Shannon Martin

Offering My Opinion

January 30, 2017January 30, 2017 Shannon Martin2 Comments

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:3-5, NRSV

I am so tired of trying to figure out who I am supposed to be and where I am supposed to be this person at. I don’t want to be political. I don’t want to be religious. But I also don’t know what I do want to be.

Am I a theologian? Who knows.

Am I a disciple? I am trying desperately to be one.

But I don’t know who or what I am reaching out to in a world that is crazy and getting more so all the time. When did chaos become the normal order of the day?

We as a country, as a people, and as communities have become so opinionated and divided. When did opinions become rights? Do I really have the right to voice my opinion on the serious matters of the day if I haven’t taken the time to research and educate myself on the matter at hand? I mean, really truly study and know the ins and outs of whatever it is that I am about to make an opinion on. Googling and following social media does not count as a valid source of education.

Opinions are not rights. They are educated, intellectually thought through pieces of information that should only be offered if I am prepared to have others with differing opinions question or challenge my opinions. It is also expected that others will have different thoughts and perspectives from mine. That is perfectly okay.

It doesn’t make them stupid.

It doesn’t make me stupid.

It makes us challenge each other. It pushes us to be more. It helps us to continue to be motivated to seek wisdom. It challenges me to be the best me that I can be.

It makes me a life-long seeker and learner.

Funny, because that could be the very first required task listed on the Job Expectations and Requirements for the job of Disciple.

Why are we so afraid to engage with each other in debates? What has happened to agreeing to disagree? Human lives are messy. There is no way we can ever all agree on everything exactly. What a dull grey world it would be!

God has made each of us uniquely different. And he has also made us each uniquely gifted. We are meant to go out and color the world around us with grace and mercy painting fresh ideas of what truly matters.

Teaching what true salvation is.

We don’t always have to agree on everything. I can still love without being in total agreement and perfect harmony on thoughts and important issues of the day with my fellow mankind. We are only here for a short time.

Let us try to make the world around us, a world filled with darkness, a brighter place to live. Shine the lights of grace, justice, and humility everywhere that you go. At the end of the day it is eternity that is what matters.

I want to walk as a faithful woman of God.

As such, I must live in community with others because that is how God has made us. We are created to live in community with each other. Every man for himself is a human idea of strength. Survival of the fittest has been one of the fastest paved roads to hell right along with good intentions.

We each have a place to fill in the Kingdom of God here on earth. We must learn to appreciate each other’s gifts and be encouraging to those around us as we each learn to use the gifts given to us.

Don’t step on or belittle my gifting’s. Let me grow into being the full woman God has created me to be. Help me to spread my wings and explore the different ways I can serve and uplift and bring along others on the journey with us.

Affirm me when I possibly get it right, and encourage me to keep searching and seeking when I get it wrong.

Don’t discount the lessons I have learned along the journey so far. And help me to find rest because we all need Sabbath time. Remind me that my worth isn’t in what I do but who I belong to.

Pray for me and pray with me and let me pray for you. I am a wife and a mother, I am an employee and a manager, I am a worship leader and a teacher, I am a sinner and a child of God most high.

I am a seeker and a disciple.

— But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34 – NIV

Grieving and Lamenting

November 10, 2016November 6, 2017 Shannon MartinLeave a comment

I am feeling like a wreck. Then I feel sad, but okay. Then I swing back to being an emotional wreck.

At the same time, it still doesn’t seem real. Reality is funny that way. We spend our lives watching television shows that use violent crime investigations as story lines, but never expect to see our own family caught up in the horror of a family member actually being the victim of a violent crime.

In my mind I like to think of you walking up to the pearly gates where you see the familiar faces of Papa and Mike waiting to welcome you to your heavenly home. I can only imagine the capers the three of you will be getting up to together!

Questions flood through my mind. All of the “what ifs”? What if I had been more connected to you in our adult years. What if someone else had been with you that night. What if they never catch the person who did this? But I find comfort in these scriptures:

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. – Romans 12:19 (NIV)

and:

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? ³⁰For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, and again, “The Lord will judge his people.It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. – Hebrews 10:29-31 (NIV)

which are both referencing Deuteronomy 32:34-36:

“Have I not kept this in reserve and sealed it in my vaults? It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” The Lord will vindicate his people and relent concerning his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.

