The Selfie Testimony

The Selfie Testimony

Kim Kardashian has made a career from the selfie. Her thousands of self taken pictures have clogged the internet and caused more than one media sensation. She also published a book of her selfies (in case you missed them online) in 2015 with the aptly named title of Selfish. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most selfies taken in one hour is 1,449 and was achieved by Patrick Peterson and NBC Sports (both USA) with students and faculty at Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Arizona, USA.

Here are ten other selfie facts you may not know:

1. In November 2013, the word "selfie" was announced as being the "word of the year" by the Oxford English Dictionary, which gave the word itself an Australian origin.

2. Men tend to search more for online tips on how to achieve the perfect selfie...really?

3. People born after 1980 will take an estimated 25,000 selfies in their lifetime!

4. We spend 54 hours a year taking selfies...that's more than 2 days!!!

5. Not all selfies are for vanity purposes. Cancer Research UK initiated a make-up free selfie campaign in March of 2014 that grossed $12.5 million!

6. It's estimated that the first selfie was taken on a rooftop in NYC in December of 1920!

7. 47% people think it's okay to take a selfie during childbirth,  and 20% feel it's acceptable to take a funeral selfie!

8. In 2014 it was estimated that over 1 million selfies are taken per day!

9. 36% of people admit to doctoring their selfie or editing it before sharing it. This includes enhancing skin tone or using a filter.

10. Most selfies are shared on Facebook!

The selfie is a phenomenon which reaches across race, sex, and social status. Just the other day I was waiting for a shake at a local restaurant when I noticed in the car next to me a young teenager making faces and staring apparently into the sky.  Then I noticed her outreached arm and heard the familiar "click" of her phone camera. Conservatively, I would say she completed at least twenty to thirty different faces and poses in the few minutes it took for our food to be delivered. I get it. I really do. It makes sense that if we are going to take a picture, it might as well be of our favorite person - us!

While this may be acceptable to see on social media sites, and in photo albums, it is not a good quality to have in regards to our testimony for Jesus. John the Baptist had the right attitude when speaking of Jesus he said "He must become greater; I must become less." (John 3:30) Or listen to the words of Jesus concerning his future crucifixion - "And when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (John 12:32) Jesus tells us when HE is lifted up then men will be drawn to him. Not us...HIM. Our story is powerful. It reaches people sometimes where they are. It can give hope  that one day their lives can be different. But it is the life and story of Jesus that makes that hope possible and that change occur.

Jordan Monson, contributor to Churchleaders.com writes about the narcissism of the modern testimony in his article Your Testimony Isn't About You.  Click HERE to read the article and take some time to think about your own testimony...selfie or picture of God?

The Weight Of Sin

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Hebrews 12:1-3

The writer of Hebrews outlines a significant issue for most of us as Christians: sin. It entangles us, trips us up, makes it difficult to "soar like eagles, run and not grow weary" (Isaiah 40:31). Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9:24 that there are many who run, but only one who will win the prize - so run to win! The 2016 Olympics in Rio were spectacular! We witnessed many amazing feats. One of which was the running of the 100 meters by Usain Bolt at a blazing time of 9.81 seconds. Imagine that he lines up for the final medal round race and attached to his foot is a metal ball and chain! Now his competitors may wish to see that, but it would be insane for Bolt to race with those conditions. 

When we continue to allow sin to repeat in our lives, we are doing the same thing. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:7 "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?" In other words, you were doing so well, what happened? Why did you stop? Why are you not performing spiritually as you once were? The answer is simple: sin. But how do we rid ourselves of this persistent sin? 

Pastor Gavin Ortlund gives us four basic but powerful steps to get rid of those nagging sins. Please take a few minutes to read his insight online at 4 Steps to Giving a Death Blow To Your Nagging Sin. 

Blessings! Keep running the race!

30 Days of Prayer Final 10 Days

May 21

Pray for local, state, and national leaders. The burden they bare is great, and we should honor those God has allowed into those roles.

