Alright. I'm taking some time away and telling you all about how I got involved with Adopt-a-Jesus. I've had a lot of questions about it and I would love to tell everyone the whole story, but sometimes there is just not time, patience, or strength for me to do it.
I have a twitter account (follow me !) and I was on it one day. I had heard the name Brandt Russo a few times in my life and knew he was a man who had a heart for the homeless and was actually doing something about it. As Aimee said, "He sounds like he's right up your ally!" I also have a heart for the people who find themselves living on the street because they have no other place to go. (Check out some of my blog posts for more info/what I believe about it.) Anyway, I was on twitter. I had clicked on Brandt's twitter page maybe once or twice before, but on this specific day I decided to add him. His first tweet after I added him was about "Adopt-a-Jesus," the film that he and Bob Wilkinson collaborated on in the summer of 2008. After I read a little about it and saw the poster, I was sold. I knew that this film had to come to Morris. I mean, this guy thinks green (he has a veggie bus) and he's a social activist (he's doing something about homelessness)- it's absolutely perfect for Morris. Plus, he portrays faith as something real and living, not just going to church on a Sunday morning and the religion people grew up with. That's something this campus needs to hear; a message I believe Brandt and Bob are going to get through with their film.
So, I tweeted Brandt Russo and gave him my e-mail address. He sent me a message back telling me to e-mail Charessa for booking. So I e-mail Charessa, start my facebook account back up (I loved my hiatus!), add her and Brandt to my account. Charessa and I start looking at dates that work for Morris and I find out that The Fallout in Minneapolis also wants Brandt to do a screening there. Charessa then asked me how far away I was from Kansas City, MO, which I thought was odd. But I was praying that night and asked what God wanted me to do with homeless ministry right now. He very distinctly said, "Pack your car with necessities for the homeless and go pick up Brandt in Kansas City." It was just a whisper, but a distinct whisper that I could not deny. Keep in mind that I don't know any of these people, I had only tweeted Brandt once and I don't know him at all. But still I obeyed, scared and nervous, telling Charessa that I had a unique mission placed on my heart. She called me later that day and thought it was lovely. Pretty soon I was finding other screenings to do along the trek from Kansas City to MN and all was in the works.
Then one day I was talking to Charessa on facebook, just checking in to see how everything was going. We ended up on the phone with each other. I don't remember the conversation specifically, but somehow I ended up on detail duty (the "somehow" I attribute to God)- something I love doing and I like to think I'm fairly good at.
You never know how God is going to use you or when/how He's going to call you. What may seem like coincidence never is, what appears to be just another event to go to or have may be a chance for you to shine God's glory. Keep your eyes peeled, your hearts ready, and your ears listening for your Heavenly Father's prompting. And when He tells you to jump, don't wade in, go for it, knowing that He's holding your hand and jumping in with you.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Bad dream (perhaps the worst I've ever had).
I still remember a dream from when I was pretty small about Cruella de Vil. She was chasing me with those maniacal eyes of hers. Scary, to say the least, especially when you're as young as I was (probably around 6 or 7 years old).
But last night's dream may have topped it.
I was sitting in a chair in a large cathedral, one that I could easily equate with the Catholic faith yet was not Catholic at all (you will see why). I was sitting at the end of a row of chairs next to someone I don't remember. Next to that person was an old woman, constantly smiling and moving her eyebrows up and down in the "I know something's going on" fashion. Next to her was Josh, the youth and young adult pastor at a church I attend. I remember I wanted to sit by Josh and kept looking over at him but kept meeting the eye of the old woman instead. Apparently she thought Josh and I would make a good pair. Eventually, in order to get her to stop believing something that was not true at all, I stopped trying to make eye contact with Josh who continued to look straight ahead (which is weird, since the preacher in this church was to my right in front of more people sitting in chairs facing him). I started becoming short of breath as I listened to the preacher, which happens when I enter Catholic churches in real life. He started talking about how we need to die a physical death before we can be reborn in the Spirit (which, may I add, is NOT Catholic or Christian belief at all). I could feel myself falling into his words, starting to believe it. I was entering into my physical death so I could be reborn in the Spirit. My eyes were getting heavy, my body was becoming like lead. Then I looked over at Josh- he was doing the same thing. Immediately I came out of my trance-like state, and panicking I started yelling at him, telling him this wasn't true and that he didn't have to die a physical death to have the Spirit while the old woman was creepily smiling at us in her seat next to Josh. I felt totally helpless and unable to move as his eyes closed and he fell deeper and deeper into this lie.
