BY: ASHTON SMITH

E-MAIL ADDRESS:  ashton.e.smith@gmail.com

BIBLE TEXT: Ephesians 5:22-26 ~ “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION: This past Friday, I had the privilege to be a part of the wedding of my little sister, Kelsey, and Quinton West. I have watched their relationship evolve from “just friends” to husband and wife. The love they have for each other is so evident that even a complete stranger would not deny that they are a perfect match. Words are unnecessary; their actions say it all.

I have always loved the comparison between Christ’s relationship with the Church and the relationship between husband and wife. We often read this passage in Ephesians to remind ourselves how to be a better spouse. However, it is also a powerful statement of how the Church should exist with Christ. Sometimes I wonder though, are we, as the Church, the bride that Christ deserves? Is our love for Christ as evident as Kelsey’s love for Quinton when they exchanged their vows on Friday? Whether you are married or not, you know the kind of marriage you want to have with your spouse. Maybe you have found it, maybe your relationship needs some work, or maybe you’re still waiting to find that person with whom to share your life. One way or another, we have an idea of what we want in a marriage. In the same way, we should dream of and work toward that kind of relationship with Christ. He is the One that loves us unconditionally, the One that will support us despite our circumstances, the One waiting for us to walk down the aisle and commit our lives to Him. As the bride is anxious to meet her groom at the altar, are you anxious to meet Him there? Are you longing to submit to His will as a wife should be for her husband? Are you craving to be totally and completely committed to Him? Christ is waiting for us at the altar, but the question is whether or not we are ready to walk down the aisle and say, “I do.”

PRAYER: God, thank You for loving us and blessing us far more than we could ever deserve. You are the Head of the Church, and we are Your bride. Let us submit to You and commit ourselves fully to Your will for our lives. You are such a good and faithful God. May we be anxious and willing to share our journey with You from now until eternity. Thank you, God, for Your commitment to the Church and for waiting at the altar. May we be as enthusiastic to make the same commitment to You. We love You and honor You. In Christ’s name, Amen.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ashton Smith is happily engaged to Kyle Bemis with plans to marry on September 22, 2012. She is a graduate of MTSU with a Bachelor degree in Social Work and works for Catholic Charities – Tennessee Office for Refugees. Ashton has attended Life Assembly since 2008 and works with the Lifesavers kids as well as the VIDA kids on Monday nights. She has a passion for missions, traveling, and immersing herself in other cultures. She and Kyle are excited to see what journey God has for them next! “Be careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…” -Ephesians 5:15-16

BY: 

E-MAIL ADDRESS:  njsagent31@yahoo.com

BIBLE TEXT:  Matthew 5: 14-16: You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father in heaven.

PERSONAL REFLECTION: Early 2012, I was blessed to land a good size job in Brentwood, Tennessee. For those that don’t know, I install low voltage cabling infrastructure for commercial buildings. The job had a horrible owner that constantly changed things the entire time. On an everyday basis I would hear many STRONG curse words. Most subs would frequently call it the JOB FROM HELL. I didn’t have much argument toward that, but I know God gives me everything I get and that always gives me a different outlook on my work.

Towards the very end of the job the foreman approached me and said a few things. Let me paint a picture of this man. He’s a very rough around the edges kind of man; he reminded me of a John Wayne type. He said to me, “Naz, I want to take this opportunity to tell you something. It has truly been my pleasure to work alongside you on this project. No matter what the owner and I have thrown at you, your attitude and respect was impeccable. (Here it comes) “Honestly Naz, every time you’ve walk onto this job site, it’s like a ray of light fills this place up.”

WOW! Can you believe that? That is the first time a grown man, a foreman, a John Wayne, had ever said something like that to me. God’s light TRULY does shine.

PERSONAL APPLICATION: People don’t light a lamp to put a basket over it; they put it on a stand. Why as Christians do we put in the work to light our lamps, go to church on Sundays, read our Bibles, listen to “The Fish,” (to just name a few things) and then turn around to put a basket over our lamps when we are in the WORLD? I want to challenge you, and myself, to have the courage and boldness to place ourselves on the stand, to give light to our house, our work, our community, and our peers and to have the confidence in ourselves and in The King we serve no matter the ridicule, embarrassment, humility.

PRAYER: Father, I first want to thank You for all You have and will do for me. I thank You for the opportunity to be Your light, I thank You for the work to go along with that. I ask that You continue to teach me ways to serve you more OUT LOUD. I realize that I will never arrive until the day I see Your face, and for that reason I want to continue to be a worker for You. I love You and I honor You….Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

I am married to the beautiful Alicia Roseberry and have two boys: NJ and Isaiah Roseberry. We have been attending Life Assembly for 6 years now and couldn’t see ourselves anywhere else in the world.

