I’ve been a leader in the church almost my entire Christian life. Born-again at 19, my passion for the bible and the Lord meant that I was leading small groups at 20.

To this day I’ve led 7 different small groups for four different churches in Austin, TX; Washington, DC: Peachtree City, GA; and Avondale Estates, GA. 

I quickly step into active church roles, when they discover my passion for Jesus and my heart to serve.

What I’m about to say may shock you. 

I feel like I barely know God.

The more I learn about His ways and my ways, the more I realize that I have been practicing church. 

I figured out a system for engaging a group and teaching a solid word. We all felt happy at the end of group. We connected. We learned. We grew. It was a happy time.

Sometimes the discussion was anointed… Those days were the best! 

I’d often think after a group, “I could do this for the rest of my life.”

I meant every word.

My Small Group System

I’m passionate about the kingdom and I love people. I also don’t love politics or institutions, so leading my own group suited me fine.

My aim was always “freedom.”  Teach the group about the beautiful freedom we gain from the cross, and we’ve won. It actually worked well. 

I’d hear comments like “You’re the best small group leader” and “Great Group!”

My ego was pleased.

My small group system was a success.

My job was my Idol

During my stints leading bible studies, I was professionally a marketing consultant, first in agencies, then independently. I would lead my small groups on the side.

In 2019 everything changed when I heard the strong voice of God say “I hate this project.”  God is Spirit and speaks to our spirit, which is why is was very loud, but not audible.

When I heard the words, I panicked. I was in the middle of the project. Do I ditch the project? What is He asking?

I called the client immediately and told her the website was officially on the back burner. She didn’t care because it was her side-hustle, not her main focus. She and I were both moms of toddlers, so we were having “fun” building our businesses. The longer time frame meant nothing to her.

After the project was officially done, I quit everything. I quit my business. I quit my small group leading.

I decided I had to know what God was saying.

God is Jealous for You

The words, “I hate this project” were from a jealous God. The book of James says He is jealous for the spirit he’s caused to live in you. (James 4:5)

I’d become obsessed with the website being perfect, and God longs for our heart. My heart was not loving Him first. Far from it.

The website had become an idol that I worshiped. I was constantly thinking, “We’ve got to get the right photos! We’ve got to fix the bugs. Are the links correct? Is the payment processing? How is the flow?”  Hours and hours brewing over the website that the client kept needing changed.

How to respond to “I hate this project,” was unknown. Does this mean I should go into ministry? What does this mean? 

The year was 2020. Covid was on the news and the world was riddled with fear. The entire world joined me being still. But everything felt bigger in my life than Covid. I was seeking the invisible God, and I was pretty sure that I would find him.

At the end of the year, I was praying “How do I touch the world?” and I heard a name of a ministry. Within 6 months, my husband and I joined that ministry as leaders. Fast forward six months and we knew we needed to leave the ministry. Even the leader asked me, “When are you starting your ministry?”

NEVER.

“I never want to be in ministry.” I thought. I know how hard it is. Despite it giving me the most joy of everything in life. My aim was to fit in with the crowd or follow a leader. I don’t need to “start something” or be a leader and I certainly don’t need that to be ministry. 

Until it wasn’t my stance, and my ministry journey was one I couldn’t ignore.

Purpose Unfolding

Because I’d been a business consultant, I decided changing into coaching as my vocation and “ministry” made sense.  Then client conversation after conversation, I watched what God had given me as a coach. I saw the way that my life could truly be a blessing. The stories that built my life and the experiences that molded my perspective act as massive spiritual weapons. 

I’m Not a Good Christian.

I fail as a Christian. I remember once seeing this downcast man in a skirt walking through a parking lot. He look depressed and sad. My heart went out to him and I felt the presence of God and sensed an opening in the sky. I froze. I was supposed to share the gospel. I had duties to be a good Christian. He kept walking on and I worried he was going off to commit suicide or something horrible that I was supposed to stop. I froze. I prayed the rest of the night and decided my new assignment was to pray for him regularly. The next morning, I woke thinking about him. Then Jesus came to me. I could feel him to the left of me. (It was just a knowing he was there, nothing tangible.) He said, “Your words break chains.”

Upon hearing that from Jesus, I stopped my obsession with the sad man in a skirt. Jesus gave me identity in the place of condemnation and obsession. Jesus gave me words that would strengthen me and empower me to do His works. I wouldn’t do them out of duty. I would operate from identity.

