Scandalous

Occasionally a couple of my friends and myself will have controversial conversations about current events or "trending" topics. Today one of them started off with the following link (click here). To understand this post you must first read the link, if you just read this with out reading that... well you might be confused.

A Christian university that has an LGBT group, how does that translate according to biblical standards/principles? Here is my take on it, and a few quotes of theirs.

Biblically homosexuality is a sin, so is sex before marriage, taking God's name in vain, dishonoring one's parents, and the list keeps going. These things are "normal" and accepted in our world today. Scripture says we are born into sin (Psalm 51:5 "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."). We are not born Christians. We are born with a desire to be sinful. We want to rebel against our parents and other authority; we want to swear and drink and have premarital sex... Everything we aren't supposed to do is what we want to do. It literally takes an act of God to change us. People are tempted in different ways. Jesus, for example, fasted for 40 days. Satan tempted Him with turning a rock into bread to meet His physical needs (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan tempted Him in His weakest moment. When we are hungry or desperate for something we will do almost anything to get that thing, whatever "it" is. In 1991 a woman hired a hit man to kill her daughter's cheerleading rival to insure her own daughter would be on the cheerleading squad. Not all people's sin is that open, but when God comes in and truly changes someone's life, they are changed forever.

Think about it this way, if your co-worker/friend/spouse/etc runs in and says, "I'm so sorry I am late! I just got hit by a semi-truck and it took forever to get out of there." You would not believe him. Why is that? Because that person would look drastically different, and would possibly be dead. When someone is changed by God he will not appear the same. The physical appearance may not change but everything else about the person begins to change. If someone has homosexual tendencies and then comes to know the Lord that person will be changed. It may not be immediate, but change takes place in that person's life. The more this person spends time with the Lord the more the person sees that it is not spiritually natural to have that desire. Then the person will begin to seek God even more for Him to transform his heart. The person begins to want to desire what God desires. Christ's purpose was to spread the gospel and make His name known throughout the world. His second command to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. Why were they to do this? What was the point? It was to spread the name of the Lord. They knew what was good and evil. There were only two options, good and evil. It was not good and bad, rather good and evil.

Sin is evil. When we lie, that is evil. When we get drunk, that is evil. When we... do anything that goes against God's law, it is evil. God is perfectly forgiving. God is also perfectly just. Think about it this way, if a convicted murderer was called in by a judge and was told he was being set free. He was forgiven of his charges and was free to go. Everyone (and they mama) would be in an uproar. We would call that judge all sorts of crazy things. So why should we expect the same from God? God sent His Son to die for each of us so that we might have hope in Him. As a Christian/Follower of Christ we are to look different than the world. We are not to go out of our way to look different, but we are not to be of this world. We are just living in it temporarily until we are allowed to go "home". We are citizens of heaven, if we are followers of Christ. As a citizen of heaven our citizenship looks much different than those of the world. Homosexuality, sexual immorality, etc. fit into that category as well. Although we are not to participate in such, we are called to love them. There is a time to rebuke and a time to love. We can still love others while recognizing their actions are sinful. Many people believe that by thinking something is wrong we have to push our own agenda on others, even if we think that agenda is "the right one". Christ did not do that. He loved others and shared truth with them. He was the harshest on the religious people (read the New Testament to see more on this and what He said to the Pharisees).

I, like everyone else, am very sinful. Do people treat me like a leper or stand outside my house with signs and shouting things at me? No. Why should we be doing that to people who claim homosexuality? Shouldn't we show them love and respect? John 8:2-11 talks about the woman caught in adultery.

"Early in the morning He came again to the temple. All the people came to Him, and He sat down and tuaght them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to Him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?' This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She Said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'"


He did not condemn her, He loved her. In His love for her He let her go and told her to "sin no more". We do not have the authority to tell others "go and sin no more" but we have the ability to love and respect. I was not there so I cannot tell you the level of His compassion or the depth of His kindness. I can tell you that scripture shows that He loved her enough to protect her from the harm of others and the harm of herself. If we are called to be like Christ (Christian means little Christ), aren't we called to love like Christ? Aren't we called to respect? Aren't we called to tell others about Christ? Yes.

Recently there was an article published about a pastor in North Carolina. This particular pastor told his congregation if their children start showing signs of homosexuality they should "beat" them. This is not what God has called us to. Christ washed the feet of the man who would betray Him. He ate with tax collectors and prostitutes. When was the last time you spoke to someone who was highly hated in your community? When was the last time you offered to eat a meal with a prostitute or someone society looks down upon?

