Video blog Archives - Why Be Merely Human

God’s Underhanded Gifts

Stacey — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:45:04 +0000

I have been contemplating the topic of God’s gifts lately, and I must say that I have been surprised at some of the things I have discovered in the process. One of the biggest questions I have been mulling over is the concept of God giving His children sneaky, underhanded, or deceptive gifts. Let me explain – but first, a verse:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11

I came from a faith background that did indeed believe the above verse – that God certainly knows how to give great gifts to His children. But I also tended to believe that He was calculating these gifts – He knew how to make a gift look awesome and appealing (a new job, the birth of a new child, marriage, intimacy, a talent…), but from the beginning He planned to use these gifts to grow us – which automatically entailed that the gifts came inextricably tied into pain, challenge, struggle and trial. So we accept these gifts, knowing that God is a generous and good God, but also bracing ourselves for the difficulty they come wrapped in. After all, we have no choice in the matter (Romans 9:20)… right?

But recently, I have been given some gifts from the Lord that have made me rethink this theology. I was recently given a gift from the Lord that was almost immediately influenced by others to the point that the gift was all but lost, in my opinion. But I didn’t fight the loss – I simply accepted that the gift was gone, and I needed to trust that God was in control and using this loss to grow me. But my Pastor challenged me on this – “Why did you so readily give the gift up? Do you feel you did not deserve it in the first place? Has God not made you worthy of His love once and for all? What does this situation say about you, and what does it say about what you are believing to be true about God?”

When I took real time to think these questions through, I realized he had hit the nail on the head. I had some deep-seated theology that was greatly affecting how I was handling this situation! I did NOT feel worthy of His great gift. I did NOT feel like I had the right to stand up for myself. I did NOT believe that God had deemed me holy and worthy, once and for all, with his work on the Cross!

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all!” Hebrews 10:10

But perhaps I have strayed a little off topic

One thing I recognized that I had been falsely believing was that God created, allowed and used hard situations in life to grow me. As if the only goal was my growth. And this is MOSTLY truth – in that God does certainly allow hard things, and He does CREATIVELY and MIRACULOUSLY make beauty from ashes in our lives (Isaiah 61:3), but here’s where I was being deceived – I was believing that God was the Creator of these hard things. I believed that when He gave a gift, the gift was CREATED with the difficulty. Are you following me here?! It was a lie, “straight from the pit of Hell” as they say, that God creates any difficulty, struggle, trials, disease, death, etc.

Every GOOD GIFT and every PERFECT GIFT is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights!

James 1:17

God gives only good and perfect gifts.

God gives every good and perfect gift.

God does not create and send adversity. Sin came into the world through Adam and Eve and the result of sin is all kinds of varying struggles. And sin will reign in this world until our Lord Jesus comes again! And He IS coming again! (Philippians 3:20) Until then, God will continue to turn awful situations, pain and loss, heartache and grief into joy. Psalm 30:11-12
May He be praised for His great goodness and kindness – may He get all the credit for every good gift we ever receive – and may He NEVER get the credit for the bad ones!

Stacey Joy

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the GIFT of God. Ephesians 2:8

For the wages of sin is death, but the free GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Having GIFTS that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:6

For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will REWARD you. Matthew 6:4

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s GIFT to man. Ecclesiastes 3:13

But the free GIFT is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free GIFT by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. Romans 5:15

I remind you to fan into flame the GIFT of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he GAVE us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. 2 Timothy 1

[He] has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit GIVES life. 2 Corinthians 3:6

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A Wild Romance – Falling Madly in Love with God

Stacey — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 21:23:43 +0000

Anyone up for a wild romance?! We women are most definitely wired for it – we love the thrill of being pursued, feeling adored, being doted on. But for many of us, these ideas of romance have yet to become a reality. Instead, we often wind up with our expectations and hopes unmet, our dreams of what life should be like broken, feeling let down by the people in our lives.

All except One.

“A friend of mine recently said, “You know, Michelle, I haven’t heard you talk about a man in a long time. Are you seeing anyone?”

I said, “Oh yeah, I’m seeing somebody!”

She said, “Really! Tell me all about him!”

And I said, “Well, he’s very wealthy.”

“Really? Where does he get his money from?”

“Oh, he’s into real estate – owns everything!”

“Well, what does he do?”

“He’s VERY creative!”

She said, “Oooh! Tell me more!”