What if ministry isn’t looking like a “Christian” but it’s looking like ourselves? Pure ministry is looking like ourselves in the identity that Jesus gave us. What if life is meant to be easy, because we’re actually operating as the creation we’re intended to be.

Power of Identity

Everything we do comes from our identity. It all starts by knowing who you are and then taking action. This is the formula to know purpose and to know joy. Knowing my identity “your words break chains” has positioned me to become who God intends me to become. Because of identity, the fear of talking to a stranger subsides. If I knew being me and speaking would help a sad man, I’m unafraid to talk to him.

As a highschooler, I thought I knew who I was and was confused at all the discussion about figuring out who you are. “What does it mean?” I pondered at 18.

 I remember thinking, “I know what I like and don’t like. Is there more?” 

I journeyed into college, into work, into motherhood. I journeyed down a typical path of a middle class American. Education, Job, Family, Future Retirement. I liked the plan. It was comfortable and predictable. I was in…until I wasn’t.

There were a number of interruptions to my plan. Finding Jesus and becoming a Christian at 19, being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 21, working consulting gigs and nonprofit, finding “fulfilling” jobs only to feel that I was unhappy. What was happening?

The fabric of the American dream and the pathway to happiness was fraying. It was being torn apart until there was no more American Dream left at all.

The American Dream doesn’t work. There is something bigger for our lives, and God is actively trying to get us to exit systems like the American Dream, my small group system, the work system….every system had to go until it was just about relationship with God. Intimacy and relationship with my creator. The entire reason Jesus came and suffered for me, so that I would have abundant life, and our systems are far from abundant life. It may be a rich life, but what is true abundance?

My Present State

I quit. All of it. It wasn’t for me and I wasn’t able to maintain the illusion of enjoying a “normal” American life. Perhaps this was repentance. |

Something bigger than me is happening. I am exiting the world’s path and venturing onto a higher path.

I still want my comfortable, familiar path. But there is a pull calling me into risk and seeing what could be. With every move I make into the unknown, like starting this Youtube, becoming a content creator, a coach, and a speaker…it’s actually where peace exists. I am surprised that being seen and vulnerable could possibly translate into peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and God’s ways are higher than ours:

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I had an image years ago, when I was seeking God and asking, “What is my life message?” I saw myself in a diaper held by Jesus with a microphone. I was 29 when I saw that image and thought, “Dependency. I’ll teach people about depending of God.”  At the time I knew so little and am still learning what it means.

Recently when I shared that image with a friend, she said “Oh, that’s also vulnerability. You’ll be vulnerable in front of others.”

I cried a few times writing this post. I can’t even believe what I’m doing and how unqualified I feel. The more you know God, the more you realize how little you truly know. 

My one prayer these days is, “I need to know you.” And God is teaching me who He is and who I am. I’m discovering true humility, and I’m being stripped of every idol. 

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

The post The Journey finding Purpose is LONG… appeared first on Jenny Pitts Coaching.

It’s torment to be stuck in the past. It’s not a picture of God’s heart, in fact God pours out His mercy as we turn from our shameful ways and look to God for cleansing and freedom.

 Isaaih 1:“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Dwelling on your past  mistakes is a waste of time — it hinders you from walking in fullness.

But How do we stop the voice in our head from yelling “Shame on you!”?
Let’s look at the Word, to establish our true identity.

1 John 1:9
⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That scripture alone, when we believe it, is our ticket to freedom. God so graciously forgives us as we turn to him. His word repeats in multiple places about how God has adopted us as His children:

Ephesians 2:5-6
⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

 

Romans 8:16
¹⁶ The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
¹⁷ And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

If a Holy God has adopted you and His word says that you are forgiven when you repent, then your records have been wiped clean.

Hebrews 8:12 (reference Jeremiah 31: 33-34)

¹² For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”

 

The word is the foundation to know the truth of who God is. The Spirit is our source for healing and comfort. When we have tormenting thoughts, we are comforted from the Word, and we are healed by the Holy Spirit. Allow God to heal your mind and declare you white as snow. God wants to meet you in your turmoil and torment. Jesus died so we could be free. Your freedom was purchased at Calvary.

The post Let Go of the Past appeared first on Jenny Pitts Coaching.

Our response to storms can be a fight-or-flight response. Flying away from the storms or coping with life’s struggles often looks like soothing ourselves in unhealthy behavior: food, drugs, entertainment, sex, or social media are places many hurting people go. It feels like a quick fix when dopamine releases, but these outlets don’t really help.

It’s interesting to look at what God says helps us get through the storms of life.

