the Beast behind the Beauty

What can we learn from Walt Disney?

The nice thing about children's stories, at least the ones created when I was growing up, generally try to teach strong values and morals. This example: Beauty and the Beast. For those of us little girls that were enchanted by the love story, we often choose not to see the true hideousness of the Beast (or at least not at the end of the movie). But if you listen to the intro, the Beast was once an attractive prince that was very selfish and turned away helping someone beneath his status...then, he became the Beast.

We live in an amazing country with truly awesome and encouraging values, a high level of philanthropy, and pride in who we are. But the last one is where we sometimes run into problems. Sometimes we can become so confident in ourselves that we cease to think of others who are less fortunate, we can argue with family and friends until it destroys relationships, and we can somehow believe that we deserve better treatment that someone with different weight, height, skin color, social status, job, etc. etc.

Instead, we need to realize exactly what we are. Although I am definitely one who condones confidence, it definitely is something that has to come in balance. Neither you nor I are invincible--be it street fight, car wreck, blood clot, or nuclear bomb--there are most certainly things that make it obvious we all have a date that will be written on the right side of the dash on our tombstone. Even looking through a perspective of this life, there's not one of us that is good at EVERYTHING. For this reason, we need to realize our weaknesses and be able to admit them. I have found (yes, from experience with my own pride and weaknesses) that when we admit to ourselves and others what things we are not good at, it allows us to more fully use our strengths and grow in the areas which cause us to stumble.

...and here's the Truth of God's Word to back it up...

Proverbs 27:2, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips."

2 Corinthians 10:17-18, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends."

Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall"

Mark 9:35 (speaking to the disciples), "And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'"

Proverbs 26:12, "Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him."

...so don't be like the Beast: one who must be punished for being prideful; but be the Beauty: kind, compassionate, selfless, and forgiving. And if you have problems with yellow dresses, then be the Prince that Beast turned back into after he received forgiveness and changes his prideful ways.

Wise Whys

So I have not blogged in a week. I've been somewhat distracted with finals and other adventures. Amazing how time flies.

So I've been sick from allergies for quite some time now and was finally convinced to go to the doctor. While I was waiting at the doctor, I was offered the typical doctor's office entertainment of soap operas and magazines. What I found most entertaining and perhaps most helpful was not either of these.

First, there was a little girl about 4 years old, who ran toward the bathroom when she walked in. There were 2 people with her, and one noticed her going into the men's restroom and told the other adult to go assist her. The little girl heard this, and with a slightly confused face threw her arms up and said, "they're both for girls." True, that there are not always major differences in female and male bathrooms. Also true, is that, if she was too short to see the sign or could not read, then she would not be able to differentiate based on her own depth of knowledge. This made me think of how we are in life--as children, adults, at whatever age. We like to think we know what we're doing. Most of the time (and I am completely guilty of this), we think we know what's best for us. So often in my life, I find this to be completely contrary to the truth. When I think something is best now, it may be best later, or not best at all. This is not to imply that I am stupid, but that, like the little girl--I may not be able to tell the difference between the two paths in my life just from appearances, or maybe I can't see the signs, only visible Above, that reveal what's coming next. Or perhaps the facts of what lays in front of me are clear and vivid to those around me, but I'm unable to interpret what they mean. This is so often true, and we need to be able to lose control to Someone who is in control of this plan. Someone can guide us to the correct doors and paths. Someone who will forgive us and redirect us when we choose the wrong door--this someone is Jesus Christ.

I suggest reading Proverbs 3. It's a great chapter about trusting beyond yourself and clinging to what is right. Also, keep in mind the scripture that says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but the wise man listens to advice." (Proverbs 12:15). For those of you that write this off as not applying to your life because you're doing things just fine and this is clearly for some other heathen, yada yada, etc etc, notice the verse says the wise man listens to advice....listening?

Keep an open mind to what God has in store for you, and what His people are trying to reveal to you. Don't be hasty to believe everything you hear (from religious person or nonreligious person), but seek God's advice on what wisdom has been given to you.

The wisest man who ever lived (Solomon) sought wisdom...imagine that. I hope you will choose to seek it as well--happy is everyone that retains wisdom (Proverbs 3:18).

As "A" matter of fact, He's got that under control too

Miraculous Ways.

That's how God works. He speaks to our very weakness and knows JUST when to answer. Today has been a keen example of this for me. Last night I was preparing for a final I had today and finishing up a research paper for another class. I will admit that I'm not the best with managing stress on some day (even though this was the first day in over 6 months it had gotten to me so badly). So anyway, I was way overstressing in my overachiever state of "I've got to get an A" mindset.

This morning I woke up and listened to Southeast Christian's Living Word sermon on the radio while I was getting ready--nothing out of my normal routine. This morning's sermon was based off the scripture Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." What Pastor Kyle Idleman spoke to was the fact so often we often mistranslate this scripture into thinking we alone can do anything, and the fact that we measure our self-worth and success in the wrong light.

