Contents

3 What Does God Expect Of Us?

By Larry Weber

4 The World As I See It

By Rev. Shane Bishop

5 Are You Truly Happy When A Sinner Is Saved?

By Demian Farnworth
The Flame 5 The Stay-At-Home Son
The magazine of Christ Church By Emily Climaco

Rev. Shane Bishop 6 All I Am

Senior Pastor By Don Frazure

Rev. Allen Miller 8 A Message Of Hope For The New Year

By Pat Mace
Associate Pastor
9 Getting To Know You
Justin Aymer
Director of Communications 10 Unto The Least Of These
By Mary Pierce and Michael Harrison
Donna Harrison
Editor 11 Women 4-Given
By Kathy O’dell
Barbara Germany
Proof Reader 11 No Greater Love Ministry
By Bernie Kneale

12 Spotlight On Ministry “Men’s Softball”

Service Times
Sunday 13 Don’t Waste The Wilderness
8:30am, 10:30am, 6:00pm By Nick Turner

Saturday
15 Watch Us Grow
5:00pm

For a complete listing of the Christ

Church Staff and to learn more about
Christ Church please visit:
www.mychristchurch.com
© Copyright 2011, Christ Church.
Questions about the Flame?
Contact Donna Harrison at:
donna@connectingwithchrist.com
Christ Church
339 Frank Scott Pkwy E
Fairview Heights, IL 62208
618.277.4659
2 donna@connectingwithchrist.com
A Note From The Editor
2011 will mark my third year as Editor and I consider it a privilege to
serve at Christ Church. I’d like to thank the staff for their leadership,
encouragement and patience. Many thanks to Justin Aymer for his
graphic artistry; he has truly made the Flame vibrant. To the folding
team and proof readers, thank you for your faithfulness. To the authors
and poets, I can’t wait to see what God puts on your heart this year.
Thank you Lord Jesus for another year of life and service.
Happy New Year!
Donna Harrison
What Does God
Expect Of Us?
By Larry Weber
Jim Wallis and some friends involved in Bible Study cut
out all the verses in their Bibles that dealt with poverty,
wealth, (in)justice and oppression. They named what
was left the “American Bible.” In Matthew 27: 37-
39 Jesus tells the Pharisees that the most important
commandment in the Law of Moses is, “love the Lord
your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your
mind. …A second is equally important: Love your
neighbor as yourself.” The issue is not whether or not
we believe the words of Jesus but how do we apply
His words to how we live our lives. We seem to know
how to love God with all our heart, soul and mind; it
certainly is made easier by the incredible corporate
worship we experience each week at Christ Church
and our daily study of the word. But how do we live
out the second commandment–loving our neighbor
as ourselves? What are our responsibilities to the
people in the world who are living in areas of poverty,
injustice and oppression?
This past fall I read Rich Stearns’ book, The Hole in
Our Gospel. The book makes the case for expanding
our personal faith into a public and transforming
relationship with the poor and sick of the world. As
I read the book, I was troubled by my own beliefs,
attitudes and (lack of) actions in caring for the poor.
I live in the richest nation in the world with freedoms
that many can only dream of. I have an income that
is in the top 1% compared to the rest of the world.
But I do not have an awareness or understanding
of the twin crises of poverty and sickness that affect
many of my neighbors in other parts of the world.
My values/belief system would suggest that those
in poverty should grab hold of their bootstraps and
pull themselves up with no understanding of how
unlikely, if not impossible, that is for my neighbors
in other parts of the world. Yes, at Christ Church
we do many things that serve those Down the Hall,
Around the Corner and Around the World. And I do
not mean to minimize the impact those things have
upon our neighbors. But does our understanding of
stewardship truly demonstrate our love of neighbor in
an intensely personal way? Do we have a Hole in Our
Gospel that needs attention?
At Christ Church my role as Director of Ministries is to
identify opportunities for growth for our congregation.
For Lent it is my desire to engage the entire church in
this stewardship study, The Hole in Our Gospel. In this
6 week quest, we will learn how Stearns believes our
lives can be transformed as we grasp the magnitude
of the challenge and the opportunity to fill the Hole in
Our Gospel. I am asking you to join a small group for
our church-wide Lenten Study or establish your own
group. Every God Is Calling You connection class will
be devoting their time to this study. The quest to fill the
Hole in Our Gospel begins in March and April and we
invite you to be a part of it.
3
The World As I See It
By Rev. Shane Bishop
At Christ Church our mission will always be to “connect
people with Jesus Christ.” Though the mission is a
constant, our strategies to accomplish that mission
must change from time to time. Up to this point
our strategy has been to evangelize, grow into as
many worship services as possible, construct more
buildings and then run capital campaigns to pay for
the buildings. We now estimate, at our current rate of
growth, that we have 3 to 5 years before we again fill
up all 3 Sunday services. While this clearly gives us
