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Believe in Your Purpose

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 30, 2024

Jesus believes his divine partnership with God powers his prayers and allows him to lean into his superpower to co-create miracles with God. These transformative beliefs lead to an even greater belief: his life has unwavering purpose directed by God the Father. Jesus lives his life on purpose.

In fact, according to the Gospels, Jesus’ life purpose has at least three distinct aspects. The first aspect of Jesus’ purpose is that of Savior. Before Mary and Joseph marry, an angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream about the son Mary will have: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Many Christians read this as a call to wholeness; other Christians believe that Jesus fulfilled the purpose of the Savior when he died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later.

The second aspect of Jesus’ purpose is making God’s presence widely known. Capernaum is the center of Jesus’ public ministry. He spends time there healing the sick, casting out demons, and preaching. Understandably, the good people of Capernaum want him to stick around and heal every last ill they have. But Jesus knows he can’t just stay where things are familiar. He has more work to do. Upon hearing their request, “Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ So he travels throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons” (Mark 1:38-39). The Gospel of Luke puts Jesus’ response to a similar situation this way: “But he said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent’” (Luke 4:43). Jesus clearly states this aspect of his purpose: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God”—and not simply to local folks but to everyone he can reach.

The third aspect of Jesus’ purpose is testifying to God’s truth. The Gospel of John mentions several times that Jesus embodies God’s truth: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Later Jesus speaks to Pilate in a similar vein: “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). The truth or Logos that Jesus represents is the essential nature of God the Father, and our unity with it.

As with Jesus, you may have different purposes for different communities or different times in your life. You may even mean something different to the various people in your life. For example, my dad (and my mom when she was alive) doesn’t need me to be a great church leader; he needs me to be a caring daughter. Our foster boys need me to feed them, play with them, and set healthy boundaries; in other words, to be a good mother. The church leaders I work with need me to inspire and challenge them to lead with new skills and courage. Same person, three different purposes.

Jesus Invites You to Live on Purpose

Jesus lived on purpose and called the Twelve to live the same way:

As you go, proclaim this message: “The kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:7-9)

The actions of the apostles tell us how they elevate themselves, how they rise from having faith in Jesus as witnesses and apprentices to having the faith of Jesus as agents and apostles.

Just as we all have different purposes at different times in our lives, so our lives will reflect different aspects of the Kingdom reality. Your purpose doesn’t have to be about ministry per se. In other words, you don’t have to be a missionary, a pastor, or an evangelist to live out your life’s purpose. Maybe your purpose is to be an entrepreneur, an artist, a bricklayer, a parent, or a preschool teacher. In living his purpose, Jesus shows us how to live our purpose. In experiencing that deep unity with God, using the gift of prayer, and cultivating the miracle mindset, you can live your larger purpose as Jesus did—whatever that purpose may be.

Throughout the New Testament, we see that many people from different walks of life love and emulate Jesus and learn from him. Some give up their old lives and literally trail after him from town to town. Others are sent back into their communities to live their lives in a new and more purposeful way after Jesus heals them. Jesus instructs still others to say nothing about their healing or about him. Regardless, we can imagine that, changed by the presence of Jesus, each person is living according to God’s distinct purpose for them.

It’s the same for us. While I was called to be a pastor, many of the people I have met along the way have been called to other equally wonderful purposes. They are teachers, golf pros, energy healers, attorneys, parents, athletes, inventors, salesclerks, trainers, oilfield workers, servers, managers, general contractors, law enforcement officers, public servants, and more. When it comes to living life on purpose, it’s more about how you live than your job description. This is the Kingdom of God on earth.

Of course, the opposite can be true as well. Anyone in any role can be inauthentic about their purpose, can be doing what they’re doing for all the wrong reasons, for reasons that aren’t aligned with Jesus’ purpose—out of fear, greed, lust, revenge, a hunger for fame, hubris, envy, and a host of other sins.

To avoid that path, discover what brings you alive and use it to contribute to the joy of Beloved Community. Living on purpose in this way gives you focus. Emboldens you. Protects you against fear. Guides your prayers.

