UGA Wesley

A common image of renewal is of regenerating. Of revitalizing the parts of us that are worn down and tired—a nap when we are physically tired, a sigh when we become frustrated. But what about our spirits? How do we even recognize that we are in need of some renewal? There is a clear connection between renewal and resolutions—resolutions can serve as helpers as we are pursuing growth by helping us to focus and to be intentional about pursuing growth. Resolutions help our growth and renew our spirits. The start of the New Year is also the start of the “Resolution Season.” Resolutions, or goals, are frequently set for our physical bodies—to loose a few pounds, to sleep more, et cetera. As our physical bodies benefit from resolutions, our spiritual selves benefit from resolutions as well. It is important that we set goals for our spiritual life. We are not talking about setting up “goals” that are not realistically attainable, and set us up to face-plant into condemnation when we don’t succeed. We’re talking about resolutions or goals that help propel us into growth, and keep us from remaining stagnant. Goals such as practicing the Sabbath each week, reading through each Psalm monthly, and committing to praise the Lord for the day even before you get out of bed. Jesus knew about our need for renewal. He invites us to come to the living water and drink. What’s keeping you from the well?

Challenge:

• What are realistic resolutions that you can set for yourself to encourage spiritual growth?
• What are “checks” that you have to ensure you are working towards your goals (telling someone, etc.)

There are some things for all of us that capture our attention more than it should. Now “should” is a pretty loaded term, and usually brings along a whole heap of guilt and/or shame. What I mean, though, is there is something inside of us in moments that we are captured that makes a quiet (or loud) request for attention: “hey, this may not be the best thing,” “don’t go there…don’t go there again,” “at some point, this __ has got to go.”
The Bible calls these things idols, those things that compete with God for control of our lives. And we each have our own tendencies toward one or the other. We are given to comfort or happiness—whatever course in life makes us most comfortable or happy, that’s the one we’ll pursue. Some of us are controlled by compulsions that leave us feeling completely lost, hopeless and without God.
So how do we manage idols (especially without the contact of our regular sources of encouragement)? As much as the scriptures are prone to name idols, there is an equally strong solution: destruction. Destroy the idol.
Most of us have given ourselves to a sense in which we hope it will go away (“God just take this from me”) or that we’ll be able to muster up enough strength to push through (“it’s going to be different from here on out”). The scriptures are clear, though, that God’s deliverance isn’t mostly reflected in casually removing things. Equally clear is that things mostly aren’t going to be different because we make a vow to be better next time. Most of the time, we walk out of it leaning our whole weight on the Holy Spirit.
Two ideas are helpful to me here.
From Proverbs 3: Guard your heart, because the wellsprings of life come from it.
And from Hebrews 3: Take care, brothers, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. Encourage one another, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

We need to guard our hearts with great diligence—deal honestly with the idols that control us. And we need community. You don’t overcome on your own.

Questions: Are there things that beg for (or get) your attention in ways that put them before the Lord? How can you deal honestly with those idols?

Challenge: Pray for God to give you a strategy for escape. If this doesn't apply to you directly, pray for the community in this area.

Do you ever just get a little ticked off? What do you do when that happens? Do you tell others? Sulk? Or just allow your actions and thoughts to brew anger and bitterness? Each day we have many opportunities to give honor or withhold honor despite whether or not someone actually deserves it.

Throughout the scripture, the theme of honor resounds. God calls us to honor our parents, to honor those in authority over us, and to honor each other. Honor is to hold one in high esteem with respect and worth; to treat someone according to who they are as a person, as a child of God, not by their words, actions or intentions. We honor others because they are worthy of our respect and because they are a son and daughter of the King, just as we are.

Honoring one another is an act of humility and submission. When someone ticks us off, instead reacting to them out of anger or sharing that with someone else we should quietly honor them. Ask God to you love and respect them despite how mad they make us. It is also important for us to resolve conflict with honor. We can disagree with each other, but still honor.

Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others.”

Challenge: Often it is easier for us to honor with our actions than with our hearts. We can do something honoring for someone and still have a heart of dishonor. This week pay attention to your heart in regards to honor. When your mom asks you to set the table, honor her both in action and in thought. Or when you and your dad get in an argument and disagree, commit to honor him in your heart even if you come to differing conclusions.

