Month: April 2020

by Nancy Leschke

From Pastor Joe: I’ve known Nancy as a CTR Lay Counselor, a ministry leader for this One’s for the Girls, and a co-worker for the past three years in her part-time work in communications for Christ The Rock. She’s a deep thinker, a welcoming person, and cares deeply for people who are forgotten or marginalized. I’m thankful she agreed to share some thoughts with us as we look forward to celebrating Easter together. 

In this week leading up to the celebration of Easter, I find myself wondering about what Jesus’ followers were thinking in the weeks and days before He was crucified. Like us, in this time of a living with the threat of coronavirus, they found themselves living in uncertain times. In their case, living under the oppressive rule of the Romans made life unpredictable and perilous. Perhaps they were excited about Jesus’ growing notoriety, eager to remember God’s deliverance at Passover, or even hoping Jesus would deliver them from the Romans. Certainly none of them understood that Jesus was about to be part of a new and final divine deliverance.

But there was one follower who was listening carefully to Jesus’ words – and who challenges me to be better at listening to His voice, and loving Him with abandon. All the Gospel writers share an account of this particular follower: she is noteworthy because she seems to be the only one of Jesus’ followers who understood that He was about to die.

After several chapters that record Jesus’ teachings in the temple and on the Mount of Olives, Matthew tells his account of an unnamed woman in chapter 26, verses 6-13. She interrupts a dinner Jesus is attending in Bethany to anoint His head with an expensive jar of perfume (vs. 7). The disciples are appalled at the waste of money – but Jesus honors her gesture. He gives her credit for being a student of His teachings; for listening and believing what He said about His impending death. He says:

When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

MATTHEW 26:12

She had been listening — really paying attention — to His teachings. Just five verses before this woman enters the story, in Matthew 26:2, Jesus had directly told his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Yet they didn’t recognize her gesture of love as honoring Jesus before His death, and preparing Him for burial.

Her attentive listening makes me ask: What I am missing from Jesus’ teachings? How can I be a better student of my Savior, as this woman was?

I am also convicted by the sheer extravagance of her love. Matthew recorded that it was “an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume.” She gave the very best – something costly and precious – and gave it totally wholeheartedly. And she felt a sense of urgency, busting into a dinner where she was not invited, and disrupting the meal with a scandalous gesture (touching a man who wasn’t a relative).

Her extravagance and boldness makes me ask: Am I willing to give when it comes with a high cost? Am I unashamed and extravagant in my love for Jesus like she was?

As we prepare our hearts to remember Jesus’ crucifixion and celebrate His resurrection, I want to be more like this unnamed woman. The twelve disciples didn’t understand that Jesus was about to change history forever — and we are also living in a time when no one can predict how our next weeks and months will unfold. But she was focused on His teaching, believed what He said, and poured out her love for Jesus in a way that was arresting and memorable to all who saw it. Jesus says about her:

I tell you the truth, whenever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.

MATTHEW 26:13

I pray that all of us at Christ The Rock will be remembered for those things too — for listening and believing Jesus’ teachings, and for pouring out our love for Jesus unashamedly so the world notices.

(The other Gospel writers’ account’s of this woman’s interaction with Jesus are found in Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:36-50, and John 12:1-8. John names her as Mary, the sister of Lazarus.)

by Angie Bruce

A note from Pastor Joe Pullen: My wife and I have been blessed to be in relationship with Steven and Angie Bruce since their moving truck pulled into town when they arrived. We connected instantly, and it was their family that witnessed the Great Fire of 2019 at the Pullen house when our grill burst into flames. Oh, the memories. Before Coronavirus, our families would get together nearly every Sunday night to talk, play games, eat, and ummmm, well, watch The Walking Dead together. To say we miss hanging out with them would be an understatement.

