Happy New Year, everyone! May it be a Blessed one for you and your household!

And there is also a time to have fun and bond as a church family.  And this is exactly what we are planning to do.  And here is how we are planning to do it:

On Thursday December 31, 2009 through Saturday January 2nd, 2010 our church, Kelso Church of Truth, located in Longview/Kelso, WA, is heading out to the Anderson Lodge Hilltop House to celebrate, fellowship and bond.  There will be plenty of food, games and new friendships to be made. 

If you are interested in participating, the cost is $30 per night [so it is only $60 for the two days], and it included lodging AND meals!  It is a great deal!

If you would like to register, please contact me at elena[dot]wilkins[at]gmail[dot]com [make sure the replace [dot] with a . and [at] with @] and I will get you in touch with Luba, who is graciously organizing this event.

Have a wonderful Christmas Season!

Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Millions of Americans are rushing through the streets, and through life: fast cars, fast foods, fast lives… always in a hurry.

Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… You watch the time and the people fly by and you get caught up in the same craziness: you have a list of goals to achieve, list of places to go, list of things to do. What you find out with time, however, is no matter how hard you try you cannot seem to keep up with either your list, or the millions of others who are caught up in the same frenzy.

Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… The hands of the clock are relentless—they do not stop and do not pause. All of a sudden you feel like you are losing your senses, your time, your life and your mind. How will you ever catch up? How will you ever measure up to the society’s expectation of what a human life should be? How will you ever live up to your goals?

Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… It is time to decide whose time-clock you live by!!!

Because of the world we live in, because we still live in physical bodies, and especially because of the societal expectations we often follow man-made traditions. If you are fortunate enough to live in the USA you might have unfortunately fallen in the same path as millions of others: a child is born, s/he then expected to go to school, then go to college, then get a good paying job, then get married, then have a big new car, a big new house, and many big and small shiny things to fill that house… and, of course, have kids. So, right after birth we are thrust into this superficially imposed set of expectations, which unfortunately became a set of rules to live by.

From very birth we are groomed to enter the race—the race of life: Go, go, go, get, get, get, and, maybe, give. We are groomed for this race by the best in business: our family, our friends, the media, and society in general. We bend, we press through, we give in and, at times, we give up because we feel that we have to meet some kind of deadline.

What starts as youthful enthusiasm and optimism often gives way to stress and disappointment as we try to keep up with “the timetable”, trying to keep up with the proverbial “Joneses”, while our debt and stress pile up and our bank account and sense of peace and security dwindles down.

Unfortunately this crazy goal-driven sensation has swept over not only the world but many in the body of Christ.

Please understand that I am not saying that goals are bad. Not at all! In fact I believe that goal setting is important, so that we can achieve things for our God, for ourselves and for others. My husband and I set short and long term goals all the time. I also believe that God gives us certain talents and desire/vision so that we can be driven by them. However, when we set goals we should measure their timetable against God’s clock.

When Demetrye and I were first married we both already knew the calling of God on our lives and we knew which direction we were taking to fulfill it. What we did not know is WHEN things were going to happen, and WHEN or HOW we might make certain decision and perhaps make stops along the way to get there. We were younger than we are now, and very eager to see God’s will come to life, so we planned and worked hard. With time, however, and oh what a blessing it was, we realized that our only responsibility in life was to be prepared, and to remember that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (Ps. 37:23), and that by worrying and fretting we cannot change anything. We understood, and a lot of it came through observing others, that if we tried doing things in our own strength, although we might have temporary “success”, in the end we would fail, because when we do things in our strength, our strength is insufficient and it eventually runs out and gets replaced by worries, stress and other emotions and situations that have no place in a life of a believer.

We also realized that there is NO TIME TABLE to keep up with. We stopped paying attention to what others thought people of our age should do or have, especially because many people who were of our age and did things they were expected to do were not all too happy with their situation in life, shortly after the novelty of imaginary success wore off.

Let me give you a life example. When we first got married, due to Demetrye’s brain surgeries only a year prior to our wedding, we decided that we will pay off all of the medical bills first, and then save to buy what we need with CASH ONLY. We also decided that buying a house at that time was out of the question, and that we were going to drive our cars until 1. they could no longer be driven; or 2. we could buy new[er] vehicles without going into debt.

