As we approach Right to Life Weekend, I'm again like everyone else, bombarded by all different aspects of the arena. No matter where our stance falls, I'm reminded of an article I read in my college's newspaper in the fall of my freshman year.
It was a feature article. The girl who wrote it was commenting on where would Jesus be if He walked the earth today? What would He be doing? Her answers got my attention. They are as follows: Jesus would be at the homeless shelters handing out blankets, (and in my opinion He'd be making sure everyone had a cot), He'd be at the soup kitchens serving food to the hungry and He'd be waiting for women coming out of the abortion clinics. I'd like to take this last comment a step further.
Jesus would also take these women in His arms and tell them He loved them and forgave them. Because that is what I believe Jesus is: forgiveness and love. I'm also reminded that judging people is God's job, not anyone else's. With so many people and such a broad spectrum of feelings on this topic, I think these three components-forgiveness, love and a non-judgemental attitude-are the final sticking points.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
God's Witness
Today while driving to the gym (yes, I'm still going), I drove past a truck with a white cross hanging in the window. It reminded me of a couple of stories my father-in-law had told me.
One day he was on his way to give a nursing home service. He stopped to get gas. While paying the attendant mentioned, "I've never seen anyone wear three crosses before." He laughed a little as he realized he was wearing a necklace, ring and tie tack all bearing reminders of Jesus' greatest sacrifice and gift to us.
Another time while in flight for vacation a man noticed his cross necklace. He began talking to my dad-in-law about his vocation, belief system and overall God issues. It was a great conversation; but isn't it always when we witness?
I admit it's hard to witness. We may feel the nudge from God but do we follow it? I once confessed to a friend, "I don't want to look like a Jesus freak." She countered, "Yeah, I used to feel that way. If I'm going to be a freak though, I may as well be one for Jesus. Best type of freak to be." Good point.
I pray a lot for the right words to say when the nudge hits me. Most of the time I'm not witnessing to a stranger. I'm reminding my kids or friends or sister of a Jesus thing. Or, I just tell them I'm praying for you. Then, there's this crazy blog thing I do...
I think about my father-in-law. He's a retired pastor now, however he still fills in where and when needed. An added bonus is he also plays a mean organ. So he can take his pastoral/organist show on the road as he's called to do. He's also someone I can contact when I have a question or am gearing up to lead a Bible study and need some clarity. As I pick out my jewelry for the day, I almost always grab one of my cross necklaces. My father-in-law's wordless witness and conversation starters are a huge reminder of what type of Christian I want to be.
One day he was on his way to give a nursing home service. He stopped to get gas. While paying the attendant mentioned, "I've never seen anyone wear three crosses before." He laughed a little as he realized he was wearing a necklace, ring and tie tack all bearing reminders of Jesus' greatest sacrifice and gift to us.
Another time while in flight for vacation a man noticed his cross necklace. He began talking to my dad-in-law about his vocation, belief system and overall God issues. It was a great conversation; but isn't it always when we witness?
I admit it's hard to witness. We may feel the nudge from God but do we follow it? I once confessed to a friend, "I don't want to look like a Jesus freak." She countered, "Yeah, I used to feel that way. If I'm going to be a freak though, I may as well be one for Jesus. Best type of freak to be." Good point.
I pray a lot for the right words to say when the nudge hits me. Most of the time I'm not witnessing to a stranger. I'm reminding my kids or friends or sister of a Jesus thing. Or, I just tell them I'm praying for you. Then, there's this crazy blog thing I do...
I think about my father-in-law. He's a retired pastor now, however he still fills in where and when needed. An added bonus is he also plays a mean organ. So he can take his pastoral/organist show on the road as he's called to do. He's also someone I can contact when I have a question or am gearing up to lead a Bible study and need some clarity. As I pick out my jewelry for the day, I almost always grab one of my cross necklaces. My father-in-law's wordless witness and conversation starters are a huge reminder of what type of Christian I want to be.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
God's Work Out
Does anyone else have a problem with saying twenty-eleven? My husband corrected me when I said two thousand eleven. Whatever you call it, for some of us it is New Year's Resolution time. I haven't made any, but last September I started working out. I took my husband with me so I didn't break anything or hurt myself.
It wasn't as bad as I imagined but I made my husband try everything first so I didn't look like an idiot getting on or off or setting the machines. It went pretty well except I almost slipped off one deal where you had to lie on your stomach and with my slicky pants, it wasn't working.
Then there was one machine I only have ever seen Marines work out on. But there it was. In our gym. I mean, people older than my parents exercise there. So I tried it. It's the one where you sit and reach up and pull the trapeze thingy down. I told my husband to stay next to me. He didn't of course and the next thing I knew, I was airborne. I didn't want to scream but I am a little scared of heights. My hubby rescued me of course like he often times does. He's always watching, just from a distance.
I keep going about two times a week and try to make it three. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What I find remarkable is the devotion some of these people have to well, basically killing themselves. And, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.
What if we all had the same devotion to our prayer life? Or reading our Bibles? Or keeping up with our Bible studies? Or going to church regularly? Or trusting God more and more and more? Now there's a New Year's Resolution we could all sink our teeth into!
