THRIV3::{discipline.love.passion}




what must be taught October 18, 2008

Filed under: writingsdtufano @ 8:01 am Print This Post Print This Post

paul writes to titus to encourage and instruct him as to what must be taught to God’s people.

titus 2:1-8 (4-8)

then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. in everything set them an example by doing what is good. in your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.

i find this passage makes me somewhat uneasy. especially the words to us as younger men and women. are we being obedient to God’s word, if these are the qualifiers for Godly men and women.

paul goes on to remind us and titus that this isn’t about earning our salvation, it’s about obedience. we obey because we’re accepted.

titus 3:4-5a

but when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.

further study:
Gen 1:27-28, Gen 2, Proverbs 31, Micah 6:8, Ga 5:22, Eph 4:1-3, Col 3:12, 1 Tim 5:10

 

my bright sadness September 29, 2008

Filed under: journal, mediadtufano @ 6:55 am Print This Post Print This Post

i’ve wanted to speak, but felt like words failed to come. how do i express hope and sorrow in the same breath. being torn and healed. spinning.

Your love is like a rock when i’m spinning…

we’ll i’ve been hit from every corner, i’ve been thrown from side to side
i’m cracked up on the inside, so i come to You for life

Your presence always heals me, so i’ll wanna drink it in
You know where we’re going God, and You know where i’ve been

and Your love is like a rock when i’m spinning,
Your love is like a rock when i’m spinning
Your love is like a rock when i’m spinning around

yesterday i felt so angry, and today so insecure
and i hate it that i wrestle with the God i adore

and i know less about You, but my heart loves You so much more.
Your the bright in sadness
Your my brightness

i wish this thing could pass from me, but i’m wanting what You want.
so bring me high, or bring me low, just hold me in Your love

(Charile Hall - My Brightness)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

these are the words my heart has failed to speak, thanks charlie.
take everything LORD, i just want You.

 

embracing your unique weirdness July 31, 2008

Filed under: writingsdtufano @ 7:53 pm Print This Post Print This Post

i was born to my parents andrew and jeanette tufano on november 13, 1984. i weighted 9lbs and was 22 inches long. i’m not sure if you know much about newborns, but i was huge! i won a candy bar in my biology class 7th grade year for being exceptional in that category! interestingly enough by the time i reached 1st grade, my parents concerns shifted one-eighty. they felt i wasn’t gaining enough weight and was too skinny, so they took me to our family doctor, who promptly informed them that i was perfectly fine and would fill out soon enough. well here i stand at 23, six foot tall and about 170lbs. i guess our doctor was right!

psalm 139:16
your eyes saw my unformed body
all the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be

i was also born with a mark on the left side of my face, essentially a large portion of the left side of my face is a different pigment, or skin color, and since i was born that way, it’s called a birthmark! and let me tell you i’ve met a lot of people in my days, and none yet have one like it.

so your probably wondering why i’m bragging about my awesome birth stats, my toothpick status as a 1st grader, and my unusual facial features. well it’s because i’m weird and so are you!

since i don’t want you to get the wrong impression, i’m not sharing this with you to receive sympathy over the hand i was dealt, or to prove how i’ve overcome life’s obstacles. instead, i believe God fashioned me uniquely in order to serve the purpose for which He created me.

psalm 139:13
for You created my inmost being
You knit me together in my mother’s womb

“okay” you agree, “your weird, but what’s it to me?” well, i believe He created you uniquely as well, or as i’ll affectionately call it, weird!

so my dad and i are almost mirror images, in every way. i share his strengths as well as his weaknesses. we are both analytical, both athletic, same personality, same temperament, same sense of humor, and on i could go. so growing up, my dad wasn’t exactly the most objective person in helping me identify my own weirdness. since we shared the same weirdness, to him it was normal. and although my mom was totally different, she was my mom, and any weirdness just made me that much more endearing. so although she could identify it, she’d never point it out, she wouldn’t see the value in doing so, only the possible hurt it might cause.

it would seem that the type of people that reveal it the most, are the ones who are most different from you. and for me, it was during my high school years that my weirdness seemed most recognizable. it seems like everyone during those years was extremely gifted at pointing out anything that was different about everyone else.

although it was during this time that i was able to recognize my own weirdness, instead of embracing it, i did everything i could to hide it. i thought then that although it was okay to be weird, you didn’t want to go around advertising it. i couldn’t have cared less weather i fit in, but i definitely didn’t want to stand out either. it seemed anything that stood out, was put on display and publicly mocked. at home, i could be weird, because at home weird was acceptable. but out in public, i put on a facade that i thought everyone wanted to see.

as the years passed, i began to realize how extensive this facade had become. the person looking back at me in the mirror and the person people knew didn’t match up. so the person who had classmates, coworkers, and friends, wasn’t me. it was a fake, a facade i’d created. my greatest fear was rejection. my parents rejected each other when they divorced when i was 2. i felt rejected regularly by my father during my childhood; weather to career, self interests, or wives (he’s on number 4). and i felt rejected by my mother when she moved away to bible college. i’d placed my value and worth in their love and acceptance, and they failed me. so to protect myself from further pain, i created this facade. i vowed to never again allow anyone to hurt me as those closest to me had. my facade served its purpose well, it kept people from hurting me, but it had an unintended side affect, it kept people from knowing and loving the real me.

consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
james 1:2-4

but through these trials, God never failed me, instead He used their failures to remind me of my adoption as His son, and Christs sufficient grace. He mercifully revealed that He alone is steadfast and unfailing, and that in Him alone would i find meaning and purpose. In seeing through these lenses, God began destroying the facade i created. He began reconciling the person i saw in the mirror, and the person people knew. It was through this process that God enabled me to embrace my unique wiredness.

but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
2 cor 12:9

what once brought shame God now uses to breath life. He used my broken and dysfunctional childhood to give me an understanding of suffering. this understanding allows me to relate and have compassion for the suffering of others. He uses my frame and unusual facial features to allow me to stand out. people seem to remember me, and the words i speak. He uses me as His instrument to speak and convey the truth of His son and the gospel.

1 cor 12:7;11
now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
all these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.

but this is just my unique weirdness, the way God has chosen to fashion me. i am but one part of the body, and the body requires all of its parts to function. you are another part, and God has fashioned you uniquely as well. i pray you that you would see through the gospel lenses, and that He would enable you to embrace your unique weirdness.

now the body is not made up of one part but of many. if the foot should say, “because i am not a hand, i do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. and if the ear should say, “because i am not an eye, i do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? if the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? but in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. if they were all one part, where would the body be? as it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 cor 12:14-20

 

dwell deep

Filed under: mediadtufano @ 7:41 pm Print This Post Print This Post

our pastor matt chandler of the village church has finally started his own blog, Dwell Deep ( http://dwelldeep.net )  up till this point only Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill in Seattle has been able to coerce him into blogging at his pastoral resource the resurgence.   Matt’s other contemporaries, which include John Piper, have been on the blogging bandwagon for some time now.  It only seems fitting that he would join their ranks!  I’m looking forward to how God uses Matt’s words through this new venue.  be sure to read his first post where he explains why he finally succumbed.

 

the day dawns May 21, 2008

Filed under: journaldtufano @ 7:08 pm Print This Post Print This Post

daydawns052108.jpg

the brilliant sight that greeted me this morning! as the clouds ushered in the arrival of the sun!

[Psalm 8]

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
above the heavens.

from the lips of children and infants
You have ordained praise
because of Your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.

when I consider Your heavens,
the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,

what is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under his feet:

all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

 

a quote to live by April 8, 2008

Filed under: journalshelle @ 4:35 pm Print This Post Print This Post

Last night i lugged my bucket of hot water into a tiny bathroom and proceeded to bathe. this afternoon i made up a system to wash my clothes by hand. i came inside, hot and sweaty and laid on my tile floor to cool off. and as my muscles ached and i found my attitude changing to one of disgruntlement, i remembered this quote:

Be willing to be uncomfortable. Be comfortable being uncomfortable. It may get tough, but it’s a small price to pay for living a dream. - Peter McWilliams

i don’t know this peter mcwilliams man, but he’s on to something here. comfort isn’t what i want, i want a life that’s pleasing to the Lord. and to the mexican i become mexican to win some for the gospel, so i will continue to live “inconveniently” because it’s all part of the adventure He calls us to.

we were meant to live for so much more -switchfoot

 

where to start? April 4, 2008

Filed under: poetry, writingsshelle @ 2:18 pm Print This Post Print This Post

hey guys, it’s michelle - you know, the one living as your neighbor to the south. drew asked me if i would start writing on here and i love the idea of this site - hope i can encourage and add to this positively…

where do i even start? God has been teaching me so much throughout these past 7 months it would be impossible to recount them all if you haven’t been following along on my www.xanga.com/psychoshell

Currently I am living with a wonderful Mexican Christian family and their 4 children and I working with Compassion International in a very poor area outside of Mexico City. I am bucket bathing because they are repairing the bathroom in the house, I am learning to cook Mexican food, loving Spanish, learning submission to my directors, and trusting God that He will protect my honor and that my life will testify more than my words. In KVill we say that patience is “waiting without complaining when things get hard” and God is definitely giving me an opportunity to live that out… whether that’s good or bad, I’m still not sure. I had the opportunity to travel all around Guatemala during spring break and meet so many of God’s children and see what He is doing in a new country.

Currently however, I would say that I am learning a lot about the gift of prophecy - unfortunately not really through experience, but through reading. As much as I love the Village I wonder what it would look like if we would have the opportunity to allow the gift of prophecy to flourish - what would that look like? It’s amazing to me how little we really know about this gift and for some reason God hasn’t let me let go of my curiosity of it — and before I had never understood the “desire the greater gifts, esp the gift or prophecy” verse but I can definitely say that now I have this crazy desire for it.