Sure enough, along the way we had people trying to give us a word of “wise” advice, telling that buying a house and what you need for it is a necessity. After all, there were many who were doing it, some had to work 2 jobs just to keep up the payments, but they did it. Thankfully I was raised differently, we knew better, and we also always relied on God’s wisdom in our daily matters, including finances. We declined the world’s wisdom, put our hands to the “plow” and kept working hard at what we knew would please God and made common sense. After all the Scripture tells us: “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (Rom. 13:8) [NIV], and that: “…the borrower is servant to the lender.” (Prov 22:7). Being that we are children of the Most High God we knew that we could not be entangled in this life like the rest of the world so that we would be bound from fulfilling His calling on our life, and from having peace in our hearts and our midst.

As the recession set in a couple of years ago we had to endure watching our friends and strangers alike, even those who were given us their advice, suffer greatly: losing houses, cars, depleting any savings they might have had, and peace, while we, by the grace of God alone, had worked hard to live debt free and have enough money in our account to last us through several months of possible unemployment. These unfortunate events showed us once again that living according to God’s timetable and wisdom, rather than opinion of the world, is of primary importance.

We matured enough to also realize that whether it comes to buying a house, a car, getting married, having children, or even fulfilling what you know to be a call of God on your life, does not need to happen on anyone’s schedule. We should not feel like we are running out of time. We should know that we serve the very God that created time and that knows our past in our future alike. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11) If you walk with God you should realize that He knows YOUR times. He knows when you need/will get married, He knows when you will have a child, buy a house, have your needs met. He is your Creator and the Creator of TIME—Creator of Eternity, where there is NO TIME.

As believers we should also remember that we cannot “run out” of time—we have all eternity to fulfill every desire our little souls might have. Once our time is done here on earth, we shall step outside of a time capsule and continue into eternity where there is no schedule to live by. So, why fret now? Why worry about things that are temporary?

It is OK if you get your first house at the age of 40 instead of 25, if you have to save diligently for it; it’s OK to be married at 39 instead of 19, if you are awaiting God’s blessing instead of creating future with your own hands; it’s OK if you start in ministry at 50 instead of 30—God is not limited by time, and neither should we be.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7)

So, beloved, do set goals, do dream, do strive to work hard, but never lose peace, never lose sight of what is most important in our lives: God, and the people around us. Everything else is temporary and passing.  The next time you hear the clock ticking Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… Tick-Tock… don’t fret!  It is simply reminding you what time it is .

Have a wonderful, peaceful, stress-free Christmas!

Joy is a Place
“So there I was, cell phone in hand, desperately trying to get enough signal to call my dad back after his numerous phone calls that I had missed. I was in the building that I use to teach my music lessons, wandering around, eyes glued to the miniscule phone tower and bars on my screen. I meandered around, out of the room, down the stairs, out the heavy door, and finally got some signal! Elated, I was starting to dial the number when I suddenly realized that the heavy door to the building had thudded close. A warm wash of apprehension came over me—the doors locked automatically, and I had been so intent on my cell phone that I had neglected to grab a key, a coat, or any of my belongings! It was after dark, the place was deserted, and I was freezing cold. As I waited for dad to come riding up on his white horse to rescue me, (-: I told myself to have a good attitude. I reminded myself that it was my choice whether or not to let this ruin my evening as I paced to try to keep warm. It didn’t work. My thoughts kept wandering to the fun family outing I was missing out on, even as I tried to meditate on Scripture. The van finally pulled up and as I dashed over to get Mikaela’s key, all my good advice to myself went out the window. I was in a bad mood (and it didn’t help matters any when a younger sister crowed, “And you’re not even blonde!”) 

This week’s adventure forced me to examine why I couldn’t simply say, “Oh well, the door’s locked—I’ll just enjoy this quiet time to myself and God while I wait!” Something had to be wrong—I was missing something. My first thought was that I must have lost my brain in order to perform such an escapade, but the more I really dug into it, the more convicted I was that I was missing joy. This is a dangerous place, for joy is a temperature gauge for the heart, whether it is hot, cold, or lukewarm. 

I have a feeling I’m not alone in this lack of joy. Yet, though we know we want joy, it is still slippery and elusive. It is one of the most sought-after things, but many find it unattainable. And it is no wonder, when they go about achieving joy in the way this woman with a Ph. D does: 

“I feel joy when my Inner Child feels loved by me, important to me, cherished by me, seen by me, valued by me. I feel joy when I attend to my wants and needs, saying “no” to others when I mean no, and “yes” to others when I mean yes. I feel joy when my Inner Child feels safe inside, knowing that I am taking care of her, knowing that I am connecting with my spiritual Guidance each moment so that we are not alone.” 