It wasn't as bad as I imagined but I made my husband try everything first so I didn't look like an idiot getting on or off or setting the machines. It went pretty well except I almost slipped off one deal where you had to lie on your stomach and with my slicky pants, it wasn't working.
Then there was one machine I only have ever seen Marines work out on. But there it was. In our gym. I mean, people older than my parents exercise there. So I tried it. It's the one where you sit and reach up and pull the trapeze thingy down. I told my husband to stay next to me. He didn't of course and the next thing I knew, I was airborne. I didn't want to scream but I am a little scared of heights. My hubby rescued me of course like he often times does. He's always watching, just from a distance.
I keep going about two times a week and try to make it three. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. What I find remarkable is the devotion some of these people have to well, basically killing themselves. And, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.
What if we all had the same devotion to our prayer life? Or reading our Bibles? Or keeping up with our Bible studies? Or going to church regularly? Or trusting God more and more and more? Now there's a New Year's Resolution we could all sink our teeth into!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
God's New Year
Is Christmas really over? Did we really keep our hearts in the right place? Admist the running, shopping, wrapping and baking? Did we really remember our Lord and Savior's birthday? In our own ways I think we did. Maybe it wasn't God's way but hopefully it came close.
And now, here we are in another New Year. As our pastor mentioned, some of us may be glad to see 2010 go. Others may be sad to see it end worrying about the next year and what is to come. With God's peace, our pastor reminded, we have all good things. I've had that peace at times but sadly, let it go more times than I'd like to count.
It's in our human nature to try to run things ourselves. Sure, we can take on another committee. Sure, we can juggle five more activities. Sure, we can. I'm sure about only one thing. We can count on God to let us know when and if we really can. He's going to point us in the direction we should go. And we may never see His plan(s) for us coming.
With God at the healm, we have peace. Everything falls into place for us. We say "no" when we should and "yes" when we can. We don't have those early morning anxiety attacks we've gotten so used to. The acid in our stomachs doesn't rise to unwavering levels of taste testing. We may still worry some but God's simple reminder is a good one: the peace that passes all understanding. Look into it, it's an awesome gift to open any time of the year.
And now, here we are in another New Year. As our pastor mentioned, some of us may be glad to see 2010 go. Others may be sad to see it end worrying about the next year and what is to come. With God's peace, our pastor reminded, we have all good things. I've had that peace at times but sadly, let it go more times than I'd like to count.
It's in our human nature to try to run things ourselves. Sure, we can take on another committee. Sure, we can juggle five more activities. Sure, we can. I'm sure about only one thing. We can count on God to let us know when and if we really can. He's going to point us in the direction we should go. And we may never see His plan(s) for us coming.
With God at the healm, we have peace. Everything falls into place for us. We say "no" when we should and "yes" when we can. We don't have those early morning anxiety attacks we've gotten so used to. The acid in our stomachs doesn't rise to unwavering levels of taste testing. We may still worry some but God's simple reminder is a good one: the peace that passes all understanding. Look into it, it's an awesome gift to open any time of the year.
Friday, December 17, 2010
God Gives Us a Wonderful Life
I saw the tail end of "It's A Wonderful Life" the other night. It really made me pause and think about everything. Not just my life, but a lot of things. Most of us are extremely blessed. At times we don't realize it but we are. Why is that ? Why does the "bad" stuff impact us more? Probably because it's bad. When life is good we pretty much take it for granted.
I try really hard to be positive. Since I used to be pretty negative. It's a habit I'm trying to kick. As I went through this holiday season I tried to stay upbeat and focus on the birth of Jesus. Though rushing around, I felt like I did a fairly decent job. While rushing, I noticed a "rash" on one of my daughters feet. Kept an eye on it for a few days and decided to take her in because it wasn't disappearing. The next thing I'm hearing is blood tests, platelet levels and chem 7's. I was terrified. So was my husband. I couldn't sleep. The next day while trying to return the nurse's phone call I was put on hold for ten minutes. I'm ashamed to admit I raged at God and told Him He was cruel. This after having a feeling He'd put on my heart that she'd be fine. Not the positive attitude I was going for.
Eventually, we made contact and all tests were normal. She is fine. I am so relieved I can't even cry. I'm not worried anymore about the fact that not one gift is wrapped. I'm not worried about our Christmas plans that seem to change every other day. Not worried. Just thankful. For my wonderful life given to me by my wonderful Father.
I try really hard to be positive. Since I used to be pretty negative. It's a habit I'm trying to kick. As I went through this holiday season I tried to stay upbeat and focus on the birth of Jesus. Though rushing around, I felt like I did a fairly decent job. While rushing, I noticed a "rash" on one of my daughters feet. Kept an eye on it for a few days and decided to take her in because it wasn't disappearing. The next thing I'm hearing is blood tests, platelet levels and chem 7's. I was terrified. So was my husband. I couldn't sleep. The next day while trying to return the nurse's phone call I was put on hold for ten minutes. I'm ashamed to admit I raged at God and told Him He was cruel. This after having a feeling He'd put on my heart that she'd be fine. Not the positive attitude I was going for.