some breathing room, it is time for strategic thinking
right now.
As the current complex moves toward maximum
capacity, we will have three very clear choices.
1) We can stop growing. This is not an option for me
as I have no understanding of the church apart from
evangelism and growth. 2) We can relocate. We
could look into the purchase of 100 acres and begin
planning for a sanctuary seating 2,500 at a price tag
in upwards of 20 million dollars or
3) We can join the multi-site revolution. The multi-
site movement already attracts about 10 percent of
Protestant worshippers in US America. The idea
is simple. You first build a great church in a single
location and take the DNA of that church and plant
it in multiple locations or “campuses.” All campuses
run from a common mission, budget, staff and board.
4
Each campus features a lay pastor, a children’s
worker, a small group coordinator and a live band.
I would preach the sermons live at the Fairview Heights
Campus and the other campuses would experience
the same message via video projection.
There are four things that excite me about this concept:
1) It moves us away from a “brick and mortar/capital
campaign” existence.
2) It keeps us growing without major capital expense.
3) It will multiply leadership and plunge hundreds
more people into ministry.
4) And most importantly, it will exponentially increase
our capability to connect people to Jesus Christ.
Are multi-sites the “next big thing at Christ Church?”
Almost certainly! We are currently talking with Bishop
Gregory Palmer, District Superintendent Gary Wilson
and New Church Development Mike Crawford about
possibilities that could come as soon as this fall.
Please keep this new strategy to fulfill our mission in
your prayers as we look boldly toward our future!
And that is the world…as I see it.
Are You Truly Happy
When A Sinner Is
Saved?
By Demian Farnworth
Let’s admit it: The Prodigal Son is our favorite story
in the Bible. Son hates father, squanders inheritance
with loose living and crawls back to father. Father
runs to son, throws his arms around son and kisses
son.
Who wouldn’t love a story like that? But did you ever
think that maybe you’ve got the story half right? Let
me explain.
In the story of the Prodigal Son—as so often the case
in Jesus’ parables—the twist in the story makes the
point. What’s the twist? No Middle Eastern father
would greet a rebellious son that way. And that’s
something the elder brother picks up on.
Remember him, the elder brother? He’s the other
person in the story. He is miffed and asks: Why all
The Stay-At-Home
Son
(Luke 15:11-32)
By Emily Climaco
I’ve always identified with the older son in the prodigal
story; this son is annoyed when his younger brother
returns. His blood is boiling, but he’s reluctant to
make a scene; after all, he’s the good one. Through
clenched teeth he argues, “I’ve been here all along,
Dad, working hard, but where’s my party? He shows
up and you have a feast!”
In first grade I developed a strong sense of injustice,
especially in cases of unfair rule enforcement. In other
words, I was the recess tattletale. Miss Johnston once
asked me, “Do you like getting other kids in trouble?”
I sensed that the question was rhetorical and saved
my answer for now: no, I didn’t enjoy getting kids in
trouble, but I wanted her to notice me being super-
the fuss over a misfit like my younger brother? What
about me: My obedience, loyalty and hard work?
His response should remind you of two other parables:
the workers in the field and the lost sheep*. The
workers in the field teach us that God’s love for us
disregards our levels of obedience or performance.
And the lost sheep demonstrates our proper response
when it comes to a sinner being saved: joy. And these
are the same lessons taught in the Prodigal story.
So let me ask you a question: Are you truly happy
when a sinner is saved? Or are you like the elder
brother?
I am the elder brother: apathetic toward the lost, bitter
over the attention paid the new convert. But don’t feel
sorry for me. I need this pointed out to me, otherwise
I remain a liar: “If anyone says ‘I love God,’ and hates
his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his
brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he
has not seen” 1 John 4:20. And trust me, I don’t want
to be a liar. Neither should you.
*Matthew 20:1-16 and Luke 15:1-7
good. Pointing out others’ faults made the contrast
crystal clear. Funny, Miss Johnston never threw me
a party.
The older son wants a little recognition, but he seems
to think his father’s recognition is a zero-sum game.
There is something slightly unsatisfactory in the
father’s response, “You’re with me all the time, and
everything that is mine is yours.” As in, of course
you’re always here; however, . . . Understandably, he
feels there’s not enough attention to go around.
In contrast, our heavenly Father’s attention toward us
is steadfast, affectionate, overflowing. When someone
else receives God’s mercy, there is still enough for
me. God doesn’t recognize my supposed goodness;
He recognizes me simply as His beloved child. A
spotlight is not a halo; a stage is not an altar. While
