Managing & Stewarding Time

Laura Immenschuh • January 27, 2023

If you’re anything like me, it can be hard to manage and steward time, but one of the things lately that has really given me life is prioritizing time to be creative. One of the takeaways, from my Sabbatical last year was that we are all meant to create, but I hadn’t been creating the time for it. Being creative is one of the characteristics I believe that we actually get to share with God. If viewing Him as creative seems strange to you, just take a look around to the natural world. Or take a look at the different faces and people you walk past each and every day. He is so supremely creative- I mean there are over 10,000 different types of grass! I’m pretty sure one would have been sufficient (sorry golfers, maybe 4 would be enough for you)! Being creative or creating is slightly different for us than for God, because we take His creation and then manipulate to make something good, beautiful or new.


There are many ways to do this, but my favorite way is with food. I love everything about food- sure, the eating of it, but the appearance of beautiful food, the variety, learning about people by the way they eat and relate to food, exploring other cultures, and being able to manipulate food with my own hands. I clearly could go on and on, but in realizing the “holiness” of getting to create with food, it has been one way that I feel worshipful in the regular, everyday kind of life. I’m not great at keeping the Sabbath, but one thing for me that is resting in the Lord and delighting in Him is a cooking project. This might involve trying out a new recipe, or preparing something that requires lots of steps or a lot of waiting/chilling, resting time. I even find joy in reading cookbooks I check out from the library because the wonder of other people’s creativity and the beauty they find in food is inspiring to me. Sometimes, just getting my hands busy (kneading dough, whisking cream, stirring a sauce) or the way that different things can perfume the air (citrus zest, simmering garlic, etc.) reconnects me to the created world in a way that just feels good.


Maybe this sounds romanticized or crazy, but maybe I can help encourage you to not see cooking, eating or even the regular preparing of food to be drudgery, but full of life and worship instead. And, if that feels to hard, maybe find a friend who sees cooking the way I do and invite them to teach you how to delight in the creative act of food. Or, find what other creative act draws you closer to the presence of Jesus.


Blessings, Laura

FCA NOCO Blog

Loving Like Jesus

By Rachel Hariri • March 14, 2025
I recently spoke at a few high schools about Loving Like Jesus. This devotional is a moderately condensed version of the talk I gave, but wanted to share with you all!

Clarity & Platform

By Scott Miller • March 5, 2025
For the last several weeks I have been in Galatians and Romans. I’ve been considering the life of the apostle Paul. Two primary components have surfaced for me and have been filling my quiet spaces with questions and conviction. Paul not only had a reputation, but he seemed to have a platform in every city. This platform seemed to be a result of his teaching as well as his redeemed demeanor. Every single day that Paul lived, after coming face to face with Jesus, was approached with expectation and urgency. Paul did not have a transactional experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he had a transformation that utterly and completely altered the trajectory of his life. Lives that are changed by transaction look more like moral reformation. Paul’s life was absolutely transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. A life that is transformed transcends our own ability to reform our behavior. Our lives transformed by the love of Jesus results in a response that alters our behavior. Paul was so keenly aware that his redemption had absolutely nothing to do with his abilities, and his life’s pursuit to be righteous. Jesus paid the debt not even Paul could pay, and the response was a captivated heart with the beauty of his savior. Paul also had significant clarity around “his sermon”. An old friend of mine wants told me that pastors sometimes take a bit to “find their sermon”. That one quintessential conviction that finds its way into every sermon they preach. For Paul, it was an amazing clarity around the gospel and the urgency to abstain, absolve and flea from false gospels. Paul was a dog with a bone regarding the gospel and how he traveled from location to location and nothing else in his life mattered much outside the gospel and the proclamation of the gospel every chance he got. The platforms that Paul had were ordained and prepared by the Holy Spirit. The gospel of Jesus Christ is what was amplified and proclaimed by Paul. I am compelled and filled with affection for the gospel, and the older I get it is quickly becoming the single thing in my life that addresses every aspect of a life long sanctification process.

