What Next?

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Luke 10:27  (NIV)

 ²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

I'm in the space between finishing one project and starting up the next. Its a kind of waiting, resting, and regrouping time. I don't know what the next project will even be at this point and I have lots of other smaller things that I'm always working on. In this time between things I find myself looking to see what things I can tidy up or organize.  I sit here looking at my work space at home and wonder if I should move some of it to my new Studio 2 Work space. That project has been happening right along side the river project but I have not really shared any of those photos. I have the main structure pretty well done at this point but I have a lot to do in the way of making it truly functional. They are not even the best of photos but they will give you a bit of a look.

My husband was very helpful one weekend and went shopping with me for the bookshelves and the rug and some of the decorations. He loves to paint and so he did the messy job of painting the small desk and some of the old wood chairs that I found black.  At this point I have two new guitar students who I am teaching in this new space. I can invision doing some small mosaic classes for 4-6 people. The furniture that I selected is all very light weight and can easily be repositioned for my various needs. I think it will also make a nice place to meet with coaching clients.  In some ways I guess I need to look at the development of this space much like the Beloved Project, or the River Project. It is a journey from first seeing the idea in my head to seeing it become a finished project. I suppose in all of these things I give myself permission to experiment. On the Beloved project I re-did the mouth and eyes several times before I liked them and moved on to other parts of the project.  On the River Project I thought there would be transparant blue overlays but in the end I cut out blue water drops.  I look at my life in a similar way, I give myself permission to experiment and try new things. Rather than look at the things that don't work as "oh woe is me" failures - I look at what is not working and put on my thinking cap, spend some time praying and seeking the Lord. Then I try to do a few things differently to see how that works.

I have always done a lot of my work from home but I am toying with the idea of moving work to the Studio 2 space and being truly home when I am home. I would still have enough flexibility to work at home if I wanted to but it might bring a something new to our family life. My family has me around all the time now but they often don't get my undivided attention because I'm always multi tasking on some project. Its kind of like when you move to a new house the living space with either separate people or it will bring people together.  I know that the changes that I make will have an effect on the people around me and if I want certain things to be different, I must make some intentional changes.

I took a spiritual gifts test yesterday but I tried to take it from a perspective of  what I am called or passionate about doing rather than simply what I have done a lot of through the years. I don't suppose it is a problem for most folks taking these test but for me for 30 years my attitude has been one of I'm available Lord. I may not be the best at something but I trust you will help me to get the job done. If you see a need meet it, has been how I have operated. As a result my scores on spiritual gifts test are always very high with lots of things that tie for the top 4 slots. In talking with my pastor, we are working through the idea of "great you've done a lot but what of that makes you feel excited, alive, passionate. What of it do you love doing vs. what are you good at because it has needed to be done.
So my test was not a great surprise to me. Creative Communication/ Craftsmanship, Prayer/ Intercession, Faith /Encouragement/ Pastoring/ Shepherding, Wisdom are all part of my gift mix. So now the question to be discussed over coffee with my pastor is "How in the next 8-12 months do I move from the things I am currently doing to doing more that truly fits my spiritual gifts mix.  It is an interesting thing for me to ponder. It is interesting to be in a place and working with a pastor who is not threatened by my gift mix and actually sees the value of helping and equipping me to find my right spot that really fits me with in the body of Christ.  I suppose that is another of my "Whats Next" projects.  I am pretty sure that Gods provision of the Studio 2 space and finding my fit will some how work hand in hand. You may not realize it but women with strong leadership gifts are all too often seen as a threat in the largely male dominated church leadership world. Its not true everywhere but it has been a journey for me.  I've always kind of been a trail blazer and perhaps this journey to really finding my place as a woman called by God to contribute to His kingdom in some way will be helpful to other women and maybe to men as well as they begin to see the calling and giftedness of their wives, mothers, friends. How do we help each other become all that God desires, how do we give others a hand up, how do we equip and encourage people regardless of gender to begin to see God's greater design and begin to move by faith to become a people who love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.   I guess I am mostly just being transparant about my journey today and I hope that it helps and encourages you in your own journey as you follow Jesus step by step, day by day. 