people’s recognition is nice, it recedes into shadow
in light of God’s love. When the sheep are rescued,
the coin turns up, or the child returns, God smiles and
throws a party. May as well let the good times roll.
5
All I Am
By Don Frazure
“Holy Spirit Come” is a song that Jeff Allen wrote
several years before he came to Christ Church as
our Assistant Worship Director. We sing it with a
good degree of regularity because, let’s face it, it’s a
good song and it connects with our congregation. In
October we were recording each service so we could
use the takes on the new worship CD (set for release
late February/early March 2011 – shameless plug, I
know,) and “Holy Spirit Come” was on the set list for
that Sunday.
The day we recorded this song I was going through a
rough period of time. On the outside, things looked
great; the Fall Journey event was a success, our
weekend attendance was surging, the new 6:00 p.m.
service was off to a great start, the band and vocal
team were tearing it up, the choir and orchestra were
bringing it – we were on fire. But something was
wrong with me. I was becoming so concerned with
little details and things that shouldn’t have bothered
me. I noticed myself becoming snappish with basically
everyone on the team. I was becoming annoyed with
people I loved and wasn’t extending grace to them
for not being like I wanted them to be. Let’s just say
that I wasn’t offering up the best example of good
leadership at that time and leave it at that. I was
putting my focus on the service of worship rather than
6
on the God to whom I was worshipping. So it’s no
wonder that things seemed to fall in on me that day.
Remember to Pray – no matter what!
We normally have prayer just before the band and
vocal team go out on stage. On this particular Sunday
I lost track of time and when I checked the count down
it said 0:30 – uh oh!!! “Everybody on stage we’re
late!!!” is all I could say (yell is more like it) as I rushed
everyone out on stage (without prayer) and we hastily
began the service. It was all downhill from there. It
seemed like so many simple things that normally go
off without a problem suddenly were a problem. It
seemed like nothing was going right and I felt like I
was propping up everything for most of the service.
As I look back on that day, having prayer with my
team would have centered my focus back on Christ
and on worshipping Him. Since that didn’t happen,
the dominos began to fall in the wrong direction. The
problem, however, was deeper than just a missed
prayer. My focus was not only on the things going
wrong in worship, but I was feeling it was about me
and I was judging myself by those things. Then we
came to “Holy Spirit Come.”
When we sang “All I have for You, is what I am to You”
the words hit me hard and the Holy Spirit spoke to me.
I was convicted of what I was doing. In an instant the
meaning of that line sunk into my heart. Instead of
seeing myself as God sees me, I was seeing myself
through the eyes of man – or rather like I see myself.
I was letting the success of Christ Church and my
success as worship director become the foundation
of my identity. While I am proud to be serving at this
church and take great joy in all that we get to do in
worship, that is not who I am. I was letting myself feel
equated to the success and also the perceived failures
(remember how I said it seemed like the whole service
that morning was falling apart) of the worship team
and worship services of Christ Church. I had lost sight
of my true identity. While we were still singing, I had
to stop and pray for God’s forgiveness for losing sight
of who I am in Him.
Who am I, really?
When all that seemed to fail that day, I felt like a failure.
And if that was how God saw me, then I really was a
failure in His eyes. Thankfully though, He sees me
differently than I do. All I have or am to Him, is who I
am through Jesus Christ – not who I am through the
works of Don Frazure or Christ Church or the worship
team, etc. That “righteousness” is “as filthy rags” in His
eyes (Isaiah 64:6). No, when God sees me, He sees
His child who He bought with the blood of His Son. In
preparation for this devotion, these scriptures spoke to
me as to how God sees me through the saving grace
of Jesus Christ:
My ministry here at CUMC is not who I am. It is a part
of who I am and I pray that God will always get the
glory for what I do in His name. Your occupation is
not what God uses to identify you either. When God
looks at you with your sins covered by the blood of His
son, He sees His child that He created. He loves you
because you are His and He is yours. That is how we
need to be identified. That doesn’t give us permission
to ignore His teaching and go our own way. We must
daily repent of our sins, forget the world and remember
not only who we are, but whose. Do you see yourself
through the eyes of your Creator? Do you know who
you are in Christ? Take some time to reflect on these
verses and peel back the layers of your self-image
and see just who you really are in His sight. When
you see who you think you are measured against who
you really are, the differences may reveal more than
you want, yet need to know.