So I said, “Well, he’s very romantic – you know, no matter WHAT time I call him, he never puts me on hold, he always has time to hear me; wherever I want to go, he’s ready to go, too. He says I’m on his mind all the time. And you know what? When he promises me something, he always comes through! He never lies, he always shows up when he says he’s gonna show up – he’s just wonderful! He just makes me feel so loved. And he writes me these really LONG love letters that I read every morning!”

She said, (disbelievingly), “Really?! Ooh, he sounds so good! Well where is he, when are we gonna meet Him?!”

And I said, “Well, you can meet him anytime!”

“Well, where has he been?”

“He’s been off building me a house.”

“When will he be back?!”

“Any day now!”

Michelle McKinney Hammond, “How to Get Past Disappointment”, Session 2 – Who Is He?

Could a romance get any better than that?! Yes, there’s even more!

He leaves special gifts, some that are enormous and some that are subtle, for me to discover every day!

He randomly shows up unannounced, whether I’m at home or away, just to surprise me!

He entices me to go on weekend getaway retreats so we can spend time together.

He longs for MY voice, my affection, my attention and love.

Each morning, he brings me what I will need for the day – strength, companionship, courage. He tells me I can face whatever the day will bring because He’ll be with me every step of the way.

What’s important to me is important to Him, period.

He loves me passionately just the way I am. I don’t have to change a thing about my weight, appearance, personality. I am adored and accepted.

He is quick to forgive me when I mess up, am disrespectful, or miss our appointments

He handles my hurts with the utmost care and patience. He desires to help me on the path to healing and he doesn’t rush me.

He often wakes me up early just so we can spend some time together before the craziness of the day starts!

Does any of this appeal to you? Are you ready for a romance like this, a romance with someone who will never let you down? Truly, every human being is wired to let us down. And we’re wired to let them down, too! If anyone else could fulfill all our needs and desires, we would have no reason to turn to our Heavenly Husband, the one who knows our hearts inside out and desperately wants to satisfy the longings in our soul!

It’s your move – He’s ready whenever you are to start (or to deepen) the romance between you two.

Pray with me.

Dear Lord, I thank You that you are everything I need in this life and more. Thank You for knowing me inside and out and STILL loving me passionately. Thank You for placing this desire for wild romance in my heart and being the Only One who can fulfill the longings. Please help me to forgive those who let me down, and please help them to forgive me when I inevitably let them down, too. Father, I’m ready for the next level of romance with you. Help me to keep my heart open and soft. Amen.

He has caught all your tears in a bottle, counted the hairs on your head, and loves you with an Everlasting Love.

In Him,

Stacey Joy

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Rapid-fire recap of the Global Leadership Summit, August 8th, 2013

Ryan — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 04:05:41 +0000

Watch a high-level recap of the Willow Creek Association’s Global Leadership Summit, Day 1 – August 8th, 2013. This will help refresh your memory on the content if you attended, or may inspire you to get the DVDs for 2013 or attend in 2014.

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Sorry, but your view of God is too small – musings from a Steinway Grand Piano

Ryan — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 04:07:25 +0000

No offense, but your view of God is too small. All of our views are. That’s because a relationship with God is interactive, just like with a friend – and far deeper and more beautiful than any of us could imagine.

Explore with me the richness of His friendship using music. Want to jump to the good stuff? Find out how you can have a deep relationship with the Creator of everything! He wants to know you. And I would bet your soul wants to know Him – it’s tired of the junk you’ve been feeding it. www.gospeljourney.com

Questions addressed

Do you put God in a box?

Related Bible verses

Transcript

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What should I do if I can’t get back to sleep?

Ryan — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 03:58:51 +0000

For those of us with kids, or who have a lot on our mind, it can be frustrating to be up in the middle of the night. It’s easy to get angry when you are woken up multiple times or can’t get back to sleep, but good news – God is up as late as you are! He is available to meet with you and give you comfort and wisdom at any hour of the night. Try turning to him during your “night seasons” (Psalm 16:7)!

Questions addressed

What should I do in the middle of the night?
What should I do if I’m bored?

Related Bible verses

Psalm 16:7

Transcript

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What grass seed has to do with the Christian life

Ryan — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 03:47:28 +0000

This is a “practical parable” to encourage Christians to keep sowing, in season and out!

It has been a costly season of trying to seed grass into dirt after a killer summer drought. David said, “I will not offer to the Lord that which costs me nothing”, 2 Samuel 24:24. Rather than waiting for the fall, we have been working hard to get grass back for our kids to play in and to keep up property value. THIS is stewardship – not letting what God has given us go to weeds.

