{Part III} Two Words for 2012

It’s the final day of our three-day series on Going Deep in 2012. So far we’ve talked about going deep in the Word and going deep in community. Now, we’re going to tackle my favorite one… Going Deep in The Gospel. This topic is dearest to my heart right now and I pray that never changes.

The Gospel is simplified as this: Christ’s death, His burial, and His resurrection. Simple. Yet daily I sit in awe of what those events mean. The fullness of Christ's love is too lofty for me to grasp. It seems easier to grasp His love for everyone else. Why? Because I know me.  I know how broken I am, how sinful, how fallen… and to think that He offered salvation and reconciliation to me is pretty overwhelming. This idea of grace… this supernatural grace, which is extended daily, seems too deep for me to dive into. And at church when I sing, “I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross…” I always mean it because I know I still haven’t fully grasped the weight of this incredible Gospel.

Pastor Aaron once told me that he firmly believes we don’t need to gain more knowledge. We just need to gain a greater understanding of the Gospel we already know. I agree. I long for that understanding. I sit at the feet of God and plead for Him to show me how wide, and long, and high, and deep His love for me is. “Help me to see, Lord, because sometimes it’s hard for me to believe!”

As I wander through this life, one step at a time, one day at a time, sometimes feeling lost, sometimes feeling misplaced, I pray that God will show me how secure I am in Him. {Finding me in Him!} And today as I pray that for myself, I pray the same for you.

I'm excited about what this Gospel means for me in the every day details. Much of my life has been centered around the approval of people and their opinions of me. Because of that a works based mentality has grown up like a weed in my daily grind. Though I’ve tried to uproot it, I always seem to find that same ugly weed sprouting it’s little head where I least expect it.

Work hard --> Gain favor.

Work hard --> Gain acceptance.

Work hard --> Find love. 

But with God, we are already loved. He loved us and sent His Son to die for us while we were still in sin. While they rejected Him, Jesus interceded for the people, as they killed Him! That’s some crazy unconditional love. Who does that? 

Though we I struggle daily with focusing on WORKS, WORKS, WORKS… God is simply saying BELIEVE, BELIEVE, and BELIEVE! He wants us to believe the work He did is finished. We don't have to keep striving. He wants us to believe His promises are true. He wants us to believe the love letter He left us—the Bible. He tells us that righteousness comes to us by believing Him, not by working hard our way up the ladder into Heaven! But that seems so unnatural to grasp. This world teaches us to work hard to get ahead. I'm not saying we should be lazy. I'm simply pointing to this...

"What does scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness." - Romans 4:3

We are made righteous, given favor, forgiven, accepted, and given eternal life when we put our faith in Him. Sometimes it seems that working hard is actually easier than fully surrendering to God in faith. Doesn't it? Submission isn't easy. There's a dying to self that happens--a relinquishing of control. But as I walk through 2012 I want to give up the try hard life. I just want to believe Him. The rest will fall into place.   

Lord God, in 2012 please give us a greater understanding of the Gospel so that we might know your love that surpasses knowledge—that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Let the power of this crazy gospel reach into every area of our lives this year and forever. Amen.

Got my scuba gear on… ready to dive deeper into the Gospel this year. The water’s fine! Will you join me?

P.S. Ephesians 3:17-21

Monique Zackery

{Part II} Two Words for 2012...

Hello there, Handiwork of God!

If you're just joining in, yesterday we started a three-day series on Going Deep in 2012, based on Sunday's sermon from Pastor Aaron Roy. Day One we focused on going deep in the Word. Today we are focusing on going deeper in our relationships.

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I believe God created us for community. All throughout scripture we see beautiful pictures of people building relationships with each other, supporting each other and doing life together. He created us to go deep—our souls long for it. Yet so many of us are simply not in authentic community with other believers. I've been sitting here pondering why that is and five things came to mind. This is certainly not an exhaustive list. I imagine there are many reasons why people aren’t in community. But these are the five things I've witnessed the most. 

1. Fear of rejection. When we fear being rejected, vulnerability becomes our Goliath and we just don't want to face that giant. So we guard ourselves and choose not to step out on that limb to build real friendships. We adopt a "better safe than sorry" mindset, but in turn we become isolated and lonely. 

2. Old wounds that need healing. Sometimes our hurts cause us to shrink back from building new relationships and from engaging in the relationships we already have. But healing is possible, and investing in healthy friendships can actually aid the healing process. {For more on healing and forgiveness, click here and here.}

3. Secret sin.  Sometimes we don't want to open up to other believers for authentic community and accountability because we are afraid of being judged, or because we know it will mean giving up the sins we love. But the benefit of releasing those things and returning to God far outweigh the fear or "inconvenience" of letting other believers go deep with us in community. There's freedom and healing in repentance and confession. {See James 5:13-20}

4. Lack of initiative. I always feel sad when I hear people talk about how no one is reaching out to them in church and how they just don't fit in. It just makes me want to give them a big hug and invite them over for hot chocolate. While I do believe their feelings are valid, I've also come to realize that sometimes we just need to get out there and make the first move. Sign up for community activities. Be the first to say hi. Take the initiative to seek out friendship instead of waiting for friendship to seek you out. 

