Between the Lines - Spring 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

8/6/2019 Between the Lines - Spring 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

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2/16

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the

soul and healing to the bones(Prov. 16:24).

May God give me a word, not a sugar-coated word, but a word that is sweet to our

souls and healing to our bones. -MAT

A sermon note written on my heart

more than 20 years ago, etched in

the margin beside Exodus 20:8 in my

Bible, says this: Sabbathto cease in

order to quiet the heart.

Gods plan is good; it protects us while

on our Journey to heaven, our home

sweet home. Gods cycle of life, his

order of work and rest is one of those

things that, through all of creation, we

have resisted. In the Old Testament,

God provided his way for rest: six dayswork and one day rest, six years plant-

ing and one year to let the crops rest,

forty nine years of business as usual

and the ftieth year to forgive all debt.

In reality, the Old Testament Sabbath

is much more detailed than this, but

for our purposes we can focus on the

fact that it was Gods loving provision

for his people. Obeying God in this

would bring blessing. Going ones own

way and avoiding the Sabbath would

bring devastation. The Sabbath was a

shadow or a picture of what would be

fullled in the birth, death, resurrection,

ascension, and coming return of Jesus

Christ. He is our true Sabbath rest.(See Heb. 4.)

The Journey, now in its seventh year,

is stepping out in obedience to God to

rest from the work in order to rest in

the Word. In ceasing the work of put-

ting on two Journey events this year,

we are focusing on connecting women

to Jesus Christ in new ways. This mag-

azine, Between the Lines, will reach a

wide audience and, we believe, bringrest, sweetness to the soul, and heal-

ing to the bones for the Journey com-

munity and beyond.

While the Journey team will be meet-

ing monthly to go deeper in the Word

and prayer, we also will be taking the

Journey on the Road to help otherskick off their ministries for women. We

did not seek this out; rather, we placed

our willingness before the Lord and He

has opened doors for us to go. We will

provide details for you as these on the

road opportunities unfold.

It is our prayer that 2011 will bring

depth and blessing to all of us. Savor

this issue, and the truth of Gods Word

in and between each line. Please pass

it on. Enjoy resting in the Word and

reaping the blessings of obedience to

Gods rhythm.

The idea of the Sabbatha quieting

of the heartis sweet to my soul andhealing to my bones. I pray that it is

sweet and healing to you too. We are

glad you are on this Journey with us,

headed for home. God bless you!

Resting in Him,

Mary Ann

Dear Reader,


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Between the Lines is a magazine of the Journey, a ministry of Christ Church

Fairview Heights, IL. 2011, Christ Church. mychristchurch.com

Designed by Justin Aymer

Between the Lines Spring 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1

Table of ContentsAre You Weary? Journey to a Place of Rest 4

Leaning on the Windowsill of Heaven 6

Collage: Journeying 8

Meditations on Heading Home 10A Map for the Journey 12

I Know that I Know that I Know 13

Testimony: Building the Relationship of a Lifetime 15

This Issues Theme: The Journey

Verse of the Season:Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).

Mary Ann Turneris the leader of the Journey Team at Christ Church.

A former elementary school teacher, she is the wife of Mark, mother

of two grown children, and grandmother to one precious little boy. She

enjoys encouraging women to grow in their Christian faith.

Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in

Nature, Biotech, and Commerce magazines. A wife and mother of

three, Lindsay enjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirky

children. She and her family live in OFallon, Illinois and worship at

Christ Church.

Heather Asunskis is an attorney and member of the Journey

Team at Christ Church. A native of Caseyville, Illinois, she cur-

rently lives in Swansea with her husband and two daughters.

She regularly attends Christ Church with her mom and girls.

Emily Climaco, Ph.D., is a member of the Journey Team and the vol-

unteer editor ofBetween the Lines. She is the wife of Phil and mom

of Caroline, and she enjoys reading, writing, bargain-shopping, and

watching TV.

Meet the Contributors

REDUCE get the digital version via e-mail at mychristchurch.com/thejourney

REUSE pass along this issue to a friend when youre nished

RECYCLE toss in a Paper Retriever bin at Christ Church


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ARE YOU WEARY?Journey to a Place of Restby Lindsay Tallman

4

Come to me, all you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest

(Matt. 11:28)

I love that verse. The reason I love it so

much is because, as a mother of young

children, I can relate so well to the

weary and burden hes talking about.

Cant you just picture a mother with

one child on her hip, a laundry basket

on the other, several other little ones

trailing behind arguing over something,

a phone ringing in the background,

dinner burning on the stove, and her

almost irresistible urge to lie down

and take a nap right in the middle of itall? Christ has so much to offer weary

women. Jesus came to the world not

only to save us from our sins, but also

to ease our burdens, give us rest, and

give us the power to live an abundant

life. What incredible news!