In the community group I attend we spoke about lepers. Not just leprous people but people we consider outcasts in society. Think about who you consider an outcast and pray for them. Not just pray for them but take actions that show Christ love to them. Our community group leader asked us what do those around us begin to believe about us when we start reaching out to the "lepers" of our society? After thinking about it I said, "we become the lepers". We really do, it is not common practice to treat others with love and respect when we do not like what they are doing or when they are not doing what society approves of.

I dare you, reach out to your local leper. We are sinful, we are born into sin. So why not love the other sinners and treat them the way Christ did?

Islamophobia?

This week Arkansas State University had Zahra Billoo, J.D. speak two nights in their Lecture-Concert series. She gave two talks; the first was titled "Know Your Rights," and the second "Islamophobia." I was only able to attend the second lecture, however, I walked away feeling more knowledgeable. So I want to share some of that with you, whoever you may be. I wish I would have been able to attend Zahra's first lecture, however, I am only able to report on what I have heard and the research I have done. 


So what is Islamophobia? Islamophobia is the closed minded hatred toward Muslims/Islam. Pre-9/11 Muslims did not scare most Americans the way there mere presence seemed to frighten us post-9/11. I have come to realize, after having worked with students from over 70 countries and various backgrounds, that just because someone's skin color or religion or birth place is different from my own I should not fear them. Many of my friends are from different parts of the world. Some of my friends are from different parts of the U.S, yet I am not afraid of them because they are like me ... they have had similar experiences with religion and education and family dynamics. For some reason when it comes to people from other countries we tense up and begin to worry. They are different from us, yes this is true; they are not to be feared, just like they should not fear us either. 


Think back, way back. Think about the treatment of immigrants when they started coming to the U.S. Think about the treatment of blacks. They were treated differently by whites based on the color of their skin. There is so much to be learned from people of different backgrounds and they have so much they can learn from us as well. The U.S. is a cultural melting pot, we have people from every country, background, and religion you can think of (and some you probably didn't know existed). We discriminate because of a difference that internationals, immigrants, blacks (and anyone else I have forgotten) cannot control. They cannot control their skin color or heritage or culture just like you are not able to control those things. This is how they were born and what they were born into. You were born the same way, yet somehow we have come to the conclusion that one race is better than another. 


Zahra reminded us, "Muslims have been in the U.S. since the slave trade." When we go back and look at the history of slavery and the history of the slaves in the U.S. it is easy to see that Muslims were brought over just like everyone else. Islam is very common in Africa, so having slaves from Africa we were bound to have Muslims in the mix. This should come as no shock to me, but for some reason I had to sit and soak this in and remind myself of the truth behind her words. Islam is not a new concept, however "the most talked about religion in the U.S. media is Islam" (Zahra Billoo, J.D.). Islam is seen in a very negative light in the U.S. As a Christian I have read about and have been taught Jesus' ministry. Jesus loved people and had compassion on them. One of the worst things we can do as Christians is treat people as though they are not worth existing. For example: children were walking to the Mosque one Sunday, people lined the sidewalk and stood across the street (some brought their dogs to bark at the children) shouting "Jesus hates you." Zahra said from her studies she has not seen where Christ said he hated anyone. I, too, agree with her statement. Christ had compassion on the crowds. He saw their sin and He knew they were lost. He did not shout obscenities at them as they walked to the Mosque. 


Zahra made a very powerful statement, "No matter your religious belief or skin color, we have to get to know each other." Christ has commissioned those who follow Him to "go into all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us," (Matthew 28:16-19). The nations have come to us, yet we are afraid of them and telling others to fear them. This does not show them love or respect in anyway shape or form. There are several things going on in our government right now that do attack religion, Zahra commented on this saying "An attack on anyone's religion and rights to practice that religion is an attack on all of us." She is right, if an American Muslim has their religious freedoms threatened it means a tighter reign on all religions. We may be praying to different gods but they still deserve to be treated with respect. 


We are only doing ourselves a disservice by choosing to be ignorant and push such people away. They have so much to teach us about the world and we have so much to teach them. Make friends with internationals, ask them questions, find out about their background ... I dare you. This is something I have been doing for 3 1/2 years and it is nothing less than rewarding. If you never step out and take the chance you will miss out on something truly great, knowledge. 