I am a new creation in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come!

I am a child of God.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received Him, to those who
believed in His name, He gave the right to become
children of God.

I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a
servant does not know His master’s business. Instead,
I have called you friends, for everything that I learned
from My Father I have made known to you.

I am God’s temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves
are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
7
A Message Of Hope
For The New Year
By Pat Mace
Perhaps the best reason for having calendars and for
marking life in years is that the cycle offers hope. We
need fresh starts and new chances. As we face a new
year, we pray for guidance. If we pray for guidance,
our first task is to listen deeply, alert for how answers
appear from deep within our inner dialogue. We’re
always talking to ourselves and hearing our minds talk
back to us. It’s called “thinking.” Let’s take quality
time in this new year to aim ourselves God-ward to
present a deep openness, and to bear with patience
the sound of silence and the din of distracting thoughts.
Depending on the issue, this may take a while.
After my husband’s death, when I was driving myself,
I was often lost (weird sense of direction). I needed to
find my way out of dead ends and wrong turns. Perhaps
you have had this experience one way or another, of
suddenly not knowing where you are or which way to
turn, what road to take. The journey reveals itself to be
full of unexpected dangers and unmarked crossroads,
bewildering choices, discouraging setbacks. We are
all on our long journey home; we get lost along the
way. We need to ask for help. We have to learn to
listen, follow directions, and recognize the help we
asked for when it comes. We need to be sure of our
destination and take responsibility for the path we
choose. Because society is committed to success,
our time of dislocation and confusion can be terrifying.
Similarly, it can be difficult to admit that we cannot find
our way alone. If you are on the wrong road, progress
means turning around and walking back to the right
8 an open heart.
road. In the dark days of Nazi control of the German
church in the 1930’s, it was suggested to the young
pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer that he could continue to
do much good from within the false church. I like
Bonhoeffer’s response: “If you board the wrong train,
it’s no use running along the corridor in the opposite
direction.” Sometimes we need to get off the train
altogether. So how can we recognize God’s way in
a world that so persuasively offers us its own way, a
way that will lead to destruction? The courage to keep
going when the going is tough is necessary, but not
sufficient. Fortitude must be informed by prudence.
The person seeking good must first know what the
‘good’ is. In other words, a long obedience in the same
direction is not necessarily a virtue. A long obedience
in the wrong direction will not get us anywhere Christ
leads. Fortunately, Christians know
that we never journey alone, that nothing can separate
us from the love of God. Even when we are lost God
is with us. In the John Bunyan classic, Pilgrim’s
Progress, I remember the way the hero Christian
goes astray over and over. Repeatedly he takes the
wrong turn, gets distracted by ignorance and mistrust.
But every time, with the help of Faithful and Hopeful,
he gets back on track and keeps going toward the
celestial city. It seems significant that Hopeful is the
companion who stays with Christian to the end. No
matter how many times we find ourselves lost and
afraid, there is no reason to despair. Hope goes with
us and there is nowhere we can go where God is not.
May we, like Christian and all saints, rejoice and be of
courage by following the one who said “I am the way.”
The message for the new year is this: keep your eyes
on Jesus and then you can offer an arm to others to
ease their struggles. We will recognize our oneness
and our responsibility to others, listening with love and
 I delivered newspapers in high
school for 2 weeks. I needed
to buy a guitar amplifier, so I
took this job long enough to
get a paycheck. I delivered
newspapers overnight from
2 am – 6 am in the middle of
winter during school days.
That was horrible.