Specifically he was naming off lists of examples of things that we limit our worth to, or that makes us feel sucessful or valuable (depending on what extreme you go to). His list of examples referenced things like job promotions, the right car, exercising for looks and not health, and...getting all A's. Crazy. Sure I could write this off as nothing--merely a coincidence, but I don't really believe in chance, and I've seen enough evidence of God-incidences in my life to believe He ordains thing that enter my path. Now mind you, there was more that fell in line with the message and what I needed to hear than just that one phrase, but the fact that this message spoke to me so clearly about the exact struggle I was going through, and with Kyle mentioning it so plainly amazed me. :)

What's even more unique is the fact that my mother listened to the same sermon on the same station at the same time on her way to work and got something completely different out of it. When I began to tell her about what I'd heard on the radio this morning, she was like---no, that's not what it was about. The same message spoke to her about a completely different topic. This is testimony that God knows exactly what we need, how we need it, when we need it, and that He will speak to us if we are seeking to hear from Him. Also, this shows us that just because a sermon title or speaker at church may not seem to be something that we think fits our situation, we need not write it off or zone them out because there is always so much potential for God to speak to us--even in the little things of life, small gestures of people, etc.

With this in mind, it also gives us Christians an increased responsibility to be constantly aware that we could be positively or negatively impacting lives. So when you're having a gray cloud kind of day, be cautious that you don't spread your doubt/fear/anger/what have you, but that you seek to be a positive light. (Philippians 4:4) I'm not saying that you have to be chipper every day because that is certainly a challenge, but rather that you should constantly keep in mind the kind of reactions and impact your actions will cause. You have a bigger impact on lives (even those you may not see) than you realize.

Lastly, to reinforce what I said about God moving at just the right time. I was waiting on something today and was getting a little down that it had not yet came. I got to the point where I blew something miniscule into an issue even worth talking about--all because I didn't have patience and wait on God's timing and wisdom. As soon as I brought it up and vented to someone about it--leaving them with a negative taste in their mouth--what I was waiting on came. Imagine that. It's almost like another wake up call from God reminding me He's in charge, He's got a great plan, and if I wait on His perfect timing for all things in my life, He will bless me. Thank you God for that promise and for keeping me in check.

I completely believe God has a sense of humor. But like I said earlier, He speaks to each of us in the way we need and recieve it best--so maybe that's just God's 'I told you so' language for me :) I'm so glad I serve such a phenomenal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and dynamic God. :)

It's a sealed deal.

Today while I was driving, my passenger pointed out that my door was open. What's weird is that my door ajar light didn't go off. Originally I wrote this off as the door was old and the sealing was probably going bad, letting more air in and sounding like it was open. When I dropped my friend off and it was just me in the car, I reflected on what they said and realized that it was in fact open. I stopped for gas (a perfect time to shut the door), and forgot to fix the door. So, the rest of the trip I listened to the whistle of a door.

This makes me think of our lives, and the little cracks that we let in our Spiritual life. Perhaps we've made a mistake or fallen to temptation and we don't realize it. This could be something like bitterness, jealousy, pride, anger, revenge, etc...the sins that get less pointed out than others sometimes--so just a crack in the door. At first, we may not notice it, and a friend/brother or sister in Christ may bring it to our attention. Sometimes we have the tendency to shrug it off as untrue I mean "it's not like I would do that." But we need not retaliate in hurt or anger but rather accept the rebuke in love and take it in to consideration. This is not the point where you start to point out the friend who told you about the problem's flaws--oh, the door sounds like that to him because his ears constantly ring. Or, my spiritual signal (like the door ajar light on the dash--meaning my own check of myself--generally this goes off with major stuff we KNOW we're doing wrong)...it hasn't gone off yet, so they must just be wrong. We continue to make up excuses and explain away the person who kept us accountable's fault on why we can't believe what they say---but the leak still exists.

Once we are on are own (like when I dropped my friend off), it's a little harder to ignore...yep, I noticed the sound of the air [like the consequences of the sin]. When I got to a point where I could correct it at the gas station (this could perhaps be like another opportunity to gossip or get that person the irks you back)...then I should have corrected it, but I forgot. Why did I forget? because I either ignored it or wrote it off as unimportant. (ever written of a sin as "just a little sin?"--Bible says ALL sin separates us from God, so I argue there are no little sins.) Once I got back in the car, I continued on the rest of my drive, not stopping to fix the problem. Don't go the rest of your life with this little problem that is actually bigger than it seems--correct it before it gets worse. When your brother/sister in Christ corrects you, take it into account--"does what they're saying have any grounds on which to stand?" God gave us friends for a reason (Proverbs 18:24), and God tells us that where 2 or more are gathered in His name, there He will be in the midst (Matthew 18:20). Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."

Be open to others corrections and love them for it whether they are right or not (honestly, most times they point out problems they will be..but you're human...work to fix it). We're all in this together. When you do realize a problem in your life, remember the ultimate authoriy of God, seek after Him, and correct these issues so you can draw closer to Him. Seal off those areas of weakness where you're falling into temptation, and keep sin from blowing in.

If ice can be squared and cubed, why can't it be to the 4th power?

I have this nifty blue coke glass (the one's that McDonalds gave away). If you've ever seen a coke glass, they are wide at the top and then curve in and are narrower at the bottom. When I went to the freezer for ice, I just grabbed a handful from the ice maker and tossed it in...only to realize that it filled to the brim very quickly. Noticing this odd fact, I looked closer at the glass and found that there was a jam in the ice. So I shook the glass, and nothing happened. finally I sifted through the ice only to realize there was one piece (two-wide) that was keeping all the rest of the ice from reaching the bottom. In order to get the ice where I wanted it, this ice would have to be broken.

