The lessons Larry can teach us

OK, I have a confession to make.  I'm a nerd.  Not the pencil-protector wearing, taped glasses, walking encyclopedia type of nerd.  But rather, the type of nerd who fixes computers and obsessively corrects peoples' spelling and collars and loves animated children's movies, a la VeggieTales and 321Penguins and The Incredibles and Cars. 

So when I woke up today and realized that December begins tomorrow, with Christmas coming not far behind it, it's probably not a surprise that the next thought that popped into my mind was that of a Silly Song with Larry, "Oh Santa," from VeggieTales' The Toy that Saved Christmas.  The premise of the song is that it's Christmas Eve, and Larry the Cucumber is excitedly waiting for Santa to come visit him.  Over the course of the evening, he is visited not by Santa, but rather by a banker, a viking, and an IRS agent.  The milk cartoon in the background obviously shaking fake snow over the entire scene, the kitchen tiles on which the stage is set, and the varied vegetables actors, which are undoubtedly the cutest comestibles you've ever seen, do nothing but add to the charm of the song.

The song says multiple times that Larry, although frightened by the intruders, makes an offering in the spirit of Christmas, giving one of the cookies that he had planned to give to Santa to each of the trespassers.  This is surely an unsurpassed gesture of kindness for a cucumber.  But it got me thinking about the kindness that humans can show, the offerings that we can give to Jesus. 

It's easy to laugh at the absurdity of a cucumber dressed in a towel, giving cookies to vikings and IRS agents on his kitchen counter.  But perhaps Jesus would have been pleased with his offering, after all.  Because for a cucumber, that really is quite an extraordinary gift.  And Jesus doesn't care about the size of our offerings; He cares about the heart of our gift.  He wants us to give something to Him that means something to us.  He doesn't want our trash, our leftovers, the things that cost us nothing to give.  He wants our best.  He deserves our best.  Don't short-change Him.

Luke 21:1-4

¹ As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. ² He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. ³ “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. ⁴ All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Advent

This is the first week of Advent, the time leading up to the celebration of Christmas, when we take time to remember Christ Jesus.  What is Advent, exactly?  What does it mean?  Advent comes from the Latin word advenio, which means arrival or coming.  Advent is a period of around four weeks that we set aside to remind ourselves of the imminent second coming of Jesus.

In my home growing up, my parents always had all sorts of little traditions that we would do every year during advent.  We would light advent candles at dinner every night - I remember that my siblings and I would always fight over who got to light them and blow them out.  But we had other traditions, too, ones that didn't cause squabbles over the dinner table.  Like how we would read the Bible every evening together as a family, to remind us of who Jesus is and what He did for us.  Or how we would pray, also as a family, every night before bedtime, thanking God for who He is.

So, in the spirit of Advent, I went to Luke today and re-read for the millionth time the story of the birth of Jesus.  It never fails to give me chills.  There's something about this story - the mystery, the romance, the danger, the singularity, the supernatural elements - that makes it one of my favorite stories in the Bible, ever. 

Every time I read this story, I can almost hear the choir of angels singing, their pure, crystal voices serenading the lonely shepherds and scattered sheep.  I can sense the stress when Joseph and Mary are desperately trying to find a place to stay in Bethlehem.  I can feel the wonder in the young couple's eyes when they first lay eyes on their precious miracle child, Jesus. 

Christmas is a beautiful time of year.  But, throughout the hustle and bustle of decorating and shopping and shoveling snow and seeing family and friends, we must remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.  It's not for the trees we put up in our homes.  It's not for the presents we pile beneath it.  It's not for the hot chocolate, or spiced cider, or snow angels, or holly berries, or gingerbread cookies, or even for the chance to spend time with people we love.  It's all because of that tiny bundle of life, lying in a manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.  Goodness, I'm so grateful for that tiny little baby.

Luke 2:1-21

The Birth of Jesus

 ¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.  ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
 ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
 ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
 ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
 ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
 ²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
 

Old truths and new wisdom

I'm not the kind of person who likes to just open the Bible at random and assume that whatever verse I happen to land on is exactly what God wants to speak into my life at that moment in time.  I do believe, however, that there are some days when you just need to go to what's tried and true.  Go to the "classics," as it were - the verses that speak to you over and over again, the ones that are highlighted and underlined in your Bible, with notes scribbled in the wrinkled pages, or written on sticky-notes stuck to your bulletin boards and computer screens.

This is one of those days for me.  It's one of those days when I don't really want to discover new wisdom, but rather remember old truths, verses that have been a source of comfort for me throughout my 21 years of life.  Verses that trickle soothingly over my spirit, and banish the chills in my soul with their warmth, and gently cradle me in their softness like a luxurious blanket.  It's a day when I all I want to do is bask in what I already know of God, when I simply want to remember what He has done for me. 

