Static.COOKIE_BANNER_CAPABLE = true;

LeeAnne Byers

Rooted in God

redwood.jpg

Several years ago, my mom, sister and I took a bus tour along the west coast.  We started in Seattle and finished in San Francisco.  It was a great trip.  One of the places we stopped was the Redwood National Forest. 

Redwoods can grow up to 350 feet tall and have a diameter of 24 feet around.  With as tall and big as redwoods can be, you would think they would have a root system that extended deep into the ground to support such a massive structure.  However, due to where they live on the west coast, the rain washes nutrients out of the soil fairly quickly so the redwoods support themselves by having shallow root systems that can spread out  over a 100 feet from the base of the tree.  By covering more area, the roots have a better chance of absorbing nutrients and water.  The problem with a shallow root system is that too much rain softens the ground and the roots can’t hold tight.  Strong winds can blow these giants over.  As they tumble down, they take other shallow rooted redwoods with them. 

About 150 years ago, most of Illinois was covered with prairie grasses and flowers.  Some of the grasses can reach about 10-12 feet tall.  Some have root systems that can extend that deep into the soil.  This deep root system is what allows the prairie plants to survive the sub-zero winters, the hot and dry summers, winds with the force of tornadoes, and being burned to the ground.  After in the spring or after a fire, the prairie plants will regrow from the roots. 

Our roots need to be in God.  Colossians 2:6-7  So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

What kind of roots do you have?

Do you have righteous roots?  Proverbs 12:12  The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers but the root of the righteous endures. 

Do you have roots?  Matthew 13:6  But when the sun cam up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 

Do you have roots that hold you in place?  Matthew 13:21  But since they have no root, they last only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

I would like to say that I am more deeply rooted in God than what I am right now.  I have allowed myself to become distracted by my job, my hobbies, things in the media, lives of co-workers, and so many other things.  Today, I feel rooted in God but I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  The cool thing is that I can water my roots with more of God’s word, more prayer and discipling, and my roots will grow deeper so that when the bad stuff happens, I won’t topple like the giant redwoods.

If you feel like your roots are giving way or you don’t have any roots right now, please feel free to contact one of the women’s ministry leaders or elder’s wives and we will be glad to talk and pray with you.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Renewed This Spring

IMG_6580.jpeg

One of my favorite things about living in Illinois is the changing seasons.  I love sitting outside on a hot summer night looking at the stars or picking the harvest of fresh vegetables from my garden.  The crisp, cool nights in the fall and the changing colors of the leaves can’t be beat.  The beauty of snow or ice on trees with the sun shining behind them creates an amazing winter wonderland.  But I think that spring is my favorite season and it is HERE!  My daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips are blooming.  The songbirds are singing and I heard a Great Horned Owl and a Barred Owl the other night.  The frogs have started croaking at night.  The days are longer and the sunsets have been amazing.  To me, spring is a time of rebirth and renewal.  Flowers that we have not seen for a year are in bloom.  Trees that lost their leaves last year are budding out.  The geese and other birds are finding their mates, making their nests, and laying eggs. 

Psalm 104 has to be for the nature, or changing seasons, lover like me.  To say that it describes how God takes care of all living things on this planet in addition to the planet as well would be an understatement.  The verse that catches my attention the most and makes me think of spring is verse 30.  Psa. 104:30  When you send your Spirit, they (all the creatures) are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

There are over 7 billion humans on this planet, an estimated 9 million different species of living organisms all sharing a planet with a surface area of about 197 million miles squared and God can renew it all.  That is a mind-blowing thought.

2 Cor 4:16-17  Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  Despite everything going on around me, I am being renewed by God every day through my prayer, bible study, relationships, and for me, through nature.  How are you letting God renew you?

Here are a couple of spring activities you can do with your kids:  Take a box of crayons outside and have your kids find things that God made that match the color of the crayons.  Watch a sunset with the kids then have them use water colors to paint their own. 

Outward-focused while indoors

FAE885F9-147D-4DF5-BD32-71990647AC2B.jpeg

Hello sisters,

This is the first of what will hopefully be daily, encouraging notes from the elder’s wives and women ministry leaders.  Hopefully you are staying connected with God through bible study and prayer, staying connected with your house church or d-group, but we also wanted to let you know that you are in our thoughts and prayers even when we can’t connect in person.  Don’t be surprised if we ask for you to write something.  We know you all have lots of wisdom you could share.  I pray that we all stay safe and can grow spiritually during this time.

A couple weeks ago before spring break, I put a couple things on a “to do” list for myself to get done while I was off work.  These items were very much self focused and I must confess, did not involve reaching out to and encouraging anyone.  Then all of the sudden, due to COVID-19, one week at home was extended to two weeks, then longer.  My husband’s business had to close it’s doors so he is home.  Now what am I supposed to do?  Staying self-focused for a couple days to spring clean my house and do some yard is not going to keep me occupied indefinitely.  The best thing to do was turn to the scriptures.

So I went to Proverbs 31:10-31 for guidance.  If you have not read this passage for some time, I recommend reading it.  Here are some things that this passage says I should be doing that are not self-focused:  Bring good, not harm to my husband.  Work with eager hands.  Provide food for my family. Open my arms to the poor and extend hands to the needy. Laugh at the days to come.  These were just a few of the ideas that caught my attention.

Because Kevin and I have NEVER spent this much time at home together, I will need to work hard to keep his needs ahead of mine and not get upset and frustrated with him.  I need to make sure I don’t become lazy and a couch potato doing some binge watching of favorite TV shows.  I need to find a way to help those in need even when I can’t connect with them in person.  This thought ties in with the message that Tracy preached about this weekend.  He was in Acts 2 and talked about the small house churches taking care of each other.  Who can I call?  Take a meal to?  Buy groceries for because they can’t go out or are without a job right now?  Can I sew fabric face masks that Carle is accepting?  Can I donate blood like the commercials on TV are asking?  Will my budget allow me to order take out from one of the local restaurants so they can stay in business? 

I am going to do my best to not become self-focused while I have to stay home and to do my best to laugh during the days to come.  Won’t you join me?

-LeeAnne Byers