...of course, this inspired a thought in me. I was thinking, you know, a lot of time we can be like that ice. If the destination that parallels the narrow bottom of the glass is the straight and narrow, sometimes I find that I or other Christians have been guilty of holding people back from geting closer to God. To put in more familiar terms, we have been a stumbling block. Romans 10:13 tells us, "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." Shortly after my 21st birthday, many people asked me if I was going to start drinking. Originally, I fought with myself over this question because I have been raised in a home abstaining from any alcohol assumption. While I believe the Bible clearly commands us not to get drunk, I have yet to find scripture that says drinking within limits is wrong. The reason why I finally decided not to drink was because I am a teenage Sunday School teacher. I thought to myself, "if one of my teens were to see me out drinking, what impact would that have on their walk." Now, mind you if I drank it would be responsibly...but I don't think a lot of people who see someone drinking think about the whole story. So that was enough that I didn't want to have any chance of condoning drinking to them and potential putting a stumbling block in their way. I also found in Romans today where it tells us (chapter 14, verse 21), "It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall." The point of this scripture is that if you know someone around you is tempted by something or has feelings against it--don't partake in it, at least in their presence.

What so many people miss about the Christian faith is that it's about so much more than just holy rollers trying to point fingers and condemn the world. Now, mind you, we are instructed to correct our brothers and sisters in love, BUT a lot of time this is approached incorrectly (as we can see throughout history). But as with any situation, we will not let mistakes of the past hold us back from doing better in the presence. So the Christian faith is first and foremost about God--this amazing God who created this world and was full of love--and then humans took advantage of Him creating them and giving them freewill and lived lives far from His will, His way, and His love. In order to bridge the gap between human nature of sin and purity of God, Christ was sent to forgive our sins if we pick up our Cross and follow Him. With this cross though is the beginning of the Christian story--Christ literally carried the burdens of all others in this world. In following Him, we are supposed to as well. Our hearts should be heavy for the needs of others--not just the poor, orphans, and widows (James 1:27), but also for the emotional needs, spiritual needs, support needs, 'help me get through my day' needs. The role of a Christian in it's most basic form is 1)Worship God above all else, 2)In your worship of God, help others to see clearly the path to Him by removing yourself as a stumbling block and adding yourself as a servant to assist them.

People often look at the Bible as a book of do's and don't's...and mind you, we are called to a certain level of actions..but it is SOOOO much more than that. But, let's take a second to reflect on, what if it is a lot of do's and don'ts. I am an economist at heart and I will tell you I measure the majority of my decisions in costs and benefits and often make choices where the benefits outweigh the costs. Sometimes I think as humans the reason we hold on to our sin nature and our bad habits so tightly is because we feel like someone is constantly trying to take them away from us...that is, we picture ourselves as a full glass, as if we come into this world endowed with all options and completely full to the brimm. Thus, if I stop drinking, gossiping, being prideful, putting myself before others, whatever your weakness may be, then we are losing something. It is a don't. Instead, I look at life like this: I came into this world with and empty glass (which means so much potential). Every opportunity that is afforded me, I get to choose to add to my glass or leave out. So when I'm offered a drink, like I told you about earlier, I choose to not put it in this 'life glass' because the cost of making someone else stumble in their faith is not worth a little bit of social time (which can be afforded via other means, like water, coke, pizza, etc). From my point of view, nothing has been lost in that decision. I still have the freedom to choose, no one has been harmed, and hopefully some have gained from my decision. This can be said with any situation or temptation. Let's go with another, less controversial temptation of jealousy for an example. I was jealous of my absolutely gorgeous best friend in High School, and for about a year it took major tolls on and nearly destroyed our friendship. We can all clearly agree that this was wrong, correct? So obviously I had chosen to add jealousy to my life glass. Then I had to choose to remove it. Was it then a don't? No, I don't think so.

I think as Christians the Bible definitely has expectations of us, and I believe that there are certain things we should and should not do...but by looking at them as do's and don'ts they become more like orders and not like options. The way we live should reflect our love for Christ and others in our life. I don't not drink because someone told me not to, I don't drink because of my love for Christ and my love for others and the hope that they may someday be able to draw closer to Christ with my help and not with me as a stumbling block. Psalm 51:10-13 says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvatoin and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you." That is my cry and my plea--that God would continue to work on me and cleanse me that I may be an example and not a hinderance to others. That by my seeking Him, I might help others to turn from their ways and to see ALL He has to offer (including eternity in Heaven :))

James 5:19-20 says, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." Remember above that Psalm 51 said that sinners will turn back to God because of our pure hearts and steadfast spirits being examples. Rebuke in love. Most people who are in sin know it and don't normally need you to tell them. Instead, be an example, be a light, serve others, love God. Don't be the piece of ice that keeps the group from getting to the goal (the bottom of the glass), let your will be broken, conform to Christ and lead others in His way.

I believe in you, and what He can do through you.

if someone offers you the double scoop, why would you take the single?

The gospel. It's about so much more than good people.

The question is not whether or not you're a good person--it's about whether or not you have the salvation necessary to survive the pits of Hell. ouch. (literally).

Stop trying just to be a good person.

where the sidewalk ends...we frolic in the grass

Do we judge God on human standards? Is it true at some point that you've read something in the Bible and thought, "now, that can't be right?" Or perhaps you've tried to mold God and His will into your own likings.-->"So God said this, but I feel like He probably was having a bad moment and meant this."...God doesn't have bad moments, nor does He have to mold to your likings or your standards. Let's be honest, if you could be in charge of how God is and what He does, this would be a pretty screwed up world. Not that I'm saying that anyone out there is absolutely horrid, but we make mistakes...think back on your life--likely even within the year 2010 alone--and identify one mistake, one moment where you did or said something that you should have done differently. Mistakes change whole situations, they change entire lives, and making errors is just not the business that God is in---it would mess up much more than our mistakes. How can we judge God on a rubric this world has created, when He himself has created the world?...it's like judging someone's intelligence by how good a pie that make tastes...yeah, it doesn't make sense.