May 22

Pray for graduates of high school or college and their search for next steps in education and life.

May 23

Pray for those who seek truth, for they will find it in God.

May 24

Pray for those currently unemployed or underemployed, because it is good for a person to work and be supported by the opportunities provided by God.

May 25

Pray for those who are in the hospital.

May 26

Pray for those in long term care - whose future is dependent upon the technology, staff, and family who care for them.

May 27

Pray for single parents who face the same challenges of married parents but face it alone.

May 28

Pray for new families who find New Hope as a church home.

May 29 

Pray for the search in finding new staff at New Hope. Pray that this person is the best fit for us and that they will be a catalyst for growth.

May 30

Pray for the spread and acceptance of the Gospel.

May 31 

Pray for the return of Jesus! He will make all things new!

30 Days of Prayer Week Three

May 15th

Pray that members of the church would be prepared for persecution, remembering to love, not curse, their persecutors.

On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Romans 12:20

May 16th

Pray that hope for political change would be outpaced by a hope for our true land - heaven.

Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
1 Peter 2:11

May 17th

Pray that giving of tithes, time, and talents would be faithful, joyful, and consistent.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7

May 18th

Pray that more members would use their careers to take the gospel to places it has never been.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
Colossians 3:23

May 19th

Pray that members would be good and do good in their workplaces this week.

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:12

May 20th

Pray that we have a clear understanding of God's will in our personal lives and the life of the church.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

30 Days Of Prayer Week Two

May 8th

Pray that the elders remain above reproach - that they would be kept from falling into temptation, complacency, and worldliness.

Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Titus 1:7-9

May 9th

Pray that the church's prayers would be infused with biblical ambitions, honesty, and humility.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others."
Matthew 6:5

May 10th

Pray that the church's songs would teach members to biblically confess, lament, and praise.

"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples."
Psalm 96:1-3

May 11th

Pray that the church's adult members would work to disciple younger church members.

"You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."
Titus 2:1-8

May 12th

Pray that the church's primary teachers and leaders grow in dedication to God's Word.

"Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day."
Acts 17:11

May 13th

Pray that the church would grow in being distinct from the world in love and holiness as it works to engage those outside of the church.

[Prayer of Jesus to His Father, God] "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."
John 17:15-18


May 14th

Pray that members of the church would share the gospel this week with others who are not believers!

"So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly."
Acts 6:7

30 Days of Prayer - Week One

Week One Prayers

May 2 

Pray that we have unity amid diversity. We have the gospel of Jesus in common if nothing else.

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Ephesians 4:4-6

May 3

Pray that we develop a culture of disciplining which views instruction and encouragement as vital to the Christian life.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20

May 4

Pray that we have faithful elders who rely upon God's Word to prepare for the work of ministry.

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." 
1 Timothy 5:17

May 5

Pray that we have a hunger for studying the gospel so that we are prepared in God's Word.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15

May 6

Pray that we have transparent, meaningful relationships with one another.

Jesus prayed about his followers: "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you."
John 17:21

May 7

Pray that God's Word is proclaimed carefully and correctly through preaching and teaching.

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
Romans 10:14

Why Worship?

Why Worship?

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 • DEB KOSTER

With multiple families visiting from out of town and only one shower in the house, getting to church would have been challenging. Not wanting to miss the blessing of worshiping together, we hatched a plan for all of us to take part in worship at home. We called it the 'church of the unwashed.' Scripture was read, prayers were prayed, songs were sung, and God was praised. We shared together how God was shaping us through our personal time in God’s word. Pajama-clad worshipers enjoying muffins around the coffee table may seem like an odd worship setting, but God can be worshiped in many ways.

We looked a little unconventional, but the intimacy of the gathering of the unwashed brought us closer to God and to each other. Worship is like that--it reaches to the core of who God designed us to be and enriches us to be all that God designed us to be. We could have just skipped church--why bother with worship? So why was worship important to us?

Worship unites us with our purpose.

