The iHeart Revolution.

it's been a whole month since i've written. i don't know why. laziness. busy-ness. forgetfulness. lack of direction or caring. i don't know. maybe a combination of the two. i care. i do. i just sometimes get selfish and busy and there is no excuse for it. so i right now humbly apologize.

i went to The I Heart Revolution: We're All in This Together world debut last night and it got me thinking and excited. i've got to get on it. people. people matter. god. then people. then me. i live so much of my life thinking about MY decisions. when, the truth of the matter is that i have no say. yes. some of a say. but i deserve no say in eternity. when i make all of these decisions, it's just going to come down to the point that some day i am going to die. and the only thing that is going to matter is Eternity. in heaven. i know i'm going to heaven. i know it. i've doubted it. examined it. thought about it. and now it's just time to stop testing God and believe. "If i find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy, then i can only conclude that i, i was not made for here." (Brooke fraser quoting c.s. lewis.) i am not meant for this world. i can choose to see the other dimension or i can comfortably accept the one i am in. but the problem with accepting the dimension i'm in is that there are too many things that are not yet figure-out-able... leaving me longing for that other dimension that i so strategically try to ignore and doubt in my head.
you know. humans in general are funny creatures. we spend our whole lives fighting for success. fame. looking for ourselves... whoever that is. and i admit- i do wish to find myself. but i'll never find myself if I am looking in myself. you see... i am not of myself. i was Created. that means that at one point i wasn't and now i was. if you go back, you'll see that i. i was created by my parents. and some days i find my identity in them. so if i was looking from the world's point of view- that's where i'd start looking for myself- in my parents. and they looked for themselves in their parents and their parents looked for themselves in their parents. generational sin in a nutshell. but something happens when a child decides to be different from their parents. they look for it in their friends who got their identity from their parents or from other friends. and everyone slowly starts looking and acting quite similar. quite in the box. and that wouldn't be "myself" at all. so i find my identity in christ. the perfect example. yes. the Perfect example. so many people fight the bible. don't give it a chance. i do it myself somedays when i most definitely shouldn't cause it's the only foundation i have. i choose to find my confidence in the One who never changes. who i can constantly ask for communication. who will show me himself consistently instead of me having to try and figure everything out. I'll probably have a boyfriend one day if God wills it. and he's probably going to be amazing seeing as it would be only by God's will that i have one. So one day if i have that boyfriend, i am going to want to spend alot of time getting to know him. alot of time. hopefully my whole life. and i hope to do that with God too. but the difference between God and a boyfriend is that God never changes. Now one might say- "That's no fun to figure out at all... wouldn't it be more fun to be around someone who changes who you can be surprised by often and who is dynamic?!" well.
point 1: the point isn't to be fun although in some instances that would be quite preferable. if the whole world were meant for fun, then we're doing a pretty bad job at it ourselves. i'd rather joy than this fun that tries to mimick joy and fails horribly.... so it's not about fun.
point 2: frankly... one day when my boyfriend and i are old and gray... or even just in our forties.... i'd probably get sick of him trying to change all the time. imagine it- if your friend was constantly changing and becoming something new... it'd be hard to have consistency in your relationship. yes. i want my boyfriend to change himself for the better- in order that he become more consistent. we continually learn, mold, shape, and change ourselves to those things that we one day hope will be a constant. for example. i am changing all the time in my prayer life. some days are good. some days stink. some days i am stubborn then repent at the end of the day. and some days i just rejoice and talk to god all day. i haven't gotten to the point where i feel like yelling at him all day but i'm sure it might come someday for growth purposes. my prayer changes day by day (even though it shouldn't)... but the reason why it changes so much is because an inner battle is going on and one day i hope that i will consistenly talk to my Lord every waking moment. i am changing right now so that one day i might be consistent. likewise consistency is good i believe. that is what i desire in a boyfriend (and eventually a husband) and i am thankful that my Lord is always cosistent. a consistent foundation. not rocky but a rock. not build on shifting, changing sand but on the Rock. and unless my marriage/relationships are also based on that rock, they will never last. they will constantly keep on changing.
Likewise. i need that Rock to have consistency (seeing as i am always changing). If i am continually changing to find myself WITHOUT first having that rock in place, then i will never find just ONE, TRUE "ME", cause that one true me will always be changing. if i have that rock that never changes, then model myself after Him, then i can find the parts of Him that remain in me all the time. We all have traits of His. Bits of his mercy and faith and all his other traits. each person has different traits of God's in different porportions. We all have access to all traits, but some just are more strongly reflected in certain people. likewise, when you attach yourself to that Rock and learn it's traits, THEN AND ONLY THEN can you start comparing yourself to it. you can have a consistent analysis. if the components of an experiment are always changing, you will never have a consistent conclusion to your hypothesis. if my hypothesis is that i am patient, sometimes rude, loving generally, and creative with the arts, then i'll never know if i truly am unless i have something solid and unchanging to test it against. Rather, SOMEONE, to test it against. if i want to find the exact perfect amound of apple cider to put in my tea, in a normal experiment, i would keep the rest of the tea the same, then just test different amounts of apple cider in it. If i changed the amount of tea at any time, then my experiment would be inconsistent and i would not have a solid conslusion. there would be too many variables. God is the tea. He is unchanging. He is consistent. His amount of everything stays the same. Consistency. I am the cider. i am looking for myself. who i am. well, unless i have the solid Rock of God (keep the same amount of tea) i will never be able to tell if i am the one changing or if the tea amount is changing.
We must have a solid rock to stand upon or we'll never find who we truly are. Life is not an experiment. It is a divine plan. But if it were, God would be the constant and we'd be the cider. We cannot find ourselves in all the other people who are changing as well or we'll never be able to tell which trait is ours as opposed to which trait is theirs.