Whether it’s ideal conditions or not, Christians are encouraged to sow and water! This means speaking the truth in love and doing the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4), even, and especially when, it is not ideal conditions. Remember, He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3), so out of the overflow of His love, let us boldly and courageously be ambassadors for Him (2 Corinthians 5:20).

Questions addressed

When should I do God’s work?
What does growth for a Christian look like?

Related Bible verses

2 Timothy 4
Ephesians 1:3
2 Corinthians 5:20

Transcript

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How Christians can respond to the Chick-Fil-A kiss-in event

Ryan — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 04:09:44 +0000

I’m on site at Chick-Fil-A in Westminster, Colorado on August 1st, 2012 recording for whybemerelyhuman.com. Speaking specifically to Christians, I encourage Christians to reach out with love to the LGBT community. “All have sinned!” (Romans 3:23) This doesn’t mean we should or need to condone the LGBT lifestyles – the Bible doesn’t condone it, in fact speaks against it (Romans 1, Jude 1:7..). God’s grace to this generation and accepting Christ is not a “forever offer” – it is the accepted time now (2 Corinthians 6). Christians – let’s PRAY, and reach out in love to these folks, which the Bible gives us authority and even the example in Christ to do! (1 Corinthians 5, Luke 19..) Let us not forget that we too were once enemies of God! God bless folks, Ryan McKeel for whybemerelyhuman.com

Questions addressed

How should Christians react to the LGBT community?
Are Christians afraid of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered people?

Related Bible verses

Romans 1
Judy 1:7
Romans 3:23
2 Corinthians 6
1 Corinthians 5
Luke 19

Transcript

Good morning! This is Ryan McKeel and I am outside of Chick-Fil-A in Westminster, Colorado, and I would like to speak specifically to the Christian community right now about this issue, this debate about Chick-Fil-A. First things first – Romans 5:10 – “For if when we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved through His life.” That’s right – we, as Christians, were enemies of God, and then we were reconciled by the cross. We’ve got to remember that. Come Friday, with the kiss-in that the LGBT community is planning, we have a chance to show God’s love! As Christians, we can show up here again, August 3rd, at 5pm Pacific, 6pm Mountain, and 8pm Eastern, and say, “God loves you!” We can start as simply as, “why are you here? What is your story?” We can ask questions, and connect on a human level – not a hate level or a one-line slogan that you sling at somebody. So, I urge you to do that, and remember 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 says, “I certainly did not mean to not keep company with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the extortioners, or with the covetous, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.” For Christians, I really urge you to come back August 3rd and show love! This is a great way to show love to the LGBT community, as well as to eat great food. Thanks!

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How to find peace

Ryan — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:52:10 +0000

The busy-ness of life and especially the holidays are enough to make anyone frantic. Reverse the trend – find peace through the Word of God (the Bible) and relationship with Christ. It is attainable, and free! I’ll tell you how to find peace that is more than you can understand.

Questions addressed

Is peace attainable?
How can I find peace?

Related Bible verses

Transcript

How can I have the peace of God? “Grace to you, and peace, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”. This is the Why Be Merely Human video blog, my name is Ryan McKeel, and this morning I would like to talk to you about peace! So, it’s a really cozy day here in Denver, Colorado – we’ve got some snow coming in, it’s December… I had two options this morning that I could figure. The first one I aimed for was my iPhone, to play around. Then the second one (that I settled on) was reading the Word. Seems like every Saturday I have this dilemma, especially when I get up early, before my kids and family. So I have the option to “meet with” technology – check my email, Twitter, Facebook, online anything, check out shopping (Christmas is coming up), stuff like that. Or, I have the option to dive into God’s Word. Frequently, God’s Word (well, all the time!) is what gives me peace. It seems like shopping, checking email, all that sort of stuff, especially if I do it at the beginning of the day, it robs me of my peace. It’s no coincidence that Paul, in a lot of his letters, started with “Grace to you, and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ”. Because, peace is attainable. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” So we have a chance to have the peace of God! And that is huge! Don’t let technology, shopping, relationships, or anything rob you of the peace of God that you can have. How can you have that peace? It says right here (looking down at Bible), let your requests be made known to God. Everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. So, I’d like to encourage you. It’s ironic that we have Thanksgiving as a holiday and then the very next day is all about obtaining things. And we can say, “Oh, we’ve got to get our shopping list complete, so it’s really for others, but, we really go around frantically this time of year and skip all of the peace that can come through the Christmas season, realizing Christ’s sacrifice for us and the fact that Christ came to this earth as a baby is incredible! I have a newborn who’s a little more than a month old. I should be spending time daily with her, cherishing her, and appreciating what God did in sending His Son, instead of constantly filling my mind with electronics and things of this world. The Word says to not be entangled with the things of this world. So I encourage you this Christmas season, this winter season, to enjoy time in a cozy chair, take a look out and enjoy the peace of the holiday, not the frantic nature of it! Thanks!

