Imagine a home with dinner on a long wooden table, benches on either side, and candles illuminating the food and the faces of people sitting around. Guests come to the door holding lamps to light their way. Shadows dance on the walls and over people’s faces. Rooms darkened by the evening lead further off the main room into blacked-out bedrooms. And windows open to the night reveal an inky sky with only the occasional lamp of a passing traveller or nearby home to break its darkness.

When you read this, what emotions stir within you? For me, it is both a fear of the darkness and a love of candlelight and coziness. But any discomfort I feel about the darkness is offset by the knowledge that I can turn on a light and cause the shadows to disappear so I can see where I am walking again. Praise God for electricity!

But for the people living during the time of Jesus, darkness was a daily inevitability. Sunset was simply the announcement of oncoming darkness that could not be broken by the streetlamps or well-lit households we are used to. The luxury of preparing a meal in a bright kitchen was unheard of after sunset. Darkness came every evening, with all it brought with it — thieves, attacks and worse. You could use a lantern while walking to a neighbour’s home at night, but you could not see past the light that your lamp cast for your feet.

Do we, in the Western world today, comprehend the relief of a sunrise? Do we understand the lifestyle of being led by only a lantern at night — not just during a camping trip, but every day of our lives? Where darkness invites unknown and very real danger and where no one can control the routine disappearance of light with every sunset? Sunrise was, and still is in some countries, a daily relief because with it comes safety.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Psalm 119:105

Confused by the world? I understand! Uncertain of what direction to go? I have been there countless times, my friend. Feeling overwhelmed by too many unknowns in your life right now? I can relate. Unsure of what decision to make? There is hope!

It is not accidental that Jesus repeatedly refers to His presence as light. The early church culture had to rely on weak, man-made light to dispel their daily darkness. Darkness and the unknown were familiar and predictable. It was all they had, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. When Jesus came, He changed all that. He said He was the light. No need to manufacture self-revelation or rely on self-achieved knowledge or wisdom to solve problems on our own.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” 
John 8:12

We do not need to walk alone anymore, relying on our incomplete selves to figure life out. It is not a life of “you're on your own because no one else will do it for you.” Jesus offers to do life with us every step of the way.

David said it well:

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
Psalm 27:1

Sadly, dear ones, it is not our wisdom or education that dispels our darkness. I know some may disagree with that. Let's face it — we can have pretty high opinions of our own intellect. But God says true wisdom is a gift from Him.
 
So whether you know Jesus or not (it does not matter. We all need this) ...

Ask God for help.

Ask Him for wisdom.

Invite Jesus to take control (again, if need be), giving Him everything in your life and heart one more time, or as a brand new decision. He is just waiting to be invited in!

And enjoy His light in your darkness, my friend. The relief of His friendship is palpable.
​
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:4–5
​
Blessings,
Christine​

I don’t know when it happened. I can guess, though I’m not exactly sure. But looking back on my life, I realize that somewhere along the way I began a shift from doing discipleship-themed things to doing the work of becoming someone who was a disciple. Yes, they are different! It crept up on me subtly, because my goal wasn’t to become a disciple. To be honest, I didn’t realize I needed to become one. I thought I already was one by believing in Jesus.
 
I had always attended or practised discipleship-themed activities. I read my Bible, attended small groups, volunteered at church functions, and even picked up some religious-focused responsibilities, such as teaching Sunday school and helping with church events and services. I was never on the worship team, as that would have been painful for all involved (lol). But all these things were external. I was performing the tasks of a disciple without investing in a relationship with the Father and surrendering to the One, Jesus, I claimed to follow. My thought life, emotional processing, relationships, career, money and time were all primarily untouched by my discipleship-styled works.
 
Don’t get me wrong, all these activities are good and Biblical. But they had a very limited impact on my internal world. I could get “feel good” moments from helping or spending time with others without engaging much with the Father at all. He wasn’t Lord of my life.
 
Just because you live in a barn doesn’t mean you are a horse.
 
I suspect I would have continued this way indefinitely if not for the inevitable crisis we all eventually face. That time when our world is rocked to the core. Where coping skills and Christian sayings no longer meet our needs. When my crisis hit, actually a series of them, I had several options to choose from:
 

•    I could find others who were going through similar situations and take comfort in complaining with them.

