Lord, you don’t even know

Lord, you don’t even know how important this is to me! I want to see this relationship work! I was praying to God this morning and had to laugh as I was hearing myself. This is God I’m talking to. Oh wait, you completely know. In fact, you know more than anybody just how much I’m wanting things to work out…

I’ve been praying to God for some pretty big, pretty direct ways I’m asking Him to guide me. And I’ve been letting Him know in no uncertain terms that I’m leaning on Him for direction. What I’ve found so far is that…

He wants to know our hearts: delicately, He listens to us - He doesn’t make us feel foolish for our desires, our shame, our confusion. He let us come as we are, and He just listens. In a way better than any friend can listen, He leans in and shares with us. The intimacy and understanding of our Father is greater than anything of this world. “my sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me.”

He delivers: He doesn’t leave us wondering. He speaks to us…like He spoke to Elijah in the tiny whisper. In so many different ways, He shows His glory. Now, it might not be in the exact answer that I want, but if I look back at the moments I’ve spent talking with God, I see Him working through my life and through other believers around me. More than encouraging, it’s awesome. “in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”

He never leaves: no matter where we are, He’s there. Sometimes I feel so alone in situations that I just want to shut down. But whatever I’m thinking, He’s there - in just random ways I see. A memory, a beautiful day, a Scripture passage that drives home…He has not forgotten me. ”God will never leave us nor forsake us.”

Believe, God knows. God knows more than I can even try to understand.

Be blessed.

Thought from CSI (Miami)

Seriously, C.S.I. is the best unbelievable TV show. Have you seen it? The situations are overblown, the timing is completely unrealistic, and the expectations on justice much too high. Still I watch as if the sky will fall inside the TV screen.

I was reading a devotional this morning that stated in some way how God was sufficient enough for the example and still is sufficient enough for our lives. When we live our lives apart from Him, we’re showing that He actually is not enough. I didn’t need someone else to tell me this but the timing was wonderful.

And so that’s what CSI is - insufficient. And lately it’s just inappropriate. Realistic and improper. But it’s attractive so I stay and watch it when really I’m saying that my God isn’t enough and somehow, this unbelievable, impossible presentation can cut it. This can be my escape and my rest and I’m good to go. I do that with so many things - expect enough from things not based on reality, not based on God.

I really don’t want my life to be telling God He’s not enough. Isn’t that what Christ refuted when He came down? He gave a truth we could hope in. He met an expectation that was out of this world. I am more than enough for you. I am all and more. He said it on the cross, hands stretched out. Human form. It was reality we could believe in.

Hebrews 5:8-9

“Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.”

Amen

The Son of God, Emanuel, is Here With Me.

Romans 8:24a-25 “For what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

Pretty looking church thing

So I’m at the University walking around feeling pretty good after taking a final - and I come across their beutiful church, or meditation center. The campus itself has gorgeous landscaping and water pieces - it’s great - every work building should be like that. But I’ve never gone inside the place as beautiful and inviting as it seems. Here’s what I encountered when I finally entered on the last week of class:

• a lot of windows let me see most of what I thought I saw from the outside
• there was only one way to get in (I tried to leave out a different door, but the hedges and flowers were surrounding me. I’m sure I looked crazy as I was debating whether or not to cut through the flowers, I couldn’t get out of there, it was weird.)
• there was no cross, or any symbols whatsoever
• there was no one inside.

 It was the University religion building, like a physical education building, but with no true purpose than organizing the religious club offices. I’ve heard of church without walls, but what’s a church without a cross? I can be at home, or in a parking lot, in a crowd at a converted grocery store it doesn’t matter, but if 2 or more are gathered in Christ’s name, He’s with me. The symbolism isn’t necessary. The building isn’t necessary. But it is an expression of respect - a visual statement that we honor and follow God and commit to worshipping Him as a group of believers. The church shows unity and should not show ambiguity for whom it represents. I would call it irreverent and disrespectful at the least; there should be no shame in whom I  worship. 

So if the church is the body of believers in Christ, is there a point in having a universal meditative/spiritual center with windows and flowers on the outside, and some pews for weddings…if its purpose isn’t to hold a body of believers in Christ? Why have a building at all if it’s for the unknown god. There is no glory there.   

What’s the deal with living water?

I wish I could remember where I saw this connection, but when the Israelites were in the wilderness on their way to the promised land, the words Massah and Meribah would bring bitter memories as they wandered. In Exodus 17:7, the Israelites are recorded for doubting God and thinking Him insufficient to provide for their needs as He lead them on a journey to what was called the promised land.

