To soar like an eagle, you’re going to have to fall out of the nest a few times. To burn hotter, you need to feed the fire. Getting stronger and becoming more successful isn’t easy.

Learning to fly like an eagle means you have to leave the comfort of the nest and spread your wings. You might hit some branches on the first few flights, but it is impossible to learn and grow without sacrifice. With experience comes the ability to soar to greater and greater heights.

Look around you, really look. What kind of people surround you in life? To grow into an eagle, you need to surround yourself with eagles. To be a white-hot Christian, you need to surround yourself with other Christians dedicated to living more Godly lives. At work, on your day off, on Friday night – who are you surrounded by? Anyone you would consider an eagle? Eagles build their eyries high in the mountains and in the tops of trees, secure from assault. A prairie chicken will never reach those lofty places. You don’t have to worry about those bumps and bruises from learning to fly when you build your nest at ground level. But then again, a full-grown eagle has no natural predators. Pecking around in the dust for insects and seeds, prairie chickens are just nature’s fast food.

If becoming a white-hot Christian was easy, we could just wake up one morning and decide to become white-hot for God and that would be that. It would be nice, wouldn’t it, to just wake up and decide to be rich, wise, inspiring, or loved. Like these, waking up a white-hot Christian is only a dream without action. We need to really wake up and realize we are responsible for our own actions!

How many times have we disliked someone just for the car they drive, the amount of free time or money they have, or the amount of happiness that surrounds them? Granted, having success in the ways of the world is meaningless if your soul isn’t in the right place – but this “prairie chicken” mentality is so easy to slip into, how can we hope to truly stretch our wings and fly like eagles if we can’t break the habit of negativity? You can’t put a price on love and happiness, but they aren’t free either. Even if it doesn’t show on the surface, time and work are needed to become successful in business, in marriage, and in life. Somewhere along the line, maybe behind the scenes, a lot of hard work was applied to help these individuals multiply the joys in their lives. How can we become white-hot Christians when we can’t love our neighbors, the very people we are trying to bring to God, for poorer and for richer?

We all have to venture out into the world, chickens and eagles alike, to get what we need. But without the protective “nest” to return to, the inexperienced and immature have no safe place to grow, and the full-grown eagles have no place to rest. Cypress Meadows can be that place. If you are committed to spreading your wings, come what may, and you allow the Lord God to be your guide, Cypress will help you grow. You will never soar like an eagle, or even learn to fly, when raised by prairie chickens.

It’s up to you.

“Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Psalm 103: 4-5 (NIV)

“Like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The LORD alone led him.” Deuteronomy 32: 11-12 (NIV)

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40: 29-31 (NIV)

~ Marq Caughell

Matthew 20:29-34 (New International Version)

I love this passage. Jesus is again with a large crowd. Jesus is called out to. The crowd wants Him to have nothing to do with those calling out, but Jesus stops. He gives them his full attention.

What do we know about those calling out? We know that they are blind. They have a definite need. And they called out to Jesus.

When we are in community, in our small groups, prayer partnerships, if we are in need we should call out for help. We should obviously call out for help to Christ, but also to the people He has put us in community with.

But the part I truly love about this passage is Christ’s response. He doesn’t immediately walk over, fix the problem and continue on. He simply asks them, “what can I do for you?”

I think I love that because it’s so simple, but it is often not how this kind of situation goes. Instead, we often fail to ask for help when we need it. And, if we are the ones giving help, we often dive in and provide help to those around us without asking them what it really is that we can do for them.

Years ago a dear friend of mine was hurting deeply over a tremendous loss. I went to her and asked what I could do. To be completely honest, I had no idea. I knew I couldn’t change what had happened or in any way reduce the loss she had experienced. I had no clue how to help. Had I just stepped in and tried to “fix” on my own the fix would probably have been a few meals prepared and brought over.
Instead, we decided to just go for a walk together. This walk changed our friendship. We talked and listened to each other and cried over the terrible loss.

She later told me that she was hurting so badly that she didn’t know how to do much more than to just say “help” and that she really needed me to follow up with her to figure out better what that help could be. To this day she is one of my dearest friends and I truly believe it is because of that walk. That walk is also a great reminder to me to make sure to ask “what can I do for you?”