What if you don’t know what brings you alive or don’t know what your purpose is? I have definitely felt that way. At those times I simply pray: “God, please help me live the deepest purposes of my life.” With this prayer, I don’t even have to know or decide what my purpose is! I simply follow God’s prompting every day, trusting that what comes my way is God’s guidance—letting me know my purpose, moment by moment, day by day. In this way, I can trust that I am living every day on purpose.

Excerpted and adapted from Rebekah Simon-Peter’s forthcoming book, Believe Like Jesus: Rising from Faith in Jesus to the Faith of Jesus, November 2024.

Belief in Action

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 21, 2024

As you know, these are challenging times. Times rife with hatred and violence, to both people and the planet. But during these challenging times, we who are moving from simply believing in to believing like Jesus can harness the courage and the power to make real, positive change. Change that makes a difference in the lives of the oppressed. In the fate of the planet. And in ourselves. Because without taking action to sustain and support ourselves, we can’t sustain and support others.

The transformation from believing in Jesus to also believing like him, can be the catalyst to responding to challenging times. Not just with passive prayer, but with action. Prayer, of course, is essential, but prayer motivated by belief can bring about amazing results.

Beliefs shape your thoughts; thoughts fuel your actions; actions demonstrate your faith, and your faith reinforces your beliefs. So, as you begin to believe like Jesus, you will find that you are now able to think new thoughts, take new actions, and develop new faith. Mountains and mulberry trees start to move. The people around you begin to respond in new ways. And the world becomes a brighter place.

Believe

Just as Jesus is in divine partnership with God, so are you. Jesus has faith that, at a deep level, there is no separation between him and God or between him and the Spirit. That they are divine collaborators. You, too, are invited into this unity, and are an expression of this oneness. Believe it. Embrace it. Don’t shy away from it. You are one with God.

Answer the Call

Jesus shows his partnership with God in his words and works. Use your creative, inborn capacity to create with words—to remind yourself of your unity with God. “I am one with God.” Saying the words names your belief and puts it out into the world. Contemplate your oneness with God to bring it to life. Express that divine partnership in what you do as well—in your good works. What becomes possible when you stretch and say “yes” to the needs around you? When you answer the call to help, your partnership with God will carry you.

Practice

Look for opportunities to partner with God. Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons wrote a book about courage called What Would You Do if You Knew You Could Not Fail?: How to Transform Fear Into Courage. Let’s rephrase that and ask: What would you do if you knew God was your partner? Claim the courage to see the world through that lens. Put that partnership into practice with everything you do.

You and God can accomplish anything together, including miracles!

Including the miracle of transforming challenging times into loving, open, and peaceful ones.

Excerpted and adapted from Rebekah Simon-Peter’s forthcoming book, Believe Like Jesus: Rising from Faith in Jesus to the Faith of Jesus, November 2024.

Transformation to the Faith OF Jesus

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Oct 15, 2024

The world is in quite a state. Wars. Climate change. Regressive social policies. Gun violence. A creeping sense of hopelessness.

It’s tempting in these perilous times to give in to doubt, fear, and despair, even for Christians. To isolate, rather than to connect. To hide, rather than to shine. To shrink in our faith, rather than expand.

But we can’t do that. That’s not who we are. That’s not what Jesus wants for us, and it’s certainly not how he lived in his time on earth. Though we look to the Kingdom of Heaven for our eternal reward, we can’t forget our call to create the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

Faith IS Action

There’s a saying often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” This advice carries particular weight for Christians. The world can use some of that change—a lot of that change—right about now. As Christians, we’ve always been asked to live our faith out loud. While we may feel silenced by the sheer number of challenges we face, the present times demand that we dig deep into our spiritual lives so we can be bold voices for love, for a shared purpose, and for a common vision. By living our faith in Jesus, we can transform the world and manifest the Kingdom of God here on earth.

I’ve prayed about this often and deeply. What does this actually mean? How can we use our faith in Jesus to transform the world?

The more I’ve thought about it—the more I’ve prayed about it—the more I’ve come to realize that faith in Jesus may only be a first step. When we have faith in Jesus, aren’t we putting the load on him? Asking him to be responsible for fixing things? This kind of faith is passive. How is that being the change we wish to see in the world?

To rise to the challenge of our times, we must draw on a more active faith. We must transform our faith so that it has a greater impact. What if we rise from having faith in Jesus to having the faith of Jesus?