So I dare you to change your ignorance into intelligence. Learn something new today, tomorrow, and everyday after. What do you have to lose?

"It ain't gonna be easy, but nothing worth it ever is."

Walking through the living room I heard two men on a television show talking. The only part of the conversation I heard was one man telling another “It ain’t going to be easy.” The other man replies back, “Nothing worth it ever is.”  Wow! Such words of wisdom from, well I have no idea what show it was from because I was just passing through, but powerful none-the-less. This phrase has echoed through my mind for the past few months. I see it played out often and have used it when talking to friends about things going on in their lives. I have used it when applying things to my own life. Nothing worth it is ever easy. Think about the things you value or find worth in …  Your spouse? Your kids? Your best friend? Your job? Your … anything else. Marriage is hard! Not that I know from experience but I know second hand knowledge. Having friends who are married and tell me about the struggles of marriage, “it ain’t easy.” Friends that have kids, and well, my poor poor parents. Having kids is not an easy thing, yet it is worth it to raise them and to love them. Having a best friend is not easy. Anything where there is more than just you, well it is not going to be easy. But think about the friendships or relationships you value the most … how many arguments or disagreements or frustrations have you endured? You look back now and most likely say, “It was worth it.”

We do not fight for things if we do not think they are worth it to us. I look back on some of the arguments I have had in the past and even the things I have spent my money on and ask my self why I thought it was worth it. Ecclesiastes (the entire book) shows us that everything outside of living for Christ is “striving after the wind.” Keeping that in mind, reevaluating things that are worth it seem rather difficult to me. What is worth the money? What is worth the time? What is worth the effort? And so on and so forth. I am reading a book, Every Woman’s Battle, and in this book it poses the question “what are you storing up in your heart?” About a week ago, or so, our pastor mentioned the same question in his sermon, “what are you storing up in your heart?” (I think God has been trying to get me to reevaluate some things in my life, what do you think? J). Both my pastor and the author are getting at the same thing, the entertainment (movies, books, music, television, internet, hobbies, etc) that I watch/listen to/read/etc are all storing up in my heart. The overflow of the mouth comes from the heart. Am I showing Christ’s likeness from my mouth? If not, the worldliness escaping my lips are proof of what I hold as valuable.

We as people store up what we find the most valuable. There are people that collect Star Wars memorabilia and they count that as their most prized possession. Others stock pile their money, money is what they value most. Some hang on to pictures because they value the memories. Everyone has something they find valuable. Yet, is your most prized possession worth it? Is it worth the difficulty? Men lose their families because they become workaholics thinking more money will make their family happy and satisfied. The original intent was not bad, they value their family and want to take care of them yet they lose sight of their kids needing a dad and their wife needing a husband. They lost sight of the original commitment. Their idea of value somehow was switched and they now seek financial gain as their sense of security completely taking their eyes off “the prize,” Christ. Christ saw us as something so valuable and so worth it that He came to earth, was born in a smelly manger, lived a poor and humble life for 33 years, was crucified, and died. All because He believed that something so worth it would not be easy. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have a chance at knowing Him. Not just that, but scripture says that He being man was tempted in every way. He was tempted by anger, He was tempted with financial gain … get this He was even tempted with lust and sexual desire. Yet, He overcame it all. He lived a perfectly sinless life. He saw YOU as something so worth it that He would fight the fight for you, even 2,000 years ago so YOU could have a chance to come to know Him.

Christ knows that following Him is not easy. He knows that we are going to be tempted by things. Following Christ is not easy, but oh is it so very worth it! Living for Christ is the only thing that is truly worth anything. We cannot take our money, clothes, material possessions, entertainment, etc with us when we die. NO! It is temporary. We can only take with us the things we have stored up for eternity. Scripture tells us that all our words and deeds will be put to the test by fire. It says that all things of hay and stubble will be burned up but all things of gold and silver will come through. What do you see when you look at your life? God created us to glorify Him. Glorifying Him “ain’t gonna be easy, but nothing worth it ever is.”

Is what you are living for really worth living for?

A Gift of Love

One night after a big event at our university’s Student Union, a sweet friend leaned over and asked me if I thought true love could really exist. She told me she thought she could never be loved by a man the way our friend Sam* loves Brenda*. She went on to mention how Sam looks at Brenda and the way he talks to her and the way he treats her. This is just not something my friend had seen lived out by others.  This made me really sad for her. Then I realized, sadly I too feel that way and I have seen this lived out in the lives of those that are near and dear to me.