But you know what the cool thing about God is?  Sometimes even while we are remembering old truths, He teaches us something new, too.  2 Corinthians 1:3-7 has always been a wonderful verse for me.  It reminds me that God can and will comfort me through whatever trouble I may be going through - so much so, in fact, that He will even give me the ability to comfort others in their distress, as well.  He has given me the capacity to empathize with others, and share both our joys and distresses with each other.  That's cool.  It says, to me, that I will never be alone as long as I allow the God of all comfort to be the Lord of my life.

But today I kept reading beyond verse 7.  And I've gotta say, I felt like God was speaking just to me.  Now, I cannot say that the pressure I'm under has caused me to "despair of life itself."  I'm nowhere near that point, and it would be highly melodramatic to say that.  But I am trying to live for the Lord in Asia, far from home, and it can be stressful at times.  But He already knew that.  That's why He sent me to this verse.  That's why He wanted to remind me that others have been in my situation before.  And that He got them through it, and will do the same for me.  His Word is timeless....but sometimes I'm sure glad when He sends me new nuggets of wisdom from it.  Even when I'm not looking for them.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

 ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
 ⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Words, words, words

My life has become one big running journal.  I wake up in the morning wondering what I'm going to write about in my devotional blog.  Things happen to me and I formulate how I will write the story in my head.  I jot down lists at work, update blogs at home, and scribble notes to myself all day long.  Part of me loves it.  I love writing down my thoughts, preserving them for posterity, knowing that my thoughts and experiences will be remembered long after they leave my own memory.

But the other part of me wonders if they're worth being remembered.  Am I saying something that matters?  Something that will truly affect people?  Something that makes a difference?  Or am I just wasting peoples' time - including my own?  To quote the Bard, am I just spewing "words, words, words?" 

I still don't know what I want to do with my life.  But I do know for a fact that I want to live a life of significance.  I want to do something worth doing with my life.  The Bible says that many words mark the speech of a fool.  So when you have something to say, make sure that it's worth saying.  Don't just spew words out.  Make them count.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3

¹ Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. 

Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, 

who do not know that they do wrong.

 ² Do not be quick with your mouth,
   do not be hasty in your heart
   to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
   and you are on earth,
   so let your words be few.
³ A dream comes when there are many cares,
   and many words mark the speech of a fool.

The party of the century

I have this thing about jewelry.  Honestly, I don't particularly like jewelry all that much.  But I have a few pieces that I love, and wear all the time.  Like the opal ring, for example, that rarely ever leaves my finger, even when I shower or sleep.  Or the silver dangly earrings that are my constant companions for almost every outfit that I wear.

Every now and then, however, I do take them off, and on occasion I also misplace them.  And on those few instances when I can't find them, boy am I devastated.  I search high and low, I turn my place upside-down until I find them.  They're just simple little pieces of metal, nothing of importance, really, but they mean a lot to me, and I will work very hard to make sure that they are safe.

So I think to myself, if I will put so much effort into ensuring the safety of such insignificant little trinkets, how much harder will God work to ensure the safety of us?  We are worth so much more than rings or earrings.  I'm reminded of my happiness when I find a misplaced earring.  And then I wonder at the happiness that fills Heaven when God finds one of His own, when a lost soul comes home again.  The joy must be spectacular.  Nothing less than the party of the century.

Luke 15:1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

 ¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  ³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

    ⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

Broken vessels

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you've probably picked up on a common theme in it.  If you've been a Christian for any amount of time, you've doubtless picked up on the same theme.  Being a Christian is hard.  We are expected to bring light into a dark world, to season the blandness of our world with salt.  We are the ones that God has called to minister to the hurting, to heal the sick, and to pour into people who need Jesus. 

But eventually - and often it's sooner rather than later - our own springs of inspiration and kindliness dry up.  Who pours into us so that we can continue pouring into others?  It is, in fact, none other than the living God.  He is the only one who is able to fill broken vessels, to repair the cracks in our lives and make us into something beautiful.

Broken Vessel

By Yvonne Coleman-Burney

I kneel before you broken and worn
frighten by my past, bewildered and torn,
poked and bleeding from life's little thorns.

The setbacks, pitfalls broken pieces of a heart
that has been bruised, scorned and torn apart.
Broken this vessel but mended through strength
faith in Jesus whom my father has sent.

The spirit that dwells within to fill the cracks and
the well will soon be refilled. Housed in this vessel
your love so lives, as it heals and restores the life
you so freely give.

Making this vessel whole by giving you all of me
letting you take full control, they way it should be.
Soon a broken vessel I will no longer be but a
piece of clay that will be molded and set free
from the loving hands of only thee.