•    I could turn to the world’s belief systems for guidance.

•    I could find a good counsellor and ask them, and only them, what to do.

•    I could dig deep into the Word, press into the Father’s presence and ask the One I worship and follow for help, wisdom and comfort – and then seek Godly counsel.

 
Thankfully, I picked the last option, and the counsellor I sought help from demonstrated the wisdom to walk alongside me rather than become a substitute for God in my life. Biblical community is so important! But if community replaces our primary relationship with God, we are in danger of becoming disciples of our community instead of our Heavenly Father. It is only through an invested and surrendered life to our Father in Heaven, the triune Godhead, that we can become disciples. His words alone can heal and transform our inner world, priorities and relationships.
 
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; 
    you discern my thoughts from afar. 
You search out my path and my lying down 
    and are acquainted with all my ways. 
Even before a word is on my tongue, 
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” 
Psalm 139:1–4 
 
God spoke and the world came into being. Jesus spoke to illness and demons, healed and delivered people, and radically altered lives. He can use others, yes, but He alone heals and transforms my inner world as I make space for Him and invite Him into my days, good and bad. I need Him to speak into and continually transform my inner world. 
 
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” 
Proverbs 4:23 
 
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ​And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  
1 Cor. 13:1–2 
 
As this style of “doing life” has become my rhythm more and more, I have recognized I am less focused on the act of doing and more focused on the work of becoming. Processing my life, thoughts and heart daily with Him is work. And making decisions with my Father – with the Bible as my plumbline – while being in community with others is intentional. It is the work of becoming the clay in the potter’s hand.​

An alternative to letting go of the rudder could look the exact opposite. Perhaps you are driven by injustice, and the bigger the wave, the more attractive it is. I like roller coasters, so I can relate to loving an adrenaline rush! I am also a mama of four beautiful people, and my “mama-bear instinct” is very real. If I witness an injustice to someone I care about, my little sun-loving boat can quickly become a warship decked out with guns and a flight deck. Then, I am no longer coasting but barreling through waves, no matter how big they are. However, whether coasting or barreling, I am still steering by whatever I decide is my business. 
 
Here’s the challenge: my desire to be in a relationship with God the Father pulls starkly against my desire to steer my own boat, whether it is a cute, sun-loving sailboat or a full-on warship. The more I spend time with Him and do the work of discipleship and investing in my relationship with Him, the more I realize the very act of becoming a disciple involves surrendering the rudder of my boat to Him. Discipleship, by definition, is entering into the work of following Jesus, who tells me to lay down my life and follow Him.  
 
“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” 
Luke 9:23–24  
 
Minding my own business sharply contrasts Jesus’ command to follow Him. He wants me to mind His business, not mine or the world’s. His business stretches far beyond me. 
 
“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” 
Proverbs 19:21  
 
Can one actually achieve coasting today, or at least the illusion of it? Yes, I believe you can achieve an illusion of it if your goal is to mind your own business. Although, to achieve a constant sense of calm waters you will need to actively steer away from what you do not want to experience. However, if your goal is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, your “business” must be laid down at His feet, and your rudder must be placed in His hands. No longer will you be the captain of your boat. Instead, you will be the first mate on the adventure of a lifetime with a more transformative and fulfilling life than you could ever create yourself. 
 
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” 
Ephesians 4:14–15  
 
Blessings, 
Christine 
 ​

Christine Olding

​“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19–20

Growing up in the traditional church, I heard these verses repeatedly. My childhood was peppered with reminders that we, as Christians, were to go out and make disciples. Somewhere in my childhood and even my adult brain, I was translating the word “disciple” to “new believer.” If I’m honest, I didn’t realize this until roughly 10 years ago. When in a crisis, it hit me that this business of pressing harder into my Heavenly Father’s presence, actively seeking friendship with Jesus, and digging deep into God’s Word for an answer to that all-important question, “What would Jesus do?” was the active daily work of discipleship. Becoming a disciple is not an identity that one attains but a path that one begins and does not reach the end of this side of heaven.

I must admit that for the early part of my life, I tended to be preoccupied with who I was in God’s eyes and how He saw me. Just being loved by God was my goal, and I sought that place out daily to rest in and feel safe. Please understand that I still love bathing in my Heavenly Father’s love! Who doesn’t prefer to be surrounded by and thrive in unconditional and perfect love? But the more I grew to know the Father, Jesus, and His Spirit, and the more I dug into His Word, the more I realized that God didn’t just love me; He had thoughts, opinions and plans for me. 

