And this I love, in being able to share life together. The ups and downs, the good times and bad. Hopes. Dreams. Laughter and sadness. Games and books. Music. Friends.
Words cannot describe what it means to be part of another's life. To share and partake. To be a part of. To feel included in every way. Nothing held back. In no way excluded.
Fully a part of.
To encourage and lift up. To make a difference in another's life. To give them a spark to carry through in their own journey. May we all do that for each other.
Making us all on the inside.
A small part of one another.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
are we blind?!
After walking through the checkout line in Giant Eagle today, I got pretty angry. Tabloids are tabloids, but they reveal bitter truth about society. And yes, we are all keeping a watchful eye the government, politics, international relations, etc., but somehow I feel like we are overlooking way too much.
Is there any respect left for sex?... For marriage?... For families?...
There is a vicious cycle occurring that is ripping apart society as we know it. Although it's been going on for quite some time, nearly everything is geared towards sex, and I am so sick of it! The perversion of something so beautiful as a physical expression of love between wife and husband--an act of selfless giving to each other--has been turned into self-filled pleasure coupled with exploitation.
And the sad part is...
How young kids are being filled with such notions.
These stats are from 2007, compiled into a booklet from an event I attended in Pittsbugh, called BattleCry. And I'm sure they have gone up (or down) since then.
-Every 6.7 scenes on television include a sexual topic.
-The most watched teen network is MTV, where more than 30,000 soft porn images are broadcast every week.
-Average age of first sex: 15.8 years old.
-Average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11.
-The largest consumer of internet pornography is currently, young people ages 12-17.
And on and on the list goes! It's sick!!! The internet, tv, all forms of media purge our brains with everything sex. It's no wonder it's a problem!
And because sex is so free... then who needs marriage! Right? Wrong. I was told that being physically intimate leads to a false sense of closeness. It's not the relationship... It's an expression of it. The emotional wreckage is incredible! Broken, aching hearts everywhere... A wonderful expression of love at the wrong time.
What we need is a monumental perspective change. A book I recently read, The Red Tent, set during the time of Rachel, Jacob, and Leah, tells a story through Dinah's eyes. Even as a child Dinah saw the dogs and knew what was going on during a brother's honeymoon. All the same it was out in the open. Not something hidden. Not something to be ashamed of. Sex was (and still is) a beautiful fact of life. Maybe if more parental guidance was present to shape the views and intentions of it all there wouldn't be as much of a problem. To keep something hidden in the dark, almost as a secret, is sometimes the cause for total rebellion. Now, I am by no means saying that we just need to blatantly expose children to this. We just need to convey the worth, value, and understanding of it all.
Then we have marriage. It scares me how little respect this gets. All over the place. People marrying, divorcing, not marrying and just having kids, etc. like it's nothing (and of course there are times when it is best to be out of a relationship). This is like a bloodbath on the family system. This was not intended.
And in the end we have the cycle of false intimacy leading to emotional wreckage. How can we have healthy relationships in such conditions?
Love. Pure love. Holy love. Unconditional love. Love no matter what. Love that says I forgive you. Love that wipes out the hurt, fear, and pain. We fail to see it! We too often fail to grasp hold of it! This eternal Love that never, never ends and is always reaching for us! We can't love everyone with the real Love we need. That can only come from the one true God.
Perfect love drives out fear.
Only the One Who made us can love us perfectly with the love we really need.. To know that we are always accepted, loved, cherished, thought of, cared for, forgiven, heard.
God so longs to make us whole and complete through Jesus Christ. If we all came to realize how crazy the Lord is over us, how jealously and madly in love with us God is. Then...
~We'd be able to forgive each other a little easier, knowing that we are forgiven.
~We would accept each other, knowing that we are accepted.
~We would be enabled to love each other, knowing that we are loved.
You get the idea.
And then...
We could have better, healthier relationships, all because we have a relationship with the One--Father, Son, Holy Spirit. More respect. Better marriages. Healthy families. Better society.
Is there any respect left for sex?... For marriage?... For families?...
There is a vicious cycle occurring that is ripping apart society as we know it. Although it's been going on for quite some time, nearly everything is geared towards sex, and I am so sick of it! The perversion of something so beautiful as a physical expression of love between wife and husband--an act of selfless giving to each other--has been turned into self-filled pleasure coupled with exploitation.
And the sad part is...
How young kids are being filled with such notions.