Angie has been in ministry for 22 years, has completed Master’s work in Pastoral Counseling and Marriage & Family Therapy, and makes a fantastic iced mocha when volunteering at the Fireside Café. I’m grateful for her willingness to share her thoughts about how God is ministering to her heart right now: 

Since we have been holed up in our homes, waiting for this virus storm to subside, this section of the song “Always” by Kristian Stanfill has been running through my head almost non-stop:

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way
Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord
I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord

As we watch the events unfolding around us, hear the daily changing recommendations, see the conflicting reports, the fear, the panic, and the chaos beginning to unfold in some of the bigger cities, it is easy to fixate on the horizontal perspectives of life. We wake up, we check the news, we check social media, we listen to medical and political briefs, and we make efforts to connect with our friends and family that we are currently separated from and missing. And while those things can be good, they can become all-consuming if we don’t take great care to keep our perspective where it needs to be.
At the beginning of Psalm 121, in verses 1 & 2, it says:

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

PSALM 121:1-2

The repeated bridge of the song “Always” is lifted straight out of this scripture and is filled with so much comfort. I can, we can, make the choice each day to simply look up. It’s almost a gravitational pull to keep our gaze horizontal, to check in every day to see what everyone else around us is saying, from the experts to the keyboard warriors online. But are we lifting our eyes to check in every day with the only One who actually has any control over our current situation? What does He have to say about all of this?

In Isaiah 41:10, we read:

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

ISAIAH 41:10

He is with us. He gives us strength. He upholds us. What do we as believers have to fear, when we have the creator of the universe by our side?
When we lift our gaze, He changes our perspective. When we see through different eyes, we will see God’s hand at work all around us, through people finding creative ways to love their neighbors, through connections with others sought after in new ways, and through the selfless acts of people we’ve never met who choose to serve in a time of danger, from grocery store stockers, to restaurant staff, to police officers and healthcare workers putting themselves directly in harm’s way. And we can rest in the comfort that God is still on His throne, He is giving us strength, He is guiding us, and He holds us in His hand. We just have to look up.

by Rebecca Menning

Pastor Joe here. I’ve asked my good friend Rebecca Menning to share some thoughts with us about how she and her family are navigating these times. Rebecca is a passionate follower of Jesus, one of our lay counselors, a Pastoral Development graduate, a volunteer in the community and in ministry, and a disciple-maker. I’m excited for you to hear her thoughts. She writes:

We are a few weeks into lockdown mode in Wisconsin, and it still seems so surreal to my husband Tony, our small children and me. This pandemic is affecting each of us a little differently, but we are all touched by it somehow. It leaves me asking, “How can I cultivate peace in our home right now? How can we survive and even thrive together under such difficult circumstances? How can we nurture and nourish our marriage and relationship?” I’ve been praying about this a lot recently and asking the Lord for wisdom to know what our home and family life should look like right now. I encourage you to do the same, according to this encouraging promise from the book of James:

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

JAMES 1:5, ESV

Here are some reminders that are helping our family right now.  I hope they bless yours too:

1. Remember Who you serve

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we serve the living God. We belong to Him, we are known by Him, we are loved by Him. He has made us into new creations, adopted us as sons and daughters, invited us into His kingdom. Saturating yourself in scriptures describing who God is and what He’s like gives much needed perspective in the midst of the storm.

2. Make space for each other’s emotions

We all have different ways of processing what’s going on, and there’s no right or wrong way to feel. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 reminds us that ‘For everything there is a season…. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.’ Romans 12:15 speaks of true empathy as part of living peaceably with one another, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Don’t judge others for how they are coping in the moment; but seek to be there for each other in the way that each person needs.

3. Communicate clearly

My husband and I have developed a ritual of asking each other every morning, “What are you hoping for today?” This is incredibly helpful so we can start the day with the other person’s needs in mind. Maybe he has a scheduled conference call, or I have a time-sensitive email to send, or a phone call that needs to be made. Stating needs and expectations early on helps us care for each other well and eliminate miscommunication. Are you being vulnerable and sharing your needs with your spouse? Are you committed to helping them achieve their goals for the day? Our marriages can really get stronger during this time if we make that a priority.

4. Make the most of the time

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

EPHESIANS 5:15-17 ESV

There has never been a time in history quite like this. How can we make the best use of this time? If you are home with your family, now is the time to be intentional. What kind of memories are you making with your kids? How are you pursuing and wooing your spouse? How are you reaching out to those who do not know the hope of Jesus?

Now is the time to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV) and create a culture of service in your home. This involves creativity during this time, and you’ll find your kids are full of good ideas! By following God’s Word and living it out in our homes during this time, we can experience peace in our homes, strengthen our marriages, and shepherd our kids well. I’m so thankful God has instructed us with His living Word so we know how to live in every challenge life presents.