The Transformation of Belief

Faith in Jesus gives us someone to follow. That’s not a bad thing. We all need someone to inspire the good in us—“the better angels of our nature,” as Abraham Lincoln put it in his First Inaugural Address. Who better than Jesus? But faith in Jesus puts the locus of agency outside ourselves. Like there’s nothing we ourselves can do.

When we take on the faith of Jesus, however, we become the locus of agency. Instead of just believing in Jesus, we begin to believe like Jesus. We activate the faith we have. As our souls are infused with Jesus’ kind of faith, we become ever more Christ-like. Not only do we tap into Jesus’ divinity, but we also tap into our inner divinity. And we become miracle-makers alongside Jesus.

Lest this sound heretical, let me assure you that rising from faith in Jesus to the faith of Jesus is a very biblical concept. It’s the difference between being a disciple and an apostle. Think of a disciple as a follower, a student, an apprentice, and think of an apostle as an ambassador, a messenger, a journeyman or -woman empowered to act on their own on behalf of the one who sent them. The goal of embracing the faith of Jesus is to advance from being a disciple to being an apostle. In fact, that’s always been the purpose of following Jesus: to be sent by him out into the world.

Just as a tree puts down deep roots to grow tall, we take a deep inward journey of spiritual transformation to rise into human beings who live our faith more courageously, more miraculously.

Excerpted and adapted from the Introduction to Rebekah Simon-Peter’s forthcoming book, Believe Like Jesus: Rising from Faith in Jesus to the Faith of Jesus, November 2024.

3 Tips to Becoming an Environmental Steward

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Aug 12, 2024

Is your church an Environmental Steward? “Of course”, you say, “we recycle!” You’ve changed the paper plates, napkins, Styrofoam coffee cups, and plastic cutlery to reusable ones. Your bulbs are LED and you have bike racks to encourage riding to church instead of driving for those able.

But it’s time to move into our communities and for churches to lead the way in change. In this week’s blog, I offer 3 tips on how to do just that with the added benefit of creating closer connections with your community.

But first, let me dispel a common myth. The myth that your community isn’t ready, or open, to environmental stewardship.

Myth: Your Church Isn’t Ready for Environmental Stewardship

Who doesn’t want to live in a cleaner, healthier environment? Everyone, right? From the folks worried about their kids playing in a toxic playground to the grandmas concerned about clean air, we all have a stake in this.

You might be thinking. “But what about those people who don’t care?” Here’s the thing: most people do care. They might not be shouting it from the rooftops, but deep down, they want a better world for themselves and future generations.

And guess what? Churches are in a perfect position to tap into this desire. You’re already a cornerstone of the community, a place where people come together to share values and support each other. So why not expand that to include caring for our planet?

Environmental Stewardship and the Christian

Is being earth-friendly just a secular movement or a political agenda, or does environmental stewardship have a place in our life with God?

As it turns out, paying attention to the health of the planet is deeply grounded in the Bible. You could say it is a core biblical value. While the Bible has some 490 references about heaven and 530 about love, it contains over 1,000 references to the earth.

When I published “Green Church” in 2010, I couldn’t have imagined the level that the effects of climate change would have fourteen years later. I recently read about how emergency personnel in Phoenix have been working to keep the death count down from the heat; all ambulances and fire trucks there now being stocked with ice-filled body bags. Of course, everything mentioned in “Green Church” is more essential now than ever.

Environmental Stewardship and the Community Connection

1) Sustainable Solutions – Start with a Community Garden if you’ve got the room for it. Encourage your community to help plant the garden, then to pick the fresh produce.

Use native plants in your landscaping to reduce the need for water and pesticides.

Install rain barrels to collect rainwater for irrigation.

And make the entire area an educational experience with signs about the garden, healthy eating, native vegetation, and the dangers of pesticides. The signs can be color-coded for multiple grade levels for children.

You can even add signs in Braille and raised the garden beds so those in wheelchairs can also plant and pick.

2) Invite the Community IN –Form a Green Team or committee of volunteers within the church to plan environmental initiatives and ensure ongoing attention to sustainability. Your Green Team can be in charge of welcoming the community to join you for workshops and events, film screenings, and guest speakers focused on environmental and sustainability practices.