Recently someone told me about some J.D. Salinger literature works named, "Franny" and "Zooey." Although I have not read the books and therefore can neither recommend nor not recommend them, from what I understand tehy are not religious in nature, but there is an interesting discussion about Christ in there--something that you might find interesting and that certainy peaked my interest. So here are a few quotes I give you to ponder...take them with a grain of salt.
-"Jesus knew--knew--that we're carrying the Kingdom of Heaven around with us, inside, where we're all too...stupid and sentimental and unimaginative to look? You have to be a son of God to know that kind of stuff."
-"When you don't see Jesus for exactly what he was, you miss the whole point of the Jesus prayer. If you don't understand Jesus, you can't understand his prayer--you don't get the prayer at all, you just get some kind of organized cant. Jesus was a supreme adept, by God, on a terribly important mission."

When we take a step back and let God be God...when we stop trying to change everything He said or explain away something that we disagree with..when we seek to be mirrors of His character and not our own, then we get the story and the situation, we begin to understand that this Christianity is more than just a ritual, God is more than some made up 'feel good' that we adapt to our lives as we see fit, and that man in his human nature could not have thought of something so good, complete, and holy. No, the Bible is not just a book of inspirational stories someone made up to try to convince us to live right. That's right, a donkey talked, a blind man recieved sight, lives were changed, etc. Why is it that we find it so hard to believe? At one point, it was ludacris to say the world was round. Why? Because man could not see that it was. Sometimes we get the same way with God. When we cannot see Him physically, when we cannot see the future ahead of us, when we cannot see why something had to happen or someone had to die...we throw up our hands and say, "it must not be true." That's what they said about this globe we call earth...but yet, try as they may to convince their minds and all around them that it was flat (a rational guess-no one had seen the world as a globe from afar, and it was better to err on the side of caution than to go off the side of the world, right? wrong.) Don't err on the side of caution in your faith and trust in God...if the belief that the world was flat had continued and the surrounding world been purposely avoided, millions of possiblities would never have come to pass. Don't miss the possibilities in your life...especially the possibility of salvation in Christ, of a personal relationship with Him, a promise of eternity in Heaven, and forgiveness of the sinful nature we are all stricken with (Romans 10:13). Let God be God and stop trying to make it "Bob's God" or "Brittany's God" etc...skip the feel good and seek wisdom. It's not easy giving up what you have for what you more have to gain sometimes--especially when the road there is a challenging one, but know I have faith in you and what God can do through you (Philippians 4:13).

A glow stick will not glow until broken. [A human may not shine to the fullest for Christ until their own will and mindset is broken.]

I posted a while back about getting World Vision children at work and how I hoped God would break my heart for the needs of this world. Well, answered prayer--we finally got a little girl sponsored, and the family that chose her was such a blessing to me. It was a young couple, her obviously pregnant, and their one year old son. When the husband came to the register, he asked me to keep in prayer his aunt who was only given 2 days to live because of a brain tumor problem. I felt really pressed just to pray for/with that family right then. The awesome thing about where I work is that this is not something I'll get scolded for. So I asked them if it was okay, and sure enough we had prayer at the register. I believe when God tells us to move, we move. In the same vein, when He tells us to sit still--we should sit still (so often I find this is the harder one for me to do). There are countless examples of this throughout the Bible--Moses, Abraham, Job, etc. etc. etc. God has been in the moving business way longer than U-Haul. ;)


When we thinking about moving/doing/going and being used for Christ and His purpose, we must not think of our own strengths and weaknesses--for that gets us nothing. We see that intially after recieving his call, Moses doubts and says, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:10). Moses--the dude who changed history (with the help of God) by freeing a huge slave population bound by the strongest country in the world at that time--HE doubted? We think--"that's crazy! Didn't he see that God had this great plan? He talked to a bunring bush for goodness sakes?!?"--but as they say 'hindsight is 20/20. How often in your life have you felt like you should do something and haven't? What's interesting here is to look at the process of acknowledgement of God's power (that's right Moses knew God COULD do it) to his practical denial of God's ability--yes, that is a contradiction. Here goes (and yes, I'm putting this in my own words)--

1. Curiousity-Here we have Moses chillin out watching daddy-in-law's sheep and an angel appears in the flames of fire in a bush that's not burning up..so, of course, He gets curious and goes to check this out (Exodus 3:1-3)

2. Wonder, Awe, and...Fear?- Next we see God talk to Moses--at this point, it says Moses "hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God." Intense. So here Moses identifes that 'clearly this guy (being God) has more power than me.' (Exodus 3:4-6). Next God lays out his master plan and is like--here's the problem...ok, here's what I need you to do. Next comes the one we're probably all too familiar with...

3. Rejection- Looking again at v. 11-Moses is like 'hold up--ME--what ever can you do with poor little old shepherd me...I'm hated in Egypt-they know I killed a man...you must have the wrong guy.'

4. Excuses meet worst case scenario- Starting in chapter 4, we see a continuation of Moses telling God to hold up, there's a mistake...but in reality, there's not. This is the part I struggle with. When God tells me in the grocery to say something to a complete stranger/strike up a convo or to tell a friend about Christ...it's all about 'no no, see, God you don't understand, that's not culturally normal.' or 'anything I say won't make a difference' and so on and so forth...now notice what I just typed sounds ridiculous- "see God YOU (the one who created me, and knows all things) don't understand." But it's true, I've done it. In fact, any time we try to reason why God tells us to move or to mold it to our own approach, it is generally an epic fail. God does things a certain way for a certain reason.