 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11

I learned that simply being with God wasn’t the end of my experience as a Christian; it was only the beginning.
​
What does it mean for me to be a Christian? Digging down into a salvation moment reveals that it means so much more than entering into God’s family. Accepting Jesus as the Lord of my life means I surrender everything. My goals, my desires, my fears, my victories, my failures and relationships are all meant to be under His Lordship.

“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.’”
Luke 9:23–24

How on earth can I do that without Him? It is impossible for me to navigate my life according to His plans without constantly spending time with Him. I must consistently be digging into God’s Word, talking to the Father about my life, and listening to His heart about things that comprise my path – a path He is building in front of me, laying one stone at a time for me to follow.

“The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way.”
Psalm 37:23

​Do I seek His guidance and goals for my life out of fear? Am I worried that some great fist will appear in my life and punish me if I do not choose God’s path over mine? Not even remotely! As I said earlier, I adore bathing in the Father's love; it is a place that I continually seek. But He doesn’t love me because I chose Him. He loved Me even when I ignored Him.

I can’t lose His love for me. Before I loved Him, before I chose Jesus…when I was ignoring Him and doing my own thing in the world, He gave His Son to die a horrible death on a cross because He loved me even then!
​
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

I am free to choose His path for my life because I am trusting Him and because I am learning that He is actually better at being the Lord of my life than I am.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5–6

What does it look like to actively seek the richness and beauty of a relationship with Jesus, His Father and His Spirit? Constantly pursuing His plans and ways for all my life requires forming time-management habits to do the work. Because this path requires uprooting weeds and inviting the Father to lay the path for me to follow daily, it absolutely requires me to gain personal discipline in order to follow Him consistently.

And entering into this lifestyle of discipleship is the richest, most rewarding, life-changing journey I have ever been on.

Is it worth it?

Absolutely.

Blessings,
Christine
​

For more information on United in Christ click here  www.unitedinchrist.global/
To see Bayith's interview with Bruno scroll to the bottom of this blog.

Christine Olding

Are you one of those people with a variety of seemingly conflicting interests? Do you love to dance but also love math? Or perhaps you love animals, but also love building things and playing the trumpet. Do you have a pastor’s heart with a love for fishing and business? Maybe you want to be a doctor but also love singing. The God who created the universe also created you, and you are not boring! The incredible variety in creation was not just reserved for rainforests, oceans and the stars in the sky, but was displayed most perfectly in you.

Most of us, when we were children, displayed a variety of interests and talents. We could ride bikes, draw, or speak, and write well. Maybe we loved counting, building and measuring things. Or maybe we spent our time quietly and deeply thinking and feeling, observing and learning. Whatever the giftings and interests we have revealed God’s gifts to us. Part of who He created us to be and a sign of how much He was invested in creating us. Like an expensive car, God created each of us with all sorts of beautiful additions!

Now fast forward to school, or better yet the end of high school. Now you are expected to choose. Out of all the interests your heavenly Father gave you, you need to pick one and invest in that one, become that identity. And you get bonus points and respect if it will make you a lot of money. Highschool is 30 years ago for me and I can still feel the pressure of feeling like I needed to choose what I would be investing the majority of my time and money into at 18. I was told by , school, parents and well-meaning people in my life that I simply could not invest in all my interests and talents. That I should pick one, preferably the one that made the most money, then make my other talents hobbies. That would set me up for the most financial success and security, while not sacrificing who I was too much. But I basically had too many interests, so I had to choose which I would be.
Can anyone relate to this? Didi God make a mistake? Should our heavenly Father have just given us one or two interests, making sure of course that they were financially viable ones? Then we could fit with the system. 
No, of course not. God didn’t look at you and say, “Oops, I gave them too many interests, now they will have to ignore most of them and pick one.” And God certainly didn’t evaluate how He made us based on whether or not we could be financially secure. , He may have made us financially savvy, but I guarantee you in wasn’t for your own security. He wants to be that Himself.
​
Matthew 6:19-21 
“Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”