Bologna! Is joy personal fulfillment and satisfaction? Christmas caroling and rousing music and jingle bells and helping the homeless? Is joy laughter and smiles—in short, is it a transitory emotion? I hope you’re saying no—joy is as unaffected by what is going on around you as a thermometer in your mouth is unaffected by the weather. “Happiness depends on happenings, joy depends on Christ. (Anonymous)” Joy doesn’t take the temperature of your circumstances and react—happiness does, but joy takes your internal temperature. Joy isn’t always laughter, either—it requires tears, disappointment, and heartbreak to really come into full view. 

Right after Paul wrote to say that he would not be able to visit the Thessalonians, he wrote, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? (I Thessalonians 2:19)” So if joy isn’t an emotion, what is it? Joy is a place—the place your heart is. Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The only place of true joy is before the throne of God, bowing to the majesty of Christ. If your heart is in that place, your joy will bubble out from joy that God alone can give. 

Think about the most joyful people you know—in my case, they are Christians who simply can’t help having a huge smile on their faces just like they can’t help talking about God! One anonymous quotation asks, “When was the last time you laughed for the sheer joy of your salvation?…Let the world see your joy and you won’t be able to keep them away. To be filled with God is to be filled with joy.” David danced for sheer joy before the Lord, Hannah couldn’t contain her joy when God gave her a child, and Job found quiet joy in his Redeemer even though his world was shattered.

This Christmas season, I leave myself with this resolution from Max Lucado on Upwords: 

“I choose joy….I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God. “ 

Furthermore, I choose to dwell moment by moment, second by second, in that beautiful, lighted place before the breath-taking throne of God.~Laura~”

Laura, thank you for kindly sharing your heart with us.

Everyone else, tell me what you think Joy is.

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” [John 12:24]

I pray that I and the rest of you, who might be reading this post, will remember in the coming days and weeks that our lives have little meaning unless they are spent helping others.  Give your life away freely, knowing that you too can be like a kernel of wheat, which, when dies, can produce many seeds.

So, here are some of our beautiful friends that came to the retreat:

Tad & Connie

Jeff & Glorine

My wonderful husband Demetrye

Jeremy & Mary

Darrell & Sheri

Matt & Jessica

Scott & Dana (take #1)

Scott & Dana (take #2 )

Jason & Luba

Nate & Emily (I hope I have your names right )

And, of course, I cannot forget our Pastor Leo and his wife Yelena!

Leo & Yelena

Yelena--all glammed up

WA would not be WA without rain

Besides great people and good company there was also great food, prepared by our unsung heroes: Marina, Luba and Courtney… and I am sure many others.

Mood Setter

Delicious Dessert

...amazingly looking bread

There were many other great dishes… but I was too busy eating to take pictures of them .

If you could not come out to the retreat this year, I hope that you can do it next year!

Until next time,

Elena

Come to Refuel Your Marriage

Every good marriage, like a good car, needs to get maintenance and get refueled every now and then to keep the engine running. That are many ways to achieve that—most are done at home, through ongoing communication, prayer and… more communication. However, there are also times when it is beneficial for a married couple to hear from others, those who have built successful marital relationships that withstood the test of times and blossomed.

Every year, Kelso Church of Truth organizes a 3-day marriage retreat where couples can do just that—learn from each other and others on how to build a God-centered, love-filled marriage. This year the Retreat is going to take place at Chautauqua Lodge, Long Beach, WA.

...and to Reignite Your Passion

Location: Chautauqua Lodge, Long Beach, WA.

Dates: November 20-22, 2009

Cost: $175 per couple [includes 2 breakfasts and lunch]

How to Register: contact me [Elena] at elena(dot)wilkins(at)gmail.com [please replace (dot) and (at) with actual key symbols], or Pastor Leo at the address you see on the right hand side of this blog, under Contact Us.

There are still a couple of spots left, so, if you are interested, make sure to contact us right away. Pastor Leo and others [including yours truly and my wonderful husband Demetrye] will cover various topics to help you strengthen your marriage.

Hope to see you there!