by Kelli Garms | Apr 3, 2020 | Family, Spiritual Growth
You may or may not have noticed that earlier this week, I published a post to my feed about the Enneagram, and later that same day, I deleted it. I want to talk about why I felt convicted enough to do that.
Let me start by giving you a little bit of my background with the Enneagram so you can understand my point of view. The first time I heard of the Enneagram was in a business context. It was coming up repeatedly in conversations with my team in the network marketing business with which I am partnered. And it seemed that every business podcast I listened to or blog I read, whether Christian or secular, was talking about the Enneagram.
I was not introduced to the Enneagram as a spiritual tool until I got curious enough to Google “Is the Enneagram biblical?” At that point, I came across many well-respected Christians who were using it personally and in their ministries. Then a friend introduced me to my Enneagram mentor who approached it completely from a spiritual and biblical standpoint. When she explained it, it made sense to me, I understood it, and I could see the spiritual implications. I was hooked!
I have been studying the Enneagram for about a year. I have had so much fun with it! I have enjoyed what it says about me and why I do the things I do. I have paid closer attention to my marriage based on what it says about my husband’s personality. I have had serious conversations and fun conversations with my kids about topics the Enneagram has introduced. I can honestly say that I have learned a lot over the last year.
But let’s be clear about something: the Enneagram is made up! You can search your Bible from cover to cover, and you will not find a single mention of the Enneagram. There is some debate about the origins of the Enneagram, but whether it is an ancient tool or was devised in the 20th century, it is still a human invention. As such, it is fallible. The Enneagram is yet another way mankind has sought to understand the things that are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit through Scripture.
Some things you should know about the Enneagram:
- The Enneagram is a tool for self-discovery, self-knowledge, and self-examination. Left to itself, the Enneagram will never point you to Jesus. Instead, it will point you to yourself.
- In and of itself, the Enneagram will never spotlight your sin. Instead, it will reveal your “hidden” self and ask you to be gracious with yourself.
- While the Enneagram encourages change, it is not change for the purpose of sanctification, but it’s change for the purpose of becoming the best version of yourself.
Can the Enneagram be used for spiritual renewal and sanctification? To do so will require deliberately adding a biblical filter, intentionally searching for sin in your life and repenting of said sin, and applying A LOT of discernment, which only comes from the Word and requires you to spend more time in your Bible than you spend in the Enneagram.
Here’s the bottom line: I never want to point you to anything but the Word of God. I want to be known as someone who always points you to the inerrant, infallible, absolute truth of Scripture–no matter the topic, struggle, or insight we discuss. So while I believe the Enneagram might help some in their spiritual walk, I also believe to others it will be a stumbling block. And I don’t want to cause you to stumble.
That is why I was convicted as people commented on my post, and I felt I should delete it. Rather than pointing you to a manmade tool, I should be pointing you to the Word.
I would love to answer any questions you have or go deeper in this conversation with you if you’re interested. My goal has not been to judge but to extend grace and provide some direction.
If there is someone in your life who you feel needs this information, feel free to share this post with him or her.
by Kelli Garms | Mar 20, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
As the date for this blog post was approaching, I struggled to know what to write. Our world has changed so much in the last week, and even I, who am not an anxious person by nature, can feel the tension in the air. I keep reminding myself that we have the most powerful weapon at our disposal: Prayer.
“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16b)
I have been using the prayer journal from Val Marie Paper this year, so I’ve used it to make a plan of prayer during these uncertain times. If you’ve struggled to know how and what to pray, use this guide to get started. You don’t have to stick with it verbatim as the Holy Spirit will prompt you and bring things to mind throughout your prayer journey, but it is a starting point for your prayers.
The Challenge:
God is still on the throne! He knew this was coming and was not caught by surprise.
Our World & Nation:
- The lost would turn to God
- Wisdom for our president and world leaders
- Healing of the infected
- Special grace for caregivers (both professional & family members)
- The economic stability of the country
- Military men and women who are in active service
My Community:
- My pastor and church leaders—wisdom, grace, patience, peace
- Schools and homeschool co-ops
- Parents who are unexpectedly home with their kids
- My neighbors
- My online community
My Loves (I use this category for my immediate family):
- My husband leading our family toward trusting in God; with wisdom; with compassion
- My children seeing us depend on God and not making decisions out of fear
- We would draw closer as a family during this time
- We would draw closer to God individually during this time
My Family (outside of my home):
- Health
- Safety at home, abroad, and during travel
- Draw closer to God
- Make decisions out of faith and not fear
Sweet Friends:
Personal (This list would be specific to you and your struggles):
- Surrender to God wholly
- Live in faith, not fear
- Encouraging and supportive wife
- Loving and compassionate mom
Other:
- Foster children who are in precarious situations
- Those who are quarantined in abusive homes
- Missionaries who are overseas
- Missionaries who are separated from children and family
I would like to close this blog post with a prayer and would be honored if you would join me.