What is your mission?

The “Church” as a whole is
not known for quality media.
Actually, it is almost a joke.
Church websites and print
media are way behind. I want
to change that perspective. I
want to create quality media
for the church. I want to
utilize print and digital media
to connect people with Jesus
Christ.

Who has influenced your life

the most?

Getting To Know I can’t even count how many people have blown
me away with generosity. People have shared their

You
Name: Justin Aymer open with everything that I have. If anyone needs
Job Title: Director Of Communications
Job Description: Responsible for the creation of,
strategic planning and implementation of the digital
and print media in the church.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy creating stuff, playing music, songwriting,
fishing of any kind, canoeing and radio controlled
helicopters and airplanes.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I strangely enjoy the large capacity paper cutter. I
feel weird about this, but I discovered that I love to cut
paper.
What drives you every day?
My wife because we share a car, but sometimes I ride
a scooter or my bicycle.
What is your favorite food?
I really like cheese.
What was the worst job you ever had?
homes, money, food and stuff with me. Sometimes
when I was a complete stranger to them. They shared
their life with me. Because of them, I strive to be
something and I can give it, then I am going to give it.
What frightens you?
The sound of wringing out a wet rag is terrifying to me.
It creeps me out.
What advice do you have for the young people at
church?
Do something besides just coming to church. Go on
a mission trip or join a ministry. That goes for anyone.
Showing up is the smallest part of Christianity.
If you could choose a new name for yourself, what
would that be?
I would pick some sort of Viking or pirate tag to put on
the end of mine. Something like,
“Justin – the short guy.” Or I would go with Jason
because most people I know over 40 call me that
anyway.
Contact Justin:
justin@mychristchurch.com
9
Unto The Least Of
These
By Mary Pierce and Michael Harrison
But for the grace of God there go each one of us.
A single mother of three small children who, after
paying nearly all she has for rent and utilities, has
scant left for food; an out-of-work dad desperately
looking for employment, scared that he may be
unable to keep his family fed; an elderly widow
seeing the last of her income succumb to rising
costs; a homeless veteran. Any one of these are
you and me under different circumstances, and
all of these are loved dearly by our God because
they are His children...and in this He calls us to
be His ministering hands.
Throughout the year people in tough times find
their way to the Fairview Heights Food Pantry
facing the challenge of feeding their hungry
families, rapidly emptying pantry shelves. Christ
Church has been one of the largest and most
generous, systematic supporters of this pantry
and what we do from week to week is vital to the
10
service offered to those in need.
At any given time the pantry has need of what
we can provide: canned and boxed food, pasta,
canned meats, rice, potatoes, beans, tuna, coffee,
tea, sugar, flour, cooking oil, salt and pepper.
Personal hygiene items such as toothpaste,
shampoo, deodorant and body wash as well
as household cleaning supplies and laundry
detergent are also needed.
Please remember that large, bulk items are
difficult to repackage, so smaller, family sized
items are better. Deliveries are made to the
pantry every Monday morning, so please place