These stats are from 2007, compiled into a booklet from an event I attended in Pittsbugh, called BattleCry. And I'm sure they have gone up (or down) since then.
-Every 6.7 scenes on television include a sexual topic.
-The most watched teen network is MTV, where more than 30,000 soft porn images are broadcast every week.
-Average age of first sex: 15.8 years old.
-Average age of first internet exposure to pornography is 11.
-The largest consumer of internet pornography is currently, young people ages 12-17.
And on and on the list goes! It's sick!!! The internet, tv, all forms of media purge our brains with everything sex. It's no wonder it's a problem!
And because sex is so free... then who needs marriage! Right? Wrong. I was told that being physically intimate leads to a false sense of closeness. It's not the relationship... It's an expression of it. The emotional wreckage is incredible! Broken, aching hearts everywhere... A wonderful expression of love at the wrong time.
What we need is a monumental perspective change. A book I recently read, The Red Tent, set during the time of Rachel, Jacob, and Leah, tells a story through Dinah's eyes. Even as a child Dinah saw the dogs and knew what was going on during a brother's honeymoon. All the same it was out in the open. Not something hidden. Not something to be ashamed of. Sex was (and still is) a beautiful fact of life. Maybe if more parental guidance was present to shape the views and intentions of it all there wouldn't be as much of a problem. To keep something hidden in the dark, almost as a secret, is sometimes the cause for total rebellion. Now, I am by no means saying that we just need to blatantly expose children to this. We just need to convey the worth, value, and understanding of it all.
Then we have marriage. It scares me how little respect this gets. All over the place. People marrying, divorcing, not marrying and just having kids, etc. like it's nothing (and of course there are times when it is best to be out of a relationship). This is like a bloodbath on the family system. This was not intended.
And in the end we have the cycle of false intimacy leading to emotional wreckage. How can we have healthy relationships in such conditions?
Love. Pure love. Holy love. Unconditional love. Love no matter what. Love that says I forgive you. Love that wipes out the hurt, fear, and pain. We fail to see it! We too often fail to grasp hold of it! This eternal Love that never, never ends and is always reaching for us! We can't love everyone with the real Love we need. That can only come from the one true God.
Perfect love drives out fear.
Only the One Who made us can love us perfectly with the love we really need.. To know that we are always accepted, loved, cherished, thought of, cared for, forgiven, heard.
God so longs to make us whole and complete through Jesus Christ. If we all came to realize how crazy the Lord is over us, how jealously and madly in love with us God is. Then...
~We'd be able to forgive each other a little easier, knowing that we are forgiven.
~We would accept each other, knowing that we are accepted.
~We would be enabled to love each other, knowing that we are loved.
You get the idea.
And then...
We could have better, healthier relationships, all because we have a relationship with the One--Father, Son, Holy Spirit. More respect. Better marriages. Healthy families. Better society.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
dynamic!
"I," she opened her hands to include Jesus and Papa, "I am a verb. I am that I am. I will be who I will be. I am a verb! I am alive, dynamic, ever active, and moving. I am a being verb."
"My words are alive and dynamic - full of life and possibility..."
From The Shack
I have a friend (you know who you are!) that is very dynamic! Always thinking, changing, moving... It is refreshing to be around. Some people might think, "Can't you just be happy the way things are?!" But that is exactly the point...
The danger of complacency is far-reaching. Being settled, stagnant, and unmoving is as filthy as a rank pond with no moving water. God is the only One who never changes. We are constantly in process, being shaped, melted, and molded. So the moment we quit moving is the moment we are no longer going forward.
"My words are alive and dynamic - full of life and possibility..."
From The Shack
I have a friend (you know who you are!) that is very dynamic! Always thinking, changing, moving... It is refreshing to be around. Some people might think, "Can't you just be happy the way things are?!" But that is exactly the point...
The danger of complacency is far-reaching. Being settled, stagnant, and unmoving is as filthy as a rank pond with no moving water. God is the only One who never changes. We are constantly in process, being shaped, melted, and molded. So the moment we quit moving is the moment we are no longer going forward.
Active.
Alive.
Dynamic.
Energetic.
May we never be complacent to stay where we're at. May we always be pressing towards the Higher Goal while remaining sure and stable on the Rock.
And by the way... God IS! Right here, right NOW!!!
May we never be complacent to stay where we're at. May we always be pressing towards the Higher Goal while remaining sure and stable on the Rock.