We are designed for worship, it is how we are made. We have hearts that are attracted to God. As redeemed people we should overflow with thankfulness for what God has done in our lives. In worship we are reminded of how awesome our God really is. We discover him as our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord. In worship we join in celebrating God’s goodness and we get on board for joining God in advancing his kingdom.

Worship redirects us to God.

It is easy to get distracted with our everyday problems and fret over how these things will resolve themselves. Our problems can appear larger when it consumes our focus. When we worship, we look up to see the God who rules the universe. It puts our struggles into perspective. God is still in control and he walks with us through the struggles of this life. Worship takes us outside of ourselves to see God at work in restoring his world.

Worship builds our relationship with God.

Time spent in God’s presence strengthens our connection to him. Worship reminds us of who God is and who we are in relationship to him. If we never call a friend until we need something, we would not be considered a very good friend. A relationship deepens and matures with time spent together. Hearing God’s words in scripture and lifting our voice in prayer creates a bond of friendship.
Worship is part of everyday life.

God made us with a heart that longs for him and any time can become a time of worship. Time singing praise as you drive in the car is worship. Time marveling at God’s creation is worship. Anytime you tune your heart to see God’s glory you are taking a posture of praise. Thanking God for the blessings of the day makes you mindful of the true giver of all gifts. God delights with you in life’s joys, and he comforts you in life’s sorrows. All of life can be worship of God when we are mindful of his presence.

Worship transforms us.

Time spent in God’s presence does not leave us untouched. God’s character rubs off on us as we hang out in his word. We are challenged to remain in Christ so that the Spirit can produce its fruit in our lives. Worship strips away our masks and invites us to be transformed by our loving God. He uses worship to mold our hearts to his kingdom purposes.
Worship unites us with one another.

Our family becomes closer when we share our faith together. In worship we stand on common ground as sinners in need of a savior. Before God’s feet, there is no one who has it together. We have all sinned and fallen short of his glory. We all need God’s grace. As God’s children, adopted into his family, we share a community of love. God unites our hearts together as we spend time in his presence. Worship reminds us of how we are called to live in relationship to one another, as a Spirit-filled family and body of Christ. In worship, God calls us to forgive our neighbor and to reach out to the hurting. In love, we enact grace with one another.

Worship has great value for our lives and our relationships. Our families are blessed when we schedule intentional times of worship into our daily lives. As broken people who were still designed for worship, we need to be intentional about making God the object of our worship. God’s gifts can become our focus instead of God alone--we stray from worshiping God to worshiping our busy schedule, our perfect kids, or our Pinterest-driven life. We may have missed a Sunday worshiping in our own church, but we did not miss the blessing of worship. Our unwashed family worship praised God and drew us together as his people. Choose to foster worship time together and find the blessings that flow out of time spent in God’s presence!

Read more uplifting articles on worship and other spiritual topics at FamilyFire. 

March 2016 Resource Article - The Church Family

Church Family
JANUARY 4, 2016 • KIM SULLIVAN

It seems that there is a movement in Christianity to church hop or even abstain from church attendance altogether. Aside from the fact that this practice ignores scripture, the problem with this phenomenon is that God is unable to teach His people the spiritual maturity that comes from becoming committed to a body of believers for an extended length of time.

As a member of the same church for almost three decades, I’ve experienced a myriad of different emotions. I’ve been elated, overjoyed, heart broken, offended, annoyed, and embarrassed. I’ve celebrated change. I’ve complained about change.

However, one revelation has kept me steady along my journey. My church family is exactly that…a family. And families are complicated. However, families are also God’s design for love, protection, and growth, as well as providing a school for conflict resolution. Why is it that while we expect conflict and struggle within our home life that we expect perfection within the Body of Christ?