 

2 Corinthians 4:5-11

⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.  ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 

Stupid arguments

It's amazing the silly things that we can get angry over.  I remember fighting with my brother when I was little about pencils, plates, who got to sit in the front seat, who washed and who dried the dishes, and who got the bigger slice of cake.  Anything you can think of; you name it, we probably fought over it.  Even these days, when I like to think of myself as so much older and wiser, I still fight about silly things.  Sometimes it seems important at the time, sometimes it doesn't; always after the fact I feel foolish for going off about such a stupid little thing.

But all of us struggle with anger.  Some more than others, naturally; but I seriously doubt that any of us haven't gotten upset when we feel that we've been wronged, no matter how slight the wrong may actually be.  Many people think that anger is automatically bad.  But I don't think there's anything wrong with anger in itself.  Jesus himself was angry multiple times in the Bible, for example when he drove out the money changers in the temple of Jerusalem (Matthew 21).

The key is that you have a just cause to be angry.  That you have "righteous anger."  And that, in your anger, you do not sin.  It's perfectly legitimate to be angry if someone hurts another person; but if, in your anger, you retaliate and hurt that person back, you are just as guilty as they are.

So many of us pray and ask the Lord to help us get rid of our anger.  I know I did for years, and still do occasionally.  But perhaps we are asking for the wrong thing.  Perhaps it would be better to ask, not that our anger disappear, but that our propensity to engage in foolish and stupid arguments would disappear.  Because that's the real sickness, the cancer that clings to our bones and threatens to destroy every relationship that we have if we let it.  Run away from foolish arguments.  Don't be the one that starts - or even participates in - all of those silly little quarrels that can would so deeply.  

Matthew 21:12-13

 ¹² Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ¹³ “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

 2 Timothy 2:22-24

 ²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

The good news

Sometimes teaching in Korea absolutely breaks my heart.  Today, all within the span of a single day, I proofread a student's essay on why plastic surgery gives you a better, more fulfilling, happier life; I got into an argument who was trying to convince me that no Koreans are beautiful, only westerners, while I was trying to convince her that that wasn't true; and I had a co-teacher vent to me about how her mother keeps ragging her to go on a diet and lose weight so that she can be beautiful.

The daily interactions I have with Koreans of all ages and backgrounds, the astonishingly high rate of plastic surgery, and the depressingly large number of suicides every year, just prove even more than something is very wrong here.  Perhaps the issues are magnified because I'm an outsider - I'm sure that my culture has it's own fair share of issues, as well.  But I just can't help bit think how different things would be if these people knew the God of the universe.

If they knew Him, if they knew how much they loved them, if they knew how beautiful they were in His eyes, I can't help but think that things would be different here.  They would not feel a need for surgery to be beautiful.  They would not evaluate their standards of beauty based on the appearance of other races.  They would not kill themselves if they failed.

This world is hurting so desperately.  It has forgotten the Lord its God.  That's the bad news - and there's no doubt that it's tragic news.  But there's good news, as well.  The good news is that people who have forgotten God always have the capacity to remember Him.  I've seen enough people get saved whom I would have sworn would never become Christians, to know that as long as you're breathing, it's never too late for God to touch your heart. 

I pray that people, especially the people of Korea, the dear people that I live and work with every day, will remember the Lord their God.  That they would return to Him, and that they would no longer find their worth in what the world tells them, but rather what God tells them.  I pray the same for you. 

Jeremiah 3:21-22

 ²¹ A cry is heard on the barren heights,
   the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,
because they have perverted their ways
   and have forgotten the LORD their God.

 ²² “Return, faithless people;
   I will cure you of backsliding.”

   “Yes, we will come to you,
   for you are the LORD our God.

The loving God test

My students are in the middle of finals.  Their school year ends in the winter rather than the spring, and it seems like a week cannot go by these days with my students having at least 1 test, sometimes more.  So, in the spirit of the situation, I decided to write a test for my readers.  This one, however, is a bit different from the normal exam that you'd find in a high school or university.

This one is called, for lack of a better name, the Loving God test.  I talked yesterday about how important it was for us to love God.  But that begs the question, how do you know if you love Him or not?

There are three things that I think that you can look at to see how much you love God - and how much you gold-dig.  The first is this: how do you react when things get tough?  Do you turn away from Him?  Or do you stick with Him through the good times and the bad times?  The Bible says that true loves produces perseverance.  Do you persevere?  Or do you run away?

Secondly, what motivates you to obey God's word?  Is it just to get stuff?  Or would you still obey Him with just as much fervor if you knew that you wouldn't get anything out of the deal?  When times get tough, when it doesn't look like God's doing anything for us, the desire to be blessed won't keep us faithful to Him.  Love's the only thing that will keep us faithful when we honestly don't really want to.

