses gifts to multiply giving.

The motivation of a giver is to encourage others to give.  He wants them to experience the joy and spiritual growth that come by sacrificial giving.  The Giver may provide matching funds or the last payment in order to encourage others to give.

...but it may cause people to look to him rather than God.

When a giver lets others know what he is giving, he will cause many to turn their attention from the Lord to him.  He also risks the danger of attracting people with wrong motives.

9.  A Giver confirms amount with counsel.

A Giver reacts to pressure appeals.  He looks instead for financial needs that others tend to overlook.  A husband who has the gift of giving will often confirm the amount that he should give by seeing if his wife has the same amount in mind.

...but a Giver can wait too long to give.

If a giver is not instantly obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, he may lose the joy of seeing God accomplish a miraculous provision through him.  The one who was to receive the gift will also be denied the opportunity of seeing God provide funds precisely when needed.

Are you a Giver or do you know some Givers?

We have been richly blessed by "Givers" in our lives.  And like all the other gifts....we are all to give.  We should all be looking for ways to give to others and it may not always be just with money.

Who will you give to today?

The "Aunts" have arrived!

Mom's sisters try to get together once a year but haven't been able to do it for awhile.

Beings two of them are down here in the winter months 

the other four decided to come visit and have their get together here!

I was thrilled because I rarely get to go to family reunions since 

we live so far away from most of the family.

Yesterday Aunt Edna hosted them and two of us nieces were honored to

join them for lunch.  Edna made some delicious lentil soup, sandwiches, and fresh fruit.

Back row:  Uncle Danny with wife, Edna, in front of him, Aunt Dorothy (Ohio)

Cousin Pam (Mi.), Mom

Front Row:  Aunt Ruth (Mi.), Aunt Lois (Mi.), Aunt Alma (Mi.), Aunt Rose (Mi.)

Mom is the oldest and Aunt Ruth is the youngest.

Interestingly enough there are 13 kids in this family and the oldest is 

25 years older than the youngest.

They are having a great time together and make me look forward to the time

when my three sisters and I can have vacations together, too...

after our kids are all grown and have flown the nest.

Tomorrow I get to host them for lunch!

Meanwhile on the other side of town....

the "Weaver Sisters" are here, too!

Diane flew in from Montana for ten days and Betty and Larry are here from PA. for two weeks.

What fun we have had getting together with them, too!

We fill poor Grandma's living room clear up to the brim but that's where we all want to be.

We just pull up another chair or sit on the floor as more arrive.

And of course, there's always food....

Mmm-mmmm!

Youth Valentine's Banquet

We began our lovely evening with dinner at Olive Garden Restaurant....

After a lovely dinner we went to James & Lori's for dessert and games.

Upon arrival we were each presented with a half of a broken heart (leap year and all)

and we needed to find the other half. 

After that ten people went out for a game of "Charades". 

Every two people had to act our a Bible couple and see who could

get the rest of us to guess it in the shortest amount of time.

The winning couple was guessed in four seconds!

The next game was "Spin the Bottle"...

the Christian version, of course!

In each bottle (we had two groups) were slips of papers 

telling you what to do.

One slip said you had to wear the "ears of love" until someone

else had a turn to wear them.

Several had to do mock proposals....

It really was quite scary to open a slip of paper

because you had no idea what you might be ask to do!

One slip said you had to ask someone wearing pink or red

to sing a Love Song with you!

"You are my Sunshine"!

OK, so I cheated and ask someone wearing green to sing with me!

Following this Grand Finale we enjoyed some delicious desserts by Lori

and good, good fellowship!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am so blessed to have a Godly husband who blessed me 

with a beautiful bouquet of roses today!

...and last night I came home to a beautiful bouquet from one of the youth girls!

How much more blessed can one woman be?!

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

The Gift of Exhortation

Who are the exhorters in the church?  It would appear that Apostle Paul may have been an exhorter.  The motivation of an Exhorter is to see Christians grow in faith and maturity so that believers will be attracted to the Gospel by their lives.  I know several people who have the gift of exhortation and they are such a blessing and encouragement to me.  They usually will go for the root problem and not spend too much time on the surface issues.  Surface issues are important, too, but the Exhorter is going after solutions.  An Exhorter will usually have a plan of action (usually consisting of 4 steps) and will soon have you on the road to recovery.

Keep reading....may be you have the gift of Exhortation.

