Martin Schlomer – Page 5 – Gospel Minutes for Everyday Missionaries

November 26, 2014February 26, 2015

PREPARING TO GIVE PRAISE

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Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done. Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done, His miracles, and the judgments He pronounced. Psalm 105:1-5

This week we enter the holiday season! On Sunday, we will celebrate Thanksgiving as a community. The Miles family will begin by sharing how God has grown them through Jacoby’s accident. Following this, you will be given the same opportunity.

As you celebrate this Thursday and as we prepare to come together this Sunday, consider the following questions:

How are you thankful for how God has grown you as a disciple this past year?
Whom has God used to encourage and/or challenge you this past year, and for whom you are thankful?

“Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it.” A.W. Tozer

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October 2, 2014February 26, 2015

Pursuing Real, Honest Community at Elim

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By Martin Schlomer

This Sunday, Elim will host its first Small Group Fair. We will profile all the small group opportunities available during this season. However, regardless of the small group you choose to belong to, the experience will (and should) challenge you. Our goal is to “walk in the light,” as John writes in 1 John 1. What does this mean for community? Bob Thune and Will Walker wrote in their article “How to Get Real, Honest Community,” “If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. We have true community. We have real relationship. We’re finished pretending, hiding, covering up. You know the real me, and I know the real you. And that’s a good recipe for true friendship.” I encourage you to click this link and read the full article, because I believe it will introduce us to the challenge and freedom of genuine community we long to see embraced at Elim.

Come to Elim this Sunday, October 5, and find a way for you to be a unique part of our community.

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July 31, 2014

32 Years and Counting

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By Martin Schlomer

Today, Kim and I celebrate 32 years of marriage! How could this happen? After all, over the years many of our friends (who say they love Jesus, too) have opted out, choosing to divorce rather than honor their marriage vows.

I need to admit something. Saying “I love Jesus” is not enough to stay in a marriage until death do you part. Staying in a marriage takes more than this. I know this isn’t something a pastor is supposed to say, but I’m being honest. Over the years, our marriage hasn’t been bad; it just hasn’t been bliss. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had bad moments and we’ve had blissful moments. But there is more to this journey than these moments.

Thirty-two years ago, when we said to God and to each other “I do,” we were very broken, sinful individuals. Sure, we thought we had it all together (at least I did). However, 32 years has taught me some hard lessons on what it means to grow up and be a man.

I’ve learned that Jesus is not just my Savior, He is my example and I must follow Him even when I don’t want to.

I’ve learned that God wants me to grow up, and He will use Kim to accomplish this goal. I need to put on my man pants and stop whining and feeling sorry for myself, because I don’t always get what I want when I want it and how I want it.

I’ve learned that if I want something done and I want her to do it, perhaps I’m the one that needs to do it. Kim is not my servant; she is my partner, my lover, and my best friend.

I’ve learned to enjoy the activities she wants to do (like hiking, bicycle riding, walking). While I may never enjoy these activities as much as she does, my world expands beyond my own desires and the bonds between us are strengthened. In doing so, she has learned to participate in the activities I enjoy (like motorcycle riding, road trips, and motorcycle riding).

I’ve learned to discuss the mundane topics of life (“How was your day?”, “What do you think about?”, etc.). By doing so, connections are formed and strengthened so that we can handle the hard discussions of life.

I’ve learned to be kind. After all, she is the daughter of Almighty God and He assures me that He has her back!

I’ve learned to love her for who she is, not for who I want her to become. Early in our marriage, I had idolatrous fantasies of who I wanted her to be. These were toxic! I’ve learned that the “real deal” (who she is) is the “best deal.” Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

I’ve learned to repent frequently because my sinful desires continue to war against my soul. While I’m not who I was, I’m not who I will one day be. God uses Kim continually to work on me, exposing fault lines in my character that need to be transformed. Repentance is what keeps this process moving forward. Without repentance, I sabotage this process and poison our joy.

While the past 32 years have been an adventure with many peaks and valleys, I can honestly say I’ve never been happier and more content in my marriage. Kim has allowed me to flourish as a man.

Kim, by God’s incredible grace, here’s to another 32 years! I love you!

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June 12, 2014June 26, 2014

The Last Word I Didn’t Want to Write!

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By Martin Schlomer

“Overwhelmed” describes my emotions this week. There are no easy outs to the painful dilemmas many people we know are facing. Their only option is to endure. This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just neither easy nor pleasant.

Our lives are both fragile and short. I know it doesn’t always feel like it, but they are. James said that this life is like a vapor; here today and gone tomorrow (James 4.14-15). How often do we ask, “Where has the time gone?” Honestly, this truth is unsettling! Why? I realize that I make a big deal over this very short earthly existence. This is not unreasonable. This reality is all I’ve experienced. Therefore, it seems reasonable to make a big deal over it, to hang on and fight for it.

However, there is another perspective, which I am trying to bring into my experience. This is the hope and reality of eternity. Instead of making a big deal over a very short and fragile period of time—70 years if we are fortunate—I want to loosen my grip on the here and now and make a big deal over our eternal existence. Eternity will never end! This is what counts! Preparing for this reality and living in light of this truth is the big deal! Without this perspective we easily lose hope.

At Elim, we enjoy the presence of those who are confronted with these painful realities of their immortality. Nancy and Doug Ide, to mention just two, are right there as they continue to fight the cancer in Nancy’s body through prayer and medicine. As they fight this battle, one can easily despair. However, as I pray for her I ask God, in addition to her healing, to overwhelm and speak to them with His presence—through His Holy Spirit—in a way that surpasses what human words can accomplish. This is what is happening! Nancy continues to hold onto Jesus as He holds onto her! While her circumstances are difficult, her peace is compelling! I want that kind of peace!