BY:

EMAIL ADDRESS: dlcrawford1@comcast.net

BIBLE TEXT:  1 Corinthians 2:3-5:  “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s POWER, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s POWER.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION: What is this POWER of which Paul wrote? I cannot fathom the true POWER of the God I serve. He is majestic; the POWER of His love extends through all the earth. His POWER gives and takes life at His will. The objects of His wrath will tremble in His presence. This POWER resides in me and on me. His Holy Spirit not only speaks to me, it guides me, and His Spirit breaks me and has restored me. His POWER consumes me. He lifts me up and tears me down; He humbles me and exalts me. I walk with this POWER.

Unlike the power of potential or the power of wisdom and knowledge, His POWER is undeniable and irrefutable. He is my KING. And all this POWER is not displayed with wise and persuasive words, but as a demonstration of His resurrection and restoration POWER. It is my testimony about Him; His POWER is a display of my life. He IS THE POWER and the source of all things. His POWER is the I AM. And He is mine. I will never leave Him.

The sad thing is our lack of recognition of the Holy Spirits power that we already possess. The power that Paul wrote about resides in you NOW. The greatest power that the world has ever known lives and takes up residence in the life of a believer.  Yes, you and me. What if we were to “Unleash the POWER Within” us? What if we changed today and lived that “full out” at work and school?

In fact, I want to challenge you, Church, the body of Christ, to whom I write. I challenge you to break with your inhibitions and the fear that keeps you from playing full out this coming Sunday. My challenge to us is to remove whatever self-imposed limits you bring with you to church and for once, come to church with the childlike faith our King seeks – to bring your best worship. The worship that says, I want to be healed of the opinions of men and take a walk in the garden with your heavenly Father. Let’s raise the bar even higher; I encourage you to “out-worship” the strongest worshiper this week.

PERSONAL APPLICATION:  I believe the best days of the body of Christ are in front of us. To live limitless, unleash the power within you now. Let’s go after him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and let’s unleash the POWER within us together! He is worthy of our honor and our praise.

PRAYER: Father, have Your way with me. Set me on fire with the POWER of your Holy Spirit!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Darrell, with his wife of 27 years, Paula, and their daughters Chelsey and Shelby have served alongside the citizens of Life Assembly for the past 5 years WITHOUT LIMIT.

BY:

EMAIL:  andrew@lifeassembly.com

BIBLE TEXT:  Psalms 127:1 (NIV) – A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

PERSONAL REFLECTION:  As we stand poised and ready to embark on the next ten years as a family at Life, I  have been recounting the past. It is no mystery the the Bible gives us clear perspective of the past.  By its very nature, the Bible is a look at the past.

I recently took a walk through an old, abandoned building.  It was physically worn, dusty, slanted, and deteriorating.  Mostly what I saw was unused. It was clearly evident that at one time this thriving, industrial, well-established and impacting facility serviced many someones.  I noticed all the fixtures, lighting, decor options etc. and construction process had at one time been the best of that day.  Now they quietly speak of the past with no one really listening or observing.

In that same day I visited a building that is being constructed. Adorned with the latest of  gadgetry, construction technology, and materials.  It was amazing!  I doted over the facility, the creativity in craftsmanship and recognized that soon it will be a useful serving place that many will want to see and be a part of.

The old building has had no one there to keep the past alive; it lost its luster.

The new building was being adorned and heralded by many.

It’s funny to me that a major trend today is the revitalization of old and abandoned buildings.  When you ask someone why they would spend so much money on renovation, the answer always is “it has such great history.”

Ten years of Life Assembly is not much of history in the grand scope.  But it is history; it must not lose its luster!  New, present day, and adventurous plans must lie ahead and do.  But our history is often waiting to birth forth new victorious elements in our life for Him.

Walk into any building in downtown Nashville that has been renovated, and you know what? You will love it.  What you are loving is the past grandeur of this building which causes us to love and embrace its new future.

When the past and future collide, history is made.  History has a way of yielding  to what is coming.  Acts Chapter 2 is the lesson of past, new, and future tangling together for epic results.

Your life’s history may seem old, abandoned, dusty, with a lack of luster, but its value when coupled with what Christ wants to do with you today is an epic building.  I have realized this week more than ever to allow my past to propitiate the future.  When we look at history it may be sad or happy most likely a combination of both,  but polished and revitalized (spiritually speaking) we become adorned, new and useful.

PERSONAL APPLICATION:  As you walk around in your life today take a look for all those things that have been renewed and built again.

PRAYER: Lord, I pray today and recognize You have masterfully created me.  I ask You to let me build my house on who You are and who You have made me. I pray that my labor will always abound in Your grace and favor.  May I, as vessel, be built on who You are.