1.  An Exhorter is committed to spiritual growth.

He/she wants to see spiritual growth take place in practical living, and is willing to become personally involved to see it happen.

...but an Exhorter tends to keep others waiting for him.

An Exhorter's willingness to give people whatever time is necessary to help them grown spiritually often cuts into family time and personal responsibilities.  He will assume that his family will understand.  He must be careful or major resentment may arise in his own family.

2.  An Exhorter sees root problems.

He can often discern the spiritual maturity of another person.  Because of this, he is motivated to search out hindrances in the lives of those who are not growing spiritually.

...but an Exhorter needs to be careful not to look to himself for solutions.

As he gains experience and success in counseling, he tends to categorize problems as he hears them and attire at conclusions before getting all the facts.  By failing to listen completely and sense direction from the Holy Spirit, he can be guilty of giving wrong direction.

3.  An Exhorter sees steps of action.

He has the ability to visualize spiritual achievement for another Christians and help him work out practical steps of action to achieve it.  These steps are designed to remove hindrances and develop disciplines through which the Holy Spirit can work.

...but he needs to be careful not to become proud of visible results.

When an Exhorter gives steps of action he also expects them to be carried out.  As spiritual growth becomes visible, it is easy for the exhorter to take personal credit for it.  He may also be  tempted to settle for outward conformity rather than inward change.

4.  An Exhorter raises hope for solutions.

An exhorter tends to use examples from the lives of others to help Christians see the potential of daily victory.

...and an Exhorter tends to start projects prematurely.

They tend to jump into new projects without finishing existing ones. they use projects to motives others, and then when others are involved, they find a better project to start.

5.  An Exhorter can turn problems into benefits.

Mature exhorters have learned by experience that God gives special grace during trials.  

...but an Exhorter has to be careful not to use people  as projects.

The Exhorter is constantly on the lookout for steps of action that will bring lasting results.  As he works with his family or friends, they may get the impression that they are simply another project rather than real people who need personal attention.

6.  An Exhorter desires to be "transparent".

An Exhorter knows that true growth will not take place where there is guilt.  Paul told Timothy to maintain a "good conscience".  

....but an Exhorter needs to be careful when sharing personal experiences.

A problem that can arise with treating family and friends as "projects" rather than people is made even worse as he shares private illustrations that come out of his counseling experiences.  Exhorters depend heavily on illustrations to communicate their messages.  However, when these illustrations are shared without permission, listeners can become uneasy and those who were counseled can become resentful.

7.  An Exhorter gains insight through experience.

The Exhorter is motivated to learn cause-and-effect sequences and through them discover underlying principles of life.   He studies both Scripture and experience to find these.  His motivation is to promote spiritual growth and to bring diverse groups of Christians together.

...but an exhorter tends to present truth out of balance.

Exhorters tend to avoid heavy doctrinal teaching that does not have immediate practical application.  The result of this emphasis can be an imbalance of teaching, which eventually will show up as doctrinal error.

8.  An Exhorter has an urgency to act on clear steps.

He tends to explain truth using logical reasoning in order to motivate people to act upon it.  

...but an Exhorter can set unrealistic goals.

They often visualize long-range projects and goals for people.  These are usually presented without making them aware of the amount of time it will take to achieve them.  This can breed discouragement and disillusionment.

9.  An Exhorter desires to share face to face.

He needs to see the facial expressions of his listeners in order to determine their responses and to confirm positive results.  

...and an Exhorter can give up on uncooperative people.

They tend to lose hope for people who do not quickly and consistently respond to the steps of action that are given for spiritual growth.  

Are you an Exhorter or have you identified the Exhorters God has placed in your life?

Who are you exhorting?  Who are you stirring on to good works and spiritual growth?  

If each of us would reach one

....and each of those would reach one...

    ...and each of those would .....

The Gift of Teaching

Do you have the gift of Teaching?

If not, does that excuse you from teaching?

I don't believe it does because I have sat under some "Teachers" teaching and have learned some wonderful things.  However, I've also sat under some people's teaching who thought they were gifted "Teachers" and I felt frustrated because they spoke way over my head or were so caught up in the facts that they missed the heart of the message, or they were so confident in their knowledge of facts that they didn't seem to have need of the Spirit of God.  

What are the characteristics of a "Teacher"?

1.  Teachers need to validate information.

When a teacher hears important statements he will desire to verify them.  He wants to confirm that the statements are true and have the authority that brings spiritual freedom.