Finally, if God were to allow something important to you to be taken away, how would you react?  Is your identity based in Him, or is it based in your friends and family, your job, your accomplishments, or your status?  I never cease to be astonished by Job's love for the Lord.  Throughout all of his trials, in the middle of losing literally everything he held dear, he still loved the Lord.  He never doubted God's love for him, nor did he ever stop loving God.  It was not without a struggle, of course.  But at the end of the day, Job passed the test with flying colors.  Would you?

John 15:9-17

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Do you love God?

We are always told how much God loves us.  Growing up in the church, I frequently heard God's extravagant loved touted and talked about.  Even new believers who did not grow up going to church, don't have to be saved for very long before they have been told multiple times how much God loves us.

So the real question, then, is not whether God loves us - that fact has been emphasized and underscored so many times that it is in danger of becoming repetitive or monotonous.  The real question is whether you love God.  Do you really love God....or do you just love Him for what He does for you?

So many people complain to God when things aren't going their way.  They say that God doesn't love them, that He isn't looking out for them.  But God is not a genie in a bottle; He's not a vending machine, where we can just select the blessing that we want and....presto!  Out it comes!

I always wonder how God feels when we start complaining that He doesn't love us.  I picture a child whining to their parents - the people who clothe them, feed them, give them shelter and affection and love and all of those things that children need - I picture that child whining that his parents don't love him because they won't give him an iPod or Xbox or whatever the newest fad happens to be.  Of course his parents love him.  And it must kill them to hear him say that they don't.  I betcha our heavenly Father feels the way way when we accuse Him on not loving us.

The church is full of spiritual gold-diggers, carnal Christians who only think about what God can do for them, not what they can do for God.  And it's true, that God has promised many blessings to those who love Him.  But the key is that He wants us to really love Him first.  Not for what He can do for us.  But simply for who He is.  Because He loved us first, and He deserves our love in return.  God truly loves you and wants to bless you.  But first you have to ask yourself, do you really love God?

Psalm 91:14-16

 ¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”

When we stand together

I'm still thinking about what it means to be a part of God's Church.  It doesn't have physical boundaries, nor temporal restrictions.  So what is the Church, really?  The Church is us.  It's you, and me, and all of the thousands and thousands of people who have bent their knee to the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Church is people.  And we are called to take care of people, to take care of the Church.  It's a joy, it's a privilege....but it's also a sacrifice and difficult.  It's not something that we can do by ourselves.  But together, and with His help, we can.  So let's stand together and take care of His Church.

We must stand together

By Nickleback

One more depending on a prayer, And we all look away
People pretending everywhere, It's just another day
There's bullets flying through the air, And they still carry on
We watch it happen over there, And then just turn it off

[Chorus]
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah
We must stand together
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah
There's no giving in
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah
Hand in hand forever
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah
That's when we all win
Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah
That's, that's, that's when we all win
That's, that's, that's when we all win

They tell us everything's all right, And we just go along
How can we fall asleep at night, When something's clearly wrong
When we could feed a starving world, With what we throw away
But all we serve are empty words, That always taste the same

[Bridge]

The right thing to guide us, Is right here inside us
No one can divide us, When the light is nearly gone
But just like a heartbeat, The drum beat carries on
And the drum beat carries on, Just like a heartbeat

Isaiah 58:6-10
 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 them,
   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 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.

The big C

I'm traveling again this weekend.  And I'll be going to yet another church on Sunday.  This will be the 6th different church in the span of 2 months that I've been to.  My spiritual center of gravity is constantly shifting.  I know that church is important to one's spiritual growth - it's where you meet people who will mentor you and uplift you, it's where you do the same for others, it's where you are fed and encouraged and admonished and taught.  Of course it's not the only place that those things can happen; but the fact remains that church is an essential part of one's spiritual well-being.

So I can't help but wonder what all of this church-hopping will do for my spiritual life.  So often these days, I don't feel like church is stretching me, but simply stretching me out.  But sometimes life gets crazy like that.  During those times, it's important to remember what the Bible means by the word "church."

There are 2 types of churches in the Bible.  One is a tangible church, a brick-and-mortar church, a "little c" church.  It's the local congregation that you call home - or sometimes, as in my case right now, that you lack.

But the church is more than that.  The church, in all of it's essence, is a "big C" Church.  This is the community of Christian believers all over the world, throughout history - everyone who has ever accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  This is the real church.  And what a comfort to know that, even if you may not have a real home church to lean on, you will always have a Church to lean on.  God's Church is timeless, unchanging, and everywhere.  Something to keep in mind the next time you find that your circumstances have left you church-hopping.

Ephesians 1:18-23

¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. 

Men of God

The past few days were dedicated to women.  But men are just as important, too, so lest they feel neglected, today's post is for them.

Now, I must confess, I have very little experience in the world of men.  Aside from not being one myself, I've also had very little experience in the dating world.  So my experience with men is basically limited to my brothers, of which I've seen very little of since I left for college 5 years ago, and my father.