So what do we do with the display of God’s variety inside each of us? Well to start with, God didn’t make a mistake. He displayed His variety and creativity in His creation and also in us. He wants us to celebrate that variety. He has a plan, and He has His timing and purpose. So ask Him a very important question. 
“What do you want me to invest into now?”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:


The Father didn’t create you with too many interests and talents. But neither did He expect you to play Wack-a-Mole trying to hit them all at the same time. God will weave them together in His perfect timing. All you need to do is ask Him what He wants you to invest in to now. Then relax, knowing the rest of your interests will get attention and be invested into as long as you keep following the Father’s plan for your life, and let His voice be the only voice that guides you.
​
Letting the Father weave the beautiful variety of your giftings in the tapestry He has planned for you is one of the most exciting and faith-building journeys I can recommend. He’s got you!

Christine Olding

​Have you ever struggled with the everpopular question, what do you want to do with your life? The pressure to make a decision, to pick something, anything. Somehow, we are miraculously expected to know what we are going to do with our life by the time we leave high school. Then we can choose a post-secondary activity like college, an apprenticeship, university, something that shows we have decided what we are going to do, how we are going to live, make money, pay for housing, food, possibly prepare for a family and be responsible financially.

Whew.... STRESS

But where is God in this? Is He one of the voices wanting us to pick a direction? Is He asking us to decide what we are going to be in our lives so we are set up for financial security? Anyone who has gone to Bible college, ministry school or even Sunday school can blurt out some version of the answer here.

31. So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32. For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:31-33


What an awesome promise! … So where is God when we are making plans and decisions? I am well known for asking people “If you had a million dollars, and were not worried about money, what do you think God would want you to be doing?” I ask it this way because it is sadly sometimes easier to picture ourselves without money worries if we have a fat bank account, than if we picture ourselves trusting God. Only without worry and stress can we sit in peace with our Father and ask Him, "What would you have me do?” God never planned us to go it alone without Him, struggling to make sure we had enough money by ourselves; He wants to partner with us, as a loving Father. 

“'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. '”
​                                                                                                                                                                                                              — Jeremiah 29:11. 

Only when financial security is replaced with Father-based security can we really hear the answer to our question, “Who did you make me to be? And what do you want me to be doing now?” And trust that if we do put Him first, ahead of our money fears and the pressure to look responsible in the world’s eyes, He will provide what we need as we partner with Him. 

Have we slipped into letting our desire for financial security be louder than the Father’s voice? Have we believed the Enemy’s lies that say that if we put God first in everything we won’t have enough? That giving God our direction and choices isn’t practical in our lives, that God doesn’t realize we have bills to pay? This is actually the complete opposite of what Jesus is saying in Matthew!

The trap of pursuing security in finances is you constantly have to chase it and manage it to feel any security at all. As soon as you stop chasing it and putting it first the security leaves you.
​
Whereas the Father is the one doing the chasing, running after you with an offer of security, partnership and identity. He will never stop offering that security, He will always be there to partner with you if you choose His family.  He already knows who He created you to be and He can’t wait to talk with you about. You don’t have to create yourself!

Christine Olding

​I love Christmas… the tree, my family, the carols, the lights, the hand-painted nativity my mother made me, the weekly reminders of advent… I love it all. So please understand I was raised leaving cookies for Santa, hanging stockings by a fire, and looking for Jesus in the nativity on Christmas morning because our Jesus never showed up in our family nativity scene until Christmas morning. I love this season and will continue to love it. 

But this year, for me, the jingle, the sparkle, the nutcrackers and gingerbread men, while wonderful, are simply not holding the same joy for me. I love them all, but I am too aware of the pain and confusion around me in people’s hearts to enter into the glitter and cinnamon with the same level of satisfaction. It feels like this presentation of Christmas is missing the mark this year more than ever, as if the world is offering a glittery and scented bandaid to a hurting population. And it just doesn’t cut it. In fact if we aren’t careful we can end up doing more damage by offering a cinnamon and candy cane remedy to hearts that desperately need healing and love. 

We need Jesus first. 

I truly hope this does not sound critical towards the wonderful season of Christmas with its trimming and many expressions of joy. But right now unless these expressions of Christmas point us towards the only source of love that will actually heal our hearts, we will find ourselves missing the only remedy which will actually bring us the joy, love and healing we are looking for. 