Eventually, we made contact and all tests were normal. She is fine. I am so relieved I can't even cry. I'm not worried anymore about the fact that not one gift is wrapped. I'm not worried about our Christmas plans that seem to change every other day. Not worried. Just thankful. For my wonderful life given to me by my wonderful Father.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
God and Santa
When I was a child, I loved Santa. I loved him even more than Mr. Rodgers. He was a kind man who gave me hugs, ate the cookies I set out for him with lots of love, and gave me awesome presents. I'd like to clarify that Santa did not wrap his gifts for me; they were ready and waiting when I awoke on Christmas morning. He knew I didn't like to deal with paper. I had enough anticipation waiting for Christmas. I didn't need the wrappings.
I knew the real meaning of Christmas. But, I have to admit, Santa was who I concentrated on more as a child. I've learned to not do that with my own children. We talk about baby Jesus. We talk about how Santa is the fun part of Christmas and where his story came from. We discuss how Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. And we certainly tell His story.
Do we ever blur the lines with Jesus and Santa? I'm sure we all have. How does the song go? "He knows when you're sleeping, He knows when you're awake, He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake." We all knew that if you were bad, Santa would know. And there would be no presents. I always guessed Santa forgave me for going into my closet when I was mad at my mother and, well, cussing her out. I don't think I've ever admitted that before. I knew God knew too but I worried more about Santa.
It was God though, who forgave me. And God who sent His Son to earth in humble beginnings to one day die for my sins. (This includes aforementioned closet cursing.) That is a gift I do enjoy unwrapping every day, being Christmas or not. Not usually found under a tree, but felt in my heart.
I knew the real meaning of Christmas. But, I have to admit, Santa was who I concentrated on more as a child. I've learned to not do that with my own children. We talk about baby Jesus. We talk about how Santa is the fun part of Christmas and where his story came from. We discuss how Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. And we certainly tell His story.
Do we ever blur the lines with Jesus and Santa? I'm sure we all have. How does the song go? "He knows when you're sleeping, He knows when you're awake, He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake." We all knew that if you were bad, Santa would know. And there would be no presents. I always guessed Santa forgave me for going into my closet when I was mad at my mother and, well, cussing her out. I don't think I've ever admitted that before. I knew God knew too but I worried more about Santa.
It was God though, who forgave me. And God who sent His Son to earth in humble beginnings to one day die for my sins. (This includes aforementioned closet cursing.) That is a gift I do enjoy unwrapping every day, being Christmas or not. Not usually found under a tree, but felt in my heart.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Patience of God
The Christmas season is upon us. How many times have we heard this in the past week? Or month? Why does Christmas start so early? People say we are greedy. Just look at Black Friday! This could be greed. It certainly smells like it. But, could it also be, (unintentionally of course because why would the retailers do anything considerate or positive?), a way to help people in a financial crunch spread their money out over a few months? Then December is not a time of scraping by and bouncing checkbooks? I'm throwing it out there; do with it what you'd like.
Our pastor is talking about advent. Advent means waiting and preparing for the Christ child. It does not mean waiting in absurdly long lines because you ventured into your favorite (and cheapest) store to buy the bath soap you forgot while making your weekly haul of groceries. Seriously, that's not the point.
If we give retailers the benefit of the doubt and a tired cashier a friendly smile even though we had to wait, isn't that more the point? Being patient with an employee who was hired for the Christmas season and hasn't quite mastered the computer may be hard but their appreciative smile is worth it. Believe me, I've been there.
We wait on the Christ child, don't we? Our children can hardly wait. And, let's face it, as adults there is some satisfaction of ripping open the paper and finding what you really wanted for Christmas!
I think about how God waits on us. We forget Him alot and try to handle things on our own. But there He is, patiently waiting for us to listen to Him so we can learn to open up who He truly meant for us to be. A beautiful gift to others and to Him. Reflecting God's goodness and mercy. Loving unconditionally and forgiving easily. Showing His patience to our children, spouse and others. Giving of ourselves as Jesus gave Himself for us. He really is the best gift of all.
Our pastor is talking about advent. Advent means waiting and preparing for the Christ child. It does not mean waiting in absurdly long lines because you ventured into your favorite (and cheapest) store to buy the bath soap you forgot while making your weekly haul of groceries. Seriously, that's not the point.
If we give retailers the benefit of the doubt and a tired cashier a friendly smile even though we had to wait, isn't that more the point? Being patient with an employee who was hired for the Christmas season and hasn't quite mastered the computer may be hard but their appreciative smile is worth it. Believe me, I've been there.
We wait on the Christ child, don't we? Our children can hardly wait. And, let's face it, as adults there is some satisfaction of ripping open the paper and finding what you really wanted for Christmas!
I think about how God waits on us. We forget Him alot and try to handle things on our own. But there He is, patiently waiting for us to listen to Him so we can learn to open up who He truly meant for us to be. A beautiful gift to others and to Him. Reflecting God's goodness and mercy. Loving unconditionally and forgiving easily. Showing His patience to our children, spouse and others. Giving of ourselves as Jesus gave Himself for us. He really is the best gift of all.
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