Obedience

Matthew 7:24
²⁴ “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.²⁵ And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.²⁷ And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

There is a foundation we can obtain that makes us unshakeable: hearing the words of Jesus and acting on them. Obedience is mentioned throughout the new testament. It’s birthed out of our love-relationship with God. We don’t obey out of duty, but out of love.

John 14: 23
“If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.

Testimony

I remember being in the throes of Multiple Sclerosis. The disease would surprise attack and it left me panicked in my twenties and early thirties. It felt like I had an imposter in my body, and I didn’t know when they were going to start shooting at me. Many episodes resulted in my complete loss of sleep. I couldn’t relax because I didn’t know what the disease would do. I felt so insecure. My mind was tormented by my physical illness, MS.

I remember thinking “If I had peace, I might not care that MS is attacking my body.” Abiding in Jesus means to have peace in the face of a Storm. To know that His words are true when he rebukes the storm, and stills the sea:

Mark 4:35-41
³⁵ On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” ³⁶ After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. ³⁷ And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. ³⁸ And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and ^[a]it became perfectly calm. ⁴⁰ And He said to them, “Why are you ^[b]afraid? Do you still have no faith?” ⁴¹ They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Jesus has authority to rebuke the winds. He gives His children authority and teaches us how to navigate in trials and hardship. The Word also says that He comforts those in pain and He walks with us through our trials.

Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

I love the character of God. I love His names in the bible and the way He responds to our behavior. He disciplines those he loves, and he comforts those who mourn. He is truly the perfect Father.

Our Heart Posture
It is important to remain humble and child-like as we grow and walk with Jesus through trials. Western culture is increasingly self-centered, entitled, prideful and arrogant. This attitude repels the heart of God, who so cherishes blessing His children. When we look at the response from Mary and Martha at the death of Lazarus we see two different approaches:

John 11:20
Martha
²⁰ So then Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” ²⁴ Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, and ^[j]He who comes into the world.”

John 11:32
Mary
³² So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and ^[k]was troubled, ³⁴ and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus wept.
…
³⁸ Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb; it was a cave, and a stone lay upon it. ³⁹ Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. ⁴² I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me.” ⁴³ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Laz′arus, come out.” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Its an amazing story and one that utterly disrupted the world, causing the Pharisees to seek to kill Jesus. But what’s so significant about the two sisters is how they approached Jesus. Mary fell at His feet in her distress of losing her brother. She worshipped him instead of questioning Him of not showing up. Then after being moved by Mary, Jesus approached the tomb to resurrect Lazarus. And as we worship Jesus in the face of our storms, he too will cause Life to flow into our situations.

Synopsis

Storms can be expected. James 1:2 states that trials are opportunities to find joy. When we stare at the face of our struggle and we worship God, we move His heart. When we say Jesus you are Lord and you have me for the rest of my life, no matter what happens to me, that moves His heart. That is the faith that moves mountains. Obedience in our worship no matter the circumstance.

The post Calming the Storms of Life appeared first on Jenny Pitts Coaching.

I’m not sure that we can truly stop feeling afraid in certain situations, but I know that fear doesn’t get to have the center stage in our life. The Word says absolute love casts out fear. So, can we live in a state of absolute love all the time?

^{1 John 4:17-19
17}  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹ We love^[a] because he first loved us.

Love is the solution to so many problems it seems, and fear may be its antithesis. Fear may be the root of most sins: For example, we cheat because we are afraid of failure, we’re jealous because we’re afraid that we’re not good enough, we steal because we don’t think we’ll be provided for… The list is endless, but not conclusive because I’m not sure we lust out of fear. Regardless, fear is a problem worth addressing so that sin doesn’t get to control our lives.

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Being a Slave to Fear

We all have our fears, and we all have reasons for them. Many fears can be dismissed, merely indicators of a threat. However, some fears overwhelm us and act as our oppressor. Is fear a spirit?

2 Tim 1:6-8

6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

This blog post is the story of how fear became my lifestyle that I couldn’t control, and how I now live a mostly fearless life, that you can live too!

Many experience panic attacks and need medicine to deal with their anxiety. The US is leading on the anxiety front.

Covid and the lockdowns didn’t help with our fear problem, as the media aggressively pushed fear. They left us to feel like we’d die… death was impending, and we were all at risk. Media provokes our fear crisis, and great discernment is needed when consuming content. Both sides of the coin: Conspiracy or Mainstream, fear is its foundation.

