Monday, September 10, 2012

Unity

"Be rich in love of man and love of God. Brothers should never cheat each other. When you move away from unity you are sure to move away from God" ~ St. Gregorios Geevarghese.

September 11th is a day of mourning in our country because of the thousands who lost their lives for a purposeless cause. It is also a day, where for a short time, we caught a glimpse into a society where it did not matter your race, gender, sexual orientation, or party line. A unified society existed. It would not have mattered what President was in office at that time, he would have been embraced by the people because he would have had to lead the American people through a national tragedy, which he did. Vigils were held across the country for families who we did not know and we stood together in some form of patriotic fashion because compassion was at the forefront of our hearts, not hate. Now today, facebook, news outlets and other media outlets are filled with nothing more than hatred laded excuses of why it is OK to spew words of hate about people, no matter who they may be. Unity has been lost. While I typically stay away from talking about anything political, I will admit that I too have been entertained by the bantering that has occurred over political bashing. This makes me no better than those carrying on outwardly in the bantering. With this election coming up, Satan would like nothing more than to use it to divide Christians more, use it as another tool to make us seem like arguing fools, and use it as a hindrance to our mission: to bring others to Christ. If we spent even half of the time studying, discussing, and professing our passion for Christ to others as we do our passion for politics, souls could be forever changed. But it doesn’t happen because the passion to share our interest in politics is easier than our interest in sharing our passion for Christ. If that statement shocks or offends you, good. Perhaps your gut needs checking. I know for me, it isn't politics that I necessarily have a passion for, but I do get caught up being passionate about things that aren't eternally important. Anything that takes priority over Christ has become an idol, whether that be politics, our families, our jobs, or ourselves. The unity that occurred after 9/11 has been lost due to selfishness. We by nature are a selfish people. For a time, we chose to bear one another’s burdens. Now, one another's burdens have become a burden to us. For the most part many people no longer seek out ways to help others, but look for ways to help themselves. The greater good has become the greater me. We expect Grace but aren't willing to give it. This has caused a divisive community both in our homes and throughout the country. It is sad and it completely goes against what the Bible teaches. I am thankful that we serve a Gracious and Merciful God who is willing to be so patient and loving with a people so undeserving as we are. All hope is not lost in the unity that was held in those moments after 9/11 because we can be unified in the belief that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that it is He who offers all those who choose to believe the Grace of forgiveness. He unifies us. So whether it’s through facebook, the media or with a conversation with a friend we should stop and consider the divisiveness of our language. Are we speaking love or hate? Truth or lies? Will what we are speaking glorify God or bring his name shame?
 

 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:29-32

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Monday, August 27, 2012

Never Say Never

I’ve been absent from the blogosphere for a bit; somewhat due to my creativity wandering off into an abyss of nonexistence, but also due to sheer laziness. But, I’m trying to rejuvenate my creativity so, here we go…

Me and Justin Bieber have something in common. What? A 30 something woman and a teen pop sensation can’t share common ground? In 2011 JB had young girls flocking to the big screen in droves to go see his documentary “Never Say Never” and in 2012, I’ll be coining the phrase “Never Say Never” for my own personal use. (coming to a bumper sticker near you) You see, there have been several times in my life that I have said “I’ll never do ___” ,and days, weeks, months later I find myself in the exact situation I said I “would never do”. As a kid I hated okra, said I would never eat the stuff, now I have to get it as a side every time I go to Golden Chick. Tasty little fried green slimy nuggets of deliciousness.

Last year my son went on his first mission trip and had a great time so he wanted to go again this year. Several parents go as leaders… would I? No way. 5 vans full of junior high kids + very little sleep + dirty conditions + looooooooooong drive + 5 vans full of junior high kids (did I mention that?) = not my idea of a week’s worth of time well spent. Then I kept attending the mission trip meetings, and my son had mentioned that both my husband and I should go as leaders. When your teenager asks to spend that kind of time with you it’s hard to say no. That “never” suddenly turned into a “let’s do this”.

Fast forward to today. The week that I spent on the mission trip with the youth group and my family was one of the most life changing weeks I’ve ever had. There is no greater feeling that doing God’s work, surrounded by great people all while being able to see the lives of youth being changed. I met some wonderful people and made some great friends.

So that whole “never” thing? God always lets me know “never” is not an option when He is in control. Looking back I can almost see Him sitting up in Heaven smiling down laughing saying “Ha! Silly girl… you have NO idea what I’m about to do for you”. I have always had a heart for “troubled” youth due to how I grew up. I felt like I needed to reach out to youth that had already taken a path toward being lost and show them a path towards Christ and what He has done for me. What I have learned through this experience is that it doesn’t matter whether a child has been raised in the church or has never known Christ, they are all the same. They all need to be shown the same Grace and Mercy that we have all been shown. They need to be taught that Christ should be center of their lives and that He is who they should turn to, not the world, because the world will fail them. In a short amount of time, I grew to love those kids and now… I’m a senior high leader with our church. Go figure. From never to now.

I’m learning to not say never to God. I don’t want to find myself in the belly of a whale someday. My family and I don’t camp. And at the risk of finding myself in a little tent trapped by a big brown bear foraging for my food, I will no longer say we will never  go camping…but I strongly insist that we stay home and leave it to the pros.

"Lord, I know that people's lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps." ~ Jeremiah 10:23