Prayer: 
Dear Lord,
I pray you will help those who are reading today to have greater revelation of who you have called, gifted and appointed them to be. Help your people to rise up from their complacency and slumber and even fear and begin to walk by faith into your greater kingdom purposes. I thank you that you allow us to experiment and practice using our gifts and to discover your plan. Thank you for laying things out for us step by step and for not overwhelming us with the BIG picture. I thank you for vision that helps us to begin to dream and think a bit bigger. I thank you for courage to do what is right even when we still feel afraid. Thank you for being with us every step of the way. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Time to Graduate from Baby Food

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Baby Chloe

“Like newborn babies, 

crave pure spiritual milk, 

so that by it you may 

grow up in your salvation, 

 now that you have tasted 

that the Lord is good.” 

 1 Peter 2:2-3

Chloe's Pre School Graduation

Now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.... We need to grow up in our salvation and that starts with a craving for pure spiritual milk. Newborn babies need milk every couple of hours and for quite a while milk is all they eat. Little by little they get milk thickened with a little cereal and are slowly introduced to foods that have been pureed because they they can't chew it themselves. Eventually once they can sit in a highchair they are given a spoon and work on the skill of feeding themselves. Its pretty messy at first as they have to develop coordination. Before you know it they are eating the same food as the rest of the family cut up into small bites.

Sadly many who come give their heart to Jesus never move beyond baby food. Even in Paul's day he writes in Hebrews 5 how he has more to say but because the people have a kindergarden or infant understanding that it is hard for him to explain. We want those college level answers to life's problems but we refuse to grow up and learn to eat solid food. We want someone to spoon feed us, when we should be feeding ourselves.

Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV1984)

  ¹¹ We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. ¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. 

 

 Even with spiritual gifts and spiritual armor you have to begin to use them for them to be of much value to you. My kids were given a microscope and a telescope and could, if they applied themselves do some really cool things. They have worked with them a little but certainly not to the extent of what is possible to learn and discover by working and using those tools.  I could do a lot more with piano if I actually managed to practice everyday. I read this quote a while back, "Earl Nightingale once said, "If you will spend an extra hour each day of study in your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less." What gifts and callings has God given you that you need to begin to use and allow to develop. Maybe its knowing the word and graduating from the Gerber Baby Bible, going by just what others tell you about or tossing around random refrigerator verses to really spending time in the Word, and not just reading random passages but really digging in and studying. 

 

I have had the privilege of watching and encouraging little Chloe for a number of years at this point. Last night I watched and applauded as she got a pin at AWANA's for memorizing bible verses. I am glad to see her at a young age hiding the Word in her heart. She is in kindergarden this year and I see her making wonderful developmental strides. She has had a number of challenges to over come through the years. I first met her when I helped out in the nursery for mops. She was a wild and willful little thing. Her mom and I became friends, so I have gotten to help encourage them both to know and grow up in Jesus. 

 

Last night our older AWANA kids heard the story of St. Patrick a boy from England who got sold in to slavery in Ireland. His dad had been a leader in the church in his town. Patrick must have had at least a little bit of understanding of the bible as a 16 year old. When he found himself in slavery he began to pray and talk to God. Eventually he was able to escape at the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit and made it back to England. There he really digs in and studies and becomes a priest who later heeds a call to go back to Ireland and take the gospel to that very pegan land.  The person sharing made a comment to the kids that he hoped that if something ever happened to them that they would have the verses that they have learned at AWANA's to help them.  It is our hope that these kids will have enough of the Word in them that when they are faced with temptation and life decisions that they will remember the verses they have planted in their hearts and make good and wise choices. 

 “I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down...” - Ab Lincoln. 