It was at this time I woke up, still short of breath and feeling completely choked (my throat felt like it had closed up). Even remembering this dream makes me feel afraid. Because of this I don't think that the dream was from God. Psalm 91:5 says "You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day." There are numerous times in the Bible where we are told not to fear. In this dream, I was afraid of Josh believing and falling into a lie, not knowing where his soul would go when he died this physical death. Then could it be more? Could it be the fear of satan who began the lie Josh was believing? In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus says, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."
I think this dream sums up my ultimate fear- knowing that my friends are believing what the devil is saying and not in the salvation that God has given us through His Son. No matter how much I try to tell them they're believing a lie, I still feel totally helpless as they continue to believe whatever it is they believe about God (or the lack of God). And it makes my heart hurt.
And I'm happy to know that in real life, Josh does not believe this and never will. I know for a fact that he is going to heaven post-death and fights the devil with every weapon available from God. Not sure why it was him in my dream... still working through that one.
But last night's dream may have topped it.
I was sitting in a chair in a large cathedral, one that I could easily equate with the Catholic faith yet was not Catholic at all (you will see why). I was sitting at the end of a row of chairs next to someone I don't remember. Next to that person was an old woman, constantly smiling and moving her eyebrows up and down in the "I know something's going on" fashion. Next to her was Josh, the youth and young adult pastor at a church I attend. I remember I wanted to sit by Josh and kept looking over at him but kept meeting the eye of the old woman instead. Apparently she thought Josh and I would make a good pair. Eventually, in order to get her to stop believing something that was not true at all, I stopped trying to make eye contact with Josh who continued to look straight ahead (which is weird, since the preacher in this church was to my right in front of more people sitting in chairs facing him). I started becoming short of breath as I listened to the preacher, which happens when I enter Catholic churches in real life. He started talking about how we need to die a physical death before we can be reborn in the Spirit (which, may I add, is NOT Catholic or Christian belief at all). I could feel myself falling into his words, starting to believe it. I was entering into my physical death so I could be reborn in the Spirit. My eyes were getting heavy, my body was becoming like lead. Then I looked over at Josh- he was doing the same thing. Immediately I came out of my trance-like state, and panicking I started yelling at him, telling him this wasn't true and that he didn't have to die a physical death to have the Spirit while the old woman was creepily smiling at us in her seat next to Josh. I felt totally helpless and unable to move as his eyes closed and he fell deeper and deeper into this lie.
It was at this time I woke up, still short of breath and feeling completely choked (my throat felt like it had closed up). Even remembering this dream makes me feel afraid. Because of this I don't think that the dream was from God. Psalm 91:5 says "You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day." There are numerous times in the Bible where we are told not to fear. In this dream, I was afraid of Josh believing and falling into a lie, not knowing where his soul would go when he died this physical death. Then could it be more? Could it be the fear of satan who began the lie Josh was believing? In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus says, "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him."
I think this dream sums up my ultimate fear- knowing that my friends are believing what the devil is saying and not in the salvation that God has given us through His Son. No matter how much I try to tell them they're believing a lie, I still feel totally helpless as they continue to believe whatever it is they believe about God (or the lack of God). And it makes my heart hurt.
And I'm happy to know that in real life, Josh does not believe this and never will. I know for a fact that he is going to heaven post-death and fights the devil with every weapon available from God. Not sure why it was him in my dream... still working through that one.
Getting into Paul's letters.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
-1 Corinthians 12:4-11
What kind of gifts has the Holy Spirit given you? Are you using them for the common good?
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
-1 Corinthians 12:4-11
What kind of gifts has the Holy Spirit given you? Are you using them for the common good?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sitting here listening to The Last Hope.