Justice is in the hands of God. We can’t do anything to change what has happened and we may not ever be able to see justice served for you here on earth. God is still in control. We must place this into his hands. All that we can do is pray for this enemy, as Jesus teaches us in Matthew 5:43-45:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Memories have been flooding back to me over the past few days of the childhood times spent with you, dear cousin of mine. You were an incredibly big-hearted guy who loved to be goofy and make people laugh. There was a lot of laughter in those days.

I can remember trick or treating with you and going to the Halloween parties at McDonald’s. We spent hours giggling about Weird Al songs. And who could forget watching The Bride of Boogedy over and over again. We wanted to have ” a THIRD eye!”

Times spent in the swimming pool, going to see Christmas shows, lights, and Christmas Land. Making up our own “shows” and performing them for your mom. Trips to family reunions and amusement parks. Big family gatherings during the holidays. Happy times. Innocent times.

Before adulthood, grownup problems, and this world’s demons caught up to us.

You fought a brave battle little cousin with the demons and addictions that you faced. Some times you were successful, and other times not so much. But we have always loved you! God has always loved you. And we know that you loved God as well.

We may never know what happened that early morning. We are struggling to make sense of the reality of losing you. We just can’t fathom how someone could do this to you. But we cling to the promises of our heavenly Father, claiming them for you and for all of us still here in this realm:

“The Lord is King for ever and ever;
    the nations will perish from his land.
You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;
    you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
    so that mere earthly mortals
    will never again strike terror.” – Psalm 10:16-18 (NIV)

Although your life was cut short too soon, we are seeing that you left a big impact on all of those who knew you. The outpouring of messages from all the different people you knew all mentioned how kind and supportive you always were for each of them. You touched so many lives in a positive way, spreading love in the midst of your own struggles.

You have finally overcome the battles you faced in this life sweet Cousin. The demons of this life can’t hold you or harm you any more. We may never see your big giant grin again, but we cherish all of the memories we have made with you. Rest easy, Joshua, finding peace with our Father in Heaven.

Until we meet again in the next life, go rest high on that mountain.

Busy Being Not Busy

July 27, 2016July 27, 2016 Shannon MartinLeave a comment

For the first time in my life that I can recall, I am finding myself in an odd position. I have absolutely no idea what comes next on my journey, nor any plans for how to get to what I feel should be the next phase of my life.

I am a recovering busy-aholic.

For most of my adult life I have found my worth and my identity in all the activities I took part in. This is in all the aspects of my life – personal, professional and spiritual. Any changes in any of these areas, regardless of how small they were, caused major upsets in my world.

This way of perceiving myself and the world around me and qualifying myself by constantly doing was exhausting. It also didn’t ever leave me feeling very satisfied with myself or my circumstances or my life in general.

At the end of the day I still just wanted more. More time, more financial means, more friendships. Just more of all of the good things in life I guess. Determined to achieve more and be more so that I could have more rewards from both the world of men and from God.

The funny thing about this perspective is that I tried so hard to take care of everything and everyone around me that I forgot to take care of me or my personal relationship with God! No wonder I couldn’t find any peace, joy, or satisfaction.

Fortunately, in spite of myself, by the grace of God, I was able to realize just how dysfunctional my sense of self-worth was. My worth can’t be found among earthly people or pursuits or even within myself.

My worth comes from Yahweh — God who is always with me.

Having been taught this lesson by our very patient God where does that leave me?

I am now in a holding pattern. I do not know what is coming next for me or where my next calling lies. For the first time ever I have no idea what comes next. There are no plans for how to get to the next place. I am just being still and trying to be content in my Sabbath rest:

So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; for those who enter Gods’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. – Hebrews 4:9-11 (NRSV)

Rest – sounds so easy! However, it has been a struggle for me. For someone so used to being busy, stepping back from committees and other commitments without having new ones lined up has been incredibly hard. Still this is what the Father has for me at this time in my life. Stepping back, letting go of settling for just good, while waiting to see what God has in store for me. Taking time to just be and breathe.

As I have laid aside my studies, readings, and writing to just take time to rest my mind and commune with the Maker of my soul there have been little voices attempting to break my peace and joy. Even on sabbatical rest the Enemy’s little darts still try to zing me.

Thoughts flood my mind of things I SHOULD be doing as I sit relaxing on the back deck watching the birds in the yard. Thoughts of how lazy I am because I am not touching the pile of books that are on my end table patiently waiting to be read. Thoughts of being a failure as a writer because I can’t seem to find inspiration for blog posts at the moment.

