I promise I didn't push my blog day back to Thursday. I've been sick all this week, and to be honest, it's quite hard to think of spiritual lessons when you're figuring out how to breathe through one nostril. I didn't really feel like doing much of anything, which, in a season where I have so much to do, is not very constructive.
Something that I've come to realize more and more over the years, is that life doesn't fit into the timetable you might have imagined. I know that seems obvious, but I used to think that way. I used to thing A things needed to happen by B time or the world would like explode... or something. But life doesn't work that way. I easily forget that God's ways are higher than mine (Isa. 55:8-9), and I try to take the reigns myself. But that rarely works out for me. It's times like these that I come to understand I just need to trust God. I may not know where I'm going, but He does.
So, that's really it for this week. Hopefully, I'll be back on my feet (and more into my blog) next week. Here's wishing you good weather and good health!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Martha (and no muffins)
I almost forgot to write a blog entry this week. Last night I wasn't feeling well and tonight I need to pack for a weekend of visiting my family on the other side of the state. (Plus, I'm still coming down off the high of hearing that Fringe has been renewed for season 4... but I digress.) I totally pulled a Martha.
No, not Martha Stewart (although, I'm thinking her parents gave her that name for a reason!), but Martha, sister of Mary. Her story is laid out in Luke 10. Jesus came to stay at the home of Martha and Mary while He was travelling through their village. Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him teach while Martha busied herself with all the preparations. She probably cooked, and cleaned, and got distracted with all the little things that start to go wrong when company comes over. And along the way, she probably thought to herself, "I'm the only one who does any work around here; no one appreciates me." In her frustration, she finally asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her.
What did Jesus say? “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (verses 41-42). Martha got so involved in all the work to be done, she forgot that the ultimate Teacher was there, waiting to spend time with her. She could have been listening to Jesus the whole time, but she was too busy.
How often do we do that? Pretend we're too busy for God? I do it more than I care to admit. I did it tonight by almost neglecting to update this blog. I need to remember that my Master is always ready to spend time with me, if I'll just put down the broom and sit at His feet.
On the flip side of that, I wonder... what would have happened if Martha had been sitting alongside Mary, listening to Jesus? How would the food have gotten cooked? The beds made? The house cleaned? We need Marthas. We need people who are willing to work when others are not. Marthas tend to run the world (or at least the household). The thing about Marthas is, they need to learn how to take a break. And that work isn't the only thing in life.
So how about you, are you a Mary or a Martha? I tend to be a bit of both at times.
No, not Martha Stewart (although, I'm thinking her parents gave her that name for a reason!), but Martha, sister of Mary. Her story is laid out in Luke 10. Jesus came to stay at the home of Martha and Mary while He was travelling through their village. Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him teach while Martha busied herself with all the preparations. She probably cooked, and cleaned, and got distracted with all the little things that start to go wrong when company comes over. And along the way, she probably thought to herself, "I'm the only one who does any work around here; no one appreciates me." In her frustration, she finally asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her.
What did Jesus say? “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (verses 41-42). Martha got so involved in all the work to be done, she forgot that the ultimate Teacher was there, waiting to spend time with her. She could have been listening to Jesus the whole time, but she was too busy.
How often do we do that? Pretend we're too busy for God? I do it more than I care to admit. I did it tonight by almost neglecting to update this blog. I need to remember that my Master is always ready to spend time with me, if I'll just put down the broom and sit at His feet.
On the flip side of that, I wonder... what would have happened if Martha had been sitting alongside Mary, listening to Jesus? How would the food have gotten cooked? The beds made? The house cleaned? We need Marthas. We need people who are willing to work when others are not. Marthas tend to run the world (or at least the household). The thing about Marthas is, they need to learn how to take a break. And that work isn't the only thing in life.
So how about you, are you a Mary or a Martha? I tend to be a bit of both at times.
Friday, March 18, 2011
I Need a Doctor
I drink the Glee Kool Aid. There, I said it. The show can be a bit racy and inappropriate at times, but I love the way the creators tackle difficult subjects. So far they've covered sex, religion, and bullying, just to name a few. (And with a wonderfully fun soundtrack, no less!) This week's episode saw a big milestone for one of the main characters, who happens to be a homosexual teenager. I'm sure it caused quite a stir in the Christian circles that watch the show, but here's my question: should it, really?