I really do like punk rock. There's something about the raw quality of it, the reality and the honesty in it that just gets me every time. Or perhaps it is a direct correlation with my somewhat rebellious side, you know, like that part of me in music form.
The first song on their newest cd is wonderfully titled "Manifesto." For those of you who don't know what a manifesto is, it's a public declaration of what you want to see happen, of your vision and your dreams. The manifesto that The Last Hope provides is strikingly similar to my own. The lyrics to "Manifesto" are as follows:
Brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, we are the future of what's to come. We all have hands, we all have feet, let's work them hard, marching to the beat. Mothers and fathers, servants and leaders, rich and poor, authors and readers, heed the call, take to the plow. The time is now, the time is now! Heed the call to destruction of selfishness and vain ambition. Heed the call to community; dreams of future given so freely.
There's so much I see wrong not only within American society but within the Church as well, specifically the American church. We think that because we have been blessed monetarily and have been given everything we need and more that we can just be apathetic to everything else. We throw some money at the Salvation Army or some other charity and continue to live our lives. Every once in a while we'll go on a mission trip, feel good about what we have done, and come back home forgetting about those people and putting physical distance between us and them. While giving money to Salvo and mission trips are good things, sometimes they are just patches trying to cover up a hole five million times bigger than the patch you just put on. Let's actually live in community with each other and do away with this selfishness and apathy our society has instilled in us! Let's be God's hands and feet, heeding His call and going out, making disciples of all nations (including those in our physical community).
The first song on their newest cd is wonderfully titled "Manifesto." For those of you who don't know what a manifesto is, it's a public declaration of what you want to see happen, of your vision and your dreams. The manifesto that The Last Hope provides is strikingly similar to my own. The lyrics to "Manifesto" are as follows:
Brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, we are the future of what's to come. We all have hands, we all have feet, let's work them hard, marching to the beat. Mothers and fathers, servants and leaders, rich and poor, authors and readers, heed the call, take to the plow. The time is now, the time is now! Heed the call to destruction of selfishness and vain ambition. Heed the call to community; dreams of future given so freely.
There's so much I see wrong not only within American society but within the Church as well, specifically the American church. We think that because we have been blessed monetarily and have been given everything we need and more that we can just be apathetic to everything else. We throw some money at the Salvation Army or some other charity and continue to live our lives. Every once in a while we'll go on a mission trip, feel good about what we have done, and come back home forgetting about those people and putting physical distance between us and them. While giving money to Salvo and mission trips are good things, sometimes they are just patches trying to cover up a hole five million times bigger than the patch you just put on. Let's actually live in community with each other and do away with this selfishness and apathy our society has instilled in us! Let's be God's hands and feet, heeding His call and going out, making disciples of all nations (including those in our physical community).
Monday, October 12, 2009
Trying, and trying hard.
Proverbs 31 is an awesome chapter of the Bible. I mean, it tells rulers not to drink but then tells us to give alcohol to the poor so they can forget their misery. Then it goes into "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy," (v. 8-9). And then comes the Proverbs 31 woman. I read this to my roommate the other night and it came up again on Sunday. I was talking with a woman that I really look up to in the Lord. She has kids and a husband and I really do see her as a Proverbs 31 kind-of a woman. But she said something really interesting. "We all can strive to be this Proverbs 31 woman, but we won't ever achieve it. She's not real, but we can try and make her real in our own lives." And it's so true. Even though someday I want to be this for my husband, I know I will make mistakes. I know I'll make a slip of the tongue and it won't come out as faithful instruction (v. 26). I know that sometimes I'll have lazy days (v. 27). But I also know that my husband will be quick to forgive and that my God has already paid the price to give me forgiveness.
That being said, I also feel the need to address my own singleness. I love being single. There's something about letting God totally fulfill me and sustain me on this path that is so beautiful. I've had opportunities to be in relationships and I have been in a relationship but each time my heart starts going down a path it shouldn't. God knows how to rend my heart back to Him and has done so many times. I am fully in love with my Father and guard my heart well because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). Sure, there's still times I trip up, but I am always learning more. My God is Love, the Love of my life, the Lover of my heart. He knows me better than I know myself and loves me anyway. He is jealous for me and my love and it hurts Him when I put the opposite sex above Him. So why would I?