I believe a portion of the unbelief in this world can be attributed to the failure of Christians to do what God tells us to when He tells us to do it. Notice, there that I did not say the failure of Christ, or God's will, but we who deem ourselves Christ followers---and this unbelief I'm attributing is because we try to take matters into our own hands and not listen to the Big Guy Upstairs. I've done it plenty of times. There's no telling how many lives would be changed to the better had I done all I've been told. On the flip side of the coin, I've had instances where I've done what He said when He said it and was amazed by the outcome--sometimes, rather often, God moves beyond logic--that's why we call them miracles and works of God--it doesn't always make sense how He makes things work, yet He does.


A pastor once shared a story about a woman who was very serious about her faith feeling led to do cartwheels in front of church one Sunday during the invitation. Now obviously, this is not your typical Sunday morning church activity. She had an open heart and sought God's will and prayed about it, but obviously wondered if this was really something God was telling her to do. So she went up to the pastor after service and asked if it would be ok if she did these cartwheels. He told her to do what God told her, and sure enough at the next service's invitation she felt led to do it again. She went up front and started doing cartwheels across the stage. Funny thing is, (God works in awesome ways) there was a person in the congregation that felt like they should go and pray and accept Christ as Savior. They had told God, "I'll go to the altar if someone does cartwheels during service."....completely crazy--they got saved.

I'm not arguing that we can always just strike bargains with God and expect to see signs, but what I am saying is to never underestimate God and His ability to use you (or others). I don't care how stupid/ugly/sinful/low income/ forgettful/just plain messed up in society's eyes/etc (insert your excuse here) that you think you are, you are a workmanship of God, created in His image...and just like the 'crazy' cartwheel woman and stuttering, murderous, vengeful, wondering Moses, He can use you in powerful way.


So stop wondering 'why me, what do I have, why that way, why now, etc'....just do/be/go. Seek to understand, but when an opportunity arises be willing to do flips for God.

God does not belong in a box. Neither does His will. Neither do you.

I-tube, Youtube, we all tube for....icecream?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Reflect.

Still steal steel? Hope not.

Sometimes the most you can do is to sit still and just listen. Seek Him. But after you've sent up your prayer, remember, sometimes waiting is half the answer. (and if the answer you get is not the one you wanted, do not try to convince yourself you were unanswered).

Psalm 46:10- "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." (I recommend the whole chapter Psalm 46 while you're at it).

God has your best in mind--remember that. But also remember that what you think is best is not, in fact, always His best for you (that's kinda why He's the leader...ya know).

If you were a billboard, what would you say?

Today I wore a T-shirt to school that had a large guitar pick on the front of it reading "Pick Jesus- Romans 10:13."...clever, I know. I have a lot of these shirts, mostly that I bought when I was in high school while working at a Christian bookstore (discounted tees--woot woot!). As I have been in college, I have noticed an overwhelming disregard for such attire--not just because some people don't like Jesus, but because people don't like the typical Christian's approach to Jesus, as if we are selling something. The truth is--we, as Christians, do have something we want to spread the word about and let people know about (as I blogged yesterday), but, as with anything else in life, there is a right and wrong approach. I'd appreciate honest feedback on this, as it is something I have an incomplete opinion on, but here goes... When I've worn these t-shirts in the past, the response I got seemed almost like people translated that such attire in a way that seemed I was causing a mocking of Christ by wearing a shirt (for example, one that plays on the Staples Easy Button--'Jesus. It's just that easy.') Let's be honest, a clever t-shirt slogan will more than likely not convert someone....it could possibly let someone know you believe in Christ and aren't afraid to show it (although this could probably be better approached in other ways). I feel like as Christians we are constantly under watch and that a t-shirt doesn't reveal our faith any more than our lives SHOULD be. In a way, I can see how atheists/believer's of other faiths can see it as obnoxious and as marketing a Deity who is not something material. It's a delicate balance I believe, but in the end, I seek to be the best witness I can--so if that means no clever slogan tees, I will wear no clever slogan tees. The moral of the story is don't be ashamed to wear something/proclaim something for Christ, just have a keen ear that you are doing what He wants and conveying the message in the best way possible. (Just like you wouldn't go into a Chinese culture and expect them to accept American 'cultural norms,' when witnessing, you must not disregard your purpose and the Message, but adapt your approach to the setting--use chopstick instead of silverware--got it?) At this point in life, I don't feel ashamed to wear one of these shirts, but rather proactive that there's more to witnessing than 100%cotton.

Side note: I do not discourage anyone who wears such attire--it can be very uplifting to fellow Christians to remind them throughout the day that there are others fighting the same fight...such a tee can do just the trick. Do whatever God leads you to do.

In all that I do, I try to remember this: Matthew 10:33, 34, and 39-"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in Heaven."..."Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Stand strong for God, but also seek wisdom and counsel from other Christians on how to stand strong...better...(Proverbs 12:15)

God Blessed the Broken Road that led me...up this mountaintop to tell the world about it!

At the beginning of service where I attend church, generally they open up the floor and ask if there are any testimonies/praise reports/special singing. This morning when they asked, I spoke up just thanking God for an awesome week (this week, one thing I've been praying for for a good while started to work through a process of coming about--plus it was just an enjoyable week with great weather). But after I got done speaking, I thought--why do I limit God to just that?...He's done vastly SO much more than that for me. Why is it that we are ready to praise God on Sundays during 'praise report time,' but we don't always take it to the streets in our everyday lives? As Christians, why/how/when did we let praising God constantly and consistently as part of our everyday routine become less than the social norm?--almost counter cultural to do this? When this world of sinners has been so blessed with the opportunity of salvation, why don't we give God praise more often--especially if we've accepted Him into our heart and know Him as a personal friend, leader, and savior?