BY:

EMAIL ADDRESS:  oyeagwc@comcast.net

BIBLE TEXT:  1 Timothy 4:12:
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”

PERSONAL REFLECTION: I feel that I am a fairly simple man. I love God, my country, my wife and daughter, my mom and dad, and my dog. I am proof that God does have a sense of humor. 251 days after I was born, He created a wife for me–specifically for me–a woman that has the patience for me and my kind of humor and immaturity.

When asked to contribute to Day in the Life, I was very hesitant. I am not a theologian, Bible scholar, or even a college graduate; I am just an ordinary guy with an ordinary life.

As many of you know, I wear many hats in my life. As stated before, I love God, which at times, for me, can be the most difficult hat to wear. Humbly saying that, here is my reasoning: I have worked part time in the restaurant/bar industry for over 10 years, and in that lifestyle, you meet all kinds. I cross paths with people that appear to have no direction and some that “appear” to have no direction but actually do.

I was working late one Saturday evening and a woman I see regularly was leaving to go home. In customary fashion, I held the door and told her to be safe going home. She turned to me and said, “I have to get home to get some sleep before church in the morning.” I replied, “Me too!” She immediately stopped and said, “You go to church too? Where do you go?”

The words “me too” must have struck a chord with her. She stopped and wanted to know more about me and my beliefs. We exchanged information in conversation about where we went to church (the greatest church in America), how long we had been Christians, and how we didn’t know this information about each other until that night. She told me how she sang in her choir and how far she had to commute to church. In mid-conversation, she stopped talking. She just looked down at the ground, and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I love Him, I just love Him. He changed my life and I live for Him.” It appeared like it was a relief to say it out loud to someone. Just to say it. “I love Him.” She was on fire for Him and I felt it. We hugged and she went on her way. It was just that simple.

I see her very regularly now, but since that night, we look at each other different. We may not know each other, but we both know that we both live for Him.

Did me uttering the words, “me too” spark the conversation? I didn’t initiate it. I just responded to a customary statement. We discuss at Life Brothers (men’s life group shameless plug), that iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). It’s good to know that even in the cloudiness of the different lifestyles we come around, that there still are people who are not afraid to say that they love Him. No frills, no parades, they simply love Him.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for my life as I have it. With the reward come challenges, but I know you won’t give me more than I can handle. Let me be the person that You want me to be. Let me stand out in a crowd. I pray that in the busyness of life, that I can slow down for You. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. In YOUR name ~ AMEN.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
I am married to Tracy Clarke, and we have a daughter named Taylor. We have been married 15 years. We have been attending Life for about 4 years and serve on Life’s Face Team. I am a U.S. Navy veteran and I currently work at Legends Title Services in Lebanon, and work part time on the weekends at Shipwreck Cove at Elm Hill Marina.

BY:

EMAIL: ajwagner@tds.net

BIBLE TEXT:  Matthew 7:1-5:   Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

PERSONAL REFLECTION:  I have met some amazing people in the last few weeks.  No…I didn’t just meet them. Actually, I have been aware of their existence for a few years now. However, I only recently really let myself see them past my initial “perception” of who I thought they were.  I was seeing them through stuck up, hypercritical, “I can’t believe you aren’t cool like me” eyes.

Do I think I’m stuck up? Not really.  Do I think I’m judgmental? Oh, most definitely. But recently God has been doing a good work in me.  He has been opening my eyes to see past some of my preconceived notions I’ve had about some people that I thought I had pegged.  I love when He does this!!  He takes something about me that is so worldly and makes a way for me to change.  He makes a way for me to “learn” how to love people better and how to be a better me for Him.  Once he opened my eyes and my heart, I began to see these people in a different light. They are actually pretty amazing and I’m thinking I could probably become good friends with them. Who knew? ………God did.

PRAYER:  Lord, I accept that I have a critical spirit at times.  It’s not something I’m proud of, but it is something that I would desperately love to release to You.  Help me to continue to grow by seeing people the way you see them, in love, and for what they truly are, not through my small, judgmental eyes. Father, I want you to be able to use me as a tool. I don’t want to miss out on knowing some truly special people just because I don’t give them a fair chance. Where would I be if you didn’t give me a fair shot? – Amen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

By the grace of God, John and Amy Wagner live in Mt. Juliet and have been married 14 years with three children (Andrew, Brianna and Alex).  They have attended Life Assembly since 2005 and serve the church within the children and adult ministries. Amy is currently a Veterinary Technician but also working full time toward a degree in psychology for professional counseling with a focus on children and teens of domestic violence and drug/alcohol abuse.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”– Romans 8:28