And by the way... God IS! Right here, right NOW!!!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Sometimes
Sometimes the Lord takes us through crazy times. They can't be explained. In one breath everything is fine, in the next it seems that the world has turned upside-down. Then it goes back again.
It's like in music, with the random dissonances. Out of nowhere! A pianist tosses a chord, the melody takes an unexpected turn... I love it. It makes me laugh. Dissonance can be awful to listen to, unless you hear it in a different light.
And I guess that's where the gap is bridged: perception. I don't know when, but somewhere along the line my view of hard times got tossed out the window. Instead of voicing my thankfulness, keeping my eyes on Jesus and just trusting, and loving the Lord to the fullest, I got consumed with the gloominess. God never intended this!
Hard times can be so glorious.. They can bring so much out in us.. If only we would keep our eyes on the Lord and not the storm. Just like Peter walking on water, when we look at the storms in life and away from Jesus, we start to sink. God has promised to be with us through the waters and the fire. Keep focused!
We never really go through anything alone. I mean it's all over the place in the Bible that God says, "Don't be afraid! I am with you!" Oh to take hold of this!
So God promises us in Romans 8:28 that "In all things we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So in those some-times when we aren't in line with Him, we know He's always there, still working on our behalf, taking each and every situation and turning it around for our own good and benefit.
Just keeping seeking, keep pressing into the Lord. He rewards us when we seek Him. And may your some-times be kept under the watchful and attentive eye of the Lord.
It's like in music, with the random dissonances. Out of nowhere! A pianist tosses a chord, the melody takes an unexpected turn... I love it. It makes me laugh. Dissonance can be awful to listen to, unless you hear it in a different light.
And I guess that's where the gap is bridged: perception. I don't know when, but somewhere along the line my view of hard times got tossed out the window. Instead of voicing my thankfulness, keeping my eyes on Jesus and just trusting, and loving the Lord to the fullest, I got consumed with the gloominess. God never intended this!
Hard times can be so glorious.. They can bring so much out in us.. If only we would keep our eyes on the Lord and not the storm. Just like Peter walking on water, when we look at the storms in life and away from Jesus, we start to sink. God has promised to be with us through the waters and the fire. Keep focused!
We never really go through anything alone. I mean it's all over the place in the Bible that God says, "Don't be afraid! I am with you!" Oh to take hold of this!
So God promises us in Romans 8:28 that "In all things we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. So in those some-times when we aren't in line with Him, we know He's always there, still working on our behalf, taking each and every situation and turning it around for our own good and benefit.
Just keeping seeking, keep pressing into the Lord. He rewards us when we seek Him. And may your some-times be kept under the watchful and attentive eye of the Lord.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
a Tribute
Today has been surreal in a way. Joyful yet sad. Daydream-like but feeling the brunt of reality. Relishing in the past but realizing the present isn't like that anymore.
It's like that when people pass away, isn't it?
They continue on their journey, hopefully in total bliss with the God of the universe. While we are still here on earth, mourning, missing, crying, laughing...
When I remember John, all I can think of is laughing. Never a dull moment. Even now, even today at the funeral, when I thought of him I smiled. It's no other way. It's how he would want it to be.
And even in the midst of the suffering, somehow the image of flowers pervades my mind. Flowers, like growing, blooming, live objects. How much does this speak? That in the midst of death, life is present.
For me this has come in the deep appreciation of John's family who has played a large role in my life. Everything they have shared and given means the world. They have taught me to work hard, to love, to enjoy myself, to have fun. They taught me to receive. Constant givers. I want to be like that. And in the moments of holding these thoughts dear, I questioned what can I do to give back to those who have given so much? And what I've found is to just love. To be there for them. To spend time with them. Especially when they ache so bad for a life taken too soon (from our perspective).
Sometimes just knowing someone cares, even if it is just being there with them, speaks more to the heart than anything else could.
So I pray for God's blessing and comfort on this dear family. May they rest with the peace of the Lord filling their hearts.
And after seeing My Sister's Keeper tonight... It serves as yet another reminder as to how exceedingly precious life is. Each person is a gem. Each life so frail.
But in the Lord there is hope. In the Lord we know that life goes on. Life literally continues. We will be with Him when we pass from this earth, onwards into eternity. We have a hope of being reunited with our loved ones in a great circle of faith. In the Lord there is this hope.
There is safety.
There is security.