5. Investing in the wrong circle of friends. There was a time when I spent years investing in one-way friendships. No matter how hard I tried to make it work I always ended up feeling like I didn't fit in, like I wasn't accepted for me. My husband helped me see that I was pouring my heart into unhealthy relationships. He pointed me to the healthy, authentic friendships in my life and encouraged me to invest in those. That has made a world of difference! 

So… what should we do with all this in 2012? …

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Here are my humble suggestions...
1. Give God any relational wounds that might be present in your life. Through forgiveness, release those who have hurt you. Ask God to help you overcome any fear of rejection {if that's present in your life}.

2. If there are secret sins building walls between you and authentic community, submit those to the Lord through repentance and meet with a leader in the church for accountability. {Read James 5:13-16} There's relief in sharing our struggles with a listening ear, especially those older, wiser listening ears.

3. Take the initiative to build community. Even if you're an introvert, make an effort to start some friendships. Pray about your circle of friends. If they are unhealthy, ask God to introduce you to healthy friendships, even if it's just one. 

4. Be intentional. Make time for building the relationships you already have: your family, your spouse, your neighbors, or your church friends. Make a priority of investing in community.

5. Give yourself grace. The last thing we all need is something to add to our to do list for 2012. I love this quote from Christine Cain...

"Things become really hard when I 'have' to do them and really easy when I want to do them... I've decided that in 2012 I don't 'have' to do anything. I want to do what God has called me to." 

Let's not view this as a chore, but as a life giving opportunity to invest in ourselves and our loved ones. Let it flow naturally and organically. :) 

"We need to have people to mourn with and rejoice with, to have accountability with. Without it, church becomes dull and boring... If you are an isolated Christian, you are a dying Christian. If you are an isolated Christian, you are an unhappy Christian. Surround yourself with people who love you and let them ask you the hard questions. Church isn't meant to be a place to say 'Yeah, I'm fine.' It's meant to be a place to be real. Don't be an isolated Christian with no strength. [Engage in community!] It may be the most uncomfortable thing you've ever done, but do it." - Pastor Aaron Roy 

Ready to go deep!

Monique Zackery

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Two Words for 2012

Hi Friend! Happy New Year!

I'm excited to share two words with you for 2012...

GO DEEP!

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This week Pastor Aaron spoke to us on going deep in three areas: 

1. The Word of God 

2. The relationships in our lives, and 

3. The Gospel. 

This could get really long but I know you’re busy so I’ve decided to split this post over the course of three days. Today let’s just talk about the Word of God. 

But first, a quick confession...

On New Years Eve I thought about starting a plan to read through the entire Bible in 2012. My very next thoughts were doubts of whether or not I could tackle that big of a task. I hadn’t even started and I was already giving up!

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For many of us, going deep in the Word seems like a daunting task. If we keep it real, some of us don’t even know where to begin. Have you ever felt flustered about your “quiet time”? Have you ever started reading and thought to your self, “What in the world does this mean?” or “How does this apply to me”? … I’ve been there too!

Pastor Aaron reminded us that we often have the wrong idea about the Word of God. Sometimes we view it as an obligation. At times we lean toward seeing Bible reading as something to mark off our spiritual checklist in our attempt to be a good Christian. Then we get discouraged when we haven't mastered the Scriptures. The goal, however, shouldn’t be to master the Scriptures, but to let God through the Scriptures master us!

My good friend, Kristi McLelland, taught me that the Bible is God-breathed {2 Timothy 3:16}. Have you ever been so close to someone that you could feel {or smell} their breath? I'm sure a lot of us have had a few unfortunate encounters with some foul breath. Thankfully, the breath of God is sweet like honey, and life giving! {Yup! Even first thing in the morning!}  If you desire to be so close to God that you can feel His wonderful breath, {the same breath He used to speak Creation into existence} start reading His Word!

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God has revealed Himself through the Scriptures and He is inviting us to come and drink of Him. The ultimate goal of Bible reading shouldn’t be to gain facts that puff us up with knowledge. It should be to know God better. The Bible is a book that will revive our soul! When we view it that way, the task of reading seems more invigorating than it does daunting. 

If you're like me and you've had a hard time digging in, I'd like to share the first step to Bible reading that has helped me tremendously: PRAYER.

"Lord, please open my mind to understanding today as I read your Word. Let your truth penetrate my heart and illuminate my mind by your Holy Spirit. Speak clearly to me today. Amen." 

Believe what you're praying. Believe that He can do it!