Media: check out this video clip on the Culture of Honor

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21, Ephesians 6:2, Matthew 15:4

rOur life experiences in Athens, GA, are pretty similar. We live similar lives—schedules, friends, where we eat…you get the picture. However, once we leave our home here in Athens to go to our hometown, things obviously change. We’re away from our stuff. Our friends. Two Story Coffeehouse. Once back to our family, it is easy to assume that our experience with them is completely unique to us. The distant dad, self-absorbed cousins, or feuding aunts and uncles. It is understandable to feel that way—you’re away from what you are living in the majority of the time. But, you. are. not. alone. In the world we live in, family has fallen away from God’s original intention for it. Family being a support system may not be the case. Family can be far from what we want to be. We challenge you to rest in the reality that God is not far from you or your family, but rather, is close. Your family may not be what God’s original intention for it was, but he is a redeemer. And he doesn’t want you to lose hope.

What can we do about our families when we’re living in a situation that is clearly not God’s best? Know that it is okay to have your feelings. It is okay to feel emotions if you’re sad, if you’re hurting. Do not neglect them. Don’t hide. Draw CLOSE to the Lord. Reach out to the support system that you do have—friends, discipler, etc. PRAY for your family. Ask the Lord for opportunities and ways to show your love to them. Search out your heart for how you are grateful for them. Run with the opportunity to practice and grow in kindness. It bears worth repeating, but do draw near to the Lord. He is close to you, He is close to your family, He is your Redeemer.

“The Lord is..."
Compassionate. Close to the broken-hearted. Faithful.

Challenge: Seek the Lord (see above). Ask yourself...

• Why was I placed in this specific family? What is my purpose within it?
• Are parts of my heart angry at what my current situation is?
• How is the Lord revealing Himself to me in these family situations?

Ahh, Christmas break. No school, fewer responsibilities. The routine of studying and paper-writing is on a hiatus. Leave that calculator in Athens! But not God. So often when we leave to go to our hometowns, or even have a mini-break, we often take that as a “break” from the Lord. We usually never overtly say, “God, I know you’re in Athens, and I’ll talk to you there.” Instead, it is usually more unintentional. We have intentions of spending time with the Lord, but those intentions don’t materialize into action. We start with plans of, “I’ll spend an hour a day with the Lord while I’m at home” which may lead to, “oh, I’ll spend time with the Lord later…” to finally, “I know God’s with me! Sweet!” and then proceeding to not give the Lord a second thought.

If you have found yourself in this pattern on previous breaks (or in the last few weeks), the excellent news is that you are not bound by these experiences. You have the authority to take ownership over your mind and time, and really commit it to the Lord. Our challenge to you is for you to sow into the Lord during this break. Think of this time of intentional pursuit of the Lord unhindered by school responsibilities…we think you’ll be shocked by the amount of growth you will walk in come January 2010.

Challenge:

• Breaks tend to breed laziness. How can you keep yourself from being lazy with the Lord this break?
• Ask yourself, “what keeps me from pursuing the Lord at home?”
• Just do it—go have a quiet time.
• Struggling? Other friends may be to. Give them a call! Or your discipler—we love you, even while on breaks too.

Anger. Addictions. Comparison. Lust. Fear. All things that can be chains around a believer’s neck. Jesus meant it when He said that He has come to set the captive free. He even gives us some instructions—take His yoke, not ours. We cannot walk in freedom if we do not know how we are in bondage. It takes a measure of self-reflection and the help of the Holy Spirit to discover what holds a yoke around our neck. The three week break away from school pressures is the perfect time to delve into this. Pursue freedom—it is for you.

Challenge:

• Remember how you pursue going after a goal, may it be good grades, a job, et cetera? That intensity and focus you get? Well, with that as your base, pursue freedom. What does this look like for you?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you things that may hold you in bondage.
• What does it mean to take Jesus’ yoke?
• We challenge you to really read into the scriptures listed below, meditate on them, and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart.

I think change is the greatest challenge of going ‘back.’ It comes in a variety of forms: people change, environments change. Maybe the greatest is that we’ve changed. The distance of a few months or a few years makes us very different sorts of people than we were before. Our personal culture has shifted, our worldview changed, our relational style altered.
A few things are usually helpful when we find ourselves in the conflicts of returning to old spaces. First, just understanding the situation for what it is—that parents may still view you as a child, that relationships change over time, etc.—goes along way. For our part, even if it isn’t reciprocated, giving people grace to adjust at their own pace, treat us as they did before, misunderstand our ‘newness’ is a must (and it’s the way of Jesus—which is always the preferable route). You have to give yourself permission to grow and be different, to fall back into old patterns and struggle to maintain what has matured. And we have to give others permission to be a slow adjusters.
Above all, we must be governed by love. If we have all sorts of gifts and growth and new passion, but don’t have love, we’re missing the point entirely. When we're motivated by love, we rarely do wrong by someone or act in ways that we would later regret. “Put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3).