But my father is a pretty darn good example of a godly man, anyway.  Throughout the course of my childhood, he was constantly an example of what I should be looking for when it came time for me to find a husband.  The biggest way that he did that, however, was not in his spiritual habits, his many acts of service, or his attentiveness to the people around him.

It was prayer.  Everything he did stemmed from prayer.  Every problem that he had, prayer was the first thing that he did to correct it.  I suppose I can't honestly say everything...there were times when that was not the case, but he always made it clear at the end that those times had been a mistake on his part.  But throughout his successes, as well as his failures, he always taught me to run to the Lord - in the good times AND the bad.

Could it be that that, in a nutshell, is what it means to  be a man of God?  Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon....all of these men made a habit of going to God in their times of need.  They did it so often that it was simply engrained into their very being.  And of course, we can't forget about Jesus, our ultimate example - who always took his problems to the Lord, even when they weighed Him down so much that he was sweating blood.

The Bible calls us to stand firm in the faith.  But we cannot do that without know Who we are to have faith in.  Run to God.  He will give you the strength, the love, the trust, and the courage that you need to become a true man of God.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love.  

A woman of noble character

In keeping with the theme of strong women that we started yesterday, I figured that it's only natural that I follow it up by talking about the Proverbs 31 woman.  The woman described in Proverbs 31 is often looked upon with dread by many Christian women - how could they possibly measure up to it??

But my Father told me something almost 10 years ago, on my 13th birthday, about this chapter that I have never forgotten.  "Proverbs 31 sets a pretty high standard, which overwhelms many women," he said.  "They see it as an impossibly long laundry list of things that they couldn't possibly accomplish in 10 lifetimes.  They fail to recognize it as a result of a reverent and intimate relationship with God.  I believe it can be read as a blessing, and that the results can then pour forth as a greater reward."

I too, like many women, grew up in the shadow of these verses, feeling intimidated and overwhelmed by a laundry list that I would never be able to complete.  But those words of my father carried freedom with them.  What if this chapter truly is, not a laundry list, but a blessing, an image of what your life could be like if you live it under the direction of the Lord.  Just imagine the freedom that knowledge could give.  And don't just imagine it.  Believe it.  Live it.

Proverbs 31:10-31

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family
   and portions for her female servants. ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
   out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
   her arms are strong for her tasks. ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
   and her lamp does not go out at night. ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
   and grasps the spindle with her fingers. ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
   and extends her hands to the needy. ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
   for all of them are clothed in scarlet. ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
   she is clothed in fine linen and purple. ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
   where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
   and supplies the merchants with sashes. ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
   she can laugh at the days to come. ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
   and faithful instruction is on her tongue. ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness. ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her: ²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
   but you surpass them all.” ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. ³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
   and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 

When sinners pray

I'm always impressed by strong women.  Perhaps it's because I was raised among 4 men; perhaps it's because I've been self-sufficient since high-school; perhaps it's because I've always had an innate dislike of people who constantly rely on other people to do things for them.  Whatever the reason, though, I've always really looked up to and admired them.  There is just something irresistible about them; their aura, their persona, just draws you to them, whether you like it or not.

 Rahab was an incredibly strong woman.  She staked everything - her belongings, her family, her future, even her very life - on the word of 2 men who said that their God would spare her.  The most incredible thing to me, is that it wasn't even her god that she had faith in.  She could see that the God of the Israelites was the one true God, and risked everything on that assumption.

It's astonishing to me that Rahab was not an Israelite.  Sure, she had seen God's power from afar, as she watched the people of Israel destroy every nation that stood in their way.  But Rahab was, in effect, as heathen.  And yet she prayed.  She believed.  And her prayers not only saved herself and her family; because of her faith she became one of only 5 women in the entire Bible to be listed as a part of the genealogy of Jesus.

Rahab was a woman who had not known Jesus personally, and who had been raised in a culture that was an outright enemy of all things Israelite, including their God.  Now if Rahab's prayers to the living God carried with them so much power...how much more weight could our carry, we who have Jesus living within us every single day of our lives?

Joshua 2
¹ Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.

 ² The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” ³ So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land.”

 ⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.” ⁶ (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) ⁷ So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.

 ⁸ Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof ⁹ and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. ¹⁰ We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea^[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.^{[b] 11} When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

 ¹² “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”

 ¹⁴ “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land.”

 ¹⁵ So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. ¹⁶ She said to them, “Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.”

 ¹⁷ Now the men had said to her, “This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us ¹⁸ unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. ¹⁹ If any of them go outside your house into the street, their blood will be on their own heads; we will not be responsible. As for those who are in the house with you, their blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on them. ²⁰ But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear.”

 ²¹ “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

   So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

 ²² When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. ²³ Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. ²⁴ They said to Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."

