Perspective

I went to a women’s conference this weekend and got my soul rocked a bit.  The guest speaker was Carolyn Custis James and she was fabulous.  I’ve not read any of her books yet, but after hearing her speak I am very anxious to do so.  Her passion is to mobilize Christian women for the body of Christ by communicating that women bear the image of God and were created to fight alongside our Christian brothers to see the kingdom of God come to this earth (…on earth as it is in heaven).  We talked a lot about the plight of women across the globe and how we need to open our eyes to the injustices taking place right under our nose; sex trafficking, extreme poverty, patriarchal societies, etc.  These injustices go against everything the kingdom of God stands for and they AFFECT US.  Because we were created in the image of God, we are called to reflect this image to the world and injustice is not the heart of God. 

After listening to the information this weekend, it’s hard not to feel guilty.  I was raised in a loving home, have a great education, have a wonderful husband who treats me as his equal, have great children, the list could go on and on.  Some days my biggest dilemma is figuring out what to serve for dinner!  I needed this weekend to reset my perspective.

So now I have a choice.  Do I sit here and fester in this guilt?  As easy as that might be, guilt is not the answer.  One, guilt is not the voice of God and two, it accomplishes nothing.  Guilt implies that I am not worthy of not having to suffer such injustices.  God does not think less of me because I’ve had an easier life compared to others.  He wants me to use my resources to restore His vision.  He wants me to understand that His gospel is not just a middle class gospel.  He wants to deepen my hatred of evil and injustice (the bible says that to fear the Lord is to hate evil).  He wants to spur my heart into action to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.  This is a high calling and one that cannot be accomplished without total reliance on the Holy Spirit. 

If I had lived during the time of slavery, Hitler’s reign, the civil rights movement, etc., it’s easy to say that I would have done something!  I would have been a voice that spoke out against such injustice.  But that was then so luckily there were people before me that did that.  But what about now?!?  There are 5 year old girls who are in Brothels right here in the United States.  There are teenagers in the US who are convinced to join “the game” and are sold into the world of sex trafficking.  Pornography is a rampant problem in our country (in the church as well) that is largely funding the sex trafficking industry.  There are women in other countries who are not allowed to show their face in public because their value is so demeaned in their culture.  There are single mothers who have to put their young children to work just to survive. 

So what do I do with all of this?  My heart has been sobered and burdened.  I don’t want my life to be based on seeking the next pleasure or comfort.  I don’t want to do the daily grind and spend the rest of my waking hours in front of the TV.  I want my life to matter.  When I stand before the Lord on judgment day, I don’t want to have to explain why my “uniform is clean” and why I didn’t get in the game and fight the good fight against the enemy.  Fighting the good fight does not mean that we all have to be missionaries, in charge of nonprofit organizations, or spear head the next great movement of God.  It simply means fighting for those around you until justice is restored.  It is fighting for the fatherless child across the street, the child in school who is being bullied, the single mother at work who is barely staying above the poverty line, the teen in your youth group who is on the verge of being kicked out of his house, the missionary who came and spoke at your church who is taking the gospel to a dangerous part of the world, sharing the whole gospel (salvation and restoration) with the co-worker who just left her abusive husband, the list could go on forever.  I want to be in the game and FIGHTING!        

Different but Necessary!

This BLOG post has been on my heart for a long time now and I feel that God has given me the words to communicate it appropriately (at least that is my prayer!).   I have a wonderful mix of Christian people in my life; family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc.  We all profess Christianity as our belief system, but we might all do that in a different way through different denominations.  Since rededicating my life to the Lord over 7 years ago, I have really questioned God on the subject of several denominations within the same faith.  Why do we have so many?  Is any denomination more right than the other?  Does God take pleasure in one denomination over the other?  I have really prayed and sought God on this for answers.  There are some examples in scripture that have pointed me to answers.

First of all, I feel that God has revealed to me over the last several years that different denominations serve a valid purpose for the advancement of His kingdom.  We are all unique individuals and He is given us a unique “worship DNA” so to speak.  Some are naturally bent towards worshipping God through lively music, mission trips, sacred traditions, intimate fellowship, etc (the list could literally go on and on and on).  So as long as Jesus is the person we are worshipping and professing as messiah and Lord, it doesn’t matter if I go to the mega church down the street or a home church next door, as long as that is where God has called me.   Different denominations and church settings allow for the unique expression of how God wired a person to worship Him.

In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul warns the Corinthians that they are becoming divided by proclaiming their allegiance to Paul or the disciple Apollos.  Paul said their allegiance is to Christ and not to the messenger.  Isn’t this what we do in modern day Christianity?  We proclaim allegiance first to a church or denomination that, oh by the way, is Christian.  I think we too need to heed this same warning.  I am a Christ follower first and foremost and I happen to worship at this particular church that God has called me to.  We must never hold our theology as more important than Christ himself.  Our theology can become an idol and the object of our worship.  This is very dangerous.

