RE:Awaken Perspectives: Krisely Regaldo

I found Awaken a few years ago after hearing about them through an info meeting I attended for The Virginia Beach Justice Initiative.  I was shocked to learn  that a CHURCH was actually helping a human trafficking awareness and outreach organization. After all, Human Trafficking, abuse, addiction, and sex aren’t topics that I would normally associate with church outreach.  But sure enough, Awaken was doing something crazy.. it was challenging our city…AWAKENING it.  Awaken says it’s a church for the broken, yet redeemed by Christ's sacrifice.  That’s deep.  It’s hard for someone who’s been hurt, who’s been broken and shamed by a painful past, to stand tall and let their scars be shown; to say “I may have been a broken vessel, but in God’s eyes, I am a masterpiece". 

Everybody has a past, whether we choose to share it and use it as a vessel of hope and mending is up to us.  I completely feel encouraged and blessed to be a part of a church that lets me use my wounds  and battle scars as proof of Gods amazing grace and love.  Gathering the courage to attend my first service at Awaken was scary at first.  I knew I wanted to have a home church, I even did some church hopping with hopes of finding a church that simply just felt right.  But time after time I was let down. With Awaken, I instantly saw a church that wasn’t afraid to step out of traditional comfort and reach out.  I knew right away that Awaken would be a place I could call home.  A place where my family could grow and be challenged spiritually.  

It easy to stand on the sidelines and talk about change, it’s easy to gather and make plans to create change, but to physically reach out to someone and create change takes courage, spiritual strength, and purpose.  This is why I’m so excited to see the impact Awaken will be making through their RE:Awaken 2016 campaign.  Change is scary, stepping out of the norm is scary.  But fear is something that will always be there, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it”, Nelson Mandela.  I know that together, we can triumph and make an impact despite our fears.

RE:Awaken 2016 Perspectives: Elise Grybos

Elise excited for true community in Awaken

After high school I somehow found myself at a small liberal arts Christian college and it was great. I was surrounding by other God loving people who were on fire for Jesus. I could walk to my classes and hear people using the word Yahweh without batting an eye. People didn’t think I was addicted to carbs when I talked about my daily bread (although I am totally addicted to them…). Then the day came when I had to leave my little bubble and I was seriously unprepared.

I had gotten into a bad state of mind where I expected community to be created around and for me. Like many Christians, I was so used to going to a church building one to three times a week where other people had created a community for us. We enjoy our “free pass” where we don’t need to step out of our comfort zone and actually get to truly know, love, and support the people around us.

Having an authentic community is scary and our culture is probably the laziest at creating it. I mean we, pat ourselves on the back for being a good friend because we sent an old friend a Facebook birthday post with a picture attached. I give myself extra friend bonuses if I type in some false promise of getting together sometime soon with some vague location and time. We retweet a friend who is obviously crying out for help instead of calling or visiting with them, because you know that would just be awkward.

A true community isn’t always there to make our lives easier; I typically find it to be quite the opposite. It is when we are in an authentic community, we realize it isn’t all about me.  When we live in community we not only deal with our own problems, but the problems of our community.  In a true community we don’t show up and unload. We show up unload some of our issues but then gain the burden of others and feel for the people we have grown to love. We have people who won’t let us get away with “yeah I’m fine,” or “I’m doing ok.”  We are surrounded with people who love us enough to make us dig deep and ugly cry when needed. It can get messy and it is definitely hard but the beauty that blooms from it is so worth it.

We need to live in community not because it makes us feel better, but because it brings glory to God. In John 13:34, Jesus tells his disciples that people will know they are disciples of His because of how they love each other. Reading that makes me automatically start to want to bargain with God, I mean does he know how annoying some of these people He created are?  The answer is, yes of course He does. Then he asks me if I know how annoying I am, and I do…most times.

When I think of our community groups at Awaken, I see it as a designated time to intentionally develop relationships with others. Yes, we meet together to discuss God’s Word and theology, but I wouldn’t say that’s our only focus because knowledge is easily accessible, relationships are not. These  groups are a safe place to invite others to come without the Sunday morning pressure. Where you’re not asking them to “church” but you’re still surrounding them with God’s Church. Our community groups are a place for us to practice and nurture each other, so that we can go out and develop community with others. 
 

It is easy for us, as Christians to go to church and be disciples, sitting still and listening to our preacher Sunday morning. We often forget that we are all pastors, and our church meeting on Sunday is equipping us to go out, leave, and join little churches in our homes, neighborhoods, work, play groups, and everywhere else our lives touchdown. Why do we hold back from doing this? Besides being downright terrifying for the introverted at heart, it is hard, messy, and makes us come face to face with the responsibility we have as Christians.