And that remedy is the gift of a bridge to perfect Love and companionship. Jesus earned our respect by living a human life with a poor family, racially discriminated against, in a brutal, physically violent culture. He lived through trauma like ours, abandonment like ours, and loss and rejection like ours. So we would know He understands. He did this all for the sake of offering us a gift companionship and a family that will never leave us or forsake us. 

And that family is God the Father’s family. Jesus’s birth is called a gift for a reason. It isn’t by accident Jesus called God Father. The choice Jesus made to become one of us and live like us was an enormous gift of a bridge to unfailing Love and companionship, the chance to become more than God’s creation but to become sons and daughters of the Father. It’s an invitation and chance to enter into God’s family as a son or daughter, an opportunity to have close access to unfailing Love, and the opportunity of a healthy and safe relationship with a Heavenly Father who dearly loves us.

Now that is a Christmas meaning that I can sing about this year and a message that will honour the hurting and confused hearts around me. 

And yes, of course  I will make my gingerbread this weekend, and decorate my tree, not because they are the gift of Christmas, but because they will remind me of the gift I am celebrating. 

Blessings,
Christine

​

Rob Reid
​
In part one and two of this series, I outlined some of my past experiences while making a living and embracing the secular music culture. I also detailed some of the various adjustments that I needed to make after being born again. In this last part of the trilogy, I would like to address a couple of personal concerns I have observed along the way, as Jody and I have been ministering in different churches over the past 23 years. 

Having been raised in the slippery slope of secular music, it is difficult for me to hear worship minstrels say things like, “We had a great show last night at such and such a church,” or, “We’ve got a gig next Sunday morning.” This is the language of the world. I believe we should have an entirely different desire and focus. 

We are called to worship the one true God with our whole being. The best musicians in every field are those who allow their hearts to express their inner affection through their music, and passionately express the love they have. It is awesome that we, as children of God, have the opportunity and privilege of pouring out our love and adoration for our beautiful and loving Father. Worship is a time to draw near to God with our deepest hearts, and not a time to draw attention to ourselves regarding our gifts. 

I don’t believe it is healthy for us to look to worldly musicians as examples to glean from. We are blessed to have so many great godly musicians that we can learn from today. When we inappropriately look up to a particular person, they may become a type of teacher or mentor. YouTube is an excellent resource for both good and bad influences. We can inadvertently start to imitate the people we are watching on the internet. Jesus said, “A student is not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher” (Luke 6:40). Sometimes we get more than we bargained for when we set our eyes upon a prize. Many great worldly musicians have very serious relational issues, and many struggle with depression and addictions, among other things. 
We are born again, and we are a royal priesthood. We are the children of God. Music was created by our Heavenly Father, and the majority of people on earth have a special love for it. I believe that we should be discerning, regarding the distinction between worldly music and music dedicated to God. James says, “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Jesus said, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). Billy Graham was quoted in 2016 as saying, “This cosmos has its own entertainment and diversions that so permeate the atmosphere that it makes the way of the cross seem antiquated and irrelevant. In much of the entertainment media fostered by the cosmos, the name of God is profaned, sex is glamorized, and high, ethical living and Christian moral standards are laughed at.” 

I know that many may disagree with my viewpoint on this distinction of worldly and godly music. I’ve had passionate discussions with Christians who vehemently oppose this concept. I've been told more than once that music is ‘amoral,’ which means it is neither moral nor immoral. Let’s agree to disagree on this issue. In my experience, all forms of music have an effect on us regardless of the lyrics. There is a vibration in the sound that has the power and capability to stimulate and awaken pure or impure motivations and desires. 

God desires us to be holy, the definition of which means, “devoted entirely to God or to the work of God.” That’s us! We are called to be holy. Here are some synonyms of holy: blessed, consecrated, hallowed, sacred, sanctified. We are the ‘called out’ Levites who are expected to consecrate our hearts and hands in order to be ready to worship Him in spirit and in truth. This reminds me of a song by Mercy Me, written by Chris Tomlin called “Give Us Clean Hands.” 

“We bow our hearts, we bend our knees
O Spirit, come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
O Lord, we cast down our idols
So give us clean hands, give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another” 

O, Minstrel of Worship, I hope that you are still excited to be part of this high calling of God? 

Psalm 24:3-5 says:
“Who may climb the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
They will receive the LORD’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God, their saviour.”

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