VOUS Church

Sometimes on the outside damage can’t be seen, but on the inside turmoil is taking place. We tend to hide the signs of mental illness until it’s too late. When this damage progresses, unseen by others, it prevents us from being able to receive blessings in our lives and destroys us from the inside out.

 

Pastor Rich tackles the crippling issue mental illness by opening the collection of talks “Are You Ok?” with “The Suicide Deception”. In it, he explains that depression, anxiety, and fear are common psychological challenges many of us face in life but the state of our mental health doesn’t have to lead to our downfall. 

 

If we are dealing with mental illness it's not because we aren’t spiritual enough. Being unwell in mental health is not a sin, is not a weakness, and is not our identity.

 

It’s OK to not be OK, it’s just not OK to not tell anyone. At VOUS, we know that God wants us all to have life more abundantly and we are a family that helps each other through the highs and lows of life.

 

The suicide deception is a lie, and the only way to counteract a lie is with the truth. The truth is when we focus on faith and community it leads us running to life. We’ve got to fight with faith, and sometimes the only way to fight back and exercise faith is to get up after being knocked down. To choose life and discover purpose we have to get up.

 

Mental illness unchecked has real repercussions - depression in 2018 is the leading cause of suicide. Suicide is the number one killer of people ages 15 - 24. Realize that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if you need to talk to someone, at 1-800-273-8255.

There’s an “it” that gnaws at each one of us - that issue that bothers us, but better to stay comfortable by relegating it to the back of our minds, something to be dealt with on another day and another time. It could be an open secret in a marriage, a purpose we’ve found excuses for not being realized or perhaps, we’ve chosen to step over the rubble of what’s left of a life once carved out than dealing with it head-on.  

We had a special guest at VOUS in Pastor Micahn Carter who asked us of our “it,” why we haven’t dealt with it, and charged us in his message to Pick It Up.  He shared from the Book of Nehemiah and how Nehemiah lived comfortably in the king’s palace until receiving the message about the walls of Jerusalem in ruins. 

Pastor Micahn showed us that though the walls of Jerusalem were in ruins for 120 years, they were rebuilt in 52 days when Nehemiah acted with a step of taking the first brick. The unique thing about Nehemiah’s story can be likened to our lives:  God uses what’s already there – what’s in us rather than from an outside source.  That we don’t need something new to rebuild what’s left of our lives if we’re willing to give it to him, just as it is. Then we can see the value he’s placed in us as he makes us strong at the broken places.

On a daily basis, there are opportunities to get offended. Whether it’s in the checkout line or office, or the way someone says something to us, there doesn’t fail to be something to trip us up. The question is, what to do with offense when it comes our way. Completing the “Love Lies” collection of talks with the message “Trapped in Offense,” Pastors Rich and DawnCheré breakdown how offense has the potential to ravage our relationships. They let us know that offense is actually a trap that can lead to resentment, bitterness and even hatred if left unchecked. The way we contend with offense makes all the difference in whether we take the bait or not.In order to avoid the specific pitfalls of offense the enemy has specifically planned for us, we must resolve to have a strategy when dealing with offense. The first of which is to deal with offense quickly with forgiveness before offense has a chance to take its toll. Then we must constantly remind ourselves of our identity and purpose in Christ - we find that in the word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And any strategy in relationships must include an understanding that the fight is a spiritual one, therefore we must approach offense with our spiritual weapon of prayer. The petty misunderstandings in life do not have to become the major problems in life.  Before offense has the chance to fence us into a corner, let’s go on the offensive, armed with a strategy that gives us a way out. When in doubt, we can look to the example of Jesus. He had every reason to take offense but forgave to the very end. Because of his forgiveness, we too have the power to forgive.

How many times have you sat in a room full of people, yet because of the content of the conversation, you felt completely alone? The feeling of loneliness is not unique to a sad few, it's a human condition, affecting relationships all around the world. Loneliness has such a disruptive effect that it has repercussions for our health, negatively affecting our bodies on a cellular level. King David, the warrior, the man who was dear to God’s heart, was not exempt from loneliness. As if in a journal, David wrote the psalms with his real, raw feelings. In Psalm 22, we read his discouraged thoughts in a season of loneliness. He thought himself unworthy. David’s very identity was at stake – all of his triumphs were cast in the shadow of his lonely thoughts. How often have we been in this very position, losing the sense of who we are? Yet through David words, we can find strength. It’s who he wrote his words to that counts–to God. David, despite feeling empty, isolated and unwanted, gave over his grievances to God, the only one who can provide the perfect answer to our feelings of emptiness. The Lord is our rescue, never leaving us alone when we are down and out. The perfect company, position, or surroundings can’t fill us up, but God can. So like David, let us never forget where we could draw on strength to get us out of loneliness. Rather than putting on a façade and further isolating ourselves, let’s give the turmoil that’s happening on the inside to God, so we can be transformed from the inside out.

We’ve heard many songs of falling in love and having a fairy-tale ending.  But what if many of those songs, in nod to another hit, have been telling us sweet little lies. The truth is, falling has to do with stumbling that can lead to broken pieces.  And to that fairy-tale ending, life proves more complicated with its detours, to find ourselves in the destructive wake of what we once called “love.” 

 

Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. delved into that concept of when falling in love falls apart by kicking off a collection of talks on Love Lies, with a message titled Big Little Lies.  He took us on a journey of King David’s family from 2 Samuel 13, specifically with his children Amnon and Tamar and the lie of how Amnon “loved” Tamar but quickly turned to hatred after a horrific act.