Brothers and sisters often don’t get along. Sibling relationships often root out selfishness and promote sharing when guided by the love and patience of a wise parent. Often, when working with the Body of Christ we can become agenda bearers. Certainly our agendas can be good, but when we exalt our own agenda above everyone else’s agenda, the outcome can be very much like dinnertime in a busy household. For instance, it’s 6:00 and the rush for dinner is on. Mom has an agenda to get something nutritious on the table, while toddler “Tim” has an agenda to open all of the kitchen cabinets. The preschooler decides this is a good time to shout the “ABC’s”, and the dog is just trying to get somebody to play with him. Dad walks through the door and his only agenda is to get some peace and quiet after a long day’s work. All of these agendas are good things, but when you put them all together one hears the cacophony of family. It can be loud, disturbing and several members are going to have to be patient and give way to the plans of another or there will be trouble! This doesn’t mean that one agenda is more important than another; it just means that in order to work together one must put aside one’s own agenda temporarily for the good all.  
      
It is the same with the Body of Christ. Often the choir puts pressure on the budget committee for new robes, because after all, several of them are thread-bare! At the same time the missions committee is upset that there isn’t more money set aside for orphans and widows. Each ministry within a congregation is passionate about its own agenda, and it should be! However, dissension comes when they find it unnecessary to respect the work of other departments within the church. It is a God-given passion that each ministry leader has for their responsibilities; however, we all must remember that God has given that same passion to other brothers and sisters so that they can complete their calling. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).

Local churches also resemble families where the pastors are concerned. Are you a perfect parent? Do you always lead your family in the way they should go? Have you ever said something you shouldn’t, lost your temper in front of the kids or displayed a bad attitude in front of them? Yet, congregations are so very unforgiving with their pastors. They are not given the grace to figure things out or make a mistake. I am not talking a major moral failing here, I’m talking about perhaps choosing the wrong expression during a sermon. Or maybe the pastor’s wife doesn’t seem to fit the typical cookie cutter pattern.

The order of service, speaking style, and personalities in a church are not worth arguing over. These things are merely the furniture in the living room of your church. You don’t see children threatening to leave the home over scheduling, and decorating do you? If you did, you would think that it was rather bizarre. We all have our own way of expressing our walk with God. Allow your pastors to use the personality they have been given to express themselves with their own flair. Never forget sometimes, with our spouses, it is the very thing that drew us to each other that annoys us in the end. It can also be true in churches. The very thing that drew you to your church can be the very thing that annoys you later. My pastor often says, “In matters of principle never give in; in matters of taste bend with the wind.” Be flexible. The church isn’t your possession! It is God’s. Pray for your pastor and congregation that they may bring glory to God from their existence.

Stephen Miller says, “Your imperfect church is God’s way of loving your idolatry out of you. He is showing you the fleeting, false hopes that are powerless to satisfy you. He is showing you all the things you are trusting in that will only let you down. And by his Holy Spirit, He is working to remove in you those things that are destroying your joy.”

The enemy wants us to focus on idiosyncrasies not unlike how (or if) we replace the toilet paper, rather than the joys of communion without family. It is my church family that married me, embraced my children, assisted me with their training, prayed with me, loved me, cried with me, laughed with me, and yes even argued with me. What a beautiful, big family we are! I wouldn’t trade them for the world!

Kim Sullivan is the executive director of Love INC of Tinley Park, IL, a non-profit service organization that brings together local churches, volunteers, and community agencies to help people in need.  Kim began this new career in 2012 after “retiring” from home educating her three children. Kim’s passion for writing began as a child with her love of reading, and her first manuscript was a children’s picture book. She blogs at Journey to Epiphany. Kim has been married to Steve, her best friend and biggest supporter, since 2000 and together they have reared a happy blended household of five. As a Christian, Kim believes that her relationship with Christ is the most important thing in her life. He is all that matters and she is very grateful to be His girl. Kim loves finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and finding lessons in unexpected places.

Lent 2016 - Personal Renewal and Reflection

Lent is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday (February 10th this year) and covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Sunday. There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by the practices of prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and alms giving (justice towards neighbor). However, in modern times, observers give up an action of theirs considered to be a vice, add something that is considered to be able to bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations. 