The conclusion- we are all looking for ourselves. i will choose to have my rock in Christ and God. They are the only ones who will never change. I. I change all the time. But it is all in hopes that i might become consistent in something.
We're All in This Together talked about how everyone is so consumed by looking for themselves. But when we look to God and ask for His heart and His purposes rather than our own, we find what we truly are- sinful yet forgiven. wierd yet accepted. divinely created different yet very the same in so many ways. And we realize that we're all in this together. It's amazing that one man died for me and it took care of the rest of my sins for the rest of my life. i don't quite understand it fully. the transaction is foreign. yet the reaction it creates in me is quite close to my heart.

i have found, i believe, that God has granted me with the gift of thought. Trust me, it's a gift. i've been without it many days of my life (although it's quite short in comparison). But he's regiven it to me. i chose to lose it. But now i choose to see and and use it and reuse it. i pray, lord, that we never allow ourselves to stop thinking for your Glory. always for your glory.

you see. once we get out of ourselves, we truly find ourselves. iHeart talked about this i-centered culture. ipods. iPhone. iTunes. I love this. i love that. i am going to the store this afternoon. i love hotdogs. They asked people what they loved. swimming, hotdogs, money... and it made me think of how much i really do think of the big 'I' during my day. where am I going to go to college? when will i get a boyfriend? will i own my own buisness or coffee shop one day? what should i major in? so many thoughts. all about I. and i've wasted so much time. the truth is. if i didn't go to college, i'd still get into heaven, but if i don't stip thinking about myself, THEY might not. If i go to a movie today and invite only church people all the time, i'd still get into heaven, but THEY might not have seen love today. "Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering, today somebody is in the street, today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today, yesterday has gone, tomorrow has not yet come- today, we have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered, etc. Today- do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow might not come. Tomorrow we will not have them if we do not feed them today." (Mother Teresa 1991)
We've got today to start not caring about only ourselves, but, more than, that is that we've got only today to start caring for someone else. Yes, i still have to go do my math homework. but i all too often forget that i can do just as much sitting in my room, praying while doing my math homework, as i can do in a homeless shelter or at school. becuase i'm not the one doing it. God is. all the time. he's doing it through us. so whether we are praying or working God is still working toward His same purposes. there is only one will of God. and if we allow Him to work in us, then there is no way He'd work any other will but His own. cause it's not about us. it's about him. when it comes down to eternity, nothing I said or did will matter. But only what i allowed God to do through me. He'll ask me what i did with what He gave me. Did i multiply His gift or did i selfishly and fearfully bury it in a hole. My funeral won't even matter. People might try to make it something big. they might try and make it about me. But their efforts will be pointless. No matter how hard or long i try to make things all about me, i will never succeed. It's about God. And other people. The sooner i realize that and start living in constant regards to that, the sooner i will find consistency. There are people out there who need us. People who if we don't get our act together by the grace of God and start serving them, might die before we get to show them the love of Jesus. I know the job is big. i know it. but what has He given you? Deal with that today? has He showed you a need today? work to fulfill that need until He gives you a new one. If you cannot physically provide for that need, then pray. He expects you to use what He's given you. Has he equipped you to help the poor in third world countries? Yes? then go do it. No? then pray for them and start filling another need He's given you the supplies to fill. Has He eqpuipped you to help the people in Hollywood? Where has he put you? Start there. Then move outward. From Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, then to the ends of the earth. From the inside out. From where you are------> outward. If you don't know where to start, pray. Then start somewhere. What has he equipped you with? Look at your talents. Use them. I've always wondered how my everyday life can be used for the glory of God. We as humans glorify certain gifts He's given people. "She's so good at writing music. That brings glory to God." "He's so good at preaching. THAT must bring more glory to God." no. what has he talented you with? Gifted you with? Are you good at juggling. PRAY ABOUT IT AND FIND A WAY TO USE IT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. Remember though- your gift He's given you is a gift. It never for one second is ours in the first place. Using your talents is like sending God a Thank-You card. So thank him. I forget that all too often.

In Jesus' name i pray and praise and thank the Lord who has allowed me to write.
Amen

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefor, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who workds in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14Do everything without complainging or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life- in order that i may boast on the day of Christ that i did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if i am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, i am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me."
-Philippians 2:1-18

The self image epidemic

I found this in my draft box from quite a while ago... it had already been posted, but i edited it a bit. i have found more information on the self image problem in our world today, which brings hope and is in the January blog posts... god bless.

Friday, October 09, 2009
8:34 AM
If you haven't noticed, we've got a problem. It's an epidemic. But it's hidden. It's spreading. But the lie so craftily hidden by Satan is in nearly every person's mind who suffers from this epidemic. What is it? Lack of confidence in regard to self image. Who does it effect? Nearly every woman. Especially young girls. Why is it occurring? Well. Because it hasn't been fully exposed. We ourselves are guilty of it. And allow it to happen. We don't claim victory in our own minds- allowing for our thought patterns about ourselves to continue. These stats are not to get you down, but to just bring some light to the issue. The stats:

One in 200 american women suffers from anorexia

Two to three in 100 American women suffers from bulimia

An estimated 10 – 15% of people with anorexia or bulimia are males

Anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents

50% of girls between the ages of 11 and 13 see themselves as overweight

80% of 13-year-olds have attempted to lose weight

Rates of minorities with eating disorders are similar to those of white women
(It is of ALL races- not just one)

Eating disorders are one of the most common psychological problems facing young women in Japan

Pasted from <http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/anorexia/statistics.htm>


Anorexia nervosa is considered a mental illness… it goes straight to the heart (that's why it's so hard to deconstruct the old patterns)
"