Recalibration

By Haley Barnes • February 3, 2025
In our first sermon at church this year, our Pastor mentioned the word “recalibration” and ever since, I haven’t stopped pondering upon the word. It means resetting or adjusting settings to help stay on course. Many may understand recalibration when flying a plane since pilots are consistently gauging the course to ensure they are not veering off trajectory. At home, many of us may readjust or recalibrate settings on the thermostat in our home… especially those in Colorado as we experienced a magnificent cold front across the Front Range. How does this apply to faith? That's where it stuck out to me. Our pastor shared about recalibrating to stay on course with the Lord’s plan and using references to Jeremiah 29. The Israelites were held in captivity, yet the Lord speaks in verse 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons & daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too many have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek peace and prosperity in the city which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper (Jeremiah 29:5-7).” Amid exile, the Lord is speaking of building houses & settling down, getting married & multiplying. Can you imagine? In the thick of surviving exile, the encouragement is to dig into it & thrive in exile. And our pastor brought up the fact that we may not be in similar exile in Jeremiah 29, however, Peter reminds us that we are “aliens and strangers [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges [those dishonorable desires] that wage war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11). In this world, we are captives, heaven is our home. Our world is not. So how does that reconnect to recalibration? Sometimes our situations, scenarios, and circumstances can veer us off track. And we may even be doing all the right things in the church, ministry, home, and all our relationships. But being 1-degree off course can eventually lead to miles off course. To pilots, being 1 degree off course is detrimental enough to completely change coordinate points. Similarly in walking with the Lord, being 1 degree off course is detrimental enough to cause a mission drift. A mission drift is where we get off course of what the Lord has called us to do. Recalibration is a key to helping us realign with what God has for our lives. Even if our current condition feels like exile where we can’t get out or it is harder than we called for, we must trust in the Lord because he knows the plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). When we recalibrate to reset our settings to the Lord’s direction, we can continue to build & thrive & plant and multiply no matter what climate we are facing.

You Are What You Love

By Angie Miller • October 1, 2024
I’ve been wrestling probably for a good portion of my life without really even knowing it. What do I love? Seems pretty easy right? Even where I spend my time and energy, does not really reflect what I love? Some of you will read this and others will not, but I would love to interact with you in this short writing if you would.

What Am I A Slave To?

By Laura Immenschuh • August 29, 2024
Romans 2:4 says, “it’s His kindness that leads us to repentance”. Lately, the Lord has given me a phrase to be that I have found myself asking often (and over and over), “What am I a slave to?”

God's Pottery Shop

By Rachel Hariri • August 5, 2024
My church recently went through a series on the Holy Spirit and a key point that was made during one of the sermons was “ What God forms, He fills . ” I’ve been spending a lot of my quiet time meditating and reflecting on my relationship with each part of the Trinity and on the aforementioned point.

Hope is Not an Accident

By Scott Miller • August 5, 2024
“I hope we get to go swimming today.” “I hope the Avalanche win the Stanley cup.” I have said phrases like this all my life. I began to wonder about where does this hope come from? Hope is not an accident. Hope is an indicator, it is a bi-product of something going on within. When we refer to hope based on a circumstance or a specific context it reveals our affection, our hearts attention. It is normal and good to look forward and to anticipate things in our life that we enjoy. However most of those things are temporary. Hope that is robust, sturdy and eternal is something a bit different. Developing a hope that you can build a framework to live by is a process that takes time and begins with suffering.

My Highest Calling

By Miley Clary • May 31, 2024
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3: 7-8

The Power Of People

By Sierra Peterson • April 3, 2024
I have been reminded this last week the power of people in your life.

Coaching & Discipline is Life Giving

By Steve Bradley • February 2, 2024
It is such a joy to be called to shepherd the FCA Coaches’ Ministry in Northern Colorado! We are fortunate to have so many amazing coaches in this region and many of them are making an impact for JESUS . One of my favorite things is getting to share a weekly devotion with them. I affectionately call this MMM (Monday Morning Minute) and is intended to be an encouragement as they begin their week. I am including my most recent devotion and I hope it will encourage you as well! Good Morning! Would you describe yourself as a COACH or as a referee? It is not unusual in the sport world to try to be both at the same time. If you look at synonyms for these 2, it is difficult to be both simultaneously: COACH – GUIDE, MENTOR, TEACHER, DISCIPLER REFEREE – OFFICIAL, UMPIRE, JUDGE Although both of these roles are critical in the world of athletics – they serve very different purposes. A COACH is responsible for leading, directing, mentoring, and thus DISCIPLING! An official (thankless job) serves the purpose of protecting the integrity of the rules, making JUDGEMENT calls, thus protecting the participants. In the “game of life” we also have COACHES and JUDGES, but the difference is man/woman are only called to fulfill one of them – DISCIPLER (COACH)! Clearly in Matthew JESUS identifies our role in this world: “ Therefore go and MAKING DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and TEACHING them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 “And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 The bible also tells us what our role is NOT: “Do not JUDGE, and you will not be JUDGED. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:37-38 As CHRIST followers we need to be mindful that our role as COACH is to care for others by leading with LOVE NOT JUDGEMENT ! We are called to DISCIPLE (COACH ) and allow ALMIGHTY GOD to do the rest!!! To paraphrase the words of JESUS when teaching his disciples in Matthew 22:36-40 – the 2 greatest commandments are: LOVE GOD! LOVE OTHERS! The good news: COACHING and DISCIPLING is “ LIFE GIVING”, whereas judgment is “life draining” - and we can choose the first! There is no better day than today to get started! DISCIPLESHIP (COACHING) is an act of LOVE and MAKES A DIFFERENCE! Blessings! Coach Bradley
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