your items in the designated bin in the collection
room off the gym.
Your generosity is a powerful way to connect
{ }
people with Jesus Christ by meeting their needs.
...Any one of these are
you and me under different
circumstances...
Women 4-Given
By Kathy O’dell
For a few years I have had a “sometime” goal of
creating a Giving Circle based on the belief that giving
is a source of spiritual joy. Okay, you might say, just
what is a Giving Circle? A Giving Circle is a form of
philanthropy where individuals join together and share
the joy of giving.
We will do this by embracing generosity, becoming
more aware of area needs, and using membership
contributions to award grants to not-for-profit
organizations to make a positive difference in the lives
of women and children.
Last April, women (many from Christ Church) agreed
to come together, listen and consider this concept
of bringing together women from many churches
to increase our impact in serving Christ by serving
others. These 16 women have prayed, encouraged
and worked together to form Women 4-Given, our
new 501(c)(3) charity.
No Greater Love
Ministry
By Bernie Kneale
With each new year one of the first things I put on my
calendar is the dates for the NGL trip to Mardi Gras in
New Orleans (March 4–8). This year will be number
19 for me. And each year I ask myself the same
question: Why should I go to Mardi Gras?
I am not an outgoing person; in many ways I’m a
loner. Over the years I realized the importance of
having a relationship with Jesus and how it has given
me an abundance of love, joy, and peace. I want
others to share in that abundance as well. Jesus has
commanded me to share and I desire to be obedient.
My natural inclination is to be quiet and, most of all, not
embarrass myself. Hence, a major conflict between
Jesus and me.
Any skill I have ever developed came because I
stepped out, overcame my fears, and did it. I love
Jesus and want to share Him with others, but I know
I can’t (or won’t) do it if I don’t put myself in a “have-
to” position. I won’t share Jesus alone because I
need support, encouragement, strength, experience,
The mission statement reads “Women 4-Given
prioritizes generosity to serve women and children in
Christian love.”
The numeral “4” in our name represents the four key
principles of our Christian faith upon which this charity
is founded: 1) We are all sinners. 2) We are saved by
the grace of God found in the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ alone. 3) We love God with all our heart,
mind, soul and strength. 4) We love our neighbor.
Membership will decide what agencies receive grants.
There will also be opportunities for hands-on service.
Annual membership contribution equals $1 per day -
$365 per year.
You are invited to the “launch information meeting”
that will be held 7 p.m., Thursday, January 20, at
Westview Baptist Church in Swansea. For questions
please email me at ko.southpaw@gmail.com
Visit our blog at: www.women4-given.blogspot.com
practical advice, and wisdom. The men of NGL give
me that. Because of my experience with NGL, I can
be a greeter at the doors on Sunday, I can lead a
Bible study, I can “hang-n-run” or “knock-n-talk,” I can
talk to the store cashier about Jesus, I can pray with
people, and I can boldly say, “I am not ashamed of the
Gospel!”
Why not plan now to join me with a bunch of “Jesus
loving,” boldly contagious, committed men and
participate in one of the best mission trips you will
ever experience—the Mardi Gras outreach with NGL?
11
Spotlight On held on Monday nights, Christ Church Softball has
grown into a powerful men’s outreach ministry strong