So while I believe our Sunday morning gathering and community groups are essential and teach us, they need to be our pushing off point to create community with others around us. God doesn’t want us to only do what makes us comfortable,  as much as I would like to lay on the couch marathoning shows on Netflix, I know it is not how I’m going to build a community and add to God’s church.  As a church we need to step out of our comfort zones, do something courageous- have a five minute conversation with your neighbor, ask your co-worker what they’re passionate about, pay for the coffee for the person behind you, tell someone who is often overlooked just how much you appreciate them. It doesn’t take much to raise up others around us and it can be done with words or without them. God can help us run and fight through any barricade (2 Samuel 22:30), even if your barricade is crossing the street to love your neighbor.

Do People Suck The Life Out Of You?

Do you have people that just Suck The Life Out of You?  If you are like most people the answer is an astounding YES!  Last spring at Awaken we spent time looking at how we love those life sucking vampires in our lives?  Below are some simple things that we looked at in hopes of dealing with these life sucking vampires.

Ever have to deal with these kinds of people?

• People who approach life with a high sense of entitlement and low sense of gratitude.
• People who always forget their wallets.
• People who never follow through with their responsibilities or commitments.
• People who think their issues or crisis are the most important thing on the planet.
• People who talk too much and listen too little.
• People who point out everybody else’s issues in spite of their own.
• People who act as if I guess that will be good enough for me.
• People who put in minimal efforts but want max results.
• People freak out about the slightest inconvenience.
• People who are constantly complaining about their situation.
• People who say they will do something for you and you know they never intend to do it because they always make blanket promises.

I don't know about you, but as I read these I can't help but see some of me in them.  In week one we discussed that maybe I am a life sucking Vampire too.  To love the people who suck the life out of us we have to realize that we suck too! 

Forgiveness can also be one of those life sucking vampires in our lives.  There is a continuum between forgiveness and bitterness.  Meaning that if we are not forgiving we are becoming embittered.  But the real question is how do we forgive some of those atrocities that have been done to me or those that I love?  We looked at a nugget of truth that can make this easier.  Grace Received Can Transform Pain Perceived.  Basically the more I understand how much grace I've needed the more I understand how I need to forgive others. 

Knowing that I suck too, doesn't eliminate some others from sucking the life out of me.  Therefore  healthy boundaries can really become the "Garlic and Stakes" for fighting off those vampires.  We have to be able to understand which relationships are going to encourage me and build me up and which ones are going to challenge me and take some extra energy.  Paul knew this and labeled his relationships appropriately in 2 Timothy 4:9-15.  When you label a relationship correctly you are able to engage it appropriately.  Also unconditional love doesn't mean granting equal access.  Jesus showed this in his ministry. 

So there is no way that we can leave a world where people drain other people.  But maybe realizing some of these truths will help us to be able to grow and learn and challenge one another on How To Hug A Vampire. To access the messages in this series: http://awakenvirginiabeach.com/media/sermons/hug-a-vampire-series.html

Rockstar Mom's

 Day Two of bringing little guy home.  Silas Brin Pumphrey was born Tuesday August 14th at 2:33.  Connie is a Rockstar of a wife, but also a Rockstar of a mom.  NO MEDS!!  Being with my wife during the delivery of our fourth child got me thinking about Mom's. 


**My Mom was always my biggest cheerleader!  She said the skies the limit!  Dream and shoot high!

God used this to give me the confidence there is nothing that cannot be accomplished if you are willing to put in the discipline, perseverance, and know it is what God has called you to do.  Mom taught me to go hard after life.

**My Mom was always the stabilizer in the family.  With Dad working, my mom brought order to our home and made sure that things functioned.  Trust me with my mischievous personality order was often needed.

God really used my mom to teach me discipline as I watched her diligently go about keeping order in our home.  Discipline is one of the core elements that somebody needs through life.  Thanks Mom!

**My Mom sure did persevere through life as well.  She would tell stories about challenges through her life and I would watch her walk our family through challenges. She was sure to make mine and my sisters life better no matter the challenges we were faced with as a family.

This perseverance I learned through my mom taught me that I can walk through anything with God's help.  I learned through her steadfast example that nothing was going to take you down unless you let it.  There is always something we can learn along the journey.  Thanks for being a Fighter Mom!

**My Mom taught me time and time again about sacrifice.  There wasn't nothing she was willing to sacrifice for her kids and her family.

I really hope that through my life and leading my family that I can teach them what it means to sacrifice as my mom had taught me. 

**My Mom taught me respect.  There was no way I would have disrespected another person because I knew I would have to answer to mom for it.  This is something I think is missing a lot in our society.  Just a simple respect for others.

I can see my wife along with many of these other things teaching our kids what it means to respect people.  Through this hard lesson from my mom I believe it has really given me a value for loving people where they are at in life.  Not letting them stay there, but loving them forward.

These are just a few things I can think that my Mom taught me. 

Thanks Mom, for being a Rockstar Mom!

How was your Mom a Rockstar of a Mom?  Say Thanks!