So yes. This is an epidemic. And it goes against the will of God. It has to- Everything God has made is good. And this is clearly not good. One of the reasons: Many girls look around and see other skinny girls. They tend to think that these girls are naturally skinny. Likewise, the girl who thinks she isn't skinny begins to regulate her eating patterns, look in the mirror too many times each day, care too much about what she looks like, focus on herself too much (rather than focusing on God), and because of her preoccupation with her weight and her constant resistance towards God's better plan in her life, she grows ever further away from how God designed her to think about herself. And the sin creates the feeling of a wedge between herself and God.
He will never let go. He will never let go. But she has. The sin so prevalent (which we convince ourselves isn't a sin at the time) is a trick. The thing she doesn't realize is that the reason why many of the other girls are so skinny is because they are thinking and doing the same thing- the same unhealthy pattern. So because of this trick, our minds no longer desire to obey God. This is unfortunate and saddening. We become futile in our thinking towards God. Watch- prayer slowly slips out. Reading the Bible wholeheartedly slowly slips out. And the mirror slips in. Thoughts about food slip in. Food is all you can think of. When I focused on the food I was eating all the time, I didn't have anything else to talk about. I would talk about high-calorie foods I loved, and I loved baking. Which was true. But I let talking about that food be my supplement so I didn't have to eat them. The Spirit of God no longer seemed to be dwelling in me. I didn't let it. I seemingly became more selfish. In my heart. I don't know if you could tell it on the outside. I bet so. But I knew it. As I was preoccupied with my weight and what I ate, the less I cared about sharing a meal with someone- because it meantthat I would have to eat where they wanted and not stick to what I preferred eating. The more I ate healthy, the more I seemed stuck-up and disconnected. As if I was better because I was eating better foods. i didn't believe this and i gladly knew it to be false, but my heart felt mean towards others many times.
And another lie snuck in there while all this is going on: "But I am supposed to be eating better foods. God says to take care of my temple." You see. It's the half-lies that get us in trouble. Yes. Take care of your temple. Take care of the body christ has given you. But there are multiple meanings to this idea of taking care of his temple. His temple also means taking care of the Body of Christ- other people around you. When you care only about how you look and what you're eating, you aren't thinking about others! It's a horrible trap! The other thing "temple" means is take care of the Holy Spirit- the body of Christ living in you. While being semi-orthorexic, I sure didn't care as much about how I maintained the Holy Spirit living in me. I didn't let him live in me. So yes. Take care of your temple. But if you're starving yourself. Or caring too much about your diet or food at all or if you're preoccupied with how much fat or not-fat you have on your body, you are not taking care of your temple he's given you! IF YOUR TEMPLE IS WEARY BECAUSE YOU HAVE DEPRIVED IT OF CARBS, THEN HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO SUFFER AND LABOR FOR HIM! If you can't hold yourself up because you feel too tired and sick and you look pale, how in the world are you going to resist the temptation of the devil? The sad thing is, when I was preoccupied by my body, I didn't mind giving in to the devil. I just let things slip. It took a very loving mom to get me to stop. To tell me that she was done worrying about me and letting me try and deal with it on my own. And you know what. Everytime someone offered me food I wouldn't let myself eat, the devil came out in me. My spirit grew mean. Cause there was confrontation. I had to lie to find some way to not eat it. Adding another conscious sin to the pile. And when mom made me eat. I in my heart was horrible. There was such ugliness building up in my heart because of my resistance to the confrontation God put in my life. It was the day before our mission trip to chicago. And she told me I had to start eating real foods or I couldn't go. The thing is- it got to the point where I didn't even have a preference to what I ate- I didn't know what I wanted to eat. I just knew what I was allowed by myself to eat. And that became what I wanted. Healing didn't come over the chicago trip. I still watched what I ate. I still censored everything that went in my mouth. I had the healthiest thing at Jamba Juice and the healthiest thing at Oberweis. Not even ice cream when I was in the best ice cream place in the world. I had deep dish pizza. One piece I think. It was good. The thing is. I could have served so much better on that trip. My mind, as much as I tried, still had a long way to go to get back into serving mode. I am ashamed to say that I was trying to talk to God about getting over myself so much that I probably missed many God-ordained moments with the homeless. I know we can't always feel God, because we must live by faith, not by feeling, but we still must see Him working in all things. When we are so consumed with ourselves, it's hard to see Him working. It's horrible. Your mind just lacks praises. And joy. You lose yourself. You don't know what to eat, let alone pray about. What is in the darkness must be brought to light. If you don’t tell someone who will kick your butt and force-feed you, I'll let you know, you might not ever get over it. Tell the person who cares enough about you to sacrifice your comfort for your life. Because if you consider yourself a child of God, and let your eating disorder/preoccupation continue, you'll lose yourself. And you'll quickly lose sight of the plan for your life God's given you. You might feel great in the new clothes you fit into. In the clothes you see on TV and you might have room left in the shorts you never thought you'd wear, but I'll let you know. Those shorts can't go to Heaven with you. Those outfits can't go to heaven with you. They could clothe the homeless though. They could clothe the orphans. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep onesself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:26) I was so consumed with not eating food that I forgot that there are people in our own backyard who don't have the choice of getting to eat today. I was worried about whether my bread was whole wheat or not while the starving would just like a piece of bread. Let me tell ya- jesus doesn't care if the communion bread is wheat or white. The communion juice- it has sugar in it. Don't let it come to the point where you consider not taking communion because it's white bread. Eat. Eat anything. Not gluttony, but if that's what it takes for a bit to get you out of this current pattern, then go for it. Go for balance. Consider every "unhealthy" thing you eat as communion he's provided for you- because you've been blessed with daily bread, no matter whether it's wheat or white. So be thankful for it. Claim every "unhealthy" food your put into your mouth as a stab at the devil who's trying to convince you that your legs are too fat. Look in the mirror! Take a good look! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! REPEAT THAT TRUTH TO YOURSELF UNTIL YOU BELIEVE IT! I STILL HAVE TO REPEAT IT EVERY DAY!
YOU
ARE
FEARFULLY
AND
WONDERFULLY
MADE.
Turning your way of thinking around is hard. I know. Pray through it. And if you feel like you don't think He's listening, just keep praying. Get some truth into your bones and repeat it in your mind. If going into the bathroom to look in the mirror makes you think about food- then don't go in!!!! Put verses on your mirror! Wear sweatpants with a friend for the whole week! Get comfortable and allow yourself to get comfortable! Have someone with you at all times if going into the bathroom makes you want to throw up! (Trust me, they probably care about you enough to not worry about whether they are in the bathroom with you. They'd probably mind you being unhealthy more than they'd mind hearing you pee.) It's hard. Your mind is probably fighting healing right now. Does this make you cringe- the idea of eating ice cream, or not going on a run today, or claiming freedom from this and calling out to God, or praying? Good. I'm glad you realize you've got a problem- that's a start. If you are cringing at the idea of healing, then it's time to heal. It'll be hard but it'll be worth it. Is your soul getting mad at me for saying this? Let it. Then come over and let's have coffee and talk. I know. It's hard. But God is faithful. And I want you to know- HE LOVES YOU. HE MADE YOU. HE SEES YOU AS HIS PERFECT BEAUTIFUL CHILD. AND WHEN YOU SEE HIM IN HEAVEN, HE'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO CARE IF YOU ATE VEGETABLES AS OPPOSED TO POTATO CHIPS, BUT HE MAY ASK YOU IF YOU USED WHAT HE GAVE YOU TO BRING HIM GLORY. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO CARE ABOUT. That's my prayer. That I love God enough and have a level enough head to realize that one day, all this around me isn't going to matter. The only thing that will matter is what I did with what He gave me. So please. If you need to talk, shout out to God. He's right there. He loves you. And He made all of the foods in the grocery store just for you- he brought the new covenant of Jesus, and with that comes the fact that we are denied no food in moderation. We can eat whatever we want in moderation! So give God a call. And find that friend who is going to make you eat. You're probably going to feel like resisting that. Wake up, o sleeper, and let Christ shine on you.
Romans 2:5-11

1 Corinthians 4:5
He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

Ephesians 5:11-17
11Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
15Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Whatever you are doing that is in the darkness, let it be exposed. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth [God's Truth] buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith [claim faith that He will get you through. Remember- faith not sight] with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation [you have been saved] and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (ephesians 5)
God is with you. There is hope. God loves you and He'll never stop loving you no matter what the reflection in the mirror looks like. No matter what. Claim Truth.
Amen.