(from my journal, 3/20/08)
Your voice
flattens mountains
rulers tremble before You
but right now I beg to be so near
as to hear Your voice
Say what You will
“peace be still”
or that You know my name
You can whisper in the dark
or open the clouds
but please speak
I will wait
straining with ears open
listening for a voice I’ve never heard
a voice I’ll know right away
If You want it to be a secret
I won’t tell a soul or
I’ll run from village to village shouting
In the silence of the night
or in the clamor of a busy day
let me hear Your voice
Speak, I beg You, speak to me
Is one word too much to ask
from a voice that flattens mountains? -me

Wayne Grudem (author of Systematic Theology) says that prophecy is different now than in the OT but it can be defined as “something that God reveals or suddenly brings to mind” meant to be encouraging and edifying the church. Ever had a moment when you need to pray for someone and then later you find out they were in a lot of trouble at that moment? Prophecy. Ever felt the need to share a Scripture with or call someone randomly, to find out that that’s EXACTLY what they needed? Prophecy. It can also look like visions or specific words for a certain person, even though the one speaking doesn’t understand what it’s about… I have always thought that I had the spiritual gift of encrouagement but now I want more - I want to be so in tune with God and His Spirit that I can speak words to His children, to be an instrument of encouragement that comes directly from Him and in no way comes from me - just take me out of the picture completely.

 

impatient April 3, 2008

Filed under: writingsdtufano @ 6:51 pm Print This Post Print This Post

did you know that with technology the faster you figure out a problem, the quicker you can reach your desired goal? let me give you an example. you desire an informative, user friendly, and visually appealing blog. that’s not a bad desire, but you have some problems: a) you’ve never made a blog before, b) your coding skills are limited, and c) you aren’t a graphic designer. those are some pretty big barriers to accomplishing your desired goal. but although technology may be complicated, it can be broken down and understood, because it’s logical.

so i began applying the wisdom i’d learned through technology to other areas of my life, and the benefits were significant. anytime a new problem would arise, i would spend hours observing, studying, and testing. i began to realize that i was really good at breaking things down, and understanding what made them tick. turns out i’m able to understand complex things and explain them to others, which is a really valuable gift to have if He’s called you to pastor. but therein lies “the rub.” what i mean is that applying the wisdom that everything can be broken down, understood, and fixed is only true when approaching things that are logical, and rational. what about broken things, things innately flawed?

sin entered the world in Genesis 3, beauty ruined. apart from God everyone is broken and flawed; sinful. and even those who love and trust Jesus, still battle the sinful nature, but are bound to righteousness. (rom 7:21-25, rom 6:18)

so then, how do you approach relational problems? how do you fix broken and flawed people?

i’ve spent hours on end observing, studying, and testing. i’ve tried one solution after another. this approach continually leaves me with unmet desires. i desire a wife, a helper, a companion, and a compliment. it would seem a large part of my failures stem from impatience.

Love is patient. [1 Cor 13:1]

impatience is something i’ve battled for a long time. He’s been so merciful in growing me in this regard. but one area i still fiercely battle impatience is female relationships. over the last three years i’ve come to see the depth of my relational ignorance. He’s revealed just how inept i am when it comes to pursing the opposite sex.

how do you handle unmet desires?

i contemplate, reflect, question, worry, and obsess. God has been gracious in bringing a plethora of wisdom into my life via brothers, older men, and scripture. He is continually tilling up mans wisdom, and exposing it to His truth. i’ve come to understand that sin takes root and unwise decisions begin taking place when i worry and obsess. if i trust He is my greatest good, then His plan is better then any i could ever devise.

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. for those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
romans 8:28-30

i pray that He would kill in me anything that would prevent me from more of Him, that He would walk with me and before me, and that He would give me eyes to see and ears to hear. i covet your prayers, and ask for your grace, as God grows in me patience.

i’m slowly realizing He hasn’t called me to fix you, but love you and point to His son!
so i plead for you, and beg Him to move… and ask if you would do the same for me.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Col 1:15-17

 

though the earth give way

Filed under: poetrygresko @ 1:46 am Print This Post Print This Post

Selah: Hebrew, most likely meaning “stop and listen”

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come and see the works of the Lord,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

—————————————-

Lord, even amongst the discord, help us be still

 

too many to declare March 27, 2008

Filed under: poetrydtufano @ 1:13 pm Print This Post Print This Post

i waited patiently for the LORD;
He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.

blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.

many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders You have done.
the things You planned for us
no one can recount to You;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
but my ears You have pierced,
burnt offerings and sin offerings
You did not require.

then i said, “here i am, i have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.

i desire to do Your will, O my God;
Your law is within my heart.”

i proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
i do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.

i do not hide Your righteousness in my heart;
i speak of Your faithfulness and salvation.
i do not conceal Your love and Your truth
from the great assembly.

do not withhold Your mercy from me, O LORD;
may Your love and Your truth always protect me.

for troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and i cannot see.
they are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.

be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.

may all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.

may those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.

but may all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You;
may those who love Your salvation always say,
“The LORD be exalted!”

yet i am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
o my God, do not delay.

Psalm 40