I have discovered that being not busy is EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing right now. If I were not being obedient in this then there would be no attacks, but the enemy has been working over time to wreck my peace. It has been a constant temptation for me to jump into something, anything, just to make myself busy.

And it is during these times of temptation that I feel stressed and frantic. When I tell those voices in my head to quiet down and allow me to rest, my peace returns. I chose to ask God in humility and obedience to help me find the strength to continue to be resting in him rather than finding busyness that distracts me from him.

And little by little, small tasks are being sent my way again. He is now leading me to continue to rest, but to also spend this time learning in preparation of things to come. There are books that are now being read and studied, blog posts that are starting to come together one piece at a time, and opportunities to spread my wings and step out of my comfort zone to try preaching the Sunday morning message again in the near future.

Beyond these small things, He still hasn’t revealed what comes next on the journey for me. I am content to learn the small lessons as he teaches them to me.

Sabbath rest is vital to a healthy personal relationship with God. Make the time to engage in just being in his presence. Rest in his arms as he prepares you to take up his yoke once more.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (NSRV)

Getting Comfortable

July 17, 2016July 18, 2016 Shannon MartinLeave a comment

God is always moving and the Holy Spirit is always moving in us. As we thrive and become comfortable He begins to start to nudge us here and there to stray out of that comfort zone for His glory.

These past few weeks have been quiet weeks for me. I have been resting my mind and renewing my soul taking sabbath time with the Father. Time that is much-needed after the flurry of activity surrounding two major milestones on my journey to answer God’s calling on my life. Both of these milestones required me to come out of the comfort zone I had built around myself.

The first of these was completing and graduating from year one of the C.S. Lewis Fellows Program. This year-long intensive program is designed to make disciples who can then go out and disciple others. In order for this to happen I had to be willing to let go and let God move into all the areas of my life, not just one or two. His claim is on all of me.

Many times over this past year I have had to go to some very uncomfortable places in my heart and mind as I emptied out the hurts that have built up in my heart over the course of my lifetime. Digging deep into feelings that I didn’t even know I had in some cases. This process still isn’t finished, and I am not sure that this ever will completely end, but along the way God has filled in the holes in my heart. He is strengthening me daily and letting me know that I am enough already as I am.

This process of healing that he has begun in me is necessary in order for me to move forward and be able to fully embrace the call he has for me in this life.

The second milestone I reached during the month of June I must confess is one that I never thought would be something that would be a part of my calling. On June 12 for the first time ever I brought the Sunday morning message to the congregation at Midway.

Never in a million years did I see myself in the position of being qualified to give a sermon or that the opportunity would ever even be given to me. However, our God works in mysterious ways as we all know. So I guess at the end of the day is there ever anything that is too great for us to do if we are filled with Spirit of God who gives us the guidance and wisdom we need?

Many times I have stood before our congregation, but only ever as a worship leader. The thought of standing behind the pulpit was a very intimidating one! I knew right away that God was calling me to share my testimony so that was what I concentrated on as I began to write the message.

Some parts came together easily. I knew right away that the name of this message had to be “Believing and Belonging”. The scriptures that would be used came relatively easy as well: Luke 10:38-42 and John 15:1-8. The story of Martha and Mary is told in this passage from Luke and is the perfect illustration of the journey I have been on – first as Martha, then as Mary.

However the actual words of the sermon eluded me. For the better part of a week I tried in vain to find a place to begin. Thursday night before the given Sunday I sat in front of my computer willing the words to come, but nothing felt right.

Giving up for the night I went to bed with renewed prayers that God would pour the message he wanted me to share into my heart. As I laid in bed waiting for sleep to come I suddenly knew where the message needed to start! The next morning I began typing and the words quickly filled up pages. The message was ready!!

But was I?

On many occasions I have made it clear that I did not feel I would ever be able to fill a pulpit and preach a Sunday message. The suggestion that perhaps I should preach was one that I regularly rejected feeling that wasn’t a place for me. Turns out God had other ideas on the matter!

I don’t know what will come next for me, but that Sunday morning God held my hand and steadied my voice and used me to bring a message to his people at Midway.

I guess we just never know where the road might take us if we are willing to leave our places of comfort!

So perhaps it isn’t that we are ever truly comfortable in our lives, but that we are learning to be comfortable serving him in humility, relying on His strength and wisdom to guide us through all the tasks that he brings our way. We are learning to be comfortable in him rather than in ourselves.