Why does God allow suffering?

so i prayed for God to answer one of the questions because i didn't know which one to do and he answered it yesterday when i went to visit Taylor U. in chapel, reverend Dwight Knight partly answered why suffering happens:
-pain is God's indicator that something is wrong. without pain, a toothe ache could eventually kill you. Likewise, when there's pain, God is telling the world that something is wrong! It's not always Satan. Yes Satan tries to distort the purpose of the pain and tries to steal our joy while we are in pain. If he's stolen your joy in any circumstance, he's gotten you to lost your trust in God. That's why Paul suffered so much yet was such a godly, joyful, persevering man. He realized that his joy was not in this world but in heaven and that he no longer feared death- pain is god's megaphone to a deaf world.- in pain there is refinement. he came baptizing with the Spirit and with fire. The fire part, i believe (and correct me if i'm wrong), is the pain. Pain is for refinement. Something's wrong. Figure it out and fix it. Let God.C.S. Lewis said that God whispers to us in our pleasure and screams to us in our pain.
looking up that quote, i read this article. it's quite purposeful:
God Whispers in Our Pleasures and Sings Over UsC.S. Lewis said, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." (The Problem of Pain, 1940). inside me, I did not yet understand how painful life could be. I understood a child's pain, but had yet to discover a woman's pain, or a mother's pain. All of those pains laid before me as I totally trusted Jesus without question.
Many of us would never have recognized our need for God had it not been for the pain we were experiencing. It was that way for me. Even though I had accepted Jesus as my Savior as a child, and asked Him to come and liveThen, as inevitably happens, the noise of the world began to drown out the voice of God's Spirit. It grew harder and harder to hear The Spirit's voice. At first I recognized the difficulty, but without coming back to Him, each succeeding time His voice grew dimmer and dimmer.
Then, because God is a God of unlimited grace, He allowed painful circumstances to enter my life. In essence, He said, "OK, have it your way." But He did not leave me! I picture Him standing back, arms folded, brow furrowed, eyes fixed on His precious daughter to see what a mess she could make.Each time I ran to the Arms of God, He sat me on His Lap, hugged me with His Arms, and rejoiced over me with songs (Zephaniah 3:17).
The Lord your God is with you,He is might to save.He will take great delight in you,He will quiet you with His love,He will rejoice over you with singing.
There is nothing like hearing - with your spiritual ear - God rejoicing over you with singing! No emotion known to man can compare with it. I'm so thankful for the megaphone of God, followed by His singing over me. I know exactly how the prodigal son felt, and it feels good!"

Out of their poverty overflowed a rich generosity. let us excel in the gift of giving.

Hey so this is an article i read in yahoo news and was surprised at the facts in here. please feel free to give it a quick read and read what's after it.... there's hope:)"RELIGIOUS LIFE WON'T BE THE SAME AFTER DOWNTURN by RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Rachel Zoll, Ap Religion Writer – MonSep28, 7:11pmETNEW YORK – Organized religion was already in trouble before the fall of 2008. Denominations were stagnating or shrinking, and congregations across faith groups were fretting about their finances.The Great Recession made things worse.It's further drained the financial resources of many congregations, seminaries and religious day schools. Some congregations have disappeared and schools have been closed. In areas hit hardest by the recession, worshippers have moved away to find jobs, leaving those who remain to minister to communities struggling with rising home foreclosures, unemployment and uncertainty.Religion has a long history of drawing hope out of suffering, but there's little good news emerging from the recession. Long after the economy improves, the changes made today will have a profound effect on how people practice their faith, where they turn for help in times of stress and how they pass their beliefs to their children."In 2010, I think we're going to see 10 or 15 percent of congregations saying they're in serious financial trouble," says David Roozen, a lead researcher for the Faith Communities Today multi-faith survey, which measures congregational health annually. "With around 320,000 or 350,000 congregations, that's a hell of a lot of them."The sense of community that holds together religious groups is broken when large numbers of people move to find work or if a ministry is forced to close."I'm really still in the mourning process," says Eve Fein, former head of the now-shuttered Morasha Jewish Day School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.The school, a center of religious life for students and their parents, had been relying on a sale of some of its property to stay afloat but land values dropped, forcing Morasha to shut down in June."I don't think any of us who were in it have really recovered," Fein says. "The school was 23 years old. I raised my kids there."The news isn't uniformly bad. Communities in some areas are still moving ahead with plans for new congregations, schools and ministries, religious leaders say.And many congregations say they found a renewed sense of purpose helping their suffering neighbors. Houses of worship became centers of support for the unemployed. Some congregants increased donations. At RockHarbor church in Costa Mesa, Calif., members responded so generously to word of a budget deficit that the church ended the fiscal year with a surplus."We're all a little dumbfounded," says Bryan Wilkins, the church business director. "We were hearing lots of stories about people being laid off, struggling financially and losing homes. It's truly amazing."In the Great Depression, one of the bigger impacts was the loss of Jewish religious schools, which are key to continuing the faith from one generation to the next. Jonathan Sarna, a Brandeis University historian and author of "American Judaism," says enrollment in Jewish schools plummeted in some cities and many young Jews of that period didn't have a chance to study their religion.Today, some parents, regardless of faith, can no longer afford the thousands of dollars in tuition it costs to send a child to a religious day school. Church officials fear these parents won't re-endroll their kids if family finances improve because it might be disruptive once they've settled into a new school.Enrollment in one group of 120 Jewish community day schools is down by about 7 percent this academic year, according to Marc Kramer, executive director of RAVSAK, a network of the schools. A few schools lost as many as 30 percent of their students. Many of the hundreds of other Jewish day schools, which are affiliated with Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements, are also in a financial crunch.Kramer says 2009-10 will be a "make or break" year for Jewish education, partly because of the additional damage to endowments and donors from Bernard Madoff's colossal fraud.Overall, U.S. Jewish groups are estimated to have lost about one-quarter of their wealth."It's going to be painful," Kramer says. "There will be some losses." The Association for Christian Schools International, which represents about 3,800 private schools, says enrollment is down nationally by nearly 5 percent. About 200 Christian schools closed or merged in the last academic year, 50 more than the year before. At least 80 members of the Association of Theological Schools, which represents graduate schools in North America, have seen their endowments drop by 20 percent or more. The National Catholic Education Association is still measuring the toll on its schools, but expects grim news from the hardest hit states, after years of declining enrollment. "Some schools that were on the brink — this whole recession has just intensified that," says Karen Ristau, president of the association. Clergy in different communities say worship attendance has increased with people seeking comfort through difficult times, although no one is predicting a nationwide religious revival. Americans for years have been moving away from belonging to a denomination and toward a general spirituality that may or may not involve regular churchgoing. The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey found more people who call themselves "nondenominational Christians" and rising numbers who say they have no religion at all. Before the stock market tanked last fall, only 19 percent of U.S. congregations described their finances as excellent, down from 31 percent in 2000, according to the 2008 Faith Communities Today poll. Because of these trends, mainline Protestants were among the most vulnerable to the downturn. Their denominations had been losing members for decades and had been dividing over how they should interpret what the Bible says on gay relationships and other issues. National churches had been relying on endowments to help with operating costs, along with the generosity of an aging membership that had been giving in amounts large enough to mostly make up for departed brethren. The meltdown destroyed that financial buffer. The Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and other mainline denominations were forced to cut jobs and their national budgets. The damage was felt across Methodist life. As of the summer, more than half of the church's 62 U.S. regional districts, or annual conferences, reported they had budget deficits. Some sold property and buildings to continue their ministries. Two national Methodist boards cut more than 90 jobs. Fifty bishops took a voluntary pay cut. Annual conferences in hard-hit regions, such as Florida and Ohio, lost thousands of members as people moved to find work elsewhere. "Many of these groups have such large endowments that they're not going away," Roozen says. "But I think there's no question that they're going to be smaller both as organizations and in membership." Roman Catholic dioceses for years had been struggling with maintaining their aging churches, paying salaries and health insurance and funding settlements over clergy sex abuse. With the hit to investment income and a drop in donations, they are now freezing salaries, cutting ministries and staff. The Archdiocese of Detroit, at the heart of the meltdown, had a $14 million shortfall in a $42 million budget in the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. Conservative Protestant groups, known for their entrepreneurial spirit and evangelizing, were not immune. The 16.2 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in the country, has had budget cuts in its North American Mission Board, at least three of its six seminaries and in its publishing and research arm. Religious leaders say the next year or so will be key in determining which organizations survive the downturn intact. Even if the recession ends soon, religious fundraisers say the angst donors feel will not lift immediately, prolonging the difficulties for congregations, schools and ministries."Pasted from <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090928/ap_on_bi_ge/us_rel_meltdown_religion> 1 Timothy 6:17-19"17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."2 Corinthians 8:1-4"1And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints."Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. Their poverty welled up to generosity. The more impverished they became the more they gave. Where our treasure is there our heart will be also. In the time of recession, let out churches not get scared. We will take this as a reminder that our joy is not in this earth. Nothing on earth can satisfy our desires so our joy remains in heaven. Solomon already tried it: he had everything he could ever want yet, he found that "Whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income." "The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep." John D. Rockefeller said, "I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness." W.H. Vanderbilt: "the care of $200 million is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it." So why are we at a loss of funds in the church? Why are child support organizations losing sponsors? Out of our poverty, let it overflow in rich generosity towards others. We've got nothing on earth to lose- its all already God's and we've already got our treasure. Let us give.I pray to continually find joy in trading my earthly treasure for heavenly treasure. In our poverty, let us give recklessly as we are commanded to, trusting it will be repaid to un one day tenfold. Our hope is not in a church building but in the death and resurrection and kingdom to come. So if our building campaign funds run out or pastors start volunteering, let us rejoice in the hope that the hungry are being fed and the poor are becoming richer and that we are growing ever closer to the goal of equality. Our abundance or poverty will overflow to provide their needs. Let our giving beyond our ability be a testimony that God can provide in any circumstance. Daily bread.