Our fear crisis is one that I’ve known all too well, so I didn’t bite media’s bait. I’ve lived with the relapsing MS diagnosis since 2002, a disease ready to pounce at any moment. Fear is all too familiar.

I used to say I have a PhD in fear, because fear felt like kin, not friendly kin, but the obnoxious kin that sticks around when they’re not welcome. Fear is never welcome, but I couldn’t wish it away. Fear would consume me in my twenties and thirties. Thoughts of “What’s going to happen, I’ll never fulfill dreams, I’ll never marry, this disease marks me, I’ll lose friends who don’t want my brokenness… were common thoughts that discouraged me. They were tormenting thoughts.

Tormenting thoughts come from trauma and MS was a constant trauma for me. I used to say “MS is like having someone in your house (my body) and they are going to attack you any moment.”  Rushing to the doctors I got their solution of anti-anxiety meds that cover up the problem, but never solve it. Sleepless nights were the norm. Having to slow down and take deep breaths allowed me to avoid a panic attack. I would swing into panic, at the sign of MS episode symptoms. When I wasn’t experiencing symptoms, I was plagued with negative hopeless thoughts that pointed to my loss of dreams and destiny, all because of the disease.

That fear cycle from panic to hopelessness is a cycle God had to break with His supernatural power. I had to have a serious encounter to really recover my sound-mind, and that’s just what He did.

I was sitting on a bus arguing with God about whether He is good. When I took my fear issues to the church for prayer and help, I’d be counseled that “God has a plan” and that “He will use this disease.” So, I sat on the bus arguing that He is an evil God if He is behind MS, and I want nothing to do with Him. I was distraught. The church painted a picture of a God who willed disease on people, so I thought, “MS is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, then He is an evil God.” I remember getting off the bus at my stop, where I’d walk two mores blocks to my destination. It felt like the world was spinning, thinking, “If I can’t trust Jesus, then there’s nowhere to turn.”

I can only describe my fight with God as Jacob’s wrestling with the man in Genesis 32:22-31. Where Jacob tells the man “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” That was my stance: “God, I’m in hell and you have to bless me.”

Then as I walked and argued with God having to be a good God and I wouldn’t let Him go, a truck parked on the street with words was supernaturally highlighted. The words read “Consider it done.” At the moment of reading the words, the teaching of the cross flooded my mind. Jesus’s words on the cross were “It is finished.” And the words on the truck were basically the same. In a blink I realized that MS was put on the cross and the bible is true that says in 1 Peter 2:24 By His striped you were healed.

From that moment forward I put a post-it note under my computer that read “Consider it Done.” When the tormenting thoughts came, I would remember God’s word.

God’s Hand to Save

My story of God stepping into my despair and need to rescue me, is a story repeated throughout history, (and a story repeated in my life). The bible displays God’s willingness to deliver us from slavery in Exodus, delivering the Israelites from Egypt. Then again and again, all the way to Jesus who delivers us from our bondage by accomplishing what was impossible due to our sin nature (Romans 8).

It is impossible to read the bible and not recognize God’s nature, even name: Jehovah Rapha, is healing. When I had my God encounter of “Consider it Done,” my circumstances hadn’t changed. I still had the diagnosis. I just gained confidence in the character of God, who is on my side.

Beautiful Holy Spirit encounters us and comforts us in supernatural and soothing ways, which remind us that we’re not alone and God is on the throne. Circumstances and symptoms boast of their power, but they are weak compared to the healing power of Jesus.

God’s heart is for your healing and fullness of life.

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Faith Overcomes All

No matter the struggle in your life, never give up. If you view your struggle like Jacob, who will not let the man go without a blessing. He was not only blessed, but received a new name:

Genesis 32:28
Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Perhaps God is giving you a new name, while you declare and cling to His truth: Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

I would meditate on the scriptures during my hardest trials with fear. I would also declare healing and ask for prayer from believers who agreed in God’s healing power. Don’t struggle alone, because that’s a recipe for isolation and sadness. God wants us to heal together.

James 5:14
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

My pursuit for wholeness resulted in a deeper connection to God. It resulted in steadfast faith that no matter what comes, God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Reality may suggest brokenness, but truth is healing.

Fear can be healed. Disease too. May God’s truth manifest, and may Thy Kingdom Come.

The post Is Freedom from Fear Possible? appeared first on Jenny Pitts Coaching.