In the land of Massah and Meribah God came through and met their needs making water spring from a rock. This was right before the Israelites complained that they had been brought to the desert out of slavery to die. Much earlier, God had caused ten plagues to cover Egypt and show His desire to let the Israelites be free. They named the place after their moaning.

Every time the Israelites would hear the name of that place in the wilderness, it’d be a reminder of their faithlessness in God to provide. It’d be a reminder of those who never made it to the promised land because of their decision to walk without God rather than trust in Him.

Still, God provided. For the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus leads her to a living water that she could only imagine. The living water was an allusion to the safety and salvation in Christ, our hope and life spring. She would find out that He provided more than what she would ever find at a well, in a rock, in anything made by man or even God unless it was God Himself. We are energized and relaxed by a water that will never run out, even when faith wavers. His waters are too deep.  

Foto found here: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/viewtopic_archives.php?TopicID=182731&page=0

Info-Techno Sabbath

In an article published in September 2007, Joe Carter writes about taking rest away from the information technology that we let control most of our day. He suggests taking a Sabbath day of rest to mentally disengage from electronic dependency: ”Ask yourself when the last time was that you went an entire day without the tools of information technology.” It’s great insight, and a nice read I’d encourage anyone to check out. But of course, take time to step away and let your computer know it’s really nothing personal.

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001584.cfm

About James

Our class is covering the book of James in the Bible and I’m being asked if it’s more challenging to deal with a problem I’ve gotten myself into, or to deal with something that’s beyond my control. Is it easier to deal with a relationship I’ve botched or a job I’ve been fired from? Hmm…I don’t really think any problem is easy to handle unless I have money that’ll fix the problem or fly me out of there =) So…life’s tough. I’m starting to hear a lot of that. BUT the one who’s persevered through it all receives a crown of life (James 1:12). My first reaction is, what good is a crown of life? If I endure something, I’d like a huge payback. It seems the promise here is in the afterlife. You’ll be given a greater reward in heaven. Again, another hard concept. I can’t really appreciate what I don’t have - especially when it’s a promise after I’m gone. The passage sounds hopeful, but all I can think of is Dory in Little Nemo: “Just keep swimming.” I’m trying to hold on to something more than a cartoon character to help me figure out how to buckle down and roll with the punches.

Laying it down

So there are nine traits known as fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22.

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE

I can deal with love. I can deal with meekness. I long to have peace in my life, and I’ll do what I can to cultivate temperance. But longsuffering? “Enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently” is the definition at Dictionary.com. Why is something like that in there? Where do we talk about longsuffering in everyday life? Not only is it countercultural, it’s the part of my life I try to have the least of, but dwell on the most. There’s a whole lot of selflessness going on in that verse, and giving up of things that we would hold on to. It seems strange that we’re expected to deliberately follow out the phrase, ”dying to self.” I’m not too great at it either. But if I can let something go, I can hold on to something else worth while later on. I just think we all need someone to keep telling us there’s something out there better than ourselves - something else even worth the suffering.   

Lord, show me how

to lay this down.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Meet the Robinsons - Part Deux

Michael “Goob” Yagoobian: [holding the steak up to his black eye] Mr. Steak, you’re my only friend.
Bowler Hat Guy: The… game didn’t go so well, huh?
Michael “Goob” Yagoobian: No. I fell asleep in the ninth inning. And I missed the winning catch. Then I got beat up. Afterward, Coach took me aside. He told me to let it go. I don’t know, he’s probably right.
Bowler Hat Guy: No! Everyone will tell you to let it go and move on, but don’t! Instead, let it fester and boil inside of you! Take these feelings and lock them away. Let them fuel your actions. Let hate be your ally, and you will be capable of wonderful, horrid things. Heed my words, Goob: don’t let it go.
<from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396555/quotes>

It’s better if you’re actually seeing this, but the Bowler Hat Guy says pretty much what I do all the time. I don’t like where I am in life, don’t appreciate the work I’m doing, don’t feel people appreciate me… And so it boils. I actually got into a course I’ve been wanting to take for over a year for certification and I found out just recently. It’s really great news, and it’ll open new doors, yadda yadda yadda, and all I could think about was the time I wasted because I hadn’t signed up earlier and how much money it was going to cost me. Unbelievable. I had a rather monotonous day (what with the carpooling to save on the RIDICULOUS price of gas and all) except for this ESL class tonight and the fact that I’m so tired destroys how much of a blessing it was to be in that class, to actually have a job, and to be a healthy human being with a lot of concerns taken care of that some people can’t take for granted.

Thank you, Lord, for the strength I have, for a body that can be worn out, and for a voice that can share and teach and speak in love. Help me to take advantage of moments more often, and let the things that really drag me down just slide away. Amen!