Go to the ant

I had no class today, so I slept in, and it was glorious.  I lazed around the house, didn't even get dressed until lunchtime, and didn't go outside until mid-afternoon.  And I can't lie, it was wonderful.  I haven't slept in in months, and having an entire day with really nothing pressing to do was simply luxery beyond belief.

But I have to admit, the entire day I also had this nagging guilty feeling tugging at the back of my mind.  I couldn't figure out what it was.  I was on top of everything I needed to do, I hadn't forgotten an assignment or appointment...why wasn't I at peace?  I finally realized that it was because of the way that I was spending my day.  As I wrote about on November 7th, how we spend our lives is simply a summation of how we spend our days.  And, as nice as it has been to not do anything today, I would not want this day to be representative of my entire life.  I want to do something of value with my life, not just write emails and walk around the house in my pj's.

Perhaps that is why we are told to imitate the industriousness of the ant.  God knows that one day of laziness can easily turn into a week, a month, or a year, and before we know it we've wasted our entire lives.  Don't waste your life.  Live and use your time in a way that you will not be ashamed of when you look back at what you did in your lifetime.

Proverbs 6:6-11

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard;
   consider its ways and be wise!
⁷ It has no commander,
   no overseer or ruler,
⁸ yet it stores its provisions in summer
   and gathers its food at harvest.

 ⁹ How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
   When will you get up from your sleep?
¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber,
   a little folding of the hands to rest—
¹¹ and poverty will come on you like a thief
   and scarcity like an armed man.

It starts with you

"Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."              ~Margaret Mead

I was sitting talking with some friends today about the negative effects that we have observed of the Korean educational system.  And, while I think it highly unlikely that any of us could ever change that system in the span of our entire lives, even if we wanted to, it also got me thinking about what exactly it is that does cause big changes in our society and beyond. 

So many people think, "oh, I'm just one person.  I have no influence.  What could I possibly do to affect the entire world?"  But just think, what would happen if everyone adopted that attitude?  Nothing would ever happen.  Why?  Because change starts with us.  More specifically, change starts with me.  It starts with you.  Mother Teresa was only one person.  Steve Jobs was only one person.  Mozart, Martin Luther King Jr., Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Christopher Columbus, Helen Keller, Henry Ford...all of them were only one person.  Of course, that goes the opposite way, as well. Hilter and Stalin were individual people, too. 

The point is, "I'm just 1 person" should never be an excuse to not try to make a difference.  God doesn't want us to wait for someone else to move, to wait for someone else to do the dirty work and then just follow along behind, holding onto their coattails.  It starts with you.  Be the change that you want to see in the world.

Acts 12:1-19

¹ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. ² He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. ³ When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
 ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
 ⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
 ⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
 ¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
 ¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. ¹³ Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. ¹⁴ When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
 ¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
 ¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
 ¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

He's got the whole world in His hands

In the past 3 months I have seen an incredible range of God's creation.  In the past 3 years even more.  I have seen mountains, valleys, and everything in between.  I have witnessed Flamenco dancing in the streets of Spain, hidden beach caves in Portugal, the oppressive luxury of the palace of Versailles, and ancient Korean palaces and fortresses thousands of years old.  I have ridden camels in Morocco, prayed at the top of the Sacre Coeur in Paris, gone skydiving in Costa Rica, and done street ministry in Honduras.  I have met innocent little children, ambitious teenagers, jaded young adults, and wizened old men and women.  I have interacted with dancers, nuns, atheists, street vendors, travelers, entrepreneurs, athletes, and just ordinary citizens from all over the world. 

Now, please don't misunderstand me, my intention is not to brag or to make you jealous or anything of the sort.  But it occurred to me tonight, as I was returning from yet another weekend trip around Korea and thinking about my travels over the past few years, what a truly big world we live in.  Even with all of my traveling, I have only seen a fraction of what this big world of ours has to offer.  And God made all of it.  The things I have seen and done, and millions upon millions of things that I will never get the chance to experience....He made it all. 

Kind of puts the old children's song "He's got the whole world in His hands" into a whole new perspective.

Genesis 1

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
 ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
 ⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
 ⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
    ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
 ¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
 ²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
 ²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
    ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
 ²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
   in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
 ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
    ²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
    ³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thank Him

Yesterday a student wrote me a note.  In she thanked me for all of the stuff that I do in class, and how I make class fun but yet also actually teach her things.  And then she called me her favorite teacher.  Needless to say, I was absolutely on cloud nine.  The fact that she wrote anything at all was incredible - English does not come easy for these students.  But the fact that she took the time to write so much, and then called me her favorite teacher...words simply cannot describe the joy that I felt at receiving that note. 