Ministry “Men’s
enough to compete against the best teams in the
Metro-East region. Ryan Blaha leads the men of our
Tournament Division onto fields which had previously
Softball” been untouched by “church” teams. Their mission is
to compete in an arena which we know to contain men
which share a couple things in common:
87 wins..
1) They are searching for answers to difficult situations
33 losses…
encountered during this life;
7 post-season teams…
2) They love to play softball!
3 League Championships…
The fruit of this group is becoming evident as men’s
lives are being impacted by the presence of Godly
…and more men than ever on the field for
men on the field of competition. Men are beginning to
Jesus Christ!
show up every Sunday morning at CUMC as a result
of the efforts of our Tournament team. And there are
That pretty much sums up the 2010 season for the
still many more to be harvested!
Men’s Softball Ministry here at Christ Church.
On the “church league” side of things, Jim Shoffstall
With the success of our teams during the 2009
works to build teams using opportunities to compete
season, it was difficult to imagine how things could
against men of various Metro-East churches to
improve during 2010. However, the Lord took the men
organize teams who will hopefully grow beyond
of Christ Church Softball to new heights this year! I
competing in the “church” setting. The vision is to
can recall a time in the history of this ministry when
send strong teams of Godly men into area “beer”
victory was hard to come by. However, patience and
leagues to pursue evangelical opportunities offered in
perseverance have paid off as the Lord now dishes
that setting.
out victory to our teams over 75 percent of the time!
The Men’s Softball Ministry at Christ Church houses
The 2011 season is just around the corner. For more
men who compete on teams each spring and summer.
information please visit us on the web at:
Having its roots in a church league whose games were
www.leaguelineup.com/christchurchsoftball
12
Don’t Waste The
Wilderness
By Nick Turner
Today in Christianity the wilderness is a concept
that is talked about seldom. We see the concept
of wilderness throughout scripture, especially in the
Psalms. Many Christians of the past and present
testify to their personal experience in the wilderness.
The wilderness is not to be confused with the daily
grind of life. The Christian life is hard, but the
wilderness is a season–weeks, months or even years
of spiritual depression architected by God Himself.
The agony of the soul is known only to the one
enduring the darkness and to God. God feels distant
and the depth of your sin and unbelief feels near. The
wilderness exposes our weakness. You doubt the
assurance of your salvation. You doubt any evidence
of Christ living in you let alone near you.
Yet the wilderness is a time when the Lord is crafting
His likeness in you with gracious precision. The
Master is at work in His creation. Ironically, when you
are doubting His favor, He is actually showing you rich
favor. Count your time in the wilderness a privilege.
The people of Israel endured the wilderness. Scripture
tells us that Israel was taken through the wilderness
so that God would humble and test the heart of His
people. Israel endured the wilderness before inheriting
the promise land. It was a time of preparation and
testing to receive something greater in the future
(Deut. 8:2-3 & 11-16).
David endured the wilderness. The promise of
kingship was David’s, but the envy of Saul put David
to flight for his life in the wilderness. Throughout the
Psalms we read of his soul’s dryness and how he felt
abandoned by God (Psalm 63).
Jesus endured the wilderness. Before Jesus began
His ministry, the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness
where He faced temptation of the devil. We know
Jesus was without sin (Hebrews 4:15) and His time
in the wilderness was a time of preparation. Notice
a key principle here: the Spirit drove Jesus into the
wilderness. It is God who leads us into a dryness of
soul – the wilderness is the work of God (Mark 1:12-
13).
There are times in the Christian life when the Lord
chooses to take us through the wilderness. It is
painful. Yet the Lord takes us through for our good.
13
Why does the Lord take us through the wilderness?
1.Preparation – The Lord takes us through the
wilderness to prepare us for the future. We must
develop a spirit of humility and dependency for the
work of the Lord to come (Mark 1:12-13).
2.Discipline – There are times when the Lord may
take us through the wilderness in order to discipline
us for something that displeases Him. Our character
must be refined (Deut. 8:5; Hebrews 12:5-11).
praise Him, my salvation and my God.” – Psalm 42:11
(ESV)
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my
soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry
and weary land where there is no water.”
– Psalm 63:1 (ESV)
Don’t waste the wilderness.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

3.Cultivation of a Deeper Passion – Often the Lord

will take us through the wilderness to break us from
anything that competes with Christ for our worship.
We may have objects of affection (other than Christ)
removed where we are forced to press in and lean
on Him. As the darkness grows we find ourselves
hungering for Jesus. As we recognize our desperate
need for Him, we pursue Him like our life depended on
it, because it does. A deep passion for Jesus begins
to develop where our greatest desire is to know Him
(Psalm 63:1; Phil. 3:7-11).