So why are so many of us exhausted?A lot of us seem to be living anything

but a restful and abundant life. In our

modern society of you can do it all, you

can be it all, and you can have it all,

weve taken our focus off of our Savior

and let the world pull us in a hundred

different directions. Instead of casting

our burdens at his feet, weve got a bag

full of guilt, worry, and disappointment

were lugging around.

One major barrier that keeps us from

living in the promise of an abundant

and restful life is distraction. Whenever

I ask one of my friends how things are

going, I almost always get the same

answer, Busy. And its no wonder:

between work, home, family, friends,

community, and ministry, theres a lot to

be done. So what are we to do? Thank-

fully, Jesus understands the pressures

of this world better than we ever couldbecause he has walked among us and

lived the perfect life we could never

live. So we must hear his words to,

Take my yoke upon you and learn

from me, for I am gentle and humble

in heart, and you will nd rest for your

souls (Matt. 11:29). The problem with

being too busy is that it takes our focusoff of Jesus and the life or yoke he is

offering us and puts it on every other

little thing happening around us.

Jesus clearly illustrates this problem in

Lukes account of Mary and Martha. Je-

sus and his disciples arrived in Bethany

where it says Martha opened her home


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5

to them. But Marthas gift of hospitality

is often overlooked in sermons or Bible

studies because of what happens once

the visitors arrive. Martha, had a sister

called Mary, who sat at the Lords feet

listening to what he said. But Martha

was distracted by all the preparationsthat had to be made. She came to him

and asked, Lord, dont you care that

my sister has left me to do the work by

myself? Tell her to help me! The Lord

answered, Martha, Martha, you are

worried and upset about many things,

but only one thing is needed. Mary has

chosen what is better, and it will not be

taken away from her (Luke 10:39-42).

Jesus wasnt saying that Marthas hard

work wasnt important or appreciated,

but it wasnt the most important thing

right at that moment. In her efforts to

serve him, she was missing out on an

opportunity to sit at his feet and learn

from him!

As his children, we too can be so dis-

tracted by important things that we

miss out on the most important thing

of all. Jesus said, But seek rst his

kingdom and his righteousness, and

all these things will be given to you as

well (Matt. 6:33). Everything in this

world will compete for our top priorityif we do not place God rst in our lives.

This means we must be intentional in

all of our decision-making and the way

we spend our time. We all have certain

responsibilities and obligations that are

a part of living in this world, but what

would your life look like if you let God

examine your daily to-do list?

If youre overwhelmed by the amount

of work you are doing, pray for Gods

guidance as you examine your duties

and priorities. Ask him to reveal what he

would have you do and what you need

to let go of in order to choose what is

better. Asking the Lord to change your

heart can be painful. There may be un-

derlying reasons that we feel the need

to be so busy. Often times, being busy

makes us feel important and needed.

We take on more responsibility than we

can handle because we want to avoid

guilt, please others, or believe that ifwe dont do it then no one will. Some of

us use our Type-A personalities as an

excuse for our need to be constantly

doing something. The problem with let-

ting distraction become a way of life is

that it keeps us from being present with

our families, friends, and the people

who need us most. Most importantly,

it keeps us from the abundant life of

rest and peace that Jesus offers us as

we spend time with him and learn from

him.

Im not suggesting we drop everything

and run to the hills (although Ill admit

there are times when I wish for a se-

cret room in my house where I could gotake a nap). But I am suggesting that

Jesus didnt come to make your life just

a little bit better. He came to give you

a whole new way of living! Jesus said,

For my yoke is easy and my burden is

light (Matt. 11:30). If you are looking

for a place to rest your weary soul, he

is waiting with arms wide open to re-ceive you and offer you his peace.

Recommended Reading

for Weary Travelers:

Breathe: Creating Space for God in

a Hectic Life by Keri Wyatt Kent

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha

Worldby Joanna Weaver

Kyria digizine,

Jan.-Feb. 2011 issue: Simplicity.

Access at www.kyria.com.


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6

Every morning, lean awhile on the

windowsill of heaven and gaze upon

the Lord; then, with that vision in your

heart, turn strong and meet the day.

With the discovery of this anonymous

quote over 30 years ago, my prayer

life began. Every morning sitting in

the same chair with my Bible and a

journalpraying, reading the Word,

making notesI kept on consistently,

intentionally, day after day. God kept

teaching me, meeting me in that chairevery morning. The more I made this

daily choice, the more I wanted of Je-

sus. Now, I know I cant live without

quiet time with him. Surely, I can ex-

ist without Jesus but with him and in

relationship with him, I truly live! (John

10:10). The Bible says, Draw near to

God and he will draw near to you

(James 4:8). Take a moment to jot

down your response to this prom-

ise.