Psalm 49
"5 There is no need to fear when times of trouble come, when enemies are surrounding me.
6 They trust in their wealth and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paing a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever and never see the grave.
10 Those who are wise must finally die, just like the foolish and senseless, leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but they leave their wealth to others.
12 They will not last long despite their riches- they will die like the animals.
13 This is the fate of fools, though they will be remembered as being so wise.
14 Like sheep, they are lead to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of death.
16 So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich, and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they carry nothing with them. Their wealth will not follow them to the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate, and the world loudly applauds their success.
19 But they will die like all others before them and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast in their wealth don't understand that they will die like the animals."

Isaiah 59-60

Isaiah 58
True Fasting 1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 "Is not this 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?
7 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?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 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 become like the noonday.
11 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.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Isaiah 59
Sin, Confession and Redemption 1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.
4 No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.
5 They hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched.
6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.
8 The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks in them will know peace.
9 So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows.
10 Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes. At midday we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
11 We all growl like bears; we moan mournfully like doves. We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.
12 For our offenses are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offenses are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities:
13 rebellion and treachery against the LORD, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived.
14 So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter.
15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.
17 He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
18 According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
19 From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. [b]
20 "The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD.
Isaiah 60
The Glory of Zion 1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.
6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
7 All Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.
8 "Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?
9 Surely the islands look to me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, [c] bringing your sons from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.
10 "Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion.
11 Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.
12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.
13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the pine, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet.
14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 "Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one traveling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations.
16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts. Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler.
18 No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
21 Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.
22 The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will do this swiftly."
Isaiah 61
The Year of the LORD's Favor 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, [d]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.
7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

Absolute Truth

You know, praise God so much for absolute Truth!
For being stable when I'm not.
For being faithful and always there.
For being so vast that I'll never get a breather and stop needing to learn more about him.
For designing it so perfectly.
For absolute truth.
Cause in a world where people are so subjective, I need a foundation.
I feel sorry for anyone who can't unashamedly say that they need an unsubjective foundation.
Something not based on opinion.
Cause my opinion isn't your opinion.
So praise God for having the opinion that isn't opinion- it's fact.
It's not a suggestion.
It's truth.
Lord thank you for daily making me face up to the fact that I'm not good enough.
But that you are.
A friend of mine told me that it all depends on how you want to see it.
True.
Good point.
She went on to say
"The message is up to the person to interpret.
It is not a concrete answer."
False and true at the same time.
Yes.
I might interpret it one way and another person could interpret it another way according to their circumstance.
And in a world where people believe everything is based on opinion,
My friend might say that we have to choose one interpretation.
But what if…
What if
God was big enough
Is big enough
To let both be true.
To let both interpretations be living.
The word of God is LIVING and ACTIVE
Sharper than any DOUBLE edged sword.
So praise God
For being a God
Who maintains ultimate truth
That applies to our lives in our sorrow
And rejoicing
And darkness
And light
In anger
And fear
And confidence
And hope.
Praise God for the foundation of ultimate Truth.
By Him I am justified.
Let all else be a lie
And God be true.
Friendship with the world is hatred towards God.