My Mom loves liturgy, the rite that celebrates Eucharist.   Eucharist means thanksgiving.  She considers other churches which do not celebrate Eucharist regularly as depriving their members of one of the most important Sacraments in the Church, by omitting what Our Lord clearly stated we should do.  The Lord’s Prayer petitions God for daily Bread and the Eucharist is the symbolic and spiritual Bread offered through Jesus Christ, when He established a New Covenant, at the Last Supper, for the forgiveness of sins.

Mass simply means a gathering of people.  My Mom considers herself a Catholic, or a member of the universal Holy Church i.e. all true followers of Jesus Christ.  This is how the liturgical creed, written centuries ago states it:  “One Catholic and Apostolic Church.”

When I receive Holy Communion, I receive the Holy Spirit, which testifies to Jesus Christ directly.   I am reconnected to Jesus Christ,   re – membered to the Body of Christ,  receiving forgiveness of my sins, healing, and the comforting Presence and council of the Holy Spirit.  There is joy and Shalom i.e. the peace of GOD and wholeness.

I’ve never personally felt anything, when I take communion, but that doesn’t mean something doesn’t happen. I’m committed to not allowing my beliefs to be formed by my experiences alone, but rooted and grounded in God’s truth, the word. I consciously take the elements in remembrance of Christ.

_____________________________

My Mom, Deborah Meleski

Something is indeed happening when people receive the Eucharist in faith.  The Gospels testify to the Last Supper and we participate in the Presence of Jesus Christ literally through the power of the Holy Spirit.   The Church describes Eucharist as a “mystery” and it is.   We cannot use the science of mortals to define GOD.  Baptism is another Holy Sacrament which defies the science of mortals.   These are Sacraments of faith.  Our creed says we believe in the visible and invisible.  And we do.  What is visible are the fruits of the spirit: kindness, love, patience etc..

People need physical actions because they are physical beings.   Jesus established the eating of bread and drinking of wine as a physical action with spiritual results to not only remember His life, teachings and sacrifice; but to literally unite our very lives to Himself, spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically.   It is total, just like the Shema.  Old Testament laws required the celebration of Passover.   Jesus requires the celebration of Eucharist.

Moses was GOD’s servant to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian slavery.   This is a physical rescue.  GOD established laws for spiritual conduct – the Ten Commandments, Deuteronomy and Leviticus.   But Moses was not the Savior spiritually.  Jesus, GOD’s Son, came to set all people, spiritual slaves, free.  He came to teach us that spiritual slavery prevents us from receiving eternal life; a much bigger deal than physical slavery, in fact THE DEAL.   And this is predicated on our repentance and His forgiveness of our sins as well as our forgiving others, who sin against us.  Eucharist is about our spiritual growth toward holiness and purity before GOD by lining up our will with His in the example of His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is about the New Covenant Jesus established for the forgiveness of sins, at the Last Supper.

How do gentiles relate to all of this?   Because the Ten Commandments and the nature of GOD in the Old Testament are completely relevant to the New Testament and the teaching of Jesus Christ.   It’s all about the Shema and the Second Greatest Commandment.   It’s all about the Original intentions of GOD with our Creation in Genesis.  This means EVERYONE.   Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, because without Him, we are slaves to sin and death.  Only Jesus can free us.

A Covenant is a promise but it has conditions for the recipients.  The Covenant Jesus established through Eucharist places requirements on the participants and that is obedience to GOD.   Jesus considers His family to be comprised of those who obey GOD, those who do the will of His Father, Our Father in Heaven.  We must always be striving to serve GOD; listening to GOD, choosing GOD and repenting as quickly as possible when we sin.  Jesus invites us to be part of His family and that is why Good Friday is GOOD.  That is why the Gospel is the GOOD News.
__________________________________

My Take + Scripture

The Passover meal is mentioned in all four gospels, and throughout the epistles.

Luke 22:15-19
15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood

I am in love with God and want to take a part in (or consume) Him. I also want God to consume me. I personally experience God’s presence when I worship in song, so that’s my priority in church, and I respect the different flavors of churches’ worship such as Liturgy, contemplative, demonstrative, rock bands, etc. I know that encountering God happens in a myriad of ways.

One major way of encountering God is communion. Communion is a practice created for God’s children to experience union with God. Catholics and Protestants argue about the elements actually being Christ’s body and blood. Catholics claim it is the literal body and blood of Jesus. While, protestants claim it is a representation.

What does all this mean? Can the Catholics and Protestants unite when something so foundational such as communion, or eucharist, is debated? I believe as the church becomes grounded in Spirit and Truth there will be no division. Let’s dive in…

History of Communion

We gain so much understanding when we study history. This section is based on the book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Eucharist, by Brant Pitre. Pitre, a catholic, dives into Jewish mindsets in Christ’s days, and their thoughts surrounding the coming messiah.