In knowing where we are going when we pass from this life.
For at any moment.... life could just slip away..
It's like that when people pass away, isn't it?
They continue on their journey, hopefully in total bliss with the God of the universe. While we are still here on earth, mourning, missing, crying, laughing...
When I remember John, all I can think of is laughing. Never a dull moment. Even now, even today at the funeral, when I thought of him I smiled. It's no other way. It's how he would want it to be.
And even in the midst of the suffering, somehow the image of flowers pervades my mind. Flowers, like growing, blooming, live objects. How much does this speak? That in the midst of death, life is present.
For me this has come in the deep appreciation of John's family who has played a large role in my life. Everything they have shared and given means the world. They have taught me to work hard, to love, to enjoy myself, to have fun. They taught me to receive. Constant givers. I want to be like that. And in the moments of holding these thoughts dear, I questioned what can I do to give back to those who have given so much? And what I've found is to just love. To be there for them. To spend time with them. Especially when they ache so bad for a life taken too soon (from our perspective).
Sometimes just knowing someone cares, even if it is just being there with them, speaks more to the heart than anything else could.
So I pray for God's blessing and comfort on this dear family. May they rest with the peace of the Lord filling their hearts.
And after seeing My Sister's Keeper tonight... It serves as yet another reminder as to how exceedingly precious life is. Each person is a gem. Each life so frail.
But in the Lord there is hope. In the Lord we know that life goes on. Life literally continues. We will be with Him when we pass from this earth, onwards into eternity. We have a hope of being reunited with our loved ones in a great circle of faith. In the Lord there is this hope.
There is safety.
There is security.
In knowing where we are going when we pass from this life.
For at any moment.... life could just slip away..
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Freeze frame
With this cool summer, I think it's permissible to talk about something cold!
Anyways. Ice... It is the solid form water takes when heat is minimal. In its beauty ice can form complex crystals. In its treachery ice makes conditions dangerous, slippery, without traction.
When frozen, movement is limited. An eerie stillness settles in. Who would dare move?
I once had an odd dream involving ice. To paint the picture, I was on some type of vacation with my family. We were staying in a house along a stretch of cleared land with trees on lining the sides. Quite comically we were sitting in lawn chairs watching our surroundings. Suddenly a single cloud, looking like a log, rolled in and suspended our immediate surroundings with a coat of ice. Most of my family escaped.
Talk about a lot of fear. Everything was encased by ice.
Then the sun came out and returned the water to its liquid form.
The world was at peace again.
It's so unfortunate, but this happens to us on the inside sometimes. Like a big ice storm we are frozen in our mind.
Fear? Taking liberty to be so hard on yourself, like smacking yourself with a baseball bat?
For any number of reasons we get so mentally knotted. It prevents us from moving, from acting. Likewise we begin to view situations from behind a wall of ice to observe. Oh that the Son would melt this all away!
Jesus said there is no condemnation! He said we are free! Free! FREE! Wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom! We don't need to beat ourselves up anymore... That was never in God's plan. Only Jesus gives us this liberation. Who else can?
Lord, teach us to step out into the unknown, having faith in You constantly. I declare FREEDOM in the hearts and minds of all who read this, that they would be free to think, to speak, and to act in this freedom. May all of our thoughts, words, and movements be in Your will of LOVE. In Jesus' name! Amen!
So be it.
Anyways. Ice... It is the solid form water takes when heat is minimal. In its beauty ice can form complex crystals. In its treachery ice makes conditions dangerous, slippery, without traction.
When frozen, movement is limited. An eerie stillness settles in. Who would dare move?
I once had an odd dream involving ice. To paint the picture, I was on some type of vacation with my family. We were staying in a house along a stretch of cleared land with trees on lining the sides. Quite comically we were sitting in lawn chairs watching our surroundings. Suddenly a single cloud, looking like a log, rolled in and suspended our immediate surroundings with a coat of ice. Most of my family escaped.
Talk about a lot of fear. Everything was encased by ice.
Then the sun came out and returned the water to its liquid form.
The world was at peace again.
It's so unfortunate, but this happens to us on the inside sometimes. Like a big ice storm we are frozen in our mind.
Fear? Taking liberty to be so hard on yourself, like smacking yourself with a baseball bat?
For any number of reasons we get so mentally knotted. It prevents us from moving, from acting. Likewise we begin to view situations from behind a wall of ice to observe. Oh that the Son would melt this all away!