Personally, I'm glad Glee takes on tough subjects like teen homosexuality. I think the demographic it targets needs to know that there are kids who are different from them, and that it's not ok to make fun of those kids. You don't have to agree with the lifestyles and beliefs of all the people around you, but it shouldn't make you shy away from them.
One of my favorite things about the ministry of Jesus Christ on this earth was that he attracted a motley crew of people. Did He let what those people did affect the way He treated them? Absolutely not. Jesus didn't look at those people and see definitions: whore, tax collector, leper, thief. Sure, He knew their past (and our present!). But our God is not a surface-dweller. He looks beneath what outwardly "defines" us (1 Sam. 16:7). He sees the broken and wounded soul that needs mending only He can give.
I'm not trying to outline what's right and wrong here. I think the Bible does that well enough. I am, however, quite exasperated at the "Christian" attitude toward the gay community. From where I stand, it's not very Christlike. We don't look at the drug addict and say, "Hey, you have to get clean and sober; then I can talk to you about Jesus." We don't cast heterosexual couples out of our churches when we find out they're living together without being married (at least, I hope no church does that!). Then, why of all things, do we shy away from the issue of homosexuality like it's the unforgivable sin?
From Matthew 9:
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Sinners, friends. This means all of us. Together. Not the mediocre sinner and the severe sinner. In the hierarchy of Christ there are only 3 categories: the Savior, the sinner, and the saved. No one gets preferential treatment based on age, gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation.
I don't claim to be an expert in any field. I just speak from the heart. If you're looking to go deeper on the issue of homosexuality, however, I recommend Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin. I do, however, want to leave you this week with a challenge. To heed the words of Jesus, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Personally, I'm glad Glee takes on tough subjects like teen homosexuality. I think the demographic it targets needs to know that there are kids who are different from them, and that it's not ok to make fun of those kids. You don't have to agree with the lifestyles and beliefs of all the people around you, but it shouldn't make you shy away from them.
One of my favorite things about the ministry of Jesus Christ on this earth was that he attracted a motley crew of people. Did He let what those people did affect the way He treated them? Absolutely not. Jesus didn't look at those people and see definitions: whore, tax collector, leper, thief. Sure, He knew their past (and our present!). But our God is not a surface-dweller. He looks beneath what outwardly "defines" us (1 Sam. 16:7). He sees the broken and wounded soul that needs mending only He can give.
I'm not trying to outline what's right and wrong here. I think the Bible does that well enough. I am, however, quite exasperated at the "Christian" attitude toward the gay community. From where I stand, it's not very Christlike. We don't look at the drug addict and say, "Hey, you have to get clean and sober; then I can talk to you about Jesus." We don't cast heterosexual couples out of our churches when we find out they're living together without being married (at least, I hope no church does that!). Then, why of all things, do we shy away from the issue of homosexuality like it's the unforgivable sin?
From Matthew 9:
When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Sinners, friends. This means all of us. Together. Not the mediocre sinner and the severe sinner. In the hierarchy of Christ there are only 3 categories: the Savior, the sinner, and the saved. No one gets preferential treatment based on age, gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation.
I don't claim to be an expert in any field. I just speak from the heart. If you're looking to go deeper on the issue of homosexuality, however, I recommend Love is an Orientation by Andrew Marin. I do, however, want to leave you this week with a challenge. To heed the words of Jesus, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
What Are You Giving Up?
Today is Ash Wednesday, and the beginning of Lent for many Christians. Lent marks the beginning of a season for abstinence, sacrifice, and reflection in the days leading up to Easter Sunday. Though not raised Catholic, or any other denomination that observes Lent, I have long respected the tradition of abstaining from something in order to get one's spiritual life back on track.
This year, when thinking about things I could give up, I ran the gamut from Facebook to meat to diet coke. I wondered if I could go 40 days without watching TV. I started racking my brain so hard wondering what I would give up for Lent this year. Then I remembered Psalm 51.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise" (v. 16-17).
I had totally missed the point of Lent. It isn't about what you give up, even though the sacrifice should be a difficult one. The point of this season is to bring you closer to God. Empty rituals have never been able to do that. Many people observe Lent, and I'm all for that. I especially applaud those who are doing the 40 days of water. But this year, I decided the best thing for me was to not focus on giving anything up. Rather, I've made a commitment to God to spend time with Him every day of Lent. I know that doesn't sound like such a big deal to some, but for me it is. My quiet time has been rather non-existent as of late, and I've been treating God like an old friend I just don't have time for right now rather than the King of my heart.