4.All of the above – The ‘why’ in the wilderness is not

as important as the ‘Who.’ The result of the wilderness
is Christ-likeness, Christ-centeredness, and Christ-
exaltation. The soul seeking, pursuing, glorying in,
and being satisfied in Jesus and Jesus alone is the
purpose of the wilderness.
Don’t waste the wilderness.
The barrenness of the wilderness produces the
flourishing fruit of a heart yielded to God. Be patient
and wait upon the Lord. Allow the Lord to teach you
and mold you into His likeness.
Take courage and let faith rise in your heart. Lean
on the promises in His Word. Trust in Him and His
goodness despite any evidence. Trust in His presence
even if He seems far away.
I once heard that it greatly pleases the Father’s heart
when His children trust and seek after Him despite
any external evidence. Any person with a luxury car,
a house and 2.5 kids can believe in God. But when
we have no evidence that He is near, it pleases the
Father when His children choose to trust in Him and
His Word.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you
in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again
On Sunday, January 30 from 1-3 p.m., the Bone
Marrow Registry will be at the Christ Church Gym to
test and register potential donors. If you are unable to
donate personally because of a certain condition, you
can still help by bringing others that can donate and
by giving financially. It costs about $100 per person to
be tested (which is done by a cheek swab), and while
we have already raised about $250 with bake sales,
we will need more to help support our volunteers.
(There is no charge to you to be tested, but a donation
is kindly accepted.)
There will be a sign-up sheet at the Activity Center
if you are interested in donating. If you have any
questions, please go to BeTheMatch.org or call the
Parish Nurse at 277.4659. Remember, all you need
is to: Be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing
to donate to any patient in need, and meet the health
guidelines.
When you join the Be The Match Registry, you can
SAVE A LIFE!
Jeri Lyn Horowitz, RN FCN
Parish Nurse Ministry Coordinator

14
Watch Us Grow
Membership Transfer
New Members --------------------------------
-------------------------------- November
November Kaylyn Nation, Jack Haydon, Janice Haydon
Jessi Semaan, Vince Semaan, Patrick McGinthy, Sara
McGinthy, Corinne Whitlatch, Connie Easley, Kathleen December
A. Clark, Terry Snodgrass, Brent N. Kohlenberger, Jeffrey Mitchell, Debi Mitchell, Joshua Mitchell
Lisa K. Kohlenberger, Vee Richardson, Ryan Wilson,
Aleida Wilson, Harry Easley, Debbie Porter, Lori Yung, Attendance
Todd Yung --------------------------------
December Worship = 1,559
December Dec. Connection Classes = 302
Ryan Sweeten, Christina Ballard, Carrie Gaxiola,
Jonathan Gaxiola, Joshua Gaxiola, Landon Gaxiola, Year Avg. Worship = 1,382
Megan Gaxiola, Urban Gaxiola, Frances Howie, Mike Year Avg. Connection Classes = 379
Creagh, Debby Creagh, Kyle Clark, Jeron “J” Haas,
Dustin Ballard, Deanna Haas, Tracy N. Meyer, Dennis
Howie, John Moore Finances
--------------------------------
General Budget
Baptisms YTD Giving = $1,631,391.65
-------------------------------- YTD Expenses = $1,656,334.51
November Annual Budget = $1,680,054.00
Terry Snodgrass, Paula Peppers, Melissa Markle,
Natalie Painter, Mikayla Archambo, Allison Gail Mayo Change The World
Total Remaining Debt = $5,751,166.91
December Remaining Pledges to Collect = $310,089.99
Gabriel Lakota Castaneda-Sexton,
Jacob Pierre Howie, Landon Gaxiola, Parker Christian
Barrett

Member Passings
--------------------------------
Ann F. Prescott – November 19
Neil Cresswell – December 13 15
 Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
E. St. Louis, IL
Permit #2290

339 Frank Scott Parkway East

Fairview Heights, IL 62208

Feb. 24-25, 2011

Church Leadership Conference

navigatethechange.com

Volunteers are needed to help with registration, greeting, hospitality, and food service. If you would like
to volunteer for Thursday evening, Friday morning, and/or Friday lunch and cleanup, please contact
event coordinator Liz Reed at retkna6@aol.com.

Visit the conference website for more information. www.navigatethechange.com