...however Teachers tend to become proud of their knowledge.

It is very easy for a teacher to become proud or "puffed up" because of his knowledge.  He may also appear proud by giving far more information than is needed to prove a point.  He can even communicate the attitude that "It isn't right until I check it out and say it is right."

2.  Teachers check out other Teachers.

A teacher is very alert to false teachers.  He will want to investigate their backgrounds before listening to them.  He will also assume that others want to know the teacher's qualifications, too, so he will tend to make sure others know.

...however, teachers tend to despise lack of credentials.

Teachers make the mistake of concentrating on intellectual knowledge rather than spiritual perception.  They can over emphasize credentials and despise or minimize the uneducated.

3.  Teachers tend to rely on Resources.

A teacher needs to go to reliable sources to validate truth.  Luke is a good example of this:  He praised the Bereans for daily confirming Paul's statements. He also related his writings to the other Gospel accounts and to the Old Testament.

...however, teachers can easily depend on human reasoning.

A teacher can easily give the impression that he is the only source of truth and that his gift is more important than the other gifts.  He may also react to, or fail to see, the need to bring his intellect under the control of the Holy Spirit, thus putting his scholarship ahead of the spiritual insight that comes through meditating on Scripture.

4.  Teachers present Truth systematically.

Teachers tend to feel more comfortable when material is laid out in an orderly sequence.  He wants to know the events in the order in which they occurred.

....however, teachers tend to criticize practical applications.

As the teacher focuses on textual studies, he may miss the underlying principles that apply to us today.

5. Teachers gather many facts.

Sometimes teachers have a greater delight in researching facts than in teaching them.  When they teach they feel compelled to give as many facts as possible.

...however, Teachers can try to show off their research skills.

Not only does a teacher desire to share his conclusion; he feels obligated to explain how he arrived at it.  He often assumes, wrongly, that because he enjoyed the research so much, others will enjoy it, too.  

6.  Teachers require thoroughness.

A teacher enjoys giving details that are not noticed or mentioned by others.  Luke gives precise descriptions of events, conversations, circumstances, and physical conditions.  He also details more names, titles, cities, dates, and events than any other Gospel writer.

...however a teacher tends to reject Scriptural presuppositions.

Because foundational truths of Scripture are to be understood by faith, a teacher will have to subject his intellect to the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.

7.  A Teacher is uneasy with subjective truth.

A teacher recognizes the danger of using personal experience for a foundation of truth.  He wants to go from Scripture to experience, rather than from experience to a proof text in Scripture.  A teacher tends to be quiet until information has been heart, observed, and verified.

...however, a teacher tends to put mind above the Holy Spirit.

The most effective way for anyone to keep his intellect under the control of the Holy Spirit is to meditate on God's Word day and night.  Neither the inspiration of Scripture nor the true meaning of Scripture can be understood intellectually/ they must be discerned spiritually.   If a teacher fails to become mighty in spirit, he will tend to trust his own intellect.

8.  A Teacher perseveres with accepted teachers.

A teacher will tend to remain loyal to a mentor or a school as long as any truth remains. He does what he can to promote truth.

...however, a teacher tends to take teachings to extreme.

Truth out of balance leads to heresy.  Imbalance begins by studying a doctrine apart from its moral settings.  Argumentation and division result.  Imbalance occurs when related truths are separated.  (ex.: mercy without justice, grace without law.)

9.  Teachers clarify misunderstandings.

If a teacher learns his facts are wrong, he will not simply accept the conclusion but will want to retrace his own investigation to determine at what point he got off the right track.  He will want to use the same procedure to help others who have strayed from the truth.

...however, a teacher tends to argue over minor points.

If a teacher leans on his own understanding, it is easy for him to reject an important spiritual truth because he detects a minor flaw in the presentation of it.  He may also reject a truth because he is being asked to intellectually accept a conclusion without knowing how the other person arrived at it.

Do you have the Spiritual Gift of Teaching?

Is that what motivates you?

If not, appreciate the teachers in your church.  Let them know how important they are and be willing to learn from them; have a teachable spirit.  Sometimes we tend to be frustrated with HOW they teach and then we are guilty of missing the message they are trying to relay to us.

And  then be willing to be a teacher/ a discipler.  We are all called to teach and disciple others. If we don't have the motivation of a teacher, it just makes us depend heavier on the leading of the Holy Spirit.