As of late I have been reading a book called A Man Worth Waiting For: How to Avoid a Bozo by Jackie Kendall. It seems to be written for girls that are in junior high, high school, or maybe even at the oldest their freshman year in college. None-the-less I am reading it and sticking it out. It is good and has great things spread through out the book. I came across the following in one of the chapters.

“A very successful hairstylist [told] me that over the years he has seen the saddest thing in the lives of most of his clients: ‘Women no longer marry for love, because they don’t believe true love exists. They assume it is an extinct reality. Instead of love, women now marry for money and power.’”

Jackie Kendall, A Man Worth Waiting For: How to Avoid a Bozo

Reading this made stop and think about how the young women I am around, as well as myself, view love and marriage. The sad truth is that we may crave love but we are willing to settle. We sadly think that God is not going to come through for us or that we have to choose our own fate so we take whatever looks good at the time. Ok, so I know someone who is reading this or will eventually read this is going to think, “I know God can provide and can provide a man worth marrying.” Do you really believe that? Look at your actions … Do you flirt with your guy friends for the sake of flirting? Do you feel like you just have to be in a relationship or you have to be liked by someone?

Your actions say more about what you believe than you think they do. A couple of Sunday’s ago our pastor was preaching on Knowing Who Really Matters and said, “What you are believing is what you are being.” That completely applies here. What you believe is shown through your actions. For example, if I believed that I would get hit by a train if I drove over the train tracks when the bars were down it would be stupid for me to drive over the blasted train tracks. So if I believed I would get hit and either be ridiculously injured or dead it would not be something I gave my life to doing. So if my continuous actions were dating anyone that asked me on a date or doing anything I could (within reason) to get a boyfriend, you can derive from that my beliefs that God will provide are pretty much non-existent.

It is not sinful to want to be pursued/courted or married, but if it is all you think about all day everyday … you might have a problem. If it is the thing that dominates your thoughts and actions you might do have a problem. I am a young woman, I think about marriage and having a family and being the mistress of my own home and blah blah blah. But I am also learning what it means to take every thought captive, to not dwell on those thoughts and the crazy day dreams and what not. God has made us to desire such things but He wants us to seek Him about them all. He wants to fill those desires with Himself.  To better explain this I will use a quote from a Mary Kassian sermon I listened to the other night.

“You see when God created male and female He created an object lesson a parable, as it where, of His entire redemptive plan. Manhood and womanhood, gender, sex, marriage all of those are mini lessons that proclaim the gospel. And when we talk about seeing Christ in the Old Testament we see Christ even in His creation of who He created us to be as male and female. The reason history started with God creating a man and a woman and a marriage is because it is going to end with a man, a woman, and a marriage. That’s why! It will end when Christ, the bridegroom, is united with His bride, the church, and the two become one. This marriage will be consummated throughout eternity. That’s why we have male and female, it’s not about me, it’s not about my husband, and it’s not about you as men and women. It’s about displaying a story. We tell a story by virtue of how we live our lives as men and women.” 

- Mary Kassian, the Gospel Coalition, the Feminist Mistake.

John McArthur said (in a sermon about God’s word), “The gospel is not a feel good message, it is about abandoning your life.” Far too often we think the gospel is supposed to benefit us and give us the warm fuzzies. The thing is, the gospel is not about us and it never was about us. God, in His mercy, allows us to have part in taking the gospel to others. He gave us the gifts of singleness and marriage as a picture of the gospel. Both singleness and marriage are extraordinary pictures of the gospel. With singleness we see God using us in total abandonment to Him. Having no spouse or children or other people to provide for other than the physical needs for self, we get to learn to be self-less and have the choice to live radically abandoned to Christ. Spending our time, money, energy, and efforts on taking the gospel to the lost community around us. We get to have uninterrupted fellowship with God. With marriage we see the example of Christ and the church working alongside each other to spread the gospel. Having fellowship with one-another and with God. Both singleness and marriage are hard work. “It ain’t going to be easy, but nothing worth it ever is,” quote from a television show (have a whole article about this one quote … well coming soon anyway).