Nothing this world offers can enrich

our lives in the same way that prayer

combined with the Word of God can.

As we drink it in, his Word is hidden

in our hearts. As a believerone who

has confessed and repented of her sin

and surrendered to Gods saving gracethrough the death and resurrection of

Jesus Christ alonethe promised Holy

Spirit dwells within her. The Spirit will

bring to mind what we have learned

in those quiet times (John 14:26-27).

What a comfort! We can know and rec-

Thoughts on Experiencing Intimacy through Prayerby Mary Ann Turner

Leaning on the

Windowsill of Heaven


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7

ognize Gods voice and receive that

comfort when we are in need of his

love, his guidance, his strength, and

his peace. In John 10, Jesus calls

himself the good shepherd. What

does this image mean to you?

If we want to recognize Gods voice,

we must know his Word. As we do

this we will begin to walk through this

life with peace, even in the midst of

the darkest storms. When we experi-

ence hard times in life, as we press

in closer to the Lord in prayer, our pri-

vate prayer becomes a powerful public

life. In Phil. 4:4-7, Paul encourages

believers to take everything to God

in prayer. What is to be gained from

this? Think of a time when you ex-

perienced Gods peace and record

the feeling here.

As we read the prayers of Paul and

others in the Bible, we nd examplesof how to pray with power. One of my

favorites is Eph. 3:14-21. This can be

anyones prayer. We can pray it for our-

selves and for others. Which part of

Pauls prayer in Eph. 3:14-21 is most

relevant to your current life circum-

stances?

These treasures are yours and mine to

have, to hold, to live by. We can walk

through life with power and peace.

There are many powerful prayers in

the Bible: see Psalm 5:1-3, Rom. 15:5,

Rom. 15:13, Col. 1:9-12, 1 Thess. 5:23-

24, 2 Thess. 2:16-17. These examples

include prayers for the good of others.Is there a particular friend or family

member for whom you feel called to

intercede in prayer today?

The gentle and sweet times of prayer,

combined with the times we wrestle

and do battle in prayer for the deep

trials of life, offer us a true picture of

Jesus Christ. Our prayer lives can be

a picture of Christboth pain and joy

meshed in the shape of a cross, the

saving cross of Jesus Christ. I prom-

ise you that if we endeavor to covenant

with God, to meet him dailynot ina rigid, legalistic sense but in an inti-

mate sensewe will grow in wisdom

and in the power of the Spirit. We will

have peace in our lives. Jesus Christ is

our example. Taking a good look into

the four gospels we see that Jesus got

up early in the morning, went to lonely

places, and prayed (Mark 1:35, Luke

5:16).

I would like to encourage you to

choose a placea chair, even a cor-

ner in a closet, or, for a mom of young

children, it might even be a Bible left

open in the laundry room! Be creative!

I keep my materials in a basket: a Bible

and a journal for keeping a record ofwhat God is teaching me. I also keep

some index cards nearby so that I can

jot down verses and keep them by the

sink, in the car, or on the bathroom mir-

ror. I keep a list of the prayer requests

that I am praying for. Often, I tuck a

slip of paper with a name on it in my

silverware drawer. Each time I pullopen the drawer and see the name,

I am reminded to pray. As we walk

through our day we can carry this at-

titude of prayer with us. We can turn

our thoughts into prayers throughout

the rest of the day. In 1 Thess. 5:16-

18, Paul advises Christians to pray

continually. Pause a moment to readthe passage and describe what this

might look like in your everyday life.

We are free to come to Jesus as we

continued on page 14


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9/16


10/16

10

A desolate feeling comes home to my

heart, to think I am alone, a homesick

Emily Dickinson wrote to her brother

Austin. In college I was similarly haunt-

ed by homesickness, compounded by

the question of Gods will. I knew that

God had a purpose, but, although I

wanted to do Gods will, I didnt know

how to ascertain it. So I got stuck, ut-

terly frozen, unable to make decisions.

And I was sure that I was all alone in

my problem. Things didnt look good.

One day I was talking to an acquain-

tance, and we got on the subject of

Gods will. What she said made good

sense and has stuck with me: God

doesnt give you a map for life with

the entire route already highlighted; he

gives you directions for the next baby-

step. When you set out to please himevery day, you can look back later and

realize youre on his path. I cant re-

member this girls name, but she made

a huge impact on me simply by speak-

ing the truth in love.