Think about it like this: when we recieve salvation, God grants us eternal life in Heaven..so essentially, your life has been saved. Now, imagine that John Doe and you are out fishing one day, the boat flips, you knock you head unconscious on a rock, and he saves you life by pulling you out of the water to safety...would you not then tell everyone you know--John Doe saved my life!! God's done that and SO much more for us--we should be constantly praising Him, and full of His joy for all that He's done for us--so much so it bubbles over and we have to tell someone. Imagine the following scenarios and how you have/do/would react to them:
-you get a new car/new accessories or rims for your car (guys night out becomes the 'gather round my rims' social)
-you get engaged/new boyfriend or girlfriend ($500 engagement pictures, perhaps)
-you get promoted at work (brag, brag, brag?)
-you win the Nobel Peace Prize or some other phenomenal award (even the newspapers would cover this)
-your kids get Honor Roll (...bumper stickers last forever)
-you're pregnant! ('let me show you my ultrasound!')
-you buy a new house (house warming party anyone?)
...so do you see that? You spread the word! Why? Because you're excited! Because life is good, things are happening, goals are being met! I will tell you I have yet to experience some of those situations, but you better believe my girl pals stay up to date on whether or not the guy I'm interested in has finally asked me to be his girlfriend (btw, hasn't happened yet...see, I'm even telling my blog readers...). Love makes us giggly and silly and excited, etc. I declare that a relationship with Christ is a love relationship--it makes us feel special and requires effort just like a dating/marriage relationship. So why don't we get giggly for God? Why don't we just bubble over to the point where its like--"I don't care if I've told you this story 6 times, I'm just so excited about it, I want to tell it again!" (ever done that with any of the issues above)...even better though is that God is constantly blessing us and providing us with new things to get excited about...each day of life brings new stories. If you are sitting there thinking you are not blessed, look around you at health, family, food...internet access (yeah, we don't realize this sometimes, but that's a huge luxury--even if it's coming from a local library). Point is we are blessed each day with new breath and new life...and new opportunities to tackle more ground for God--so let's get excited, people of God, let's spread the word and joy that we have. Once you've accepted Christ into your life and recieved salvation, you've got something AWESOME! (the most awesome thing, out of this world!)...don't you want others to see how awesome it is so that they can grab onto the opportunity as well? Therefore, doesn't it make us selfish if we don't share it and let everyone know about it?

Recently on the Living Word with Dave Stone (a Southeast Christian radio ministry), Dave related a story about a couple that accepted Christ into their life, and as new Christians were so excited and telling all of their friends--they were relating their new lives with another couple who replied that they knew, they were Christians too and had been for a while. The newly saved couple was completely shocked and almost offended and upset that their friends who were Christians had never told them about this awesome thing that they had in their lives. Don't let that be you. Don't live in your little shell and carry your Christianity in a sealed bag, only to let it out in the church building, and to quickly conceal it again after service is over. You have been blessed beyond compare (even better than $2000 rims or a new baby) you've got eternal life--you've got a love worth sharing, so get out there and get to it!

I leave you with some scripture to reflect on--Philippians 4:4 which tells us to ALWAYS be full of joy in the Lord, and to always rejoice in Him (mind you that doesn't mean that you are always happy, for trials will come, but rather be full of joy in God and what He's done for you--knowing there are better days promised ahead if you've accepted salvation through Christ). Also, take a look at Matthew 9:27-31. This is the story of where Jesus heals 2 blind men because of their faith and then tells them to go and tell no one...yet they spread the news all over the region. Just imagine someone gives you back your sight after years of blindness, and their request is that you keep it to yourself...yet, you go and tell everyone...these men were so excited and so confident in their healer that they wanted EVERYONE to know about Him and His wonderous powers. We should be that way every day--it should not take sickness, near death experiences, a new car, or what have you for us to shout it from the rooftops that our God IS great--in fact, the greatest!

Rascal Flatts, a popular country group said it well about a dating/marriage relationship when they said "I'm gunna stand on a rooftop, climb up a mountaintop, baby, scream and shout. I want to sing it on the radio, show it on a video, baby, leave no doubt. I want the whole world to know, just what I'm all about. I love to love you out loud!" Christ is coming back for His bride (an illustration used throughout the Bible symbolizing the church--the entire body of Christian believers throughout the world), thus, we sould be singing about this marriage relationship just like Rascal Flatts did--whether you have to climb a mountain, stand on a roof (be careful!), etc...do whatever it takes and whatever God leads you to do to let His love for all and your love for Him be known.

without a pillow, there would be no pillow fights.