Sure, I may get married someday. But I'm not looking, not keeping my eyes peeled in case I miss "the one." If God wants me to be married, He'll put someone in my line of vision that is a man after His own heart and is so in love with Him that the only way we can meet each other is through our God. So yes, even though all of my sisters are soon to be married, I am joyful with who I am and where God has me, loving Him with my whole heart.
That being said, I also feel the need to address my own singleness. I love being single. There's something about letting God totally fulfill me and sustain me on this path that is so beautiful. I've had opportunities to be in relationships and I have been in a relationship but each time my heart starts going down a path it shouldn't. God knows how to rend my heart back to Him and has done so many times. I am fully in love with my Father and guard my heart well because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). Sure, there's still times I trip up, but I am always learning more. My God is Love, the Love of my life, the Lover of my heart. He knows me better than I know myself and loves me anyway. He is jealous for me and my love and it hurts Him when I put the opposite sex above Him. So why would I?
Sure, I may get married someday. But I'm not looking, not keeping my eyes peeled in case I miss "the one." If God wants me to be married, He'll put someone in my line of vision that is a man after His own heart and is so in love with Him that the only way we can meet each other is through our God. So yes, even though all of my sisters are soon to be married, I am joyful with who I am and where God has me, loving Him with my whole heart.
Friday, October 9, 2009
What the last post brought to mind
Last night I had the privilege to talk to my pastor last night on the phone for a while. Well, he's kind-of my pastor, but for the sake of this blog post, we'll call him my pastor. Anyway, I had the privilege of talking with him on the phone last night. For the first time in a long time, I told someone about what God wants to do with my life. The last time I told someone, er, rather, alluded to it, I was completely shot down and told that I should not want to live that life. Instead of having that completely destroy what God has called me to do, it only added fuel to the passion burning inside of me. I am sent here to do His will, not to meet the expectations of this world or appease anyone. I live for Him and Him alone.
So I told my pastor about this. He was really actually excited about it and told me about a documentary about homeless people in Mpls/St. Paul that had been made by one of the students at Concordia Academy, a school he is tied to very strongly. When I am done watching the documentary I'll pass the link on to all ya'll (or all ya few) reading this.
Later on in our conversation, the topic of money and having a job while doing ministry came up. He sees his job in much the same way I do- it's a way God blesses your ministry. I know that God has given me this four year degree so that I can supply people with things that they need physically and to show them the love of Christ through this giving.
And there's another whole aspect of this that I'm so excited for. Not yet sure how it's going to work but I know it will be a way that God will work. This is a quote from "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. "A pastor who has been a longtime supporter and friend of the Simple Way (and father to one of the founders!) said, 'I used to think you all were missionaries bringing the gospel to your neighborhood, but now I see that it is in your neighborhood that you have learned the gospel, and that you are actually missionaries to the church.'"
Ah. I just want to love on people. Starting with you.
So I told my pastor about this. He was really actually excited about it and told me about a documentary about homeless people in Mpls/St. Paul that had been made by one of the students at Concordia Academy, a school he is tied to very strongly. When I am done watching the documentary I'll pass the link on to all ya'll (or all ya few) reading this.
Later on in our conversation, the topic of money and having a job while doing ministry came up. He sees his job in much the same way I do- it's a way God blesses your ministry. I know that God has given me this four year degree so that I can supply people with things that they need physically and to show them the love of Christ through this giving.
And there's another whole aspect of this that I'm so excited for. Not yet sure how it's going to work but I know it will be a way that God will work. This is a quote from "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. "A pastor who has been a longtime supporter and friend of the Simple Way (and father to one of the founders!) said, 'I used to think you all were missionaries bringing the gospel to your neighborhood, but now I see that it is in your neighborhood that you have learned the gospel, and that you are actually missionaries to the church.'"
Ah. I just want to love on people. Starting with you.
Always on my heart and in my mind.
