No Doom Where You Bloom

I heard once, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a team”. My theme for the month of August at KCF is, IT IS BETTER TOGETHER. Some may argue the point. Especially if you have been wounded, abused, misunderstood, judged, criticized, ignored, or used. Wait a minute, every one of us have at one time have been the unfortunate recipient of at least one or more of the above “ed’s”. There are only two ways one can be sure of protecting oneself from any of the above; that is to be dead, or completely isolated from all human contact. Both options are too radical for one to consider. But if we are going to be “together” either at a job, home, or church, the inevitability of being hurt is a sure thing. So why then do I say it is better together? Glad you asked.

God’s plan for our lives is for each of us to flourish. But flourishing is next to impossible when we are emotionally wounded. And because woundedness is impossible to avoid either at home, at the job or in church, God has created a mechanism within His Kingdom to bring healing, restoration, and emotional health available to each one of us. The mechanism God has designed may surprise you. It is the church, the job and the home. The very three areas that have the greatest potential to harm are also the only paths to flourish in life. I put the church first in the list, because as the church, we are the body of Christ. When Christ is the head and we are his body, a wound is not fatal; but a source of healing and blessings. Notice the ministry of Jesus: Isaiah 53:5 (CEV)  “He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.”

When we are attacked, misunderstood, judged, it is actually Jesus receiving our wounds. And if I take the posture of Jesus, where he said, Father forgive them, (Luke 23:24) and practice forgiveness; the very things that are meant to harm me, will actually strengthen me, cause me to grow, and make me a better person. In short, I will flourish. This is learned in no better place than the house of God. Here we are forced to be together, rich and poor, various ethnicities, different genders, and even competing belief systems. A perfect environment for judgment, misunderstandings, or to be ignored. But it is in this context we learn about ourselves; we see our own judgments, racial intolerance, and selfish attitudes. It is only when we recognize the plank in our own eye (Jesus said that) will we see clearly to deal with own stuff and stop blaming others for our pain. So I say, it is better together, as the Psalmist declares: “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13  Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14  They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,” (Psalm 92:12-14)

This is what I want for my life; flourishing and continuing to bear fruit in my life. Therefore, I will never leave the church. Instead, I will allow the experiences in the church to help me to see my own heart, asking God to help me to welcome the wounds so that I can be completely healed.

This Sunday, I will be sharing on “NO DOOM WHERE YOU BLOOM.”  You can be living in confidence of flourishing, if we make our home in the House of God.

Sunday Celebration

We will be meeting in person on Sunday at 10:30am, as well as on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page, for those not feeling comfortable attending a public gathering. We will use best practices and accepted protocols to ensure a safe environment for all worshippers gathering with us. Our service will be short and there will be no coffee or food offered at this time.

After service is over, we invite you to socialize outside the building.

We are also on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNT9GnRlN0fPZdvqmaUV_LA

Please subscribe to our channel while you are there.

Looking forward to seeing you all in person or on Facebook Live on the Kootenay Christian Fellowship Church FB Page. https://www.facebook.com/kootenaychristianfellowshipnelsonbc

Jim Reimer, Pastor