God has you where you are for a reason. Know this, I am writing this more for myself than for others, simply because I know my own heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it,” (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV). God knows us better than we know ourselves (hello, read Psalm 139). He knows exactly what we need. If we are in Him, He hears our prayers. You would not believe the crazy things I have prayed for and God has answered [ask me and I will tell you … trust me, some of them are plain crazy]. We do not have, because we do not ask (James 4:2). Keep this in mind, God is not your personal genie in a bottle either (James 1:6-8). There are many things I have prayed and God’s answer has been silence. Not going to lie to you here, I have prayed for marriage quite a bit and guess what, still single as they come. Does that make God any less good? NO!! God knows what I need. He knows I would not be able to do what He has me doing right now if I was in a relationship. He has me in a unique little spot and I do not understand at times I am learning what it means to be obedient and how to have an obedient heart. He is not oblivious to my desires; He has put them in me. Just as He has put a desire in your heart for marriage or missions or a particular ministry and so-on and so-forth. He has a reason for that desire to be there. God says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” (Jeremiah 29:11). In Jeremiah 32:27 He says, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for Me?” Jeremiah, in Chapter 32, is praying for understanding and that is how the Lord answered his prayer … “is anything too hard for Me?”

Are you living in a manner that shows you trust God with your whole life? I know for me this is an area of my life I try to hold on to and occasionally tell God that this is my territory. God continues to show me that because I am His I am to live radically abandoned to Him. Even with my “love life,” or what I refer to as the lack there of, it is all His. God is teaching me when those tiny little thoughts pop up about how badly I want to be married or how nice it would be to wake up with someone next to me (especially as the weather gets colder and it is cold in my room), He is teaching me to look to Him. He is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17), He is continually saving me from my thoughts … from myself. He has paid the ultimate sacrifice and I am dead to sin and alive to God, in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11-12). I choose to be alive in Christ and dead to sin. The price has been paid, I need not pay more.

Going back to the beginning of this post where I shared about my friend, if we are in Christ we are loved far beyond our own imagination. The God of the universe chooses to love us although He knows everything about us. No man could ever love you the way God loves you. God did, however, make men that are worth the wait. He continually raises up godly men who love the Lord and pursue Him. God writes good stories, let Him be the one to write your love story. This comes like a ton of bricks in the face to me, because I, at times, am on the look out for whatever love story He may be writing for me. Which is probably why I am still single, God wants me to trust Him and submit my life fully to Him rather than be on the lookout for a man. It is possible to marry a man like Boaz (from the book of Ruth) who loves God and loves his wife. Love still exists, don’t settle anyone less than a man walking with the Lord.

*names were changed

Articles of Reference:

Mr. Right or Mr. Right in Front of You by Gabrielle Pickle

The Playground of Your Mind by Katie McCoy

Daily Fight

For a couple of years I refused to watch the Harry Potter series for personal reasons. As an assignment for work, my boss asked me to be part of a 10 day long summer camp for international high school students. In my agreement to do so I was asked to take 33 students to see the latest Harry Potter movie. So I decided to catch up on the ones I had not seen. Please know I am not suggesting everyone watch these movies. Please deal with God before making any movie choice, especially one with things such as witch craft and violence (the entire series is based off of these two things). However, I must say after watching movies 1-4 there is a huge theme of good vs. evil. Within this battle it becomes very obvious that those on the side of evil have chosen to do so for some form of false promise. These promises include fame, fortune, and power. All of the people that are on the "dark side" have been told by Voldermort (the dark lord) they would receive such things.

Think about todays society. Satanists choose to be satanists because they believe they will get something from it (i.e. fame, fortune, power, etc.). All of which are sorely disappointed in the end. In the movies Voldermort does not die (well, I haven't finished the series but up to this point). Evil is still lurking in the world but believes to be put far enough away that people can go about their lives and live freely. Just like in our world evil never really goes away. We may not look at something and think that it is particularly evil but we also do not realize what those very things are costing us. For example, workaholics do not start out thinking "muahahaha, I am evil and plan to destroy my entire family by completely ignoring them." No, it often begins as a good intention. There is a saying that goes something like this, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Think about that for a second. Realize that although your intentions may be good to work late every day and be the first person to work and be the bread winner for your family. Realize that your family is missing out on something great, you! You have robbed them of your role in the family (mother, father). See it easily starts out with good intentions and goes sour very quickly. Unlike the movie, where things are very black and white, good and bad, in our world we choose to see things as shades of grey and pushing limits.