I wonder if that's how our Heavenly Father feels when we praise Him, when we thank Him for what He's done for us.  Of course He is far and above more worthy of receiving praise and thanks than I will ever be, no matter how good of a teacher I become.  But so often, He gets far less praise than we do.  But yet he deserves it more than anyone in the world.

The Lord is described in the Bible as both a Father and a Teacher.  I am currently a teacher by profession, but I think of these girls like my children, so I think that I have a bit of an understanding of the pride He feels in us when we please Him.  When these students take the effort to tell me that they notice what I do, and to thank me for it, the feeling is absolutely indescribable.  That's the kind of feeling I want to give to God, too.  So take time to thank God today for all of the wonderful things He has done in your life.  Give Him the joy that He deserves.

Psalm 96

 ¹ Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
² Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
³ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
 ⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
 ⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.
⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
¹⁰ Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
 let the sea resound, and all that is in it.¹² Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. ¹³ Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness  and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Parched

Do you ever feel dried up?  Used and spent and completely drained of inspiration?  That's how I feel right now.  Exhaustion, fatigue, and emotions have caught up with me, and have left me wanting to do anything but write this blog.  I feel like I have nothing left to give.  I've talked about all of the verses that I know, shared all of the stories that I have, and given everything I have to give.  I'm finished.

But God isn't.  He still has more to give - He always has more to give.  And He is standing there, just waiting for us to ask Him for it, just waiting for us to trust in His provision.  His Word promises that He will always be there for us, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and that He will never give us more than we can bear.  So if you are parched and thirsty, take heart.  Drink deep of His sustaining water.  He's the one Well that will never run dry.

1 Kings 17:7-16

 ⁷ Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the LORD came to him: ⁹ “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
 ¹² “As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
 ¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”
 ¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.

Living on a balance beam

I watched an awesome sermon clip yesterday from a man named Francis Chan.  He described the Christian life like a balance beam.  To actually do anything of value on a balance beam, it takes some courage, some guts - and also a whole lot of falls.  But I think that anyone who's watched Olympic gymnastics would agree that seeing the beautiful, finished product - and the beaming gymnast as she stands in front of the judges at the end of her routine - makes all of the work and all of the difficulties worth it.

I think it's true that the Christian life should be like a balance beam, full of tough challenges, but also brilliant triumphs.  But there's a problem with this picture.  So many of us go through life not wanting to be brilliant, but rather to be safe.  We step on the balance beam, and as soon as things get a little shaky, we get down low and wrap the beam in a bear hug to avoid falling.  And it's true, we live a very safe, comfortable life this way.

But eventually, we're going to have to get off of the beam and face the Judge.  And what is He going to say?  Can you picture an Olympic gymnastic getting on the balance beam, lying flat on her stomach and hugging it for a few minutes, and then getting off and asking the judge how she did?  What would he say?  I can guarantee you that he's not going to tell her that she did a good job.

I challenge you to let go of the beam.  Stand up, take a deep breath, and make a leap of faith.  And don't be upset if you fail.  Don't be afraid of failure.  After all, what are failures, except a learning experience to help you to do better next time?

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

¹ Ship your grain across the sea;
   after many days you may receive a return.
² Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
   you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

 ³ If clouds are full of water,
   they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
   in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
⁴ Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
   whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

 ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
   or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
   the Maker of all things.

 ⁶ Sow your seed in the morning,
   and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
   whether this or that,
   or whether both will do equally well.

God's tapestry

One of my favorite movies is Dreamwork's "The Prince of Egypt."  One of the best songs in the whole movie is when Jethro, the high priest of Midian, is talking to Moses about God's ways.  He says that "a single thread in a tapestry, though it's colors brightly shine, can never see its purpose in the pattern of the grand design."

I feel like a little thread right now.  I was being stretched and pulled in all kinds of unpleasant and difficult directions, and I didn't know why.  It just felt like unnecessary hardship, and I did not like it.  The stress was starting to affect my mood, my health, and my interactions with other people.  But now I'm in a new situation, and God is slowly starting to show me the bigger tapestry.

Have you ever though about how pain helps us appreciate joy all the more?  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no masochist, and I'm certainly not advocating intentionally causing pain.  But truly, without difficulties in our lives, how will we ever know how to truly appreciate the good things?  Without struggling for months through an incredibly difficult homestay situation, I would not appreciate what a good thing I have nearly as much as I do.  You see, it took a change of perspective for me to appreciate what God was doing in my life.