The Building is the MEANS, not the goal.

So I was sitting outside. Our church has a beautiful campus. I’m not boasting in our church. I am boasting in the God who allowed us to be here and made the beautiful land the building sits on and made the materials that made the building. So I was sitting there reading, looking at the beauty of God’s creation. I’ll let you know that our church sits on a hill. The highest point in Hamilton County, Indiana. We can stand on our church grounds and see (I think) four surrounding towns/cities and all the surrounding houses and neighborhoods and fields. And we’ve got grass. A lot of it. God gave it to us and makes it grow for us. It truly is such a sight to see. And the sun is beautiful from that hill definitely.
This morning I came to church early with my mom to spend some time reading and staring at God’s creation. There was a cross country race and a woman and her husband walked by going to a spot where they could better view the race, and as I was reading I heard her say “It just goes on forever.” And I thought to myself, “Goodness yes it does.” The land is so beautiful. Then I looked up and realized that she was talking about the building. The building behind me. It is quite long. And my heart broke a bit for the words that woman said. That they were about the building. The creation of the living God, which does stretch on forever, was right behind her, and I just prayed that she turn around, look at God’s creation, and say “It just goes on forever.” God your land goes on forever. Your territory goes further than the heavens. Please let people know that the building is merely a means to the goal. It is not our goal to build false temples for ourselves. We know You do not dwell in just buildings made by human hands. Please help them to know that too. It’s not about the building, but the people in it, and the God who gave us the ability to dream it up. I pray we can direct back all that glory to you. yes. buildings are beautiful. but they don't last forever. they don't dwell in people's hearts. You do. Thank you Lord.

Enjoy Your Money... Give None Away... by kayla schaaf

"I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day... I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians, because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity."Robert Murray M'Cheyne--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------May we look to Christ's sacrifice as our perfect example. He lived a selfless life - gave His own life - so that we may live selflessly in our giving. May we be inconvenienced for His sake, to give to the poor, to sell all we have and provide for the needy. We have everything we need: He is Christ. The Lord will take care of us.2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (and read on)Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.Give us the strength to be humble, Lord!

A Car

If you're going to buy yourself
a nice new car
please reconsider
please.
cause i like beautiful things.
i've got nothing against 'em.
God's made good things and for that i praise him.
but if it's new. and nice.
all at the same time.
please reconsider.
if it's more than you NEED.
please reconsider.
If it's prettier than it NEED be.
please reconsider.
If it's more expensive than it should be
or expensive because of it's brand
please reconsider.
get it on sale.
find a new one.
please, if you are buying it to fill a hole...
a hole in your heart or your life.
please.
first question the motive.
ask the right question to find out what REALLY should fill that hole.
find why the hole got there.
cure the disease.
not the symptoms.
then it might be ok.
to buy a car.
but still not a new one. maybe not.
cause look around you.
how many cars do you see in a day?
we.
are.
rich.
if you have
ONE car.
you are more fortunate than the majority of the rest of the world.
and that doesn't even matter if it works or not.
i need to reconsider- what is my NEED.
not my want
not my desire
my NEED.
cause there are so many others
who NEED something they have no ability to get.
not a chance.
there isn't the choice of whether to buy a used car or a new car.
that choice isn't even there.
take the car factor out and add in the food factor.
where will their food come from that day?
so i'm not saying this to offend.
or finger point.
or say that i'm better.
cause i'mnot.
i live in a house with extra rooms.
i drink starbucks sometimes.
i turn on the lights when i wake up in the morning and take a fifteen minute shower and flush my toilet.
whenever i want.
multiple times in a row if i like.
so i am not saying this to say that i'm better.
just to make the point.
that New or used? isn't the first question to be asked.
Nor Volvo or Mercedes.
But
NEED or want?
then maybe move on to new or used?
and if you do move on to question two,
then i'd say and beg you
please pick used.
cause we've got enough steel
in our buildings and cars.
we've got enough metal
roaming our roads.
if you see one that drives.
that's a keeper.
just something to consider.
please reconsider.
and i'll be considering it too.

Hebrews 13:5
"5Keep your lives free from the love of money
and be content with what you have,
because God has said,
'Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.'"

Leadership is Humility

idea that leadership is humility. true leaders are humble servants. those who will allow others to lead when they need to. i need to explore this concept more. also. nothing is truly worth anything unless you are willing to sacrifice it to god.

Yokes and Shackles

"Now i will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away."
-nahum 1:13.
nahum means comfort.
in nahum 1:13 god is telling his people that he would break the yoke of nineveh from his peoples' necks. Judah will once again be able to celebrate festivals and they will fulfill their vows to the lord. the wicked will no longer invade, but will be completely destroyed.
we must also claim victory and praise him for the victory we are sure will come.
lord please develop this idea of shackles and yokes. teach me about them.
what is yoke in hebrew and where else is it in the bible? in greek? what else is seen as a shackle? show me.

God is so big.

It's amazing how big our God is. How many prayers he listens to all at the same day.
today he told us all in one day
that we weren't moving and he told us to mark our calendars for the twenty ninth- that something would happen. well something happened but we didn't think that's what he meant. so mom read today and he said that ten days later god told them that he would answer their requests (ours is whether or not we should move...) and he told them to stay in the land he has given them but to continue rebuildign the temple and be set apart. so that is what we will do.
to give all of my money to someone. i don't know who yet
rebekah was accepted into liberty. praise God!
dad got something for me in his bible for me to not arouse love too soon and it was a needed reminder.
he got a verse to tell someone that they are beautiful no matter what color.
he fulfilled my desire at least temporarily for Acts 2 and i am sure he will continue to build it because that is his design for fellowship in our lives.
he gave me his holy spirit.
he is talking to us all as a family.
we have milk. praise god. and daily bread. praise god.
and i am praying dad gets a job if it's god's will and if he doesn't, then praise God because god will be our only provision.
i can't even remember all of what he's done today. i just know he is immeasurably good and i praise him.
i will exalt you.
oh yes. last night i was fidgety cause i just got back from a busy beautiful weekend praising him and working for him and seeing him work adn i didn't know what to do with myself so i read my devotional and god taught me about the benefits and necessity of rest- that rest is absolutely necessary and better than business.
praise god for family and amazing brothers and sisters in christ
i didn't know what to do for our tuesday morning bible study and sean called and had a message on leadership- we will continue to learn about leadership i think for the rest of the semester.
lord, should we learn about humility next week?
praise him he is with me always.
help me to not forget that.
keep me humble and keep pride away from me.
he was with me speaking through me this weekend. it was Him not i.
we have food to eat.
his promises remain.
he changed people's lives this weeked.
he made my pen work. (that's another story for another day)
i am going to a bible study tonight- is this an answer to my prayer for fellowship?