I hope that this week as we spend time together with those that we care for that they will be willing to ask for help when they need it and that we will love them enough to ask, “what can I do for you?” and that we will then do it.

~ Deana Kistner

I had a wonderful gift today from a friend who happens to also be in my next step partnership. It actually was a gift, but it wasn’t so much the present that was the true gift but what it represented.

Let me explain. This morning at second service one of my girlfriends tracked me down to hand me a lovely gift bag. It was a little heavy for the size of bag and I didn’t even have to take out the contents before a huge smile crossed my face. Inside was a container of Chai concentrate. Not only was it Chai, but it was (in my estimation) the best Chai on the market… and it was decaf!

Chai is my comfort drink and one of my true indulgences. But what really blew me away about this gift is how it so beautifully demonstrated that my friend “gets” me. She has invested enough in me to want to know what makes me happy and what I truly enjoy (and that me on caffine would not be a good idea.)

Now that’s an amazing gift. To “know and be known”. In spite of the fact that vulnerability is a huge hurdle for everyone to cross in any relationship, the rewards of truly being “known” are enormous and well worth the investment.

It made me wonder,
am I showing the people that I care about the same?
Do they know that I “get” them?
What can I do to show them that?
And who do I need to invest in who needs to be “known”?

What about you? How do you answer the above questions?

So, to my friend, thank you! Thank you for the gift but even more for “getting” me.

~ Deana Kistner

Have you ever been on a blind date?  It can be awkward.  It takes you out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes getting into a Next Step Partnership can feel the same way.  However, just like a blind date, trying a Next Step Partnership can be a lot easier if you know what you’re looking for and know some basic do’s and don’ts.

Visit the sermon blog/podcast to listen to the teaching online, review and reflect on the sermon notes, and consider the next step in your spiritual journey.  Plus hear what 4 Cypress Meadowers say about the difference their Next Step Partnerships have made in their lives.

My small group met recently to discussed the “Ring of Fire.” One of the questions we asked ourselves was, “Why do you think some people don’t get involved in a Next Step Partnership?”

While several reasons were mentioned, there are two that stood out to me.

One reason is that some people are afraid they won’t like the other people in the group. What if someone talks all the time and is really annoying? What if someone is really arrogant, thinking they know the whole Bible and they’re always right and I feel stupid? What if someone talks about really personal stuff and I feel awkward? What if someone in the group is a Packers fan?

I’m not going to lie to you, these things do happen. In fact I’ve experience all these uncomfortable situations in the 15+ years I’ve been in small groups - even the Packers fan. There are no perfect people, and so there are no perfect groups.

Think about the closest relationships you have - your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your kids, your co-workers, or your really good friends. You’ve probably had uncomfortable moments with every one of them - awkward moments, misunderstandings, times when they’ve let you down or gotten on your nerves, and even arguments. But you’ve also probably had great times, memorable moments, and built strong bonds that far outweigh the bad.

(On a side note, it’s important to understand that when you try out a small group, prayer partnership, or serving team you are not signing up for life. You can try one for a few weeks and if it’s not a good fit, just bow out and try another one.)

A second reason some people are hesitant to be a part of a next step partnership is they are afraid of what people would think if they really got to know them. If I get into a small group, people might find out my marriage is struggling right now. People might find out I have this problem with anger or lust. People might see that I’m not a perfect Christian.

Again, I’m not going to lie to you - you’re right. Now, nobody is going to ask you to bear your soul the first time you go to a small group, but as those relationships develop, you get to know people, and they get to know you, they will probably see your shortcomings and failures. But you know what? We all have our failings. We all struggle with sin. We all have a past that includes moments we’re not very proud of. We all go through difficult times.

As Christians, we know we are all flawed and in need of God’s grace and forgiveness, so every small group leader and serving team leader strives to create a place where it is safe to be open, authentic, and free of condemnation. We support each other and bear one another’s burdens.

Every log when it burns gives off sooty, smelly smoke. You can try to keep yourself at a distance so you’re not bothered by anyone else’s smoke and they can’t smell yours, but then you’re too far away to gain any warmth. If want to burn white-hot spiritually, you’ve got to put yourself into a ring of fire (next step partnership). And if you’re in a ring of fire, you have to put up with a little smoke. But, hey, your smoke stinks too. And we love you anyway. Really, we do.

~ Paul Steinbrueck