That's the thing about threads.  So often, from the thread's perspective, they don't understand why they're being twisted and pulled and stretched.  But then, once you take a step back and look at the whole picture, you realize that it was necessary to make something beautiful.  Are you being stretched and don't why?  Ask God to show you the tapestry He's making.  I promise you, it's something more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³ We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  

Flat-screen friendships

Facebook says that I have 434 friends.  On my birthday every year, I am inundated with well-wishers.  I hang out regularly with new anchors and TV actors.  Of course, I don't ACTUALLY hang out with them, any more than I actually have over 400 friends.  They are "flat-screen friendships" - a poor substitute, indeed, for the real thing.  Writing "happy birthday" on a friend's facebook wall is not nearly as meaningful as taking that friend out to dinner for their birthday.  "Lol" cannot compare to a deep, hearty laugh over a pithy joke or well-timed comment.  "Praying for you" typed at the end of an email is nowhere near the same thing as bowing your heads and speaking to the Lord together.

It's easier, of course.  It takes no work at all to have a flat-screen relationship.  If someone upsets you, you can simply defriend them or stop following their tweets.  If you don't want to talk to someone, you can just ignore their phone call.  Unpleasant emails can simply not be responded to.  Living in the modern age has made communication - or the lack thereof - nearly effortless.

But Jesus has called us to love each other.  That is, in fact, a result of a spirit-filled person - they show love for the people in their lives, and a willingness to invest in them.  One of the main purposes of the Church, in fact, is to create a sense of community.  Not a community that simply has potlucks and ice cream socials on the weekends after church, and then leaves everyone to fend for themselves during the week; but rather, a community that knows it members intimately - all of their quirks, flaws, and idiosyncrasies - and is willing to love them anyway.

Unfortunately, this type of community is far too rare.  So few of us are willing to stick with it and keep loving, even when things get sticky, messy, and difficult.  But it is so worth it.  True relationships are gritty and hard work - and completely worth it.  True relationships make us grow in ways that we could never do on our own, in our little 2-dimensional world.  Don't settle for a life filled with flat-screened friendships.

1 Peter 1:22, 4:8
22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so the you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.  8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.

How we spend our days

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." ~Annie Dillard

This is an interesting thing to think about for me.  I don't know about you, but I don't often connect what I do in my day to day activities with the summation of my entire life.  It's just a day, it's just a few hours....what effect could it possibly have in the grand scheme of things?

But it has a huge effect.  A life-changing effect, in fact.  Because Annie Dillard is, in fact, right on the money.  What is our life, really, other than a summation of all of our days?  So how are you spending your life?  Are you spending it staring at a computer screen?  Chasing after meaningless relationships?  Unhappy and ineffective in your job?  Pushing your friends aside to achieve your dreams?  Drunk and wasted every weekend?  Doing anything that makes you feel good, regardless of the consequences to yourself or others?

Or are you spending it doing something of value?  Something that matters?  Something for His kingdom?

Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:1

⁷ Light is sweet,

   and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

⁸ However many years anyone may live,

   let them enjoy them all.

But let them remember the days of darkness,

   for there will be many.

   Everything to come is meaningless.

 ⁹ You who are young, be happy while you are young,

   and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart

   and whatever your eyes see,

but know that for all these things

   God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart

   and cast off the troubles of your body,

   for youth and vigor are meaningless.

¹ Remember your Creator

   in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

   and the years approach when you will say,

   “I find no pleasure in them”— 

 

Life, not death

I read an article the other day about a Korean middle school girl who committed suicide because she didn't get a high enough score on her test.  Her parents had promised her a cell phone if she did well enough, but she did not meet their standards; in her suicide note, she requested that she be buried with a smart phone.  Of course, there is an obvious tangent that could be made about the issues with an educational system that drives children to kill themselves because their grades aren't high enough to get them a smart phone.  But this is not a political blog, so I will limit myself to the spiritual side.

It's interesting that Christianity is one of the only religions in the world that does not have specific stipulations for how one must bury their dead, so that their spirit will be at peace.  Of course there are cultural aspects that determine what is done, but the Bible itself is really quite silent on the topic. 

That's because the focus of Christianity is on life, not death.  Sure, death is a part of life - but it is not the end of life.  The Bible refers multiple times to death as "sleep" - and in the grand scheme of things, that's exactly what death is - simply falling asleep.  There is a whole 'nother world that exists, a whole 'nother life that happens, after one dies.  That's the real life that we were made to have. 

Of course there is also a real death, an eternal death for those who do not know Jesus.  But until you "fall asleep" in this world, there is always hope that you will come to know Him.  And if you already do know Him - what a comfort it is to be reminded that He is bigger than death.

John 11:1-45

 ¹ Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
 ⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
 ⁸ “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
 ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. ¹⁰ It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
 ¹¹ After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
 ¹² His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
 ¹⁴ So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵ and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
 ¹⁶ Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

 ¹⁷ On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁹ and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰ When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.  ²¹ “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
 ²³ Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
 ²⁴ Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
 ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
 ²⁷ “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
 ²⁸ After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.” ²⁹ When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
 ³² When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
 ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴ “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
   “Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
 ³⁵ Jesus wept.
 ³⁶ Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
 ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
 ³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.    “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
 ⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
 ⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
 ⁴³ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
   Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
 ⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.