As I continue to branch out in his calling for me, I will move forward with confidence drawing strength and wisdom from the vine. Serving where ever and however He may call me. Abiding in his love bringing glory to his name.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. (John 15:1-8, NRSV)

*To hear my recorded message, visit the Midway Mennonite Church’s website. Worship in song followed by the scripture readings begins the recording and the message starts at about 23:30.

Setting Your Mind

May 29, 2016June 9, 2016 Shannon MartinLeave a comment

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth – Colossians 3:2 (NRSV)

“Set you mind minds on things above” sounds like something that should be so easy to do and fairly simple to incorporate into our daily lives. Yet it is something that I struggle with daily. Why is that?

Life kicks in and the daily grind starts to overwhelm me and my focus becomes fixed on my problems or aspirations in this world.

All of my intentions of setting my thoughts on things above, heavenly things, God’s plans for me, or being in relationship with God, become lofty ambitions. The things that I will get around to AFTER I have dealt with the business of living. Why is that?

Our culture is one that puts tremendous importance on things like survival of the fittest, self sufficiency, self-reliance and self-help. Societal norms have left us with expectations that we need to be constantly improving ourselves both materially and personally, physically and mentally. Just grab a magazine and look at the photos inside of them.

Is there something I want? Work to earn it.

Is there something I am struggling with inside?  Find a self-help book and become more in tune with myself.

I want to be all that I can be and as well-rounded as my peers. I want to have all of the nice things I see in the homes of others and on the television commercials and shows that I watch. The culture around me tells me that I am entitled to all of this if I just work hard enough.

Eventually this idea became so ingrained in me that I started to have a prosperity gospel kind of outlook. Surely with all the good works I do at church God will bless me with all of these wants! He will surely see that I am deserving of a comfortable lifestyle and bless me with the means to have one.

  No matter how much I earned or what I was able to get it was never enough. The list of wants continued to grow. My life didn’t leave me with a sense of contentment or peace or joy in my life. Why is that? If all of this stuff I am acquiring is a blessing from God for all of my hard work and self-reliance shouldn’t I be filled with these things?

Perhaps this isn’t God’s plans for me after all. All of this focus on what I want and never being truly happy with what I have could be a distraction ploy of the Evil One instead.  Could he be blinding me and others in our cultures with all that glitters in this world?

The weakness of so many modern Christians is that they feel too much at home in the world. – A.W. Tozer

I know that I have fallen into this trap many times. I would become preoccupied with things like getting a better promotion in order to have financial security and end up losing track of spiritual things. All of these things that I viewed as blessings from God as an indication of his pleasure or displeasure with me kept me focused on the things of this earth. Each time I have been distracted by the things of this earth I lost sight of the God who loves me and seeks obedience and humility from me.

God is always patient with me and lovingly calls me back to him. It is never to late to come back to his welcoming embrace. The more that I turn to this God of love the more I find myself wanting to walk in complete submission to his plan for me.

Don’t get me wrong. To walk in complete submission to God’s will I have to choose to do so every day. It requires me to be intentional about quiet times of prayer as well as time of soaking myself in his Word. Just because it is intentional doesn’t mean that it is a chore. The more I submit in prayer and soak up his Words of life the more I find myself wanting to do just that. These small changes in my life have brought about immense amounts of peace into my life.

For the first time ever I am finding my way and establishing healthy boundaries in many areas of my life that up until now have not had any. This has helped me to stop being the overwhelmed people-pleaser with no time for myself or my family who was very stressed all of the time.

The most amazing part of all of this is that as I have been changing my attitude about prayer and actively seeking a relationship with God, he has been changing my heart to that of a servant. His servant. Sent to do the work he has specifically equipped me for.

The tone of my prayers has changed from requests for things that I want that are things of this earth to requests that He change my heart so that I might know him better and know how best to use the gifts he has given me.

Not my will be done, but His will be done.

The material things just don’t seem to be all that important after all. Maybe focusing on the things that are above aren’t such lofty ambitions after all.

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. — C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Instead of waiting to “find my calling” or “a way to be used in ministry” I must simply place my trust in Him and start being God’s light right where I currently am at. I can show the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ in my home, in my church and in my workplace.

God only asks for me to be obedient and humble in doing his will. He will take care of the rest. As C.S. Lewis says in The Joyful Christian, “Aim at Heaven and you will get Earth ‘thrown in’: aim at Earth and you will get neither.” My eyes need only be fixed on Heaven to successfully travel my path on Earth. My eyes are fixed on the treasures of above.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21 (NSRV)