Why is it that it takes so much effort to get us to rest? It seems so often our bodies have to get sick and cry out, "hey, I'm worn out here," in order for us to take a break, take a breather, and take a step off the playing field. In today's fast paced world of success driven society, we sell ourselves for our desires...seriously (here me out before you get all offended). Every hour you give to work is in hopes for compensation/promotion/something of value. So say you were alloted 70 years of life (assuming you actually could know)...then each hour you give to something (i.e. work) would not just be a simple hour, but rather a fraction of your life. The more time you put into something, the more valuable it is to you. I understand that it's hard to balance a schedule and all the things you'd like to do--sacrifices have to be made. Just keep in mind that what you devote the most time to is your priority...So ask yourself--how much of a fraction of your life is God worth? What about your kids, family, friends? Your health depends on your rest--and our brilliant Creator knew this...I believe He made us easily worn out on purpose. Isn't it true that in the times we take to step back from the world that we tend to draw closer to Him? Not only that, but that we require Him for rest from stresses and worries in life. Most Christians are familiar with the creation story and how God worked 6 days and rested on the 7th as an example for what we should do...set aside a day just for the Lord. Ezekiel 20:20 tells us "Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. That you will know that I am the LORD your God."...God is speaking to the Israelites after being led out of Egypt--out of slavery and bondage--here. Just imagine if you had been rescued from a life of pain and misery, from bondage by the most powerful nation at that time--don't you think you would be in awe of whomever had saved you?? And yet, even with that, God knew that the worries and cares of this world would distract people from Him if He did not command them to set aside one of seven days as holy. Let God know how important He is to you by investing time in that relationship--remember you will reap what you sow..don't you want to sow a rich relationship with God? One that endures through trials? In my experience, He's the best friend to have in trials (psst, He's gt all the answers, and your best interest in mind). Matthew 11:28 tells us to come to Christ with our burdens and have rest...whatever you are facing today, don't wait until it's too late to rest--our bodies are not perfect and break down for a reason. Slow down, enjoy the view, and talk to God. He commanded this so that you will spend time with Him.

What are you priorities and what does your life reveal is important to you? If there's something you need to change, don't wait until it's too late.

If your Spiritual life were a tree, would you water it?

What is effort? Really, think about it. Effort in my eyes is something we put forth to accomplish something we find worthwhile. Why, then, is it sometimes so hard to put forth effort in our Spiritual life?--isn't it something we can deem worthwhile? I will be the first to admit that I find my relationship with Christ very worthwhile--even if He had never done anything for me but save me from my sins (aka spare me from the awful pits of eternity in Hell), I would still be indebted to Him. But it's even more than just His salvation, but the fact that He's a constant companion (Joshua 1:9), that He desires to hear my heart's desires and to talk to me (Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)..That's not something you get all the time in friends these days. We're busy, and don't make time for a lot of things, but God's never too busy for us (even though He's in control of everything--awesome, I know, it's like He's the Creator or something...). I find that when it comes to "devo time," "quiet time" or whatever you want to call it, sleeping or doing something more entertaining sounds so much more appealing sometimes. This is not without good reason. The Bible tells us that our flesh/sinful nature desires different things than our Spirit (Galatians 5: 16-17). But let's go back to the original thought--can we truthfully say it is worth the effort? If we believe that Christ has came and died for our sins and have made a commitment to serving Him, it should be an easy 'yes, it is worth the effort.' Now it's just applying it.

I have found throughout the course of my 12 years since I accepted Christ, that different people have different needs for quiet time and that, while it's important to spend time with God, there's no rulebook on how best to do it. At some points I have done the nightly devotion before I go to bed, setting it aside with my toothbrushing and other habits of the evening. I have found throughout the course of doing this though that I tend to be ready to sleep when I head to bed, and so, even if I put aside the time to do it, I had less energy, was more drowsy, and seemed to get less out of it/put less into it. Then, previously I had a schedule that allowed me to wake up in the morning and spend time with God before I went into classes. This worked really well because by the time I drove into school, I was awake, and it was a great starter to get me in the right midset for my day. Currently, I have decided to set aside a specific time at night (i.e. 10:00) where I do my devotion, whether I am going to bed immediately afterward or several hours later. This way, I have the time blocked off in my mind as if I can't do other things at that time--kinda like having a date with God.

As far as recommendations on what to read/resources/etc, I have also found myself going through different phases. I really enjoy Max Lucado's books--a good one to start you on getting your devo time into place is "Every Day Deserves a Chance"--it's about slowing down and appreciating things in a fast paced life. Other than that, I would suggest reading the book of Proverbs in a 31 day month also..a chapter a day gets a whole book done in a month. Perhaps pick up a Bible study and work through it (you don't have to have a group to do these great resourceful books--Beth Moore has been highly recommended by many, though I've never read her myself). Other ideas to include in your day are radio ministries. Although I believe it's important to read the Bible yourself and talk with God personally, sometimes listening to ministries like Chip Ingram's Living on the Edge (7 am, 94.7 FM), or Southeast Christians' The Living Word (7:30 AM, 94.7 FM) can be a good boost to the morning. Last fall, I listened to The Living Word on my commute in every morning, now I listen to it in the shower and while I'm getting ready. Talk to God as you walk, as you drive, as you shower..pray and communicate consistently and constantly, like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

God wants a relationship, and though I know it's sometimes hard to find the time--remember, it IS worth the effort, and if you really desire to make time for it, God will provide a way--it may take change and sacrifice..but just remember, in the end, you'll make time for what's important to you. Need to revamp something in your life? That, my friend, is between you and God; something to which I do not have the answer. My advice: don't say no to the best friend you'll ever have (God).

get out your hair brush, it's time to tame that fro.