 

I have had people in my life who encouraged me to grow up in my faith. I have pressed in to know Jesus more and the Holy Sprit has helped me to and I have seen John 16 at work in my own life.  5“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 

What about you? Are you steadily growing in the things of God or are you sitting in your dirty diapers screaming for someone to come entertain and spoon feed you when you should be learning to use your spoon to feed yourself? Maybe you are more mature and its time to go find some babies and to help them to grow up in the things of God. I am thankful for the mature believers who came alongside me. Who answered my endless questions. People who brought words of correction at times and at other times cheered me on as I made some step of faith. People who stood by me when I tripped and fell and loved me in spite of my brokenness and foolish behavior and choices. I will tell you that there is a dynamic that happens by being part of a community of believers, or a local church. Some times its a real pain and often people just run off to some other church rather than stay and work through things together. You stick a bunch of folks together and they begin to find that we all have a lot of rough edges and areas where we need to grow. One person may be strong in one area and weak in another. The kingdom life is not really ment to be lived in isolation. We grow best together.  Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

1 Peter 4: 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Maybe you are growing but your growth is stunted in some area and its time to allow Jesus into that place. I have had areas of pain that I kept locked away for far too long. I encourage you to let Jesus into those places. He is patient and gentle and he understands how to heal that brokenness and cause that place to grow and become fruitful.  

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Help us to be continually growing in you. Help us to discover the many gifts you have given us and to begin to put them to practice and use for your kingdom's glory. Help us to move from baby food to more solid food in your word. Help us to learn to rightly divide your word and to rightly apply it to the situations we face each day. Move us out of diapers and into training pants. Bring us life giving leaders who will challenge and encourage us on our journey. Help us to become life giving leaders who encourage others as we walk together for a reason or a season and in some cases a life time.

Lead Me

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

Can you see what is around that corner?

Psalm 143:10 

Teach me to do your will, 

for you are my God; 

may your good Spirit 

lead me on level ground.

 How does God teach us? I have come to see it to be a on going process. Sometimes I am not even aware of what God is teaching me until at some future point I look back. He has taught me his faithfulness through many trials and I have learned to trust him as he has, time after time, made a graceful way through a difficult situation. I have learned of his kindness through his people who desire to know and follow him whole heartedly. I have learned character, his purpose, his desires as I have spent time in His word, and in prayer. I have learned to be led by the Holy Spirit to respond to that nudge that say don't go that way, or speak this over the person you are praying for.  I have learned to stand on the word, to stand my ground, to stand against the enemy's of unbelief, doubt, fear by looking to the Lord and allowing him to dress me in spiritual armor. He has set up situations and circumstances to allow me to practice and to use the gifts that he has given me. I have learned of his compassion and forgiveness when I have been hurt, or made some poor choices. I have learned patience by not getting what I want the instant that I want it but by having to stand, hope, trust and know that God will provide in His time.

I think of the people who train for more extreme sports. They practice and practice to learn a new trick or a new routine. I watch my son Cai who loves to learn new skills. He will spend hours and days doing the same thing over and over until he can do that particular skill and it appears effortless. It looks to those who out of context see him do that trick as if he is just gifted. They don't see the hours that have been spent to master that skill.  You may have heard about the 10000 Rule "This is the idea that it takes approximately 10000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill. For instance, it would take 10 years of practicing 3 hours a day to become a master in your subject. It would take approximately 5 years of full-time employment to become proficient in your field. Simply work out how many hours you have already achieved and calculate how far you need to go. You should be aiming for 10000 hours."

Well I'm not one to actually count hours but I can see that the things that I have become proficient or even appear gifted in are all things that I have spent time working on. I remember when I was in high school that in my art classes there were people who were better than me at various skills but their self doubt would get in the way and many gave up. I knew that I might not be the best at a particular skill but I had learned how to work hard, I have learned how to ride a wave of inspiration when you find one. I've learned how to not give up when things are hard.

I can apply all of those things to walking with the Lord and being led by the Spirit. The more time and practice I apply to the gifts he has given me, to his word, to prayer, to our relationship the stronger and more proficient those things become.

So I guess my question to you is how are you spending your time. Are you practicing the things you want to become good at. If you want to know the Word, then you must be found reading, and studying, it, putting it to practice every day.  I look around and it is easy to get swept up in the mind numbing activities of our culture. I'm not sure that spending 10000 hours watching tv or playing computer games are doing much to hone any skills that will really pay off. On the contrary you watch enough sit coms you will begin to believe that all of life's problems should be able to be resolved in a half hour and you will feel frustrated when you find your own take longer to solve. Not to mention what are the messages that you are taking in - do they really line up with the truth of the word? How will you feel about standing before God, when he asks you what did you do with the time, talents and treasures I gave you. Will you find yourself scratching your head and realizing that maybe you spent to much time planting virtual crops playing farm town when you might have spent that time in some better way developing lasting fruit in your life.