Tonight we're doing an event called Cardboard Box City. Essentially, we all get together in a yard in a really safe town, sit around a fire, and make airtight boxes for ourselves out of pieces of cardboard and duct tape already provided for us. Snacks and beverages will be available, I am sure. And although we won't sleep well tonight in our sleeping bags and winter gear, tomorrow morning we can all go back to our houses and sleep in our wonderfully warm beds and make cocoa, applauding ourselves for the good work we just did.
I know the motives behind this event are pure- I myself was a coordinator of this event for two years and I truly do want to give people a glimpse of what it's like to be homeless as well as raise awareness for homelessness worldwide. While we did it in main street where we were a little more visible and even had cans thrown at us once, it still isn't ANYTHING compared to what homeless people go through. The homeless have few or none of these conveniences. They don't have a warm bed to look forward to or cocoa in the morning. They can't just duck inside a house in the middle of the night if they are getting too cold. They haven't been given the supplies or the area in which to make cardboard homes. They often do not get to sleep through the night due to violence or policing.
But what if they did have a home to go to when it was cold out? What if it was your home? What if you made cocoa for them in the morning, helped them find a job and taught them how to save money?
I know the motives behind this event are pure- I myself was a coordinator of this event for two years and I truly do want to give people a glimpse of what it's like to be homeless as well as raise awareness for homelessness worldwide. While we did it in main street where we were a little more visible and even had cans thrown at us once, it still isn't ANYTHING compared to what homeless people go through. The homeless have few or none of these conveniences. They don't have a warm bed to look forward to or cocoa in the morning. They can't just duck inside a house in the middle of the night if they are getting too cold. They haven't been given the supplies or the area in which to make cardboard homes. They often do not get to sleep through the night due to violence or policing.
But what if they did have a home to go to when it was cold out? What if it was your home? What if you made cocoa for them in the morning, helped them find a job and taught them how to save money?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Conversations
Today has been a day full of amazing conversations with people I have not chatted with in many moons. It was so great to catch up with a few people and see what is going on in their lives!
I think we all too often forget to look at the amazing people God has put into our lives. So often we focus on such a select group of friends or just one person (like a significant other). Yet there's this whole world filled with other people that are just waiting for us to love on them. This verse has been placed on my heart a lot today and I thought I would share it with you.
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.'
'Well said, teacher,' the man replied. 'You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'
When Jesus say that he had answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions."
-Mark 12:28-34
This man, a teacher of the law, was honestly supposed to be one of those who opposed Jesus. They tried to trip Him up all the time and many taught against Jesus being the Christ that they were waiting for. Yet this teacher of the law, a teacher who thus highly regarded burnt offerings and sacrifices and taught his students to follow the law point by point admitted that these two commandments were more important than the tradition he was teaching. This teacher of the law was in love with God's heart, not with God's arm and the good things He gave man to do in the law.
It also raises another point: God's love knows no bounds. This teacher of the law could have reacted like he should have: completely appalled that Jesus didn't even mention anything about the laws and commandments that they had set up so rigidly. Yet the fact that God was talking about love and loving God and others above everything else was their meeting point. Even when He met resistance from the church in many other places, this love that He was speaking about could not be argued and rejected.
It's interesting because we see this again in John 3, where our beloved "Gospel in a Nutshell" verse comes from (yes, I am talking about John 3:16!). "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall never perish but have eternal life." Believe it or not, this was said to a man named Nicodemus, who the Bible says "was a man of the Pharisees" and that he was "a member of the Jewish ruling council," (John 3:1). Just another time that God's love breaks down barriers even with people whose hearts are the hardest.
Jesus loved even those who opposed Him. Jesus loved those who tried to trip Him up with asking him all the tough questions. Jesus loved those who did not love him back. Jesus loved those who taught about God but not about Him. Jesus loved those who knew the scriptures and rejected Him anyway. Jesus loved those who were hardest to love.
And we're supposed to have the same attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:5)- isn't loving those who are hardest to love part of it?
Love hard those hard to love.
I think we all too often forget to look at the amazing people God has put into our lives. So often we focus on such a select group of friends or just one person (like a significant other). Yet there's this whole world filled with other people that are just waiting for us to love on them. This verse has been placed on my heart a lot today and I thought I would share it with you.
"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, 'Of all the commandments, which is the most important?'
'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.'