Harry on many occasions throws himself in front of others and acts as a savior to those around him. His very life was proof (in the movie) that love conquers all, even death. Harry portrayed a hero but was fairly common to those around him. There is no true spiritual content in the movie, yet I didn't have to dig deep for what I saw either. How you view this movie is up to your own conviction. I will tell you that I do not plan on going to buy these movies, going to the theater dressed in my closest resembling Hogwarts gear or even rehearsing spells that were said in the movie. I do however, understand that this shows a neat picture of spiritual warfare. Evil is something that we have to daily fight off. As Christ followers we are not in bondage to sin, but we sometimes build imaginary prisons for ourselves and tell ourselves that we cannot escape. Until we realize that we have been sitting inside some imaginary fence wearing an imaginary shock collar and whenever we leave that little bondage bubble we are imaginarily shocked. Here is the thing, that is a lie that Satan tells us to get us to believe we cannot be more like Christ. We can be more like Him. We can actively choose everyday to put on the new self and follow Him into battle. Or we can choose to put on the old self and choose to be on the other team.

You only have two options here, follow Christ or don't. Within that same realm of thinking your actions can do one of two things. They can either push people closer to Christ or they can push people away from Him. So what are your actions doing? What are you choosing to do everyday?

Challenging Myself

Morning!

Well, I have been challenging myself some this year. At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to learn about each of the fruits of the Spirit. But since there are 12 months and not 9 I had to find 3 things to fit in as well. So this is what it looks like:

January- Biblical Womanhood

February- Love

March- Joy

April- Peace

May- Patience

June- Kindness

July- Goodness

August- Faithfulness

September- Gentleness

October- Self-Control

November- Evangelism

December- Focus on Christ

Let me tell you, I have failed at each one of these so far. Now, do not go and feel sorry for me, let me tell you why I say that and what is going on with it. January started out with Biblical Womanhood and it seemed throughout all of January that I was the least feminine and least biblical of women that you could ever meet. February it seemed as if I loved no one at all. March it seemed as if I had no joy. April seemed as if I had no peace. May seemed as if I had no patience. Well now it is June and I am fearful for those around me. But here is the thing, although it seemed as if none of those were characteristics that I was exhibiting, God was building those very things up. So I may feel as if I have failed but God is growing me and teaching me each one of these things.  ...

Also, I started a new challenge for myself for the summer. This summer I am going through the book of Psalms. There are 61 days between June 1 and July 31, you all are smart and probably already knew that but just letting you know my train of thought here. So to make it through the whole thing this summer it averages out to 2.5 Psalms a day. Meaning that I will probably still be in the book of Psalms in August (hello! Have you seen Psalm 119? Just sayin'). However, there is a girl that is going to be going through with me and we are going to meet once aweek to talk about what we have been learning. One thing I want to do through all of this is posting once a week or so about the things I am learning or things I am finding encouraging. A couple of summers ago I went through the book of Psalms and I absolutely loved it! I loved it so much I decided to do it again and with another person. When I did it the first time I saw how my Time Alone With God (TAWG) was transformed and how much more open I was with God. Well, here is to going for it again.

Growing Where We Are Planted

"...Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;" Matthew 6:28

This passage in Matthew is talking about trusting God in all things. Yet, today reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers something popped out at me. Chambers says, about the lilies, "They grow where they are planted. Many of us refuse to grow where God plants us." He later ties it to the question: "Am I (or are we) continually separating myself and looking to God every day of my life?" For some reason reading that was a completely new thought or analogy or way of thinking about it. We are just like those lilies. God has planted things exactly where He wants them. When He created the garden of Eden He didn't have Adam plant things, He planted them. Adam didn't have to plant or toil or labor until after sin came into the world. That is a completely different topic for a different post. :)

God has planted the lilies of the valley exactly where He wants them. So what makes us think any different about ourselves? God has placed us in a prime location. You or I may not think of it as anything because it may be some place you have been in one place for so long. Or maybe even you are in a new place and know next to no one. God has you right where He wants you. This is not to say you are never ever to move from the location you are in. No ma'am! I would never tell you that. God gives leading to people to stay or go. So if God has you where He wants you geographically (hehe) what is the task at hand? Well, at this point if you know me or if you read my other posts you know what is coming. We have been given a very divine task. It is the task of sharing. We are not to share just anything, but the very thing that could save people's lives. Let me put it in simple terms and then we will go from there.

