I love reading books that were written to inspire and encourage people. The kind of books that teach you things, that intrigue you to explore new topics, and to shake up your thoughts a little. One book in particular is a book called "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. He writes about his thoughts on Christianity, what he believes it means to live out what Jesus taught was possible for life, and to just share what loving Jesus means to him. He also writes about different ways he receives Scripture... what verses mean, the time and places they were written in, the way the people must have felt when they were writing them. One thing he touched upon really struck me and it's this:
I know that without a doubt in my mind that Jesus loves me more than I could ever think or imagine! But here's what Rob Bell taught me.
Back in the day, kids would go to rabbi school to learn how to become