'Well said, teacher,' the man replied. 'You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.'
When Jesus say that he had answered wisely, he said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions."
-Mark 12:28-34
This man, a teacher of the law, was honestly supposed to be one of those who opposed Jesus. They tried to trip Him up all the time and many taught against Jesus being the Christ that they were waiting for. Yet this teacher of the law, a teacher who thus highly regarded burnt offerings and sacrifices and taught his students to follow the law point by point admitted that these two commandments were more important than the tradition he was teaching. This teacher of the law was in love with God's heart, not with God's arm and the good things He gave man to do in the law.
It also raises another point: God's love knows no bounds. This teacher of the law could have reacted like he should have: completely appalled that Jesus didn't even mention anything about the laws and commandments that they had set up so rigidly. Yet the fact that God was talking about love and loving God and others above everything else was their meeting point. Even when He met resistance from the church in many other places, this love that He was speaking about could not be argued and rejected.
It's interesting because we see this again in John 3, where our beloved "Gospel in a Nutshell" verse comes from (yes, I am talking about John 3:16!). "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall never perish but have eternal life." Believe it or not, this was said to a man named Nicodemus, who the Bible says "was a man of the Pharisees" and that he was "a member of the Jewish ruling council," (John 3:1). Just another time that God's love breaks down barriers even with people whose hearts are the hardest.
Jesus loved even those who opposed Him. Jesus loved those who tried to trip Him up with asking him all the tough questions. Jesus loved those who did not love him back. Jesus loved those who taught about God but not about Him. Jesus loved those who knew the scriptures and rejected Him anyway. Jesus loved those who were hardest to love.
And we're supposed to have the same attitude of Christ (Philippians 2:5)- isn't loving those who are hardest to love part of it?
Love hard those hard to love.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
So I took down a post
If you were lucky enough to read it, good for you. I didn't mean a word of it.
Well, I did, but no one REALLY needs to know that.
Anyway, I am a selfish and sinful human. I need to be turning to God for patience and wisdom, leaning on Him for my happiness, not on man. And in Him I have a hope that does not disappoint and it's beautiful. He sustains me and stretches out His hand at the proper time. I will not fear the future because He is my future, He has been my past and is my present. I love Him for all that He is.
And nothing else really matters.
Well, I did, but no one REALLY needs to know that.
Anyway, I am a selfish and sinful human. I need to be turning to God for patience and wisdom, leaning on Him for my happiness, not on man. And in Him I have a hope that does not disappoint and it's beautiful. He sustains me and stretches out His hand at the proper time. I will not fear the future because He is my future, He has been my past and is my present. I love Him for all that He is.
And nothing else really matters.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Correction: So much to say
and very little time to say it.
"Christianity can be built around isolating ourselves from evildoers and sinners, creating a community of religious piety and moral purity. That's the Christianity I grew up with. Christianity can also be built around joining with the broken sinners and evildoers of our world crying out to God, groaning for grace. That's the Christianity I have fallen in love with." -Shane Claiborne, "The Irresistible Revolution"
"When someone strips a man of his clothes, we call him a thief. And one who might clothe the naked and does not-should not he be given the same name? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot; the money in your vaults belongs to the destitute." -Basil the Great
"'The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.'" -John in Luke 3:11
"Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all." -Proverbs 22:2
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." -Proverbs 21:13
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." -Romans 12:14-16
"'Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'" -Jesus in Luke 12:32-34
"'Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ... If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will becomes like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.'" -the mouth of the Lord in Isaiah 58:6-7, 9-11
"'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" -Jesus in Luke 18:22
"'Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.'" -Jesus in John 6:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself by being polluted by the world." -James 1:27
"'He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.'" -Jesus in John 8:47
"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." -James 1:22
Dear friends, I don't know how much more clear and blunt I can be in this matter. We live in a society that is so full of STUFF. We go to college to get a degree to get a good job to make more money to buy more stuff. We have made Christmas into a holiday about getting stuff. Our day is based on three meals in which we feed ourselves stuff. The thing is, God has given us these gifts but it doesn't mean we are using them the way He wants us to.