Being led by the Lord starts with wanting His will, His way and trusting that if we seek Him, the word says we will find Him. The more we spend time in the word the more we begin to know what is important to God and the more we begin to see His character and are able to develop in the ways of the kingdom. It is easer to pray in agreement with the Word when we have spent the time to find out what the word says on a particular subject.

Please don't think that I am saying there is no place for entertainment in the life of a believer. What I am saying is don't get caught up by things that numb and dull you to the point that you no longer care. There is time enough in each day to accomplish those things that are your priorities you may have to take a look and see how you are really spending your time so that you can go back and make adjustments that better reflect your goals and desires.

One last thing perhaps if you look at the struggle you are currently facing from the perspective of "What is God training or perfecting in me though this experience" it will help you to meet it more as a challenge to over come through which you will gain some necessary skill or understanding. Turn it around and thank God for that thing it was facing a lion and a bear that caused David to be able to have the confidence in God to be able to face Golliath the giant. It was facing that giant that got him noticed by the king. It was the battles that he fought that helped convince the people of the land of his leadership skills. But the journey from shepherd boy to great king was long. It was long for Joseph from favored son to slave, to prisoner to 2nd in command of the supper power of his day. You may not yet be able to see why God has lead you along the path you have traveled. Don't give up - perhaps it is time to go around that blind corner or turn the page to the next chapter of God amazing work in your life. 


Prayer:
Dear Lord, Thank you that you order our steps and your Word illuminates our path. Help us to make time to know you, help us to want to see things from your perspective. Help us to want your will and your ways. Help us put aside things that suck up time and distract or numb us from wanting the things of your kingdom. Go before us today, lead us by your Holy Spirit. Show us the way through, when the road seems dark, and the path uncertain or even appears impossible. You are the God who leads your people - help us to be your people who listen for your instruction and obey and follow you willingly.








 

Bridges of Growth

A Devotional by Margot Cioccio

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1 Corinthians 12:4-6  

There are different kinds of gifts, 
but the same Spirit.  
⁵ There are different kinds of service, 
but the same Lord. 
⁶ There are different kinds of working, 
but the same God works 
all of them in all men. 

I was given a lovely inspirational book on Courage and Inner Strength by a friend for my birthday. I have been enjoying reading through the collection of quotes and poems.  One spoke of the times when we feel lost and like the world is collapsing all around us, as being like bridges of growth. In those times we have no idea how we will make it from moment to moment. Yet somehow we do make it through that day and the next day and the next and before we know it we are looking back and we realize that we have grown.

I find that more and more I am thankful for the challenges that come my way. Not that I go out looking for them and I do my best not to manufacture problems. I do sometimes feel like I live in the land of missfit toys. So many of the people around me are struggling with mental illness, or the effects of brain injuries, or emotional trauma, or poverty of some sort. I seem to have swallowed a magnet that draws people who are broken and hurting and needing someone to believe in them. I must have at some point traded up to a bigger magnet because for many years people said I had swallowed a kid magnet and was always ministering to kids and teens. I'm not sure when it changed but I look around and I know that it has changed. I think many of the things I have been through have been bridges for growth that have given me greater compassion.

A wise man once said, "whatever came to me, I looked on as God's gift for some special purpose. If it was a difficulty, I knew He gave it to me to struggle with, to strengthen my mind and my faith." That idea has sweetened and helped me all of my life. ~ Anonymous 