So, how about you? What are you giving up (or not giving up) for Lent? Either way, I pray this is a blessed season for you!
This year, when thinking about things I could give up, I ran the gamut from Facebook to meat to diet coke. I wondered if I could go 40 days without watching TV. I started racking my brain so hard wondering what I would give up for Lent this year. Then I remembered Psalm 51.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise" (v. 16-17).
I had totally missed the point of Lent. It isn't about what you give up, even though the sacrifice should be a difficult one. The point of this season is to bring you closer to God. Empty rituals have never been able to do that. Many people observe Lent, and I'm all for that. I especially applaud those who are doing the 40 days of water. But this year, I decided the best thing for me was to not focus on giving anything up. Rather, I've made a commitment to God to spend time with Him every day of Lent. I know that doesn't sound like such a big deal to some, but for me it is. My quiet time has been rather non-existent as of late, and I've been treating God like an old friend I just don't have time for right now rather than the King of my heart.
So, how about you? What are you giving up (or not giving up) for Lent? Either way, I pray this is a blessed season for you!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Love Your Neighbor (unless he/she is really annoying)
I'm really starting to get sick of the way Christians treat non-Christians. Or the way we treat each other. And the way non-Christians treat each other. Basically, the way everyone treats everybody else...
Is it really too much to ask for us to treat each other like freaking human beings?!?
These Westboro Baptist people really grate on my last nerve. It's like they were sitting around one day, talking- "Hey guys, you know what would be a really great way to show Christ's love? PICKETING FUNERALS!" And then everyone else was like, "Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea, and we should really hate on the gays, too..."
I'm sorry, but Jesus gave us some pretty specific instructions in Matthew 22:
"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”"
There isn't an asterisk there. No caveat saying, "love your neighbor- unless he's gay or liberal or a different race or a different denomination than you- then that loving thing is completely optional." Nope. He said love your neighbor as yourself. Period. It's not dependent on your neighbor; it's dependent on your capacity to love as Christ loves. And that's not an easy thing. That kind of love will stretch out its arms and die for you while you spit in its face. That kind of love will look at you and tell you you're beautiful while the rest of the world calls you ugly.
The thing is, if you're a Christian, loving others isn't an option. It's a command. But you know what? Besides being called to love the ostracized and marginalized "sinners," we're also called to love the Pharisees, the religious zealots who think they're better than everyone else. The bullies as well as the bullied. Meaning, I have to let my resentment for the Westboro Baptist congregation go, and pray that they learn the real meaning of why Jesus did on the cross for us. That we're all the thief to His side and He's offering us all a shot of redemption. Because we all started out in the same gutter.
So I feel for the victims that have their loved ones' funerals picketed by these misguided folks, and I pray for them. But I also pray for the misguided ones holding the picket signs, because they need Jesus just as much as they think the people they're picketing do.
Read the blog that inspired this entry.
Is it really too much to ask for us to treat each other like freaking human beings?!?
These Westboro Baptist people really grate on my last nerve. It's like they were sitting around one day, talking- "Hey guys, you know what would be a really great way to show Christ's love? PICKETING FUNERALS!" And then everyone else was like, "Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea, and we should really hate on the gays, too..."
I'm sorry, but Jesus gave us some pretty specific instructions in Matthew 22:
"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”"
There isn't an asterisk there. No caveat saying, "love your neighbor- unless he's gay or liberal or a different race or a different denomination than you- then that loving thing is completely optional." Nope. He said love your neighbor as yourself. Period. It's not dependent on your neighbor; it's dependent on your capacity to love as Christ loves. And that's not an easy thing. That kind of love will stretch out its arms and die for you while you spit in its face. That kind of love will look at you and tell you you're beautiful while the rest of the world calls you ugly.
The thing is, if you're a Christian, loving others isn't an option. It's a command. But you know what? Besides being called to love the ostracized and marginalized "sinners," we're also called to love the Pharisees, the religious zealots who think they're better than everyone else. The bullies as well as the bullied. Meaning, I have to let my resentment for the Westboro Baptist congregation go, and pray that they learn the real meaning of why Jesus did on the cross for us. That we're all the thief to His side and He's offering us all a shot of redemption. Because we all started out in the same gutter.
So I feel for the victims that have their loved ones' funerals picketed by these misguided folks, and I pray for them. But I also pray for the misguided ones holding the picket signs, because they need Jesus just as much as they think the people they're picketing do.
Read the blog that inspired this entry.
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