Lord, these are unsettled times, and we are afraid. But You have told us that fear comes from the enemy because You gave us a spirit of love, power, and a sound mind. Give us the wisdom to lean into You instead of leaning into the things we are hearing all around us. Direct us to Your Word where we find Truth instead of to the news stations or social media where we find confusion. Give us that peace that confounds the world because they can’t understand it. And, Lord, above all, be glorified in what is happening and draw the lost that their lives may be changed forever as they surrender to Your authority. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
by Kelli Garms | Mar 6, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” Nehemiah 6:3
I am a multi-passionate person. In fact, I can get passionate about almost anything you throw at me. My students are often shocked about my passion for grammar, of all things. This can be a stumbling block for me because I see opportunities all around me. Most of those opportunities are good, godly, productive opportunities I can easily justify. I have to be careful what I agree to do, or I will sacrifice the best things on the altar of the good things.
Over the last year, God has been working on me to walk away from the opportunities the enemy has used to distract me from the most important things. I realized I had built my life around things that were good but should not have been a priority. As a result, I had built walls instead of healing or building relationships. I had surrendered my authority in order to keep the peace. I had seen my children as a hindrance to my work instead of my most important work (though I never would have said that out loud).
How do we tell the difference between what is good and what is best? There are many books written on this subject, so I will not attempt to answer this question comprehensively. But there are things we don’t need to pray about or agonize over because Scripture clearly tells us what to do.
- You are God’s child, and He expects you to act like it. Your relationship with your Heavenly Father should never be sacrificed for your job, your workout, your vacation, your family.
- Only you can be your husband’s wife. If you are married at this time, God has given you a very clear role that only you can fill. It should be your priority.
- Only you can be your children’s momma. If you have children, young or grown, it is a divine assignment for only you. Do not mistake this divine assignment for a distraction.
Everything else in your life needs to be weighed against these three positions.
In our day-to-day grind, it can be difficult to discern what is best and what is urgent, and we often sacrifice the important for the urgent. We would do well to take the time to list everything on our plate and bring those things to the Lord, asking for wisdom. I have found when I’m thinking about stepping back from a commitment, God gives me peace or makes me restless. Restlessness means I’m headed in the wrong direction.
I’ll leave you with this reminder from Andy Stanley’s book Visioneering:
Don’t spend your time; invest it.
by Kelli Garms | Feb 21, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
I was recently reminded that overwhelm happens for one of two reasons:
- You are doing more than God asked you to do, or
- You are trying to do it in your own strength.
The first step in defeating overwhelm is to figure out which one of these two things is causing it. Did He ask you to do everything you’re doing? Have you taken something on without asking Him about it? Did you commit to doing something because you were intimidated or afraid to say “no”? If you’re not sure, ask Him. He will gladly show you what is on your plate that He didn’t put there.
If you can unequivocally say He called you to everything you’re doing, then ask Him to give you the strength to complete the task. You can’t do it in your own strength, and He doesn’t want you to try. He wants to show you that, when you lean into Him, you’ll never run out of energy, focus, or desire to complete the task. He’s waiting to help you; just let Him.
Here’s the catch: you have to be willing to give up the things He didn’t ask you to do, and you have to relinquish control if He did call you to it. This is much easier said than done, but again, He will give you the wisdom and strength to do both if you ask Him.
by Kelli Garms | Feb 14, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
How long is too long to wait for God to fulfill His promise? It seems everywhere I turn in Scripture recently, I am reminded that God’s timing isn’t our timing.
- Sarah giving her maid to Abraham to help God fulfill His promise to make Abraham a mighty nation
- The Israelites making the golden calf because Moses was taking so long on the mountain
- Saul seeking out a medium so he could talk to Samuel and get direction
- and so many more
It’s easy to sit back and judge them, but how many times do I believe God has called me to something, so I must push ahead? When He’s taking longer than I think He should I start to wonder if I should be doing something, saying something, planning something. Because doing something is easier than doing nothing, than waiting.
Instead, I should trust that, if He called me to it, He will make it happen in His timing. I can trust Him for just the next step because my goal is to walk beside Him, not ahead of Him.
by Kelli Garms | Feb 7, 2020 | Spiritual Growth, Women's Ministry
By now you probably know how much I value words. Words are powerful; they have an impact. And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “freedom.”
Have you ever responded to someone’s request with “It’s a free country”?
- Can I sit here? It’s a free country.
- May I ask you a question? It’s a free country.
- Do you mind if I chomp my gum in your ear while you’re trying to watch a movie? It’s a free country (but you’re driving me crazy!)
Unfortunately, we have begun to think of freedom as the entitlement to do whatever we want, whenever we want, without fear of consequences because, well, it’s a free country. This isn’t the definition of freedom but of anarchy.
The truth is freedom doesn’t give us the right to do whatever we want whenever we want without consequences. Freedom means we have choices. We have the opportunity to choose with the understanding that all choices come with consequences.
Those who live in countries that aren’t free don’t have choices. They might be told what career they will pursue, how much money they can make, or how many children they can have, and they don’t have a say in that decision. Their spouses, their faith, and their standards of living are assigned to them without their input.
In this day when the entitlement epidemic is running rampant, it behooves us to remember that nothing is free of consequences, and chances are someone else paid the price for us to have a choice.
What a powerful punch that little word packs!