He says four key events will indicate the messiah:

1) the coming of a new Moses
2) the making of a new covenant
3) the building of a new Temple
4) the journey to a new promised land

I stopped in my tracks when I read that. Jesus fulfilled each of these points.
Pitre further expounds the first point that Jesus is the new Moses (The Messiah is the new deliverer), then there is also a new Exodus unlocking the mystery of the Last Supper’s elements:
the Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence.

I pause here to say – this is so meaty, I’m not sure I’ll do it justice. Read Pitre’s book for a thorough understanding. I’m going to attempt to simplify… Here I go:

1. Moses was the Jews’  deliverer, who brought them from bondage in Egypt by means of miracles. (Exodus 7-15) Jesus is our new deliverer and has life of miracles. (Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.)
2. Moses established first covenant at Mount Sinai bringing the Jews into a sacred relationship with God, sealed by blood, ending with banquet (exodus 24:5-11). Jesus established a new covenant with his children by his life and shedding of His blood, and culminates into eating and drinking His body and blood. (Matthew 26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.)
3. The permanent place of worship for the Jews is first the Tabernacle of Moses, then the Temple of Solomon. The Babylonian empire destroyed Solomon’s temple, then King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Jews to rebuild in Ezra 1, but its glory couldn’t compare. The prophets of the Old Testament often spoke of a new Temple for all peoples. Ezekiel 37:24-28. Jesus establishes the new temple as a believer’s body. (1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,)
4. The original promised land was Canaan, which God promised Abraham and his descendants. Exodus brought the Jews out of Egypt and into this territory flowing with milk and Honey, Canaan. (Exodus 3:8) The Jews did not remain there forever due to being overthrown by empires, but the new promised land would gather Israel and Gentiles and they’d possess this land forever. The new promise land is where God “makes all things new.” (Isaiah 60:21)

That concludes the elements of a new Messiah, who is a new Moses leading Jews into a new Exodus.

The Passover
If there is going to be a new exodus, there would have to be a new Passover. Exodus 12 outlines the main elements of the ritual Passover meal to include:

1. Choose an unblemished male lamb.
   2. Sacrifice the male lamb.
   3. Spread the blood of the lamb over the entryway of homes as sign of sacrifice.
   4. Eat the flesh of the Lamb with unleavened bread.
   5. Keep the Passover as a day of remembrance.

The Manna
The Manna is the bread from Heaven. Quail was the flesh from heaven in Exodus 16.
Jesus’s sermon where he directed his audience to eat and drink his flesh and blood is found in John’s gospel chapter 6:

John 6:48-59

48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53 So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’

The Bread of the Presence
The Bread of the Presence, less known to many Christians, is the holy bread found in the tabernacle (Exodus 25), where lay 12 cakes for the 12 tribes of Israel (Leviticus 25). This bread is mentioned many times in Jewish scriptures. And the Hebrew word for presence is actually the word face (panim). So the bread is literally the Bread of the Face. The bread itself is a visible sign of the Face of God.  The Bread is also a sign of the covenant between God and Israel. This section is so rich in Brant Pitre’s book, here are the parallels he draws:

Today

The history and the parallels are profound between Jewish Tradition and Jesus’s last supper. Praise be to God. The catholic theology that Eucharist, or communion, is the true Body and Blood of Christ makes sense to me. It is Christ’s presence or the Holy Spirit and when you partake of the elements you are consuming Jesus. Protestants claim it’s all symbolism, that works for me too. I wonder if it is both? Symbolic and also the Bread of the Presence or Face of God, God himself.

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After reading the book Rediscovering the Kingdom, I’d define the Kingdom simply as: Heaven on Earth.

The Fall and Loss

When we visit the creation story in Genesis, we gain a clearer picture of God’s intent when creating the world and mankind. God created using his mouth speaking the world into being, and with that same mouth, God describes Adam’s purpose and directs Adam.

DESCRIPTION OF MAN
Genesis 1:26-31
²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

²⁸ And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

 ³¹ And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

DIRECTION TO MAN
Genesis 1:15-17
¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat^[a] of it you shall surely die.”

What does all this mean? God created man with great purpose and value. Our value is that are made in His image. We represent an aspect of God’s character. Our purpose is described as “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

We are not victims but created to reign as God’s kings and queens. We are given tasks and duties as well as a stipulation: don’t eat of the Tree of Knowledge.