god has packed so much goodness into one day. i love you god. i have faith in you. move mountains. he is so big. if he can hear every prayer at every time of day and still answer so many of my family's in just ONE DAY, imagine what he could do for africa right now. what he could do for the brothels. for the abused. for the depressed. the anorexic. every single person who is human and has struggles. it's all all all all in prayer and service and He is all. if we would just pray more more would happen. the man who sows sparingly reaps sparingly and the man who sows generously reaps generously. you get what you pay for. praise god. lord help my heart to be transparent.
it is now our prayer that you set every singly captive free. every burden lifted in your time. every heart softened. every starving child fed. every homeless man given a home. every orphan adopted. in your time. thank you for redemption lord and love and hope and beautiful things. help us to not forget. help me to be always sincere and thankful. thank you for giving us opportunities to grow. thank you in advance for answering this prayer. amen.

An Observation of Space

Fact of the World: The more money you have, the more space you are allowed to take up.
It seems that when one has more money, it gives them some sort of right to have more space around them. The richer you are, the bigger your house, the more square footage you have per person. The less money you have, the less the square footage of your house, the closer you are to other people. I guess that makes sense because if you don't have money, you don't have anything to buy stuff to fill extra space with... there's no need for the extra space if you can't fill it i guess (says the world).
There's an idea of distance. The more money you have, the more distant you are allowed to become from people if you like. Now this does not mean that you are distant. Or that you are purposefully distancing yourself. But somehow in the course of time society has made the idea of having more room a statement. Things are different when you have room. If you would like to be alone, you can. If you would like time to yourself and no one else, you can. If you would like to drive alone, you can. And you can even go get lunch alone and watch other people. Who may or may not be alone. But somehow humanity has created a... i don't know the word for it exactly but.. created a privelege in being alone if you like. The fact that you can still have many many friends yet still go home and have more than enough space for yourself. I do not say this cruelly at all, but maybe that's why some of us get a big head... in a room that size, you've got to fill it with something. So maybe if you can't absolutely fill the room with stuff, maybe we begin to fill all of our extra space with ego. There's something dangerous about having too much space... about having too much room to be comfortable.
Likewise, there can be something observed in poverty as well. Nearly every time someone comes back from a mission trip, especially from poor countries, they say (and I've said it myself) "Despite the poverty- the lack of any materials- they are so joyful and loving and always praising God." Well, what if this statement has something to do with the lack of enclosed extra square footage per person? And has everything to do with God.
The result of not having alot of space brings you closer to people. No longer do you have the luxury of distance. If you wanted to distance yourself, you might not be able to. Yes you could run away, but then you'd take a nice run out into God's creation (not enclosed in the walls of architecture) and you'd once again realize his Glory and probably turn back. People are His delight. So the less space you have, the closer you are to other people, the more you have to learn to share and love others because one: there might not be any other way to survive, and two: there is no other way to survive. So naturally, it brings you closer to the heart of God. And you praise Him, because He's all you've got. No extra space to fill with your thinking. No extra money to worry about how to spend it tomorrow. No extra food, but that's okay because your neighbor's got some and he's just a door or a room away. And if he doesn't have some, then you get the beautiful opportunity of finding some or creating some together. And if you create some together by farming you get the beautiful opportunity of watching God grow things and provide- a system He put in place since the beginning of time. Before the fruit was bitten.
So this beautiful idea of space. It makes a difference. How much space are you giving yourself?

"Now i will break their yoke from your nexk and tear your shackles away."
-Nahum1:13
Nahum means "comfort"

Back to Creation

We spend all this time trying to get back to Creation

to who we were at the beginning of the earth

so God

today

refine me

continue showing me who i was when you created me

and who you want me to be in you.

make that my one and only identity

and my one and only desire

to love you above all else with every moment of my day.

i know i'll fail.

i know it.

but yet again your relentless forgiveness and mercy comes in and amazes me again.

my broken promises to you.

i am a perjurer.

i am unfaithful.

i am a sinner.

create in me a clean heart

o god

and renew a right spirit within me.

restore unto me the joy of my salvation

and renew a right spirit within me.

a right

joyful

focused spirit.

only you please.

make that my desire.

the biggest desire please.

let me not forget.

bring me daily back to your creation around me and in me.

amen.

"...Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139: 23,24

The Problem With School History Class

THE PROBLEM WITH SCHOOL HISTORY CLASS

Problem with school history class: We never really learn anything. We learn dates and facts but history continues repeating itself because we never learn the lesson.Just the facts. And facts are worthless unless there’s a moral.

And the funny thing is- the world will tell us otherwise. Our teachers will tell us otherwise. They’ll tell us that all these facts are virtuous and are going to give us a better life out of high school. Lies. Unless we learn the lesson from the facts, the future will be a repetition of past mistakes and failed morals.

I think that’s why we like our Founding Fathers so much. Because they stood for something.

But now, no one in politics can stand for anything. They must be neutral ‘so as not to offend anyone’. Seriously? What’s up with that? The people who are supposed to be the greatest leaders are forced by the American public to have no backbone or stand for anything because, well, God forbid they might ‘offend’ someone. Or make things a bit ‘uncomfortable’.

So you see. Because we’ve forced our public schools and politicians to be neutral…unoffensive…comfortable…almost none of our politicians have a backbone of basic truth. They have been forces by some invisible, moral, worldly code to not offend anyone and therefore just stick to the facts instead of the lesson behind the facts.

It’s adult peer pressure at its finest. “Well, we can’t carry a Bible in school cause then everyone would have to be allowed to carry a Quaran in school. Or the Torah. And who knows what would happen if people were forced to cooperate.” “And no, we can’t have a Bible study cause then we’d have to allow other studies.” “And no, we can’t have a class where we look at morals because that’d we way too controversial.” “No it’d just be easier to call it ‘The Bible as Literature’. Cause if you look at it as literature- mere facts- then it can’t offend anyone. No parents will call in mad and force me to be uncomfortable. Or to question my own morals. No. It’s just easier this way.”

You see. We’re stuck on the facts. But facts don’t help unless they’re applied. Have you noticed how the greatest teachers are the ones who allow you to explore not only facts but also morals. And you remember those teachers for the rest of your life. So God forbid we make someone a bit ‘uncomfortable’. I’m not here to offend, but in my struggle, in Christ’s struggle for your soul, we might tangle. Cause the devil’s real. And he wants people to be comfortable. And factual. Rather than having a bold and nicely opinionated backbone.