As I wrote about in a recent blog, your church is the perfect place to help the community during heat waves. It can also be a welcoming place during extreme weather events like tornados, hurricanes, and wildfires. Connecting with the community on issues that affect all of us can help build strong and lasting relationships.

And don’t forget the children! Have childcare, if possible, and environmentally focused projects for older kids.

3) Go OUT into the Community – To become a part of the community, don’t just invite them to come to you! Acknowledge what your community is already doing in the areas of environmental stewardship and sustainability.

As a clergy leader, encourage your congregation to join you in helping with already-established local clean-up projects. Take part in climate action events. Become visibly active in interfaith environmental coalitions.

When it comes to environmental stewardship, it takes each and every one of us to protect the planet with which we’ve been blessed. As Environmental Leaders who are also church leaders in our communities, we have a responsibility to lead by example.

Church leadership extends into all areas of life and living. I hope you’ll join me in my free seminar, “How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success” which delves into the many aspects of clergy leadership and the renewal that leadership can generate. Register today as my August sessions are filling up fast.

Welcoming the Stranger

by Ann Miller | Aug 6, 2024

We’ve witnessed a vast array of immigration policies, and differing opinions on those policies, for years. Both here in the US and in other countries around the world, those seeking safety, protection, and a place to work and live with their families are often turned away, imprisoned, and treated as less than human.

But, by and large, Christian denominations have taken a Christ-like, welcoming, compassionate view of immigrants and their suffering. Welcoming the stranger was, after all, a part of Jesus’ big dream.

The United Methodist Church’s revised Social Principles, adopted at this year’s General Conference, included the affirmation of the dignity of migrants and opposition to laws and policies that punish the displaced. The US Council of Catholic Bishops has updated policies that incorporate the need to welcome the refugee at US borders with Jesus-led compassion. And the United Church of Christ offers a guide to becoming an immigrant-welcoming church.

These are just a few examples of major Christian denominations that confirm that, as followers of Christ, we are guided to treat the suffering with compassion and respect. Other non-Christian religions, and humanitarian organizations, have similar policies of hospitality toward the stranger.

That being said, we know that immigration can be a hot-button topic. Conversations, including those around the dinner table, can become heated. Sometimes relationships are permanently ruptured. We’ve seen vast differences in how people think of immigrants – their images of displaced people and families often formed by outside sources, media, or politics. Of course, all countries need immigration policies.

So, how do we truly welcome the stranger?

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

I attend the United Church of Christ but I love these words, familiar to Methodists – “Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors”.

How do we show that our doors, hearts and minds are really and truly open to all?

Open Hearts We’ve all heard of the busloads of people being driven from border states, promised work and housing, and then simply dumped in cities and towns across the US, parents hopeless, children hurt and confused.

But churches and individual people in states across the country have welcomed them. They’ve taken them into their homes, fed them, given the families shelter, and found the parents’ jobs. When immigrants were left near their home outside of Chicago, my cousin and her family did just that. In opening their hearts to people who’d been mistreated, even those that didn’t speak their language, they grew to know and love them.

Open Minds We’re aware of the fearmongering about immigrants committing crimes and stealing jobs. But the reality is that US born citizens commit crimes at a much higher rate than immigrants. The jobs that immigrants are granted are usually those that most of us aren’t willing to do. Immigrants also face poverty and struggles that we as natural born citizens of the United States will never know. Yet the vast majority are simply looking for better lives for their families and loved ones.

We all share a responsibility to honestly teach those who fear others about those who are feared. Growing up, my mother always reminded me to see Christ in everyone, especially the poor, the displaced, and the suffering. I believe this is an essential component to “dreaming like Jesus.”

We may not be able to change minds, but we can surely work to open them.

Open Doors Through my husband’s non-profit, he’s visited immigrant shelters in Tijuana. One of those shelters houses LGBTQ young people who’ve traveled from as far away as Russia, hoping to be granted asylum in the United States. Since part of our local church’s mission is to be carbon-friendly, we don’t have our own building. But we’ve been able to figuratively “open our doors” to this shelter by providing them periodically with much-needed supplies.