At New Hope we wish to spend this time individually and collectively reflecting on ways that God has prepared our hearts for this coming Easter and everyday. To help facilitate this time of renewal and reflection we are offering some action steps to begin this journey towards the cross:

1. You can find some great Lent devotionals online at BibleGateway.com. Or if you have a smart phone you can start a Lent devotional on your YouVersion bible app. 

2. To have a more interactive experience we are inviting you to reflect on a verse or passage that has really spoke to you and share that verse and a brief explanation of its importance to you. You can leave give us feedback in one of three ways. 

     A) Leave a comment in the space below on this blog. 
     B) Post a comment on the church's FaceBook page. 
     C) You can email your reflection to pastorjason@nhcc4all.com. 

In all three situations, please include the phrase "#nhcclent2016" in the body of the text or the subject of the email. This will help us track and repost exciting reflections from our members! 

Recommended Daily Devotionals

Some people are gifted to be able to look at a set of drawings and perceive the finished project. They are able to take the blueprints presented and make them a reality. The Bible is much like a blueprint for our life. It gives us instructions an set s perimeters on how to conduct ourselves while here on earth. Too often it can seem overwhelming to us after reading our bibles and "looking" at the plans God has for us. One thing a successful contractor or builder will do to achieve their goal is take the overall project and break it down into smaller projects. Ones that are doable today, which will lead eventually to a complete overall realization from paper to reality.

I believe this is what daily devotionals can do for us: take the overall blueprint of the Bible and break it down into smaller more manageable concepts. You may already have a favorite devotional, and if you do, great! But if you do not, or would like to add to those you already do, I am including in this post a short list of some suggestions you may consider.

My Utmost For His Highest (www.utmost.org) 

Daily insights based on the writings and talks by Oswald Chambers. These turn of the 20th century thoughts are timeless and refreshing in juxtaposition to some of today's culture.

Our Daily Bread (www.odb.org) 

The mission of ODB is "to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all." These simple yet profound daily readings include scripture, prayer, and a real life experience of the various authors to illustrate the insight of each day's lesson.

Daily Devotionals with Billy Graham (www.billygraham.org/devotions)

Enhance each day with verses from the Bible, reflections from Billy Graham, and prayer. You will find the strength, peace and comfort you need to strengthen your walk with Christ.

Joni [Eareckson Tada] and Friends (www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional)

An accident while she was a teenager left Joni paralyzed. Her triumph over adversity and decades of ministry give her deep insight into the character of God and his love for us.

Spurgeon's Daily Meditations (www.morningandevening.org)

Charles Spurgeon was known as the "Prince of Preachers". His published sermons were one of the largest and best selling collections of writing of the last century. These daily readings are insightful and challenging.

There are literally hundreds of quality devotionals and daily studies to take you deeper into your relationship with God. Electronic bible sites such as Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com) or phone apps such as YouVersion (www.bible.com) also have extensive devotions and reading plans which link directly to the passage discussed as well as hundreds of commentaries to help clarify passages and allow deeper study.

Whatever you chose, keeping a daily routine is key! Blessings!

Welcome to the New Hope Thrive page for adults!

Welcome to the New Hope THRIVE page for adults! In Proverbs 29:2 we read:

"When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice!"

At New Hope we are committed to seeing people grow in Christ through God's Word. To do this, we have set discipleship building as a core value. To help facilitate that goal we are introducing a series of blogs with faith formation material outside of the Sunday morning worship experience.

These blogs will fall under the title of THRIVE. We have selected this title to reflect the idea expressed in the Bible which state that Jesus came to give us life to the full (John 10:10). God would see us thrive, not just survive. In order to promote spiritual growth and see believers thrive, not survive, we will be posting material to help adults grow in their understanding of God, the Bible, and hopefully themselves.

Check back regularly. We will post monthly as well as weekly information! Blessings!