Challenge: Go out of your way to consider the ways that your family members might be helped along in understanding and accepting you. Go out of your way to love and accept them.
If this is not particularly poignant for you, pray for those in the community who are having a hard time in this area.

I Corinthians 13, Matthew 5:10-16, James 1:12, Colossians 3

Waiting on God can be one of the hardest aspects of the Christian life, yet one of the most rewarding disciplines that we can give ourselves to. Abraham and Sarah waited for a child, Anna and Simeon waited for the Messiah, and David, heir to the throne, waited to become King.The benefits and rewards of waiting on God are great and beyond what we can even comprehend or imagine. When we wait on God, we place our full confidence in Him and in what His plans are for our lives and for those we love. We surrender to him what we would like to see happen, trusting that his timing is better than ours and that he knows best. When we long and wait…he is longing and waiting too! He knows the plans he has for us and he longs for the timing of His will to come to pass. But until the thing comes to pass…what do we do? We wait and we watch. Waiting is an action. We don’t sit back and let apathy set in, rather we continue to seek God’s face and ask him for what we are waiting for. As we wait, we watch. We fix our eyes on Jesus and watch for Him to be at work in our lives and in those around us. As we wait and watch, God shares with us what is on His heart, then we are able to pray that back to him and eagerly expect what is to come. It is also important for us to be thankful for the place that God has us in. He wants us to rejoice and be grateful as we wait, not anxious or doubtful. Psalm 16 says that in God’s presence there is fullness of joy. Therefore, whether we are waiting, watching, or moving forward, a grateful heart prepares the way for God where we can receive his joy.

Challenge: Meditate on Matthew 25. Ask God to give you the strength to wait and watch for Him and pray that you would be found waiting and watching for Him.

Scripture: Psalm 130:5,6, Isaiah 40: 29-31, Isaiah 30:18, Romans 4

Leaving Athens and the college lifestyle for three weeks seems like a little bit of heaven during that second or third final. However, come week two of the Christmas break, we begin to feel restless, bored, and even lonely.

It is often at times when the routine of our daily life is broken that we can feel the loneliest. When we do not have the daily schedule of class, naps, Wesley, studying, and working, we begin to feel the effects of our busy lives. All too often, when we fill our lives with activity, we can ignore our truest feelings. However, when our lives are stripped back, when activity no longer rules, we come face to face with what many of us have been denying. In our heart of hearts, we are lonely, we are sad, we are longing for more. Busyness can never be a replacement for true intimacy or true community. This is what we all crave. This is what we were created for.

Feelings of loneliness that creep up during downtime can be a reflection of what an unattended heart looks like. This Christmas break, allow yourself to feel the longings of your heart. If you have bouts of loneliness, allow the Lord to speak the truth of His nearness to you. You are not alone. Do not fill your days with more busyness and activity in an effort to fill your loneliness. Use this opportunity of rest to press into the God who desires for intimacy with Him to be the mark of your life. Turn feelings of loneliness into pursuit of intimacy. He is Immanuel, God WITH us.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:8, Psalm 34:18

Challenge: Read the Christmas story in Matthew 1–2. Let God speak to you afresh through this passage about His promise and fulfillment of Christ Immanuel.

So, the posts that we saved for re:course posted on the day they were saved (not the day they are posted). So, "unglamorous life" and "intercession" are posted twice, for those of you who didn't scroll back and see them before. Sorry for the confusion. We'll get it on track, now!

Several years ago I had the opportunity to talk with a respected intercessor. I asked her what piece of advice she would give regarding prayer. Her response: “intercede for people out of the desire in your heart.” Intercession certainly comes easier for some than others. I’m not going to attempt to explain why. It has never been a natural, or easy, practice for me. However, the thought of praying out of the desires in my heart makes so much sense and makes intercession so much more natural. How often to you think about your close friends and family? Take that opportunity to pray for them (might only take few seconds, or you might find you have more to say than you thought).

For your consideration: Ezekiel 22, Isaiah 53:12, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34

Challenge: Pick a favorite spot (for example: next to the fireplace, front porch swing, coffee shop, the park). Go to that place and spend 15-20 minutes in silence. During that silence spend the first 10 minutes praying on behalf of someone that you love – the first person who comes to mind. Then spend some time praying for someone who is really hurting over something – the first person who comes to mind. Then, if you wish, spend a few minutes interceding for some of the people that you see around you.