Jesus said there is no condemnation! He said we are free! Free! FREE! Wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom! We don't need to beat ourselves up anymore... That was never in God's plan. Only Jesus gives us this liberation. Who else can?
Lord, teach us to step out into the unknown, having faith in You constantly. I declare FREEDOM in the hearts and minds of all who read this, that they would be free to think, to speak, and to act in this freedom. May all of our thoughts, words, and movements be in Your will of LOVE. In Jesus' name! Amen!
So be it.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
give up
Have you ever done a web search for the phrase 'give up?' Some sites that pop up refer to:
-A music album
-A blog
-YouTube videos
-Giving up various activities/habits
On and on it goes...
Thankfully the dictionary makes things a little more clear: abandon, yield control, surrender.
My life has been plagued with giving up, and I'm not altogether referring to the healthy meaning of the word. It's an incredible phenomena when phrases like, "I give up," "I don't care," and "It doesn't matter" ring through your head like a bad jingle. All of a sudden you wake up and wonder why you haven't been sticking to things, why you haven't been caring, why so much doesn't touch your heart anymore. The thoughts become the position of hearts, which in turn spin outward into words and actions. I've been catching myself thinking and saying "I don't care" to many things. Regardless as to whether these are small, trite situations, they gravely affect my outlook on life.
To put "giving up" in other terms would be like this:
Running a race hard, getting to the very brink of the finish line, and falling backwards. The race is never finished. So often thoughts, words, actions, efforts, bubble to the surface but never quite break through the membrane. The jungle of knots and twists preventing these things from breaking through is menacing, binding. Freezing. Movement stops.
Let's face it. We all have projects we start on and then falter or fail when they become mundane or boring or there is difficulty. But when it is a way of life, when it prevents you from really living, then it's an issue.
But there's much more in us, isn't there? Unlimited potential inside. We don't need to give
up. We are giving something. We are giving away efforts, deeming them wasted. We don't need to.
We can give UP. We can give up, yield, abandon ourselves, and trust in the Lord. I mean, giving up creates the image of giving it up. Letting go and letting God take control. Not worrying, not fretting. Just trusting. Trusting that God is good, that He will never give us up, give up on us. Hebrews 13:5 says: For He Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake you nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] It is an awesome promise we have. Just trust and let it all go.
Learning to live a life of giving things up... my doubts, fears, worries, concerns, is a joyous experience. It is so freeing... Makes me feel like a kid again because I'm living in joy instead of worry.
Thanks be to God!
-A music album
-A blog
-YouTube videos
-Giving up various activities/habits
On and on it goes...
Thankfully the dictionary makes things a little more clear: abandon, yield control, surrender.
My life has been plagued with giving up, and I'm not altogether referring to the healthy meaning of the word. It's an incredible phenomena when phrases like, "I give up," "I don't care," and "It doesn't matter" ring through your head like a bad jingle. All of a sudden you wake up and wonder why you haven't been sticking to things, why you haven't been caring, why so much doesn't touch your heart anymore. The thoughts become the position of hearts, which in turn spin outward into words and actions. I've been catching myself thinking and saying "I don't care" to many things. Regardless as to whether these are small, trite situations, they gravely affect my outlook on life.
To put "giving up" in other terms would be like this:
Running a race hard, getting to the very brink of the finish line, and falling backwards. The race is never finished. So often thoughts, words, actions, efforts, bubble to the surface but never quite break through the membrane. The jungle of knots and twists preventing these things from breaking through is menacing, binding. Freezing. Movement stops.
Let's face it. We all have projects we start on and then falter or fail when they become mundane or boring or there is difficulty. But when it is a way of life, when it prevents you from really living, then it's an issue.
But there's much more in us, isn't there? Unlimited potential inside. We don't need to give
up. We are giving something. We are giving away efforts, deeming them wasted. We don't need to.
We can give UP. We can give up, yield, abandon ourselves, and trust in the Lord. I mean, giving up creates the image of giving it up. Letting go and letting God take control. Not worrying, not fretting. Just trusting. Trusting that God is good, that He will never give us up, give up on us. Hebrews 13:5 says: For He Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake you nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] It is an awesome promise we have. Just trust and let it all go.
Learning to live a life of giving things up... my doubts, fears, worries, concerns, is a joyous experience. It is so freeing... Makes me feel like a kid again because I'm living in joy instead of worry.
Thanks be to God!
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