The message was a mirror to how we see our relationships. Do we see them as one thing that becomes so familiar that we forget the multi-faceted nature of those individuals and their intended purpose to sharpen us as we give to it? One of the lies we tell ourselves in relationships is thinking lust is equivalent to love. Lust is using someone as an instrument for our satisfaction.  Lust is about taking something while love is about giving something. Love is an intentional decision – to look past convenience to commitment, past feelings to faith. And that, is the truth about love.

Stand firm. The message of continuing to carry out the mission even when obstacles arise. But HOW do you stand firm? What does that look like in our daily lives? In his message titled "Put Your Foot Down," Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. tells us how to set a firm foundation. When we don't have stable, equal footing in life, that which isn't not difficult, becomes dangerous.Referencing the story of Joshua, Moses' successor leading the Israelites, we learn that sometimes we too can waste our season of wilderness by complaining, being anxious or doubtful of our future. Doing so delays the destiny God has for us. But instead of thinking the worst, we should change our perspective, believing that God is doing a new thing in us. When we become restless in the current tide, we must hold on and push through. For it is in the mundane moments that memorable ones are made. Before we decide to put our foot down and say enough is enough to the negative thinking, our toxic habits or those who've outlived their season in our lives, we first have to remove and replace, allowing God to prune us from the inside out.As we step further into our calling, our comfort zones are compromised but we must remember to be "strong and courageous," just like God reminded Joshua to be.So today, put your foot down and stand firm on God's promises that He WILL see you through just like before and watch as your life begins to change.

With the 3-year anniversary of VOUS Church approaching, Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. laid out the vision of the church in this next year, with the day appropriately called "Vision Sunday."In his talk, "Stand Firm," Pastor Rich illustrates the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. As the Israelites get closer to the Promised Land, they begin to reminisce on their past, believing that their current journey will only lead to their demise. Moses encourages them to have faith, be courageous and remain planted in order to move forward.With a new vision for the life of VOUS Church, Pastor Rich encourages the community to stand firm even when obstacles arise. As the church continues to expand, we should honor the journey that led to this point but stay committed to what's up ahead.Although reaching our destiny in life is the goal, it comes at a cost. The cost may mean ridding ourselves of old habits and toxicity but if we learn to stand our ground in faith, God will deliver us. Then we will be able to take on what he has for us. We also have to be willing to absorb the attacks, knowing that they will come but having the confidence that the opposition will produce growth. We may be in a season where we aren't sure we can take on more because of stress. But stress is not our issue, it's our capacity. We're able to handle everything in our lives only when we ask God to expand our capacity. And let's never forget that we stand firm to hold others up. With so many in the world hurting and feeling lost, we as a community need to be a place where they are built up, not broken down.

Have you ever tried calling into a radio station repeatedly but couldn't get through? As followers of Christ, there's a hotline we can use and never have to worry about a busy signal or hearing a dial tone - our calls always go through to God.

 

With a message titled "The Hannah Hotline," Pastor Rich Wilkerson, Jr. explores the importance of prayer in our lives. In the Bible, Hannah presented a great example of using prayer as the hotline to God. Frustrated with her reality of being barren, Hannah brought her disappointments to God through intimate communication. 

 

When we experience difficulty it's easy to complain about our circumstance and look to things around us as a way to cope. We have to learn to tune out the noise of the world and remain in God's presence because an occasional praise is no match for consistent prayer.

 

Through Hannah's story, we learn three components of her prayers that we can apply to our lives. First, Hannah prayed from her heart. She embraced the hurt and bitterness she felt, brought that to God and was able to take on God's lens of her life. With prayer, Hannah never tried to impress others. So much so, Eli believed she was drunk in public. But from her situation, we learn that when you're desperate for God, you're not concerned with how you look - only God's attention matters. Finally, Hannah's prayers demonstrate how our prayers should be attached to God's glory. Why do we want the thing we're requesting? And how will God be glorified in you receiving it? 

 

The more we pray, God will either answer our prayers or reorder our priorities. When we are vulnerable, have the right posture and keep God at the center of our wants and desires, we can always count on God picking up our calls.

We live in a culture that encourages us to bury failure and pain. It’s a social media society where escape into the latest, shiny thing along with a desperation for likes and followers is the norm. Pitfalls such as depression and trauma need to be avoided at all costs, even though we’ve all been there at one point or another. But what if the very things we run away from, the raw hurt and pain, could produce in our lives true purpose and identity?This week at VOUS Church we had the special honor of hearing from the Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist, Lecrae. He dove deep into the idea that joy and pain go hand-in-hand by giving a glimpse into his own story of hardship. In Hebrews 12:2, we also see how Jesus was able to see past the sorrow of the cross, to joy at the right hand of the Father. Through Jesus’ example, we are invited to look at our own pain, hard as it may be, and find joy on the other side.  To find joy, we first need to identify the past hurts, mistakes or failures we've been stuffing away and struggling with internally.  Then we can face the pain head-on, let go of striving and allow the experience to mold us into new creations. God doesn’t call us to hide our wounds. Like Lecrae, there may be a point in our lives where we must face the music and deal with the darkness in our lives. But embracing the process, rather than running from it, is just the radical step needed to create lasting joy in our lives. God can turn the bleakest moment into a story of triumph if we are willing to let him use it. Our scars can testify to healing only if we show them.