The following is an excerpt from a speech that Mother Teresa gave at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.

“I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them -- maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything -- good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: ‘Why do these people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?’”

“I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said: ‘This is the way it is nearly everyday. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.’ And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that 'the future of humanity passes through the family.'”

As unglamorous as it sounds, our family is one of our greatest ministry opportunities. We would rather change the world than change our households. Many of us come from broken homes, dysfunctional families, and parents who do not know the Lord. Regardless of our circumstances, God is calling us to love and minister to those near us. Seize the position you have in your family and bring the truth of Christ. Ask the Lord today how you can begin to show love and service to those that are often the hardest to love.

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where love for each other must start.” – Mother Teresa

Do you find it hard to love your family? How can you show the love of Christ to your family during this Christmas break? Do you spend time in prayer for your family? Share with us your struggles and successes in relation to ministering to your family.

Click here to read the full speech by Mother Teresa

Two day challenge:
One of the more religious of our activities, if we’re honest, is daily quiet time. We are heaped with guilt when it doesn’t happen or is shorter than we intended or we doze during prayer, as if our life in Christ amounted to an hour a day (or whatever). Good news: it doesn’t.
From God’s perspective, our life in him is meant to be lived with some sense of continuity. John 15 makes us out to be a limb on a vine. All our fruit, all our lives come from the vine. There is something that is stolen from us if we live as if the substance of our spiritual life is lived in a morning ‘time with God,’ namely a life lived with the presence of God as our constant companion. It is for that purpose that he gave us his Spirit, so that our lives can be hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).
So here’s the challenge: For the next two days, intend to involve God with every part of your day. For some of you, this is part of your life already (consider this a reminder!). For the rest of us, what we’re undertaking here in no religious duty—you don’t get points for ‘well done’ or points taken away when you forget. It’s an exercise to jumpstart a movement of proximity of our lives to God’s life. So, when you get dressed, ask the Lord. Talk to him in the shower. Wait in silence for him when you’re in traffic. Address your thoughts to the King of the universe and ask him for editing.
Spiritual life is more than a quiet time—it’s a dynamic life lived with the glad Spirit of God as he plays in the world in ten thousand places.

John 15: I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser…abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to talk with a respected intercessor. I asked her what piece of advice she would give regarding prayer. Her response: “intercede for people out of the desire in your heart.” Intercession certainly comes easier for some than others. I’m not going to attempt to explain why. It has never been a natural, or easy, practice for me. However, the thought of praying out of the desires in my heart makes so much sense and makes intercession so much more natural. How often to you think about your close friends and family? Take that opportunity to pray for them (might only take few seconds, or you might find you have more to say than you thought).

For your consideration: Ezekiel 22, Isaiah 53:12, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:34

Challenge: Pick a favorite spot (for example: next to the fireplace, front porch swing, coffee shop, the park). Go to that place and spend 15-20 minutes in silence. During that silence spend the first 10 minutes praying on behalf of someone that you love – the first person who comes to mind. Then spend some time praying for someone who is really hurting over something – the first person who comes to mind. Then, if you wish, spend a few minutes interceding for some of the people that you see around you.

During the Holiday Season, we are often really busy with good things, such as buying gifts, visiting family, and hanging out with friends. But, sometimes we keep ourselves so frazzled that we forget to take advantage of the break that we have.

It’s easy to whittle away our three week holiday without taking any time to really rest. Breaks from school and work can be a time to refresh, regroup, and recharge, if we are intentional to rest.

Genesis 2:1-4 tells us that God rested. Resting is allowing not only time for our bodies to relax, but our minds as well. During a break we have more time to delight and enjoy life through rest. This doesn’t mean we should sleep our break away, although, catching up on some shut eye will definitely happen! But, it does mean that we need to allow our minds to be at peace, not worrying about life back at school, our future, or what classes we’ll have next semester.

Psalm 23:2-3 says “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.”

During the Christmas Holidays God gives us an opportunity to lie down in green pastures, to be still and allow him to renew and restore our souls.

Challenge: Take time this break to just be: with God, friends, and family. Still your mind, take time to read a good book, seek God, and enjoy the things in life that often are crowded out by your school work.