"Daily Bible reading is not a religious duty, but a joyous pursuit of the God of the Universe. We want to dig deep so we may know Him and the power of His resurrection." [emphasis mine] - Pastor Aaron Roy 

This sweet reminder revived my love for the Word of God. And guess what! At the end of the sermon Pastor Aaron gave all of us a reading plan to complete the Bible in a year! So… looks like I’m going for it. :) Would you like to join me? If so, click here for a PDF of the plan our church is doing. It's only 25 days of reading each month, which provides room for our fallen nature and our crazy schedules. If we get behind, we can catch up on our spare days. 

Let’s go deep! I’ve got my scuba gear on and I’m ready to dive in!

P.S. Psalm 19:7-12.

See you here tomorrow, 

Monique Zackery


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Hear it on Sunday. Use it on Monday: King of kings

"On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." - Revelation 19:16

In yesterday's service we were reminded of Jesus as King. For this post I wish I could recapture the essence of the way the Spirit fell in God's house. It was beautiful. What a simple, yet powerful reminder: Jesus is KING.


Yet, one has to wonder... is He truly King in my life?

1 Samuel 8 gives an account in which the Israelites longed for an earthly king. They rejected God, the King of the Universe and instead desired an earthly king. Upon hearing this we might wonder why anyone in their right mind would chose a fallen substitute for the perfect King--God Himself. Yet many of us find ourselves committing the same grievance. 


We create gods for ourselves, giving out the devotion that rightfully belongs to the True King. We find our identity in people, and other tangible, earthly gods--idols that eclipse our vision from the One True God. At times That which is seen blinds us from the beauty of beholding that which is unseen. 

In the book of Mark when Jesus came to Jerusalem revealing Himself as king, He didn't come on a chariot or a white steed. He road on a donkey. This was to fulfill the prophecy but also to show that He was different from any earthly king. The people  laid their cloaks on the road for Him, and spread branches in His honor. Realizing His majesty, they shouted, "Hosanna in the highest Heaven." 

The word Hosanna isn't just a shout of praise or adoration. In its original Greek context it actually means save; we pray. It is an appeal to God for deliverance. These people knew that Jesus was the answer they had been looking for. He is mighty to save. They bowed on their knees and humbled their hearts before Him {in essence, crowing Him as King}. 

This message was so convicting to me as I remembered my manifest need to bow before the King. In light of this I couldn't help but think of these lyrics and ask myself if I've been living them out... 

"We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus. The greatness of mercy and love at the feet of Jesus. And we cry Holy Holy Holy, we cry Holy Holy Holy, is the lamb." 

He is King of kings and Lord of lords, but is He my King?  {...Is He your King?} Do the meditations of my heart & the actions in my life reflect that He is King?  Have we been bowing before Him, crying Hosanna, in recognition of His majesty lately? These questions have truly stirred my heart. 

Dear Jesus, to you I cry: HOSANNA! Save; we pray! You are mighty to save, able to deliver, ready to restore. I crown you King, my Lord, my Advocate. You are all I need. No earthly substitute will due. May you also be crowned in the lives of each reader today. AMEN.  

P.S. I leave you with a Christmas song that has been ministering to me: How Many Kings, by Downhere. It's a must hear. {If you can't see the video below, click here}

Bowing before the King...

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Hear it on Sunday. Use it on Monday: Holding it all Together

"...All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and in Him all things Hold together." - Col. 1:16-17

Last Sunday's service was all about the cross. Pastor Aaron made a statement that left me in awe. He reminded us that even while Jesus was on the cross, dying, He was still in control of all things. He didn't have to stay on the cross. It's not that He couldn't save Himself. Even in his last breath, flesh mangled, body hanging, He maintained the power to overthrow those who were killing Him. Yet, He chose to stay on the cross, enduring death, because of His great love for us. And even in His "weakest" moment {if I can call it that}, while life was leaving His body, He was still holding the universe together!

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So often I try to hold things together; in the midst of it all I overlook the obvious. Why are there days when I believe I’m the glue that holds the details of my life together? It's not that I would ever say it out loud. But my actions reveal the truth. 

Can you relate? 

Usually those are the days we feel frazzled, overwhelmed or defeated. Why work so hard at maintaining the illusion of control when God is sitting on the throne? That’s like running a marathon in a rat wheel, thinking we're actually getting somewhere. On our greatest day, we are not even in control of whether or not we will live to see another hour.

With all this in mind, I stumbled across Psalm 55:22...

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken."

To sustain means "to keep a person from giving way, as under trial or affliction." It means "to support, hold, or bear the weight of (a burden); to provide for or give support to, especially by supplying necessities." I don't know about you, but I'm loving that word "sustain"! Cast your cares on Him and He will sustain you. What a promise! :)  {THANKS, LORD!}

I'm wondering how different life might be if every morning we reminded ourselves that God is in control so we don't have to be. {Insert sigh of relief here.} I'm so glad I don't have to rely on me, because I will surely let myself and others down. But faithful God will never fall short as He holds my life together, doing the same for you. ;)

I'm slowly learning to let go and let God {...join me?}

-Monique 

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Abby from Fan the Flame has inspired me to share what God is teaching me each Sunday. And today, I'm delighted to be linking with Michelle , the founder of this whole idea, for...