This advice has helped me through

many decisions, but it is easier to han-

dle in theory than in practice. When Im

trying to make a decision, I cant help

but follow every what if path imag-

inable. I want to know the most prob-

able end result for every possible op-

tion. And then I want to be able to leap

through time to the outcome to conrm

that the decision is right. Unfortunately,

I dont have a time machine. Rather,

every signicant decision made by

faith takes Gods time to prove itsworth. For someone as impatient as I

am, this process is maddening. From

mundane, everyday life to living by the

Holy Spirit, everything is a process. On

this side of heaven we grow increas-

ingly Christ-like but remain imperfect.

God will perfect us only when Jesus

Christ returns (Phil. 1:6). Ughmoreprocess!

Christians must rely on the Holy Spirit

to transform irritations, like wrestling

the hands of the clock, into useful

homesicknessa longing for our na-


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destination

11

tive heaven. On a youth group outing

several years ago, the youth minister

carelessly threw his trash into a lake.

When one of the kids called him on it,

he shrugged, reasoning, This earth

isnt my home. I give him points for

dramatic air. But surely we pilgrimscan do better than that. When a child

of God mourns wrongs against others,

even strangers, thats a purer manifes-

tation of homesicknessan acknowl-

edgement that this earth is our tempo-

rary, broken home; that we anticipate

seeing God dry their tears.

For many years my mom worked in a

nursing home, caring for people whose

relatives had sold off their worldly pos-

sessions. Some of them could not

reconcile the facility they lived in with

the concept of home. They would sit

in the hallway and call to anyone who

passed, I want to go home. Im ready

to go home now. Similarly, how canwe reconcile the trials, sadness, and

evil of this world with the idea of home?

While we live, we dwell in the space

between This Is My Fathers World

and This World Is Not My Home

the land of time, process, patience,

and working things out. In short, its a

journey. The minor irritations and largerpain of everyday life are symptoms of

a uniquely Christian ill: yearning for our

permanent heavenly home.

In February 2007, Jen Rodgers and

her husband, Blake, of Swanseafound their third and fourth children

on an international adoption web

site. In November of the same year,

the couple traveled to Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia to bring home the new ad-

ditions to the family: a 22-month old

brother and 5-year old sister pair!

Jen documented the familys adop-tion experience on her blog, Learn-

ing Patience. Here, she eloquently

describes the feelings of relief, ex-

citement, and fulllment of nally

reaching their destination: Home.

Returning home thats the whole

reason we took this trip. So many

trips that we take are because we

want to experience what is some-

where else. This trip, while wonder-

ful in the seeing and doing and ex-

periencing, was a homecoming from

the very beginning. It was these

seconds of nally feeling all of my

children pressing into me at once

and laughing with them and taking

them all in this is why we went toEthiopia.


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12

The life of a Christian, like any journey,

begins with one step. Theres no sim-

ple formula, and it sometimes feels like

taking one step forward and two steps

back. Because we are human and God

is perfect, salvation is not something tobe earned like a scout badge. Rather,

its a gift. God sits expectantly, like a

parent on Christmas morning, waiting

for you to open the gift.

Walking with God is not about going

through carefully choreographed steps.

What a tedious journey that would be!Its not about the lockstep demands of

religion. No, walking with God is about

putting one foot in front of the other in

a relationship with the One who knows

you best.

You might wonder, how can I initiate a

relationship with God? The good news

is that God already took the rst step

by lavishing you with certain gifts. God

gave you life, and he knew about you

long before he created you. God gavehis son Jesus to be one of us and give

his life so that you might have access

to God. God gave you his Word, the

Bible, full of promises for you.

The Psalms writer said, By your

words, God, I can see where Im go-

ing; they throw a beam of light on mydark path (Psalm 119:105). The path

you walk is well-lit when you rely on

the light of Gods word. While its true

that a relationshipa true friendship

is not choreographed, there are some

initial steps you can take to begin the

A MAP FOR THE JOURNEY


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13

What do you know for sure, beyond

a shadow of a doubt? Members

of the Journey Team share whattheyve learned through their Chris-

tian journey.

I know that God is always with me,

guiding me. Even when I dont feel

him there, he is carrying me.

-Theresa Cavalierwife, jewelry maker, member of Christ Church

I know that truth matters, and that

there is no other way to God than

through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the

way, the truth, and the life and no

one comes to the Father except

through him.-Maggie Wakeman

child of God whose identity is in Christ

Its not about how much you know;

its about knowing Christ intimately.-Mary Ann Turner

wife, mother, Ashers Grammy, teacher

journey, to open the gift.

Heres how you put one foot in front of

the other: by recognizing these truths.