Scripture: Psalm 23, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 91:1, Matthew 11:28

It is so easy for us to literally take a break from everything when we have holidays and time off from school. Mindless activities often fill our days and weeks can even go by without the slightest idea of how we have spent our time. While we want to relax and rest during the break, we don't want to just become couch potatoes and waste away the three weeks.

Retreats, breaks, and holidays are great times to gain perspective in life. We need to gain perspective (God's perspective) on singleness, finances, being stressed out, family situations, and many other things.

When we take a step back from our regular routines we are able to see things more clearly and our view of everyday life can be interrupted with new ideas, thoughts, and outlooks.

Perspective is the ability to see things in right relationship. It is a specific view point in judging and understanding events especially in regards to how things relate to one another. Gaining perspective is when we look at our lives from the bigger picture. We pull ourselves back from the entrenched ways we live our lives and see our lives from height, from the bird's eye view.

However, this won't happen by itself. We need to be purposeful and take the time and opportunities we have in our lives to gain perspective. During the holidays we can gain perspective because there is time to view our lives from different angles. Being away from Athens will place us in many different environments where we can view our lives and how it relates to others' lives.

Challenge: Take time today to ask God for His perspective on your life. Ask Him to give you fresh perspective and to show you the bigger picture, especially on the things that worry you. Stress and worry are good indicators of what we need fresh perspective on.

Media: check out this link...http://www.wimp.com/amazingsights/

Scripture: Hebrews 12:2

re:course is an online community experience. One post every day during the holidays. After Fall in Athens, we go back to a variety of circumstances when we leave--some good and some not so good. In any case, most of us feel some sense of isolation when we leave our community for several weeks. Time drifts and we come back in January wondering what happened to those weeks. Consider re:course a daily dose of Wesley community. Take advantage of it as is best for you. We'd encourage you to post your thoughts and stories from the different elements of re:course with comments.

Christmas break, no matter your particular circumstances, can be an opportunity for growth and victory. We hope re:course is part of your story for the next few weeks as you continue to grow in God.

The following is an excerpt from a speech that Mother Teresa gave at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C.

“I can never forget the experience I had in visiting a home where they kept all these old parents of sons and daughters who had just put them into an institution and forgotten them -- maybe. I saw that in that home these old people had everything -- good food, comfortable place, television, everything, but everyone was looking toward the door. And I did not see a single one with a smile on the face. I turned to Sister and I asked: ‘Why do these people who have every comfort here, why are they all looking toward the door? Why are they not smiling?’”

“I am so used to seeing the smiles on our people, even the dying ones smile. And Sister said: ‘This is the way it is nearly everyday. They are expecting, they are hoping that a son or daughter will come to visit them. They are hurt because they are forgotten.’ And see, this neglect to love brings spiritual poverty. Maybe in our own family we have somebody who is feeling lonely, who is feeling sick, who is feeling worried. Are we there? Are we willing to give until it hurts in order to be with our families, or do we put our own interests first? These are the questions we must ask ourselves, especially as we begin this year of the family. We must remember that love begins at home and we must also remember that 'the future of humanity passes through the family.'”

As unglamorous as it sounds, our family is one of our greatest ministry opportunities. We would rather change the world than change our households. Many of us come from broken homes, dysfunctional families, and parents who do not know the Lord. Regardless of our circumstances, God is calling us to love and minister to those near us. Seize the position you have in your family and bring the truth of Christ. Ask the Lord today how you can begin to show love and service to those that are often the hardest to love.

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where love for each other must start.” – Mother Teresa

Do you find it hard to love your family? How can you show the love of Christ to your family during this Christmas break? Do you spend time in prayer for your family? Share with us your struggles and successes in relation to ministering to your family.

Click here to read the full speech by Mother Teresa

Anger. Addictions. Comparison. Lust. Fear. All things that can be chains around a believer’s neck. Jesus meant it when He said that He has come to set the captive free. He even gives us some instructions—take His yoke, not ours. We cannot walk in freedom if we do not know how we are in bondage. It takes a measure of self-reflection and the help of the Holy Spirit to discover what holds a yoke around our neck. The three week break away from school pressures is the perfect time to delve into this. Pursue freedom—it is for you.

Challenge:

• Remember how you pursue going after a goal, may it be good grades, a job, et cetera? That intensity and focus you get? Well, with that as your base, pursue freedom. What does this look like for you?
• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you things that may hold you in bondage.
• What does it mean to take Jesus’ yoke?
• We challenge you to really read into the scriptures listed below, meditate on them, and ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart.

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