Why a stipulation? Perhaps because only then does Love look like Freedom. You can’t force a person to obey/love you, you have to give them the option to disobey. That is freedom. So, having the option to sin or mess up is actually the structure of a loving worldview. Controlling everything is not love.

You know the story; man ate of the tree resulting in the curse. The entire Old Testament is man’s attempt to restore their mistake, but they keep making more mistakes and fall short of perfection.

Our Redemption

Jesus restored what was lost in the Garden and establishes access to the Kingdom (Romans 8). The Kingdom is superior to the Garden, and all mankind can have access to the Kingdom by believing. No longer does man have to strive to execute the law perfectly, but faith in your heart and confessing with your mouth saves.

Romans 10:9-10
⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved

Jesus created the new reality that there can now be communion with God, as there was in the garden, when we bring our beliefs (heart-position) and actions (confession) into union with Jesus. We gain the ability to believe when we repent and turn to Jesus for cleansing.

Thy Kingdom Come

Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom: blind eyes opening, lepers cleansed, food multiplying, walking on water, demons cast out, etc.

Jesus mentioned many parables that described the kingdom, not mentioned here but illustrated in scripture. Here are some of the phrases he shared:

• seek the Kingdom
• the Kingdom is near
• the Kingdom is at hand
• the Father gives you the Kingdom
• the Kingdom belongs to children
• we’ll see the Kingdom when born again
• blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness
  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
• not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

There is a correlation between our inner world and our outer world that allows us to access the Kingdom and truly possess our true identity as sons and daughters of God.

Our inner world is our belief system, thoughts, and emotions, which are being renewed by the Lord as we’re sanctified. The word cleanses us and washes us. God’s words, spoken and written, have the ability to recalibrate us into the likeness of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us true understanding and brings His word, which changes our reality into a Kingdom reality.

Our outer world looks like obedience to the Holy Spirit, who never contradicts the Word. Unfortunately, many have been scarred by a strict religious duty to perform and execute “God’s law.” This view of obedience will leave any believer grasping for love and freedom. So, what is obedience? It’s acting out your love relationship with your redeemer, Jesus. Obedience will naturally flow as we grow into His likeness.

John 14:23-24
²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

Galatians 3:1-5

3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. ² Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ³ Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? ⁴ Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? ⁵ Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—

When we seek first the Kingdom, we are seeking first our restoration with God. This is for the purpose of restoring the Kingdom, the King Jesus’ reign, which means our reign on earth. God wants us free.

John 8:34
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

As God’s children grow into union with Jesus, and as the bride of Christ becomes spotless, we will see an increase in the Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.

May Thy Kingdom come.

The post Understanding the Kingdom appeared first on Jenny Pitts Coaching.

I remember when we brought our first child, my daughter, home from the hospital and I finally understood the weight of parenthood: “this is sacrificial love” I thought, “in order for this person to thrive, I have to give myself like I’ve never done before.”

Because I’m strongly driven, I wondered how that would play out with this new baby? This new baby is a person who has destiny and purpose. She is God’s child. My daughter would be nurtured and taught by me, but she belongs to God, not me. How do I fulfill my aspirations and honor God too? …Afterall, this child is His gift.

I felt a similar way when I entered marriage. I remember mourning the fact that I don’t get to call all the shots, if I’m now in a partnership. Like marriage, having a child means you’ve invited another person into your life. My selfish drive doesn’t look like love if I have a baby looking to me for mothership.

Parenthood is a priveledge and a challenge like you’ve never known. It teaches every parent about their shortcomings, and it blesses every parent with the greatest gift possible: Life.

Overcoming your shortcomings becomes necessary when you become a parent. We don’t want our kids experiencing the same dysfunction that we experienced. We also don’t want insecure or troubled kids, because we’re not healed, and home isn’t the safe place kids deserve.

Love Children Well

Loving other people means there is a level of sacrifice required. Why? Because true love isn’t selfish.

True love looks like Corinthians 13:4-8

⁴ Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷ It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
⁸ Love never ends…

Jesus says in John 15 that love is a commandment:

¹² ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Loving and laying your life down doesn’t mean that you aren’t the authority in the house and the kids get to walk all over you. Loving anyone, including your children, simply means they are priority, and your selfish ambition must stop.

Healthy families have powerful parents who take their rightful position as leaders and teachers. Kids feel empowered when they are disciplined and know proper boundaries and established rules. Children must also have a deep level of freedom and creativity, which they will, when parents show their love.

There must be balance, and there must be love. If God is love, we can’t leave God out of the equation.

