This perspective is so refreshing. I love your distinction between apathy and peace. One is a sin, the other is a fruit of the Spirit. I feel like in our day and age, being peaceful is being truly radical.
Tabitha, I read this and immediately knew I had to subscribe to your work. I have found it so freeing and restful to re-read scripture outside the traditional evangelical walls in which I was raised — to realise that finding that “peace which surpasses understanding” while following Jesus is not this elusive riddle to solve but actually a very simple path to walk. I wrote a post on Monday about God teaching me this exact same thing while I was praying and lamenting from depression. And this morning, I continued to pray that He would keep empowering me to live out the peace of a simple life. A simple faith. What an answer to prayer your breakdown of Ephesians has been! Thank you! Also, can I ask, whereabouts in California are you? I grew up in SoCal but moved to England at 18. So glad to have found you on here! ☺️
Isn’t God good?! I’m so blessed that this has encouraged you. You’ll find some more of the same in the archives if you need more reminders that a simple faith is not just enough, but exactly what Jesus was all about! I live in the Palm Springs area. So cool that you’re in England now!
Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for putting your wisdom to words here. Growing up in a similar environment, I often struggled with my inability to convince someone they needed to become a Christian. I’m familiar with church leaders whose dedication to apologetics seem like all they want to do is catch an unbeliever with their words and make them feel foolish. That if they are smart enough, wise enough, and articulate enough, that people will see the way, and profess Christ. I used to feel ashamed that I’d never gone on a mission, or lead someone to Christ, or made monumental changes in my hometown by investing in specific political causes.
Thanks for speaking to those who have wrestled with these things.
We follow our Lord, we plant seeds, He brings true change-all the while He gives us Himself every day.
100% yes, it took me a long time to realize this. This is why missionaries were held to such a high standard and treated like celebrities when we came home. We were expected to be super Christian. It was so strange. And the pressure...wow. Ministry is better when it is simply "doing life" with people. It's incredible and speaks volumes.
I think “missions” can be an beautiful part of some people’s ordinary faithfulness, but it needs to be deeply embedded in the local church, separated from any ideas of spiritual hierarchy and not based on any measures of “success” that we currently use. And that probably means we need to take fundraising out of the picture… but that’s a whole other post!
My husband and I often thought that bivocational missions would work very well. We were uncomfortable with our “celebrity status”, on the other hand we got used to it, which later forced us to wrestle with feeling important. When we left the field all the importance went away and we struggled for a while to overcome not feeling like our traditional jobs were not as meaningful. It’s a tough cycle.
I understand this from simply being the interim youth “pastor” at my home church while they tried to find someone to hire into the position. It was disorienting to step away and feel like because I was no longer in that role, I wasn’t important enough to be invited into the same activities and circles anymore. I know that it wasn’t intentional on anyone’s part to leave me out. I think it was something the enemy really wanted to use for harm in my heart.
I learned this the slow, hard way on the mission field and not succeeding like I thought but growing in maturity and faithfulness. Are you telling me I could have just done a study in Ephesians?
The way we’ve been taught to measure success is so counter to Scripture, and studying Ephesians definitely reveals that, but the work of sanctification can be slow and hard no matter where we are, right? 🤪
Love this. Would love to see American Christians stop pursuing power and control over others and actually trust God to do Gods work. The Scriptures tell us as you have shown the kind of life to lead.
This perspective is so refreshing. I love your distinction between apathy and peace. One is a sin, the other is a fruit of the Spirit. I feel like in our day and age, being peaceful is being truly radical.
Yes, it is radical in these times!! Great point!!
Amen to radical peace! Our world could certainly use more of that.
Tabitha, I read this and immediately knew I had to subscribe to your work. I have found it so freeing and restful to re-read scripture outside the traditional evangelical walls in which I was raised — to realise that finding that “peace which surpasses understanding” while following Jesus is not this elusive riddle to solve but actually a very simple path to walk. I wrote a post on Monday about God teaching me this exact same thing while I was praying and lamenting from depression. And this morning, I continued to pray that He would keep empowering me to live out the peace of a simple life. A simple faith. What an answer to prayer your breakdown of Ephesians has been! Thank you! Also, can I ask, whereabouts in California are you? I grew up in SoCal but moved to England at 18. So glad to have found you on here! ☺️
Isn’t God good?! I’m so blessed that this has encouraged you. You’ll find some more of the same in the archives if you need more reminders that a simple faith is not just enough, but exactly what Jesus was all about! I live in the Palm Springs area. So cool that you’re in England now!
Oh that’s too funny. I grew up in the Mojave! The internet makes the world delightfully small. Look forward to going through your archives. 🥰
Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for putting your wisdom to words here. Growing up in a similar environment, I often struggled with my inability to convince someone they needed to become a Christian. I’m familiar with church leaders whose dedication to apologetics seem like all they want to do is catch an unbeliever with their words and make them feel foolish. That if they are smart enough, wise enough, and articulate enough, that people will see the way, and profess Christ. I used to feel ashamed that I’d never gone on a mission, or lead someone to Christ, or made monumental changes in my hometown by investing in specific political causes.
Thanks for speaking to those who have wrestled with these things.
We follow our Lord, we plant seeds, He brings true change-all the while He gives us Himself every day.
You’re so welcome, Jenny-Leigh! You’re right that we can plant seeds, but God makes them grow.
100% yes, it took me a long time to realize this. This is why missionaries were held to such a high standard and treated like celebrities when we came home. We were expected to be super Christian. It was so strange. And the pressure...wow. Ministry is better when it is simply "doing life" with people. It's incredible and speaks volumes.
I think “missions” can be an beautiful part of some people’s ordinary faithfulness, but it needs to be deeply embedded in the local church, separated from any ideas of spiritual hierarchy and not based on any measures of “success” that we currently use. And that probably means we need to take fundraising out of the picture… but that’s a whole other post!
My husband and I often thought that bivocational missions would work very well. We were uncomfortable with our “celebrity status”, on the other hand we got used to it, which later forced us to wrestle with feeling important. When we left the field all the importance went away and we struggled for a while to overcome not feeling like our traditional jobs were not as meaningful. It’s a tough cycle.
I understand this from simply being the interim youth “pastor” at my home church while they tried to find someone to hire into the position. It was disorienting to step away and feel like because I was no longer in that role, I wasn’t important enough to be invited into the same activities and circles anymore. I know that it wasn’t intentional on anyone’s part to leave me out. I think it was something the enemy really wanted to use for harm in my heart.
Yes. I agree. So disorienting.
Mel,
You nailed it with the importance factor.
I learned this the slow, hard way on the mission field and not succeeding like I thought but growing in maturity and faithfulness. Are you telling me I could have just done a study in Ephesians?
The way we’ve been taught to measure success is so counter to Scripture, and studying Ephesians definitely reveals that, but the work of sanctification can be slow and hard no matter where we are, right? 🤪
Haha! Totally joking! Thankful for the process and really needed the perspective change. Thanks for enforcing it here.
Love this. Would love to see American Christians stop pursuing power and control over others and actually trust God to do Gods work. The Scriptures tell us as you have shown the kind of life to lead.
Yes! Presence > power, and faithfulness > fame is the clear invitation of Scripture.
Excellent work, thank you for sharing your insights. I believe most of our lives are meant to be lived in ordinary day-to-day faithfulness to God.
And, I appreciate your recording it. I loved hearing you read it!
Thank you for letting me know this encouraged you, Todd! And I think I’ll have to keep doing the voice recordings—they’re fun!