Think about children playing in a play room or on a playground together. As children we are naturally selfish, this is because we were born into sin (once again...different topic for a different post). Children do not often willingly share their toys at first. They have to be taught how to share. They have to be taught how to even have the simple desire to share. So it doesn't come naturally for us to desire to share. We do not desire to share anything: toys, money, cars, space, ... the gospel. If a child of man has to be taught how to share then what is different for the children of God? Absolutely nothing (well within the aspects of teaching, ha!). He has to mold us and shape us and teach us how to share and how to even have a desire to do so. He wants us to make the most of our time in the field He has planted us in.

The neat thing about flowers is they cross pollenate AND they can be uprooted and moved and still flourish in the new location. Although God may have planted you in a po-dunk town in the middle of no where or even in a huge metropolis ... He has you there for a reason. Look around and see how many people are without Him. See the effects of sin on the world. The effects are all around us. Most diseases seem to have stemmed from sinful behavior. Prisons had to be opened because of this. The list could go on forever, and I will spare you. Just know that there is a purpose for you working the seemingly dead end job or going to school for what seems like no reason at all. He has a reason for you being single, married, or widowed. He has you right where He wants you. Let Him do a work in you as you seek Him out to become more like Him.

Live your life radically for Him. I dare you.

World Impact Conference (Malachi 1:6-11)

Written in April 2, 2009

About a week or two ago I was listening to a Paul Washer sermon. In his sermon he asked some questions and wanted those who were in the audience and listening to journal through them or answer them in their own minds. Well, these are some really good questions that I believe need to be asked by all of us. Please feel free to share this with others.

You can find the sermon by clicking the following link: . It is really great, God was speaking through him straight to my heart and helped me start seeing things a little differently. Hopefully the sermon will do the same for you girls!

1) What did I do over the last year to advance God's kingdom?

2) What were the fruits of what I did?

3) What am I doing within the fellowship of the church?

4) What are my plans for this year? What am I praying about for this year?

5) Either you go down in the well or you are holding the rope, either way you go you are gong to have scars. Where are your scars?

6) Am I holding the rope for those who have gone down in the well? (Meaning for those who are doing active mission work over seas and in other ways am I aiding in that ministry) What does that look like for me? Explain how I hold the rope.

7) What did I do in the great commission this year? What were the fruits?

8) What are my plans within the great comission this year? How am I going to advance God's kingdom this year?

9)Am I in love with missions or am I in love with sharing the Gospel to those who do not know?

10) Why do I go to church every Sunday? Wednesday?

The Wise Fool

“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” –Proverbs 17:27-28

Every word has a meaning. Simple enough, right? The way each word rolls off our tongue, out of our mouth, and into someone’s ear. Each and every tiny little word has meaning. The way we say things can confirm or contradict the very words we speak. There are wise, loving, hurtful, shocking, funny, strange, made-up, serious, and so many other types of words. So what do our words say about us?
There are so many verses that talk about our words. There are at least 11 in Proverbs that I know of. In Proverbs 17:27-28 it says that even a fool can be considered wise when he keeps silent. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances,” –Proverbs 25:11. A word spoken in the right circumstances is like gold and silver! Fools can be considered wise and words in the right moment are like gold and silver. Wow!
Our words are powerful. We should mean what we say…say what we mean…build each other up. All we have to do is be kind hearted in our speech. As a woman in a “leadership” position in my job I often struggle with how I am to handle certain situations. Proverbs 31 tells us we are to open our mouth in wisdom. We are to teach with kindness on our tongue. God has told us how to use our words. So are we willing to use our words as they were meant to be used? He has told us that we are to build one another up (I Thess. 5:11), speak with kindness (Proverbs 19:22), gentle in answer (Proverbs 15:1), keeping your word in accountability and not spreading gossip (Proverbs 11:13). He has told us that we are to keep silent until the opportune time to speak.
So if our words have so much power, what are our words saying about each of us? What do we spend most of our time talking about? One of my favorite things to remember is a simple phrase I heard someone say “we speak most of the things we love, what do our words say we love?” Just like with a married person, within minutes you will know if someone is married. You do not have to look on their hand to see a ring, just have a conversation with them. The person you talk to will start talking about their spouse. That is the same way we are to be with our Father. It should not be something that we have to force into a conversation. If we truly love our Heavenly Father our conversations will naturally reflect what we love. Our love for Him will overflow from our heart to our speech and from our speech to our actions. It spills over into our choices of movies, music, televisions, and friends.
I dare you to ask yourself (and your accountability partner or friend) what your words say about you.