There are so many people in this world who need the help of Americans. I believe it's something like this: America, which is 6% of the global population, uses 43% of its resources (including food). What does that leave the other 94% of the population? And how much does that leave the poor?
Perhaps you see this as a mere justification of how I choose to live, of the area I am seeking to live in. Yet I don't see it as a justification- I see it as the cause. God has called me to a lifestyle completely devoted to Him, devoted to prayer, loving His people. He has called me to step out of my comfort zone, take care of the earth He gave us, and live amongst those who need their physical needs met. I encourage you to read James 2. I will let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what He is saying in that chapter.
Pray about what you can do to help the poor. Pray about the assets God has given you and where He wants you to allocate those. And when He shows you, don't ignore His prompting- do what He says.
"Christianity can be built around isolating ourselves from evildoers and sinners, creating a community of religious piety and moral purity. That's the Christianity I grew up with. Christianity can also be built around joining with the broken sinners and evildoers of our world crying out to God, groaning for grace. That's the Christianity I have fallen in love with." -Shane Claiborne, "The Irresistible Revolution"
"When someone strips a man of his clothes, we call him a thief. And one who might clothe the naked and does not-should not he be given the same name? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat in your wardrobe belongs to the naked; the shoes you let rot belong to the barefoot; the money in your vaults belongs to the destitute." -Basil the Great
"'The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.'" -John in Luke 3:11
"Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all." -Proverbs 22:2
"If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." -Proverbs 21:13
"Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." -Romans 12:14-16
"'Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.'" -Jesus in Luke 12:32-34
"'Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? ... If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will becomes like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.'" -the mouth of the Lord in Isaiah 58:6-7, 9-11
"'You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" -Jesus in Luke 18:22
"'Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.'" -Jesus in John 6:27
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself by being polluted by the world." -James 1:27
"'He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.'" -Jesus in John 8:47
"Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." -James 1:22
Dear friends, I don't know how much more clear and blunt I can be in this matter. We live in a society that is so full of STUFF. We go to college to get a degree to get a good job to make more money to buy more stuff. We have made Christmas into a holiday about getting stuff. Our day is based on three meals in which we feed ourselves stuff. The thing is, God has given us these gifts but it doesn't mean we are using them the way He wants us to.
There are so many people in this world who need the help of Americans. I believe it's something like this: America, which is 6% of the global population, uses 43% of its resources (including food). What does that leave the other 94% of the population? And how much does that leave the poor?
Perhaps you see this as a mere justification of how I choose to live, of the area I am seeking to live in. Yet I don't see it as a justification- I see it as the cause. God has called me to a lifestyle completely devoted to Him, devoted to prayer, loving His people. He has called me to step out of my comfort zone, take care of the earth He gave us, and live amongst those who need their physical needs met. I encourage you to read James 2. I will let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what He is saying in that chapter.
Pray about what you can do to help the poor. Pray about the assets God has given you and where He wants you to allocate those. And when He shows you, don't ignore His prompting- do what He says.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Nothing to say
and all the time in the world to say it in.
So much has been happening in my life lately that I don't even know where to start. I'm learning not to worry, not to fear, and to live in light of the Spirit God has given me. It's hard and the last two days have been exceptionally difficult but God is amazing and does not let me down. Ever.
I often wonder how people get along everyday. Like, what motivates them. For me, it's my faith. For others, it appears to be the promise of money. For yet other people, it's love. This is an idea marinating in my mind currently. After watching "The Hours" with my class I may come back and write a post about it.
Love has also been on my mind a stinkin' lot. I will be writing a post about that, it's a guarantee.
Big gulps, eh? Well, see ya later.
So much has been happening in my life lately that I don't even know where to start. I'm learning not to worry, not to fear, and to live in light of the Spirit God has given me. It's hard and the last two days have been exceptionally difficult but God is amazing and does not let me down. Ever.
I often wonder how people get along everyday. Like, what motivates them. For me, it's my faith. For others, it appears to be the promise of money. For yet other people, it's love. This is an idea marinating in my mind currently. After watching "The Hours" with my class I may come back and write a post about it.
Love has also been on my mind a stinkin' lot. I will be writing a post about that, it's a guarantee.
Big gulps, eh? Well, see ya later.
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