Conclusion: Healing isn’t an Option

If we are to raise healthy children with a foundation of Love, then we must invite love, Himself.

1 John 4:8 – But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

The wounds of our past will promote wounds in our future, if we don’t heal. So often an abused individual also abuses. But how do we heal? How do we position our wounded selves to be health and wholeness in our family?

This question is a spiritual question.

Many “healing solutions” in the world are our vain attempts at strengthening our will power to do good and resist our poor behavior or sin nature. This would be the perfect solution, except the bible explicitly explains why this is impossible in Romans 7. The flesh is often too powerful for our spirit to resist, verse 16 says “I do what I do not want to do.”

And then the beauty of Romans 8, comes rushing into our scene assuring us there is no condemnation and that Christ accomplished what the flesh is too weak to accomplish by becoming the likeness of sinful flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us that believe.

That’s the gospel. The beautiful story of our redemption from a God that knew no sin, gives us access to righteousness, so that we too could know no sin.

When you’re a parent, you become acutely aware of your shortcomings. You may experience negative generational patterns replicating in your parenting style – you promised yourself you’d never be like that parent, but then you are. You may find your patience tested. You will definitely “fail” at being the perfect example.  And if you didn’t know you have shortcomings, just become a parent and watch your kids pickup your bad habits.

But you don’t have to parent alone. Whether you’re a single parent or in a partnership, God wants to help you (and your partner) parent, because God loves you and your child. It’s God’s greatest desire to teach you what love and health look like in family.

It is as simple as “God show me my shortcomings.” Or if you already know where you fall short, “God help.” The simplicity of the gospel means that there is simplicity in your relationship with God. There is simplicity in healing.

Matthew 18:2-6
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Don’t underestimate God’s love for you. He wants healing. He was crucified for this purpose, that you would be free. Your purpose is being an incredible parent to your children.

Invite God into your parenting, and then listen. Your child and you are His priority. Family is priority.

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“That meeting went well… I’m good at leading… I like that client. They like me…”

But as my thoughts calmed down from the adrenaline of a “successful” meeting, the true feelings of
“I’m not satisfied” emerged.

The thoughts surprised me when they first came. I had a successful career and was well-liked by my
peers and clients. What more do I need?

I enjoyed providing excellent service and was complimented for my good work and positive nature. I felt genuinely satisfied about my career…so I thought.

The negative emotions weren’t new though. The same event 8 years prior occurred, when I was driving to my job at a nonprofit, where we helped save the world by serving the poor. I loved serving
disadvantaged people and wanted my life to make a positive contribution, so working in a position that did just this, should have been satisfying.

When my conscious thoughts drifted, yielding my subconscious thoughts: “I hate my job,” it
surprised me. That was nearly a decade ago.

When this happened a second time, during the IT consulting gig, (nearly a decade later in the car) where I like to zone out, my true thoughts emerged. I quickly dismissed the negative thoughts, but took note, “That’s in my subconscious.”

Can I afford to ignore the thoughts?

The more recent thoughts felt like a cry for change, and they only grew louder.
Change is scary though. “There’s more…” was the whisper in my heart, but fear kept me in my comfort
zone.

Leaving what was known for the unknown felt too dangerous…What did I do?

I hired a coach.

And as I spoke to my coach I heard the same words I’d heard from two coach friends, “You are a coach.”

Shoot. I can’t ignore it anymore.

Shortly after my hired coach proclaimed I was a coach, I enrolled in a
coaching program and received a certification for coaching.

During the coaching program, I learned that people hire coaches when they are going through a transition or a transformation.

A transition is a slight change, such as a new job position, a move, or a new health regime.
A transformation is when a person moves into a totally new territory they hope to occupy, but the new space is much scarier and unknown. Examples include starting a business, entering a marriage,
becoming a parent, embarking on a new career move, etc.

My desire to change careers was not merely a transition, but it was a life transformation.

Throughout our lives, we are often faced with transitions, and hiring a coach for these transitions is appropriate.

I built resilience as a consultant serving entrepreneurs, small businesses, and corporations, as well as working in a marketing agency and an IT agency – not to mention my nonprofit gig. I was accustomed to change, since my career path had taken many turns and built my strength to face transitions.

When faced with a career transformation, into unchartered territory as a coach, I was afraid. It felt more costly, because it was my heart’s desire.

As a coach, I can now say that pursuing a path that aligns with your passions is worth it.

I pray you will know the purpose that ignites your passions and that you will know true abundance.

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