Please, continue to pray for Doug and Nancy along with Bethany, Taylor, Brian, and Andrew and his wife, Micha. Pray that God will meet them in this sacred time in those places words cannot touch!

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. — 1 Peter 1:3-8

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March 27, 2014April 4, 2014

Cultivating My Heart

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By Martin Schlomer

God has challenged me over the past few weeks! As I’ve prepared to preach Jesus’ parable of the four soils in Mark 4, God has challenged me. Mediocrity easily slips into select areas of my life, and I don’t always see it until it begins to bear its fruit and rob my passion. If this problem is not caught early, my heart can become like concrete! We all share this vulnerability.

The writer of Hebrews warns us, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts …” Why does he give such a sober warning? The hardening process can happen very quickly and it can be devastating! This begs the question, is it possible to consistently cultivate the soil of our lives throughout the day so that we do not harden our hearts? Absolutely!

A few weeks ago, I was at the District Leadership Conference for our region. Matt Hannan, longtime pastor at New Heights Church in Vancouver, WA, spoke on transformational leadership. Bottom line: church health and transformation begins with the pastor humbling himself before the Lord. At one point, Matt shared a prayer that he daily prays throughout the day that keeps him in a posture of humility. This is his prayer, and it is one I’m adopting as my own: “Lord, I want You to do in me all that You need to do so that You can do through me all that You want to do.” This is one potent prayer!

There is no way one can develop a hard heart if this is a consistent posture before our God. I’m seeking to make it my posture and I want to encourage all of Elim to do the same. While God is doing many great things throughout this Body, I sense we are in need of revival! My sense is that there are too many people, especially men, whose hearts have grown (or are growing) hard! This is never one’s intention; it just happens through neglect. We make the wrong things, or even good things, the main thing in our lives. Before we know it, our hearts are desensitized to the voice of God. While God may be speaking, we aren’t hearing.

Will you make this prayer your daily, hourly prayer? “Lord, I want You to do in me all that You need to do so that You can do through me all that You want to do.” God’s passion is to do great things in us so that He can do great things through us in our families as well as in this city! Let’s take this challenge together!

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February 7, 2014April 4, 2014

FINANCES: What’s Our Status?

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By Pastor Martin and Jeff Foerster

Talking (or writing) about money is usually a touchy subject with people. However, at Elim, you have asked us to keep you informed regarding the church’s financial status.

Last year was an amazing year. In its first quarter (January-March) we experienced an average weekly giving of $7,352 and our average weekly budget was $6,505. We celebrated God’s goodness and this congregation’s generosity and faithfulness.

During its second quarter (April-June) we saw a decline –which is always expected as we head into summer – but the average weekly giving was $6,606, which was still above budget.

Fast-forward to the fourth quarter (October-December) and average weekly giving bounced back to $6,903. However, this amount was buoyed significantly by the last three weeks of December, when we experienced extraordinary year-end giving, due in part to our Give Away Sunday.

When looking at the big picture for 2013, the 2014 budget, which requires an average weekly giving of $6,909, seemed reasonable and well within our financial capacity.

However, giving for 2014 has started out a lot like the stock market: Down! Our average weekly giving through February 2^nd has been $4,964. As you can tell, this is $1,945 per week short of our budget. While giving will fluctuate month to month, it doesn’t normally dip this far below budget for more than a week or two at this time of the year.

As the Elders and Stewardship Team pray through this issue and seek God’s wisdom we ask the inevitable question: “Why?” Is the decline due to the mortgage being paid off, and therefore people don’t feel the need to give? Is the decline due to higher healthcare costs related to the Affordable Care Act? Ultimately, we don’t know the answers to these questions.

The Elders are informing the Elim Body of this need and then calling us to pray for discernment for the Elder board and Stewardship Team. Pray also for a renewed faith and willingness to honor the Lord with our finances. We are fond of the truth that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills but He expects us to be responsible stewards of the beef He has given to us.

In addition, we are freezing the following spending until giving meets budget.

Pastoral Staff expense accounts.
All non-essential property spending.
All non-essential ministry program spending.
Pastoral Staff H.S.A. (Health Savings Account) distributions

While we may not understand the decline in giving, I realize that many people already give sacrificially. You have said “no” to many things so you can say “yes” to honoring our Lord. Thank you! Your sacrificial gifts are sacred to God, and Elim’s leadership feels the weight of responsibility to use them wisely to further Christ’s mission for His church.

I also realize that many people may not be giving sacrificially, or some not at all. I would encourage you, like the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8:5, to present yourselves first to our Lord and then to the work of Elim. Stewardship begins as a matter of the heart: A heart first for the Lord and then for His work.

Now that the mortgage is paid off, (a savings of $304 per week or $1,320 per month) what’s next? The Elders are praying through options. In the near future, we will present some options for Elim to prayerfully consider. So far, we have briefly discussed the much-needed repair and expansion of the Youth House (aka MOPs house, Children’s Ministries House …) to partnering with a church plant in the Puyallup area. I’m certain that as we continue to pray and wait on our Lord, more ideas will come to the table as well as much-needed clarity. Until then, we have established the Freedom Fund. This is a fund where we make monthly deposits out of our budget that would have gone to make the mortgage payment.

Given how God has blessed us in the past, we trust that even during this present shortfall God has great things in store as we dedicate ourselves to following Him! Therefore we will praise Him and seek Him. We worship because of how He has delivered in the past, and how He will deliver in the future. Whatever He has planned, we rush toward it expectantly, excited to see how His greatness will be demonstrated in the face of these circumstances.

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