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Can Christians have pleasure without feeling guilty?

Ryan — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:01:15 +0000

Is it a sin when a Christian feels pleasure? What kind of pleasure is OK? Find out what the Bible says about pleasure – God did invent one kind of pleasure, after all, when he made man and woman And pleasure gets even richer walking the Christian life!

Questions addressed

Can Christians have pleasure without feeling guilty?
What does the Bible say about pleasure?

Related Bible verses

Transcript

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Christian stewardship at its best

Ryan — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 03:55:19 +0000

Have you seen the 67-room castle in Colorado? 141 years after Palmer promised his bride a grand home, the Navigators have proven themselves good stewards of what God gave them – a castle, over 800 beautiful acres and plenty of ministry opportunities.

Take a trip with me to Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs, Colorado to learn about sowing, reaping, and to see a gorgeous state-side castle.

Questions addressed

What does Christian stewardship look like?
Should Christians be good stewards?

Related Bible verses

Psalm 126

Transcript

Good morning. I’m a steward of the mysteries of Christ, the mysteries in the Bible which have been given to me by God’s grace. My name is Ryan McKeel and this is whybemerelyhuman.com. This morning I would like to talk to you about stewardship. I am in the Glen Eyrie conference area, resort, castle and retreat center in Colorado Springs. Glen Eyrie is run by the Navigators and they are good stewards and this morning I would like to show you that. As Christians we have been given liberty. Galatians 5 talks about this and says, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, serve one another. For all of the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That’s Galatians 5:13. Galatians 6 also says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that he will also reap. For he who sows to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows of the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” So why do I think this is a good example? Well, Glen Eyrie has beautiful grounds. It’s well kept, has a castle that you can actually stay in, and this is by no means a sales pitch for Glen Eyrie castle, but it is a way to say that this is a group of Christians that has been given something – they’ve been given grounds and they’ve done amazing things with it. They’ve created a refuge place, they’ve created a retreat center so people who are having problems with their marriages or just want to experience a love that they once experienced in their marriage, to people who just want to get away from the busyness of life – this is a place that they can do it. My sister was married here, so it’s a beautiful place to get married also. So I want to encourage you in this that in due season you will reap what you sow – “God is not to be mocked” – and there are many ways in this digital world that we can waste our time and energy and effort. It’s a lie of the devil that our time and energy does not mean anything, because it means a lot, and this is proof that Christians who stick to the path and keep sowing, sowing, and sowing end up with something beautiful and something to be proud of. And I know that the people who started here, who built this up, did not get to see the full glory of it. Maybe they’re looking down from Heaven and are able to see it, but the lesson learned there is that we may not always see the fruit of our labor, but in due season we will reap. I want to show you some of the beauty that is this morning at Glen Eyrie (camera begins to pan to show the surrounding area). There are beautiful, well-kept greens, streams and areas to have devotional time in the morning, there are the red rocks which I’ve taken another video from, this is called the Carriage House which is actually where my sister’s wedding reception was located. I think most wonderfully of all, there’s a castle! The Navigators who have been here have kept care of this wonderful thing that the Lord has given them. So praise the Lord and keep to the task, whatever God has given you, keep sowing to that, because in due season you will have a reward. Thank you. [Brief interlude, then the camera rolls once more.] I had the feeling the Lord was saying I wasn’t quite done with that last post, so I want to add this from Psalm 126: “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” So I think from that what the Lord’s telling me to say is this – sowing is not easy. A lot of you are in very hard situations with a spouse or a family member, with kids, or work, things like that. And the Devil would like nothing better than to discourage you from what God has given you to do and the roles that He has placed in your life. So even though you may “go forth weeping as you’re bearing the seed for sowing, you shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing your sheaves with you!” I think the Lord here is just saying that it’s hard and that afflictions will come – Paul talks about that – and we know that it’s not going to be easy. But there’s more glory to God when it’s not easy and through His strength, the promise that He gives us is “when we are weak, then He is strong”. I encourage you in that, even though you may be weeping as you’re sowing, you will come back joyful with what you reap, with what God gives you as the fruit of your labor. Thanks.

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