Churches can also connect to the newly arrived by hosting ESL classes, offering fee community meals, or providing resources for job training.

Remember that many of those from other countries were active in their original churches. They may be looking for a new church home where they’ll feel welcome and needed.

Who Reaps the Benefits?

It’s not just the stranger who reaps the benefits of Christian hospitality. When we truly “dream like Jesus” our churches can grow, become more vibrant, experience different cultures, and gain loving, active members.

Welcoming the stranger is an integral component of a successful Christian ministry. To learn more, please join Rebekah for an empowering free seminar, “How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success: An Introduction to Creating a Culture of Renewal®.

This blog represents a guest post and was written by Staff Member, Ann Miller.

7 Tips for Keeping Cool in Hot Times

by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 23, 2024

I first published a version of this blog in July of 2016 during the campaigns of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Once again, we’re looking at either President Trump or our very first “Madame President” and what could be a contentious campaign season with polarizing politics, fastidious fact-checking, and flaring tempers. On a pastoral level, we’ve seen thousands of churches disaffiliate from the UMC since the 2019 special session decision. Throw in an unprecedented heatwave or two and we’re really experiencing some hot times!

That being said, I thought this was the perfect time to revive these 7 tips, with some revisions. I think they’re just as pertinent today as they were in 2016.

How do we stay cool in hot times? How do we keep the lines of communication open when we honestly disagree with each other?

Keeping Cool

My 7 tips for Keeping Cool in Hot Times are derived from my work with emotional intelligence.

1) Assume the best about others; not the worst. In 2016 when this blog was first published, I’d also written one about the election of Karen Oliveto to the episcopacy after which I received quite a bit of push-back.

Both then and now, I assumed that the colleagues whose opinions differed from my own cared every bit as much as I did about what is right and holy and good. We’ve had some good, heart to heart conversations about our assumptions. If you catch yourself thinking that yours is the only right way—this tip will be hard.

2) Ask how questions, not why questions. Why questions put people on the defensive. How questions encourage people to think creatively.

Ask “How did you arrive at this position?” instead of “Why do you think this way?” to get a better understanding of the other person’s reasons and story. Then, feel free to share how you came to your position on the issue.

3) Open your ears, not your mouth. When you’re talking to those who you don’t always agree with, listen to their answers. Really listen. Don’t just wait for them to pause so you can slip in your rebuttals. As you listen, you might just discover more similarities between the two of you than differences.

Identifying your shared humanity is an important part of staying cool in hot times.

4) Practice disagreeing without cutting others off. When it comes to hot topics, the usual response is to avoid, or to push away from another, and be done with them. Kick the dust off your heels and move on. Sometimes love actually requires us to stay connected in spite of disagreement. This is hard to do, but necessary.

In the groups I lead, we encourage a wide variety of theologies and perspectives, and work at staying at the table together.

5) Fact check, fact check, fact check. Just because someone repeats a talking point, or says it louder than others, doesn’t mean it’s necessarily true. Dig deep. Get the facts. They’re likely more complex than you first understood. This goes for everything from presidential politics to church politics to international politics.

6) Pray for each other. Ask God what you can do to forward the Kin(g)dom in the midst of change and upset. And how you can be kind toward those who misunderstand you and do good to those whom you fear may hate you. Ask to see things from another’s perspective.

7) Resist being hijacked. Fear activates the reptilian part of our brain that’s wired for fight or flight. It can also activate the limbic part of our brain that’s wired for emotion. So intense can the emotion be, that it literally hijacks our thinking and our responses—leading us to say things we might not otherwise say or do things we might later regret. The neocortex part of our brain is activated by higher-order thought processes like logic.

So, avoid gossip, reputation-bashing, and either-or thinking. While it feels powerful in the moment, it intensifies polarization. It’s hard to take words back once they’ve been spoken. Instead – pause, breathe, pray, and see what sort of logical or creative responses you can generate.

Yes, we are again in hot times, but by practicing these 7 tips, we can learn to keep our cool while, possibly, finding common ground with those around us.

Want to discover more about how to navigate intense situations with a cool head? Check out my upcoming free online seminar, How Christian Ministries are Achieving Success: An Intro to Creating a Culture of Renewal.

Updated and revised from original publication, July 2016.

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