Today I wore my hair curly. But seriously, what inspiring thing can come from having your hair one way or the other? Well it's not so much that as the fact that I just looked in the reflection of my laptop screen and saw myself (specificaly my curly hair that looks like a lion's mane in the wind), and I laughed. This brought to mind the scripture in James 1:23-25 that references a man seeing himself in the mirror and then walking away and forgetting his appearance. Now, I'm not condoning that you constantly look at yourself in the mirror or are always concerned with your physical appearance for that would be vanity..instead I am referencing your spiritual appearance--what we are to look like as reflections of God. We are made in His image--but to carry this a little further, we should be attempting to become like the image of God (that is, Him as a Being, His actions, His wisdom and ways, etc.). Specifically this passage in James is talking about being doers of the Word and not hearers only. And the Word is our source to uncover the image of God and Christ and how we are supposed to be. So, no, do not walk around thinking about your curls and tan (or lack of, like myself), but rather think about Christ, His life, and how we can mimic His life and His actions as our own. I challenge you not to make your life a Bible-on-Sunday-only lifestyle, but strive to reflect on this "mirror" of the Word daily--make sure that you're keeping everything tidy in that reflection--and most importantly, when you use this word daily don't just make it a momentary glance, but a lifestyle. I can at least say for my life that if I'm not constantly reminding myself of what I'm striving for and what I'm supposed to look like as this 'reflection in the mirror' through the Word, I find it more challenging to react as I should in challenging situations (like pride, temptation, anger, revenge, gossip, etc...the things we deem 'little' sins which are not so little--as all sin separates us from God and keeps us from the image we should be reflecting. [a big one for me is James 1:26]) We are human, yes. We err, yes. But we are called to reflect/mimic/become like something much greater and to try to err as little as possible--applying the Word helps us to accomplish this...yes.

Onward.

Once you pop you just can't stop. This doesn't apply only to Pringles.

Tonight I went to blog. After some attempts to construct an idea I had earlier, half of it got accidentally deleted by a mistake of one key and the autosave. So instead of making this lengthy or expressive, I will let the Bible speak for itself. I leave you with Proverbs 5 [btw, if you have ever wanted a simple reading cycle, Proverbs has 31 chapters and is a great idea to read the chapter that coincides with the day on a 31 day month].

Proverbs 5 speaks of the cycle that results from adultery...What starts out as seduction ends in destruction. Even if adultery seems like something that would never tempt you or happen to you, any temptation can follow this path--what at first seems harmless, or just that the 'good' or awesome feelings outweigh the bad, quickly reveals its true identity, with the damages to reap.

Just remember to think...and think...and pray...and think before you act. It's not just you who feels your consequences. There are people watching you and your walk--children, coworkers, family, and friends, etc...when you consider the costs and damage consider not only yourself but also others you may be unaware of. After all, no man is an island...

Be strong--1 Corinthians 10:13 says this one's not to big for you to battle. And with Christ, I believe you can conquer anything. :) (Philippians 4:13, Romans 8:37).

giving credit where credit is due...in this credit market, there's lots of debt.

Where I work there are a certain amount of goals we have to meet as far as sales--which makes sense since it's a small business. So we have these certain items that we have to meet a certain goal for number wise. Often before I go into work, I will say a little prayer that God would help me to reach these goals. When I do meet these goals or exceed them, I tend to get prideful and over-confident in MY abilities. Now it's not that I feel that confidence is a bad thing--otherwise I'm in trouble for I may be one of the most confident people you'll meet--but rather it's realizing why I can be confident, who I am confident in, and that when I am successful (especially in answer to prayer), it is not because of myself but because of God. I hope that I can improve on being a beacon of what God has done through and for me. I have been blessed with many talents, and will admit that for the majority of my life I have used these talents to glorify myself...valedictorian, most rebounds in basketball, leadership positions and conferences galore...I gave my parents bragging rights and have boasted in and of myself multiple times. But I recognize this--Proverbs 27:2 says, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips."...so there's not really any wiggle room there. I need to just keep it shut when it comes to 'me me me' time. What I'm trying to drive home here is remember where the glory comes from. We are made in the image of God, the image of Christ--we are reflections of His handiwork and everything we are able to do is through and by the power He provides (Philippians 4:13). We can do nothing on our own (John 15:1-8). So when God blesses us with abilities, with beauty, with brains, with honor, with talent, etc. we need to appreciate and credit the source [God, our Creator]. In the same vein, when we see other's talents it is also important that we give God the credit for their talents and see His glory in them, that we are not jealous of them and do not covet their talents. He has given each of us a divine purpose, and we need to seek that and not feel down when we aren't the best singers, writers, speakers, etc. We each have our strengths and weaknesses--but hey, if we all spoke well, there'd be no one to listen, and then speaking would be quite pointless. When we fall short of our goals, it is also important that we seek to understand God's purpose in that. Sometimes it's that He wants us to be good, but that He wants more of our heart in the situation and more effort put forth. Sometimes our failures are to humble us when pride overtakes our ability to be good witnesses for Him. Other times we fail because God is trying to point us in another direction, and failure is sometimes the only way our stubborn minds will look to His will and not our own. He's got a great story for your life (Jeremiah 29:11), and when He allows you to be a success in something, make sure you remember to credit the Big Guy (God). Fortunately, He charges no interest, but He does have an interest in you :)

bowing down requires joints

what is one way to distract yourself from a goal? find something that becomes more interesting and more captivating than the goal. perhaps this has happened in your life?--prayer life comes second because boyfriend is AWESOME (of course, you wouldn't date anyone who wasn't), church takes a backseat because Sunday is homework catch up day...etc. You know your situation, I don't need to guess at it or point things out. This I will make brief and leave you with.

Exodus 20:3-4--no one should come before God.
Mark 12:30--we are to love God with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Self check: (because you and God are the only ones that know 100% what's going on between the 2 of you)...are you doing what these scriptures say or has something else become the object of your attention and worship?