I think why this is a passionate subject for me (I’m quickly treading the line of soap box here!) is that I think it really grieves the heart of God when we get a superiority complex within the Christian faith.  When we start believing that our way of doing things is better than their way, it does nothing to build the body of Christ for the advancement of His kingdom on earth.  There are times when we can agree to disagree and offer grace and understanding as we all seek to share in the mystery of our Christian faith.  In the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas differed greatly on including Mark on their next mission trip.  Paul felt that Mark couldn’t be trusted due to previous actions and Barnabas wanted to extend grace and include him.  The two of them were both right in their stance.  They agreed to disagree and thus went their separate ways.  So what did God do?  He used this division and spread the gospel twice as far than if they would have stayed together!  I think it’s a prophetic picture of how the Christian body can take hold of this spiritual reality of advancing the gospel, even if we don’t all do it in an identical way.  When we start to point the finger at each other and gain a superiority complex, the gospel becomes stifled.  Now does this mean that anything goes?  No way.  I’m specifically speaking to Christian churches that follow the bible in their teaching and hold Jesus as the messiah and Lord.  Does this mean that we might not agree on how to interpret everything in the bible?  Of course (take the multiple biblical theories on the end times!).  At the end of the day, there is still a sense of mystery to the Christian faith that is absolutely beautiful.  Seeking Christ above all else will prove more beneficial than seeking to defend a certain theology at any cost.       

Happy Birthday BLOG!

Well it has been one whole year since I began my blogging career.  I have to admit, it’s been kind of fun!  A big shout out to my five readers who humor me with their regular check-ins.  J I thank you!  It’s fun to look back and see how much has changed in a year.  When I began blogging, I had a very large belly and was eagerly anticipating the birth of our third child.  A year later and we are getting ready to celebrate her first birthday!  Time goes too fast.  Also a year ago, I was heavily involved in planning for a major telecom merger at my job.  Now I am heavily involved in planning play dates, weekly dinner menus and other household activities.  Life is a bit different than a year ago, but I am thankful for a faithful God who doesn’t change even if my circumstances do.  Life is good! 

James Chapter 5 – You Have What it Takes!

I guess the next time I challenge myself with a BLOG series I need to set completion dates (goal setting 101).  I’ve got one more chapter in the book of James to complete my bible study BLOG series.  Seriously, you must read this book if you haven’t.  It’s so practical.

A few of the verses that jumped out to me in this chapter happen to be a theme that my pastor preached on a few weeks ago!  Isn’t it cool when God repeats His messages to you through different mediums?!?  He is always speaking…we just have to slow down and listen. 

James 5:  17 – 18 “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land.  Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.”

Elijah was an incredible prophet who had a deep relationship with God (you can find a lot of his story in the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament).  We can often hold such biblical pillars to a higher standard of being able to do the work of God.  However, this verse is clear in that he was a man with a nature like ours.  He didn’t have a special “in” with God that the rest of us have to view from the sidelines.  He had an “in” with God because he spent time with Him, he knew God’s character and believed that God would act on his behalf.  So when Israel was once again in complete darkness, Elijah spoke with boldness to King Ahab that “As the Lord God of Israel lives, I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!” (1 Kings 17:1).  Can you imagine the boldness to tell a king that it is not going to rain for 3.5 years?!?  Not only did God answer his prayer, but He told Elijah where to go for shelter so the ravens could provide food and water for him during this drought.  This kind of faith is inspiring and it came from a man whose very nature is the same as ours.  God wants us to read these stories to make us bold in our faith and to ask for His will to be done with the confidence that He will answer.  Now God may not be asking us to proclaim drought on the land for 3.5 years, but He’s asking us all to do something in order to advance His kingdom.  Ask Him what that is, pray in agreement with heaven for this to be done and then watch God deliver on His promises.  Risk it!  Take the adventure!  I dare you! 

Alarm Clock

Who needs an alarm clock on a Saturday morning when you have a three year old who is perfectly capable of waking the house up by yelling, “Moooooooooommmmmmmmmm, can you wipe me?”

2011 Book Picks

I try to read several books each year (try being the key word).  This isn’t some lofty goal to better myself and the world.  I just really love to read.  Anyway, of the books that I read last year, here are my top three favorites that I would highly recommend.  In no particular order:

·         The Help by Katheryn Stockett

This book is wildly popular for good reason.  I thought it was wonderfully written and a beautiful story of standing for something in the face of real danger.  The book really made me reflect on the civil rights period and extremely thankful for those who risked their lives for the greater good.

·         Loving Our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk

In my opinion, this is a must read for anyone who has children, especially if chaos has replaced peace in your home.

·         Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

This is another book that has become extremely popular.  This book is simply but beautifully written by Todd Burpo, whose young traveled to heaven in back during a near death experience.  It is such an awesome story of childlike faith.

Hopefully 2012 will prove to be as productive in the reading department.  Happy reading…

Happy New Year!

I hope you all have a very blessed 2012!  Sienna has resolved to get her Barbies in shape this year J