First, God loves you. In fact, God loves

you so much that he sent his only son

Jesus to this world, hoping that youdbelieve in him and live forever with him

(John 3:16). But, because God is per-

fect and humans arent, you must rec-

ognize that you cant measure up to his

perfection on your own (Romans 3:23).

However, this isnt to say that God sent

Jesus just to point out our shortcom-

ingsno, Jesus became one of us and

gave up his life to make us right with

God (Romans 3:24). When he died on

the cross: that was for you.

All you have to do is believe this and

accept Gods gift of eternal life. If it

feels right so far, go ahead and do

something that may seem weird. Say

out loud, I am a Christian. Whenyou believe in your heart and conrm

it by saying aloud that things are right

between you and God, youve taken

the rst step as a Christian (Romans

10:10). If this seems pretty easy, then

you have a good amount of faith. If

your rst step is more hesitant, thats

perfectly ne too. While some peoplend it very easy to trust Gods great

love for us, others struggle to do so

(Romans 12:3).

This initial step may feel a bit mechani-

cal, but know that each step of the

Christian journey is different. Some

steps feel like falling head-over-heelsin love, while other steps are like climb-

ing a steep, rocky incline. Whatever

the terrain, as a Christian you bear the

hope of Gods promise never to leave

or disappoint his children (Hebrews

13:5). Bottom line: this is a journey you

wont regret.

I KNOW thatI KNOW that

I KNOW


14/16

In the next issue:

Words to live by -the signicance of words

in the Christian life.

14

are, in and with all honesty. We maytalk with him about anything and every-

thing. As we pay attention to the ways

he communicates with us through the

Word, we will nd that it seems as if

he shines his light on a passage of

scripture to respond to our questions.

And, through the moments of each

day, as we tune in to the promptings

of the Holy Spirit, we will be reminded

of his truth. The gentle voice of God is

always consistent with his Word. Over

time, it becomes familiarour hearts

resonate with his loving voice. As we

develop a personal and intimate rela-

tionship with our Lord and Savior, our

lives will be different, we will be differ-

ent, and even our faces will shine withthe love of Christ.

I am reminded of the very last sentence

in the Gospel of John: Jesus did

many other things as well. If every

one of them were written I suppose

that even the whole world would

not have room for all the books thatwould be written (John 21:25). Our

lives will be like thatnot enough time

to tell all that Jesus has done!

So lets lean awhile every day on the

windowsill of heaven, listening and

learning as the Spirit impresses upon

our hearts his words of truth. Withinthe all-encompassing love of Jesus

Christ, we have lifewe truly live!

Take a few moments to write a let-

ter to Goda prayer. Tell him whats

on your heart, and ask him to revealhimself to you. Be encouraged that

when you draw near to God, he will

draw near to you.

continued from page 7Leaning on the Windowsill of Heaven


15/16

15

As the mother of two daughters aged

3 and 5, I decided over a year ago that

it was my responsibilitymy most se-

rious responsibilityto ensure that I

raised my children to know Jesus inti-

mately. My husband is not a Christian,

and, although I always knew I believed

in Jesus, I never knew why.

My rst step was to get to know Jesus

myself. I ended up at Christ United

Methodist Church. My mother and I

went sporadically to the Sunday servic-

es, and one day we decided to attend

this event called The Journey: ThreeOrdinary Women, One Extraordinary

God. Hearing these ordinary women

who had extraordinary relationships

with God share their stories moved me.

What brought me the closest to Je-

sus, though, was enduring an incred-

ibly difcult time that I never thought I

could survive. My grandmother, who I

was ercely close to growing up, was

suffering from Alzheimers. We were

losing her, and it was such a difcult

thing for our family. She had been on

hospice for a while, and I was in herroom with my mother and several other

family members. I asked God silently

for some comfort, and I was led to this

passage:

They will be his people, and God him-

self will be with them and be their God.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.There will be no more death or mourn-

ing or crying or pain, for the old order of

things has passed away

(Rev. 21:3-4).

This amazing feeling of peace washed

over me. I actually felt Jesus presence

in that room and I knew that He was sit-ting on my grandmothers bed, holding

her hand. I have never felt such peace

in my life. And although I miss my

grandmother, I rejoice that she is with

God, where there is no more mourning

or crying or pain.

To not lose sight of such moments,

I keep a Gratitude Journal. I look

to that journal to remind me of times

that I know Jesus has moved in my

life. I credit Jesus alone for carrying

me through the difcult time with my

grandmother; I know that I could not

have survived it without Him.

Building the Relationship

by Heather Asunskis


16/16

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Documents

Between the Lines - Spring 2011 Volume 1, Issue 1