So lets dare to pray for politicians and teachers who have a backbone of morality rather than fact. Who are free to learn from history rather than just memorize it. And we will do the same.

Grace and Peace and Truth from the Word.

And let’s dare to learn from our history classes more than just facts.

Forgiveness

Hmm this is stuck in my head

I don’t exactly know where it’s gonna go but I guess we’ll see

What ever happened to forgiveness

Not small scale

Not the type like I’ll forgive you cause you stole my pen without asking

Or I’ll still be your friend even though you did steal my joy

And I let you.

Side Note: Are we supposed to show love to the devil? I mean. I don’t love the devil. Or even like the devil. But since we aren’t supposed to hate, and satan loves hating (and no I WILL NOT capitalize that name), wouldn’t it be even more of a slap in the face to show him love?

But he’s not human I guess.

So we’ll show the humans who are under his control

The beautiful love of God.

Okay side note officially over.

Forgiveness.

We’re talking about the big type.

The type that goes through the heart and gets rid of all prejudice

Or pride.

And I know thanks to Jane Austen those words are now cliché but that’s okay because they’re way too true to not be used.

Pride

And Prejudice.

Don’t they get in the way of so much?

So the other day I was talking to my friend.

And he was like “so are your parents thinking of buying you a car soon?”

And I was thinking.

Well.

No.

My dad just lost his job so things are tight.

So it probably might maybe just be a while before they think about buying me a car.

And either way

I’d pay for it

And I like it that way.

I want to pay for it.

I don’t know- just the idea of earning something.

Earning my car instead of having it handed to me.

And when I do.

I don’t care if it’s a junker.

I earned that junkerJ

(Oh and another side note: typing is like playing the piano. It still can be really emotional. You know how people sometimes rock back and forth with the music while they’re playing the piano. And they think it helps the music go. And it does. Well. Typing can be the same. I don’t rock back and forth. That’d be weird and awkward all at the same time. But anyways. Just listen to the keys go. It’s a type of music in itself.)

Ok. Back to my junker that I earned.

Instead of telling my friend that my dad got laid off

(Which I don’t mind

I like having him home)

I think a bit of pride got in there

The type of pride where you make the truth look a little more pretty so they don’t see what you don’t want them to see.

And I know my friend would have been perfectly fine with the truth

And maybe the not-truth too

But the fact of the matter was

There was a bit of pride in there.

And I’m sort of excited.

Not for the pride.

Sorry for that Lord.

But for the fact that we might have to see the welfare side of things

And obey God with all we’ve got.

You know

When you take away the things that embellish life you might finally be able to see clearly into the perfect Truth in creation.

Well. I don’t know how that has to do with forgiveness but

Oh yes.

Forgiveness that surpasses pride and prejudice

And hatred

Pure hatred

I mean

Yes love is hard

But the devil is stupid

What takes a person from being born

To living to hate others

The devil’s working right there.

Well. Lord we pray right now

That you release hatred from whoever you like lord.

Our leaders

Our followers

Our friends

Our Strangers

Any one stuck in welfare

Any one who thinks they’re too good for welfare

Even from me Lord

I don’t think I’ve got a lot of hatred but that’d be pride

You see I’ll never be perfect and I love that

Thank you for your grace

And the ability to write.

Amen.

Back to forgiveness.

So just think about this for a sec.

Sec.

Sec.

What if everyone just took up an attitude of forgiveness.

Not the one where you’ve still got a stick up your but and you say I forgive you cause you have to…

What about the forgiveness that comes deep from the heart.

Where we not only forgive others but ask for forgiveness for even for a second thinking that we were worthy to be served and pleased.

Cause we’re not.

That’s the truth.

Every person who serves me on a daily basis

Wherever I go

A restaurant

My neighbors

My parents

I’m not worthy of being served

Brings us back to paul’s words

Whatever is to my gain is a loss for Christ.

Which is totally backwards from what the world thinks

Gain

Gain

gain

I forgive you for making my coffee wrong and lord forgive me for having had the mindset that it was a big deal in the first place.

I forgive you for bombing my country and forgive me for the prejudice there that causes nationality to sacrifice love.

I forgive you for having your nationality or religion separate an alliance or friendship and lord please somehow if you could ever ever ever forgive me, please forgive me for bombing people I don’t even know.

That type of forgiveness would be big.

And it might seem backwards.

Especially the first bombing one.

But you see

In both circumstances

There’s the pride factor

That which allows us to not forgive another person is always pride.

Pride gets in the way.

And prejudice.

Prejudice that started the bombing in the first place.

I mean not even just bombing with real bombs

Assaults with words

And the daughter that rolls her eyes at her mom or sister or brother

Or the dispute between boss and employee

Or employee and employee

Just imagine that-

Forgiveness everywhere you look

I think another name for it would be love

Cause if we’d just love in the first place then we wouldn’t have anything to forgive or be forgiven for.

Except for the fact that we’re still human.

And love only comes from God.

Through us.

But from God.

You know.
Another side note

Number three in think.

The other day I was listening to something

I forget what it was

But it pointed out that truth only came from God

So when asked

“What is true?”

God is true.

Not chemistry.

Not what they teach me in school.

Not US History or anatomy or physics or facts that I learn in health class that I may never use again let alone remember them if I need to ever use them

But God is true.

His Word is true.

He is true.

He’s what we know.

So I’m wondering.

In all the school work.

In all the reading

And writing

And learning

What in that cram packed jam packed schedule is feeding me truth

Nothing.

Only that which I read out of his word and witness in creation.

He’s true.

His word is true.

His son is true.

Not school.

Not MTV (we all knew that)

Not oprah

What does she know

Not myself

Not myself

Not myself

So when I look for answers in myself

I am a liar

Cause I do not know truth fully

And when I say this, this is in an ever-continuing effort to not be hypocritical

Cause I haven’t memorized the bible

Nor do I read it as much as I should.

But it is truth at it’s finest

To it I will turn.

So the idea of forgiveness.

It’s not from me.

Only He is good.

Only He can create peace.

Only He can form bonds between something so broken and distraught and messed up as this world.

So god.

I don’t know where this came from.

But it’s going on a blog.

And I don’t know who will read it

But I pray that it makes them think.

And turn to you

Jesus Christ.

Who died to give us the grace that looks past our human ugliness

And made us so so so so so beautiful.

Holy.

That’s a big word.

Thank you lord.

Amen.

Thought officially overJ