The kid magnet thing I spoke of earlier. During that season of my life I was barren and it seemed that having children was not in God's play book for me. For a while I thought it was God punishing me for the promiscuity of my youth. I finally got over that and was able to receive God's forgiveness. It was still 15 years before God would give me children of my own. In those years my life was very rich with children.  Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.  In that season I sang and sang and I got to minister to hundreds of children. The season has changed and I think it started with a prayer that went something like this. I was reading the book of Acts and my prayer began to be I want to live a life like the believers in the book of acts. I want to see God do mighty miracles in peoples lives. I don't just want normal American church where folks go to be entertained. I want to be in the middle of people who are desperate for God. Who know they can't make it with out Him. I want to be in the middle of people who like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who would say in the face of death "¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  I want to be around people who believe that God can and will deliver them. Who even if he does not will serve and worship him to their final breath.
I suppose one should be careful what they ask God for, I am however privileged to walk daily among such a people. God has answered that prayer and made me ambassador in the land of missfit and broken people. I suppose I fit right in because God has patched me back together so many times that I have lost count. In that land I am inspired by people of tremendous faith and courage. These folks are overcoming things that are not for the faint of heart. I have found that in our brokenness that we need each other more than people do who are not so broken. We become living stones in a spiritual house. 
A bit more from the passage in 1 Corinthians 12  ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 

I guess my point of this devotional is that the things you are facing can be bridges of growth in you life and you don't have to travel alone.  When you are broken you quickly realize that you need others and surprisingly others need you and I think that God is pleased when we begin to work together to accomplish His purposes. We each come to the table with something to offer and much to gain.

Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Help us to walk across the bridges of growth that you have placed in our lives. Lord help us to reach out to the people around us. Help us to not look upon our own brokenness in despair thinking we are of no value. Help us to realize that God is pleased when we bear with one another in our weakness. When we are weak He is strong. We are your hands and feet so help us realize that I may be the hands and while another may be the feet and until we learn work and walk together we sit like the lame man at the healing pool in John 5 waitng for our healing. When perhaps our healing is found in learning to depend on each other.

The Cedar, the Lily and the Olive

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The Cedar, the Lily 
and the Olive
A Devotional by Margot Cioccio




 Hosea 14:5-6 (NIV1984)
 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. 
His splendor will be like an olive tree,
his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

I found myself considering the similarities of the lily, the cedar and the olive tree. Why are these specific plants mentioned in conjunction with God being like dew?  How is God like dew?
It seems to me like a passage that is rich if one bothers to take time to consider and reflect upon it.
Dew forms in the evening and early morning when the temperature cools to the dew point. It comes so gently that it does not even damage the delicate strands of a spiders web. When God becomes to us like dew He comes rests upon us. I have found in my own life that it is in the early morning or late evening that the pace of life slows down and I am able settle and abide with the Lord. Like the dew He comes and waters my life. He covers us with His cleansing and healing presence. He provides nourishment we need to grow.  Its a work of His Spirit and presence that produces roots and shoots in our lives.

The Cedar: Cedars that get sufficient water grow rapidly and can reach 120 feet tall.  Historically the demand for cedar wood and cedar oil was so great the Cedar forests of Lebanon were used up. The cones of the cedar take three years to mature. The wood contains so much oil and was used over oak and other woods because it burned better. The wood is fragrant and resist decay and insects so it has a preserving quality.  It often is considered a symbol of eternal life. It is a symbol of restoration, strength and permanence. The smell of opening a cedar trunk sticks with you it is a fragrance that is not forgotten.

The Lily: The Lily is tall and stately in its beauty. Is often used to symbolize the purity Christ. I am always struck by the fragrance of the lilies at Easter time. Brides would often adorn their heads with lilies as a symbol of purity and innocence. It is often used as a fragrance in essential oils. 

The Olive:  It’s fruit is delicate and bruises easily and must be picked by hand if one wants superior oil. In addition to just eating the fruit a rich oil can be produced. It takes 10 pounds of olives to make 4 cups of olive oil. The olives must be crushed to release the oil. Psalm 52:8; and Jeremiah says, “The Lord called thy name a green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit”

All three of these plants are fragrant and oily. The Lord comes and cleanses us and the Holy Spirit Fills us. The symbol often used for the Holy Spirit is oil. I am reminded of Ephesians 5:1-2 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Our lives should also be fragrant and full of the Holy Spirit. Spend some time thinking about these things and how they relate to your walk with the Lord. I've just scratched the surface and I would love to hear your comments of what the Lord shows you in regards to dew, and lilies, olives and cedars.
 
Prayer: 
Dear Lord,
Come rest upon me like the dew. Make me like the lily, the cedar and the olive oily with the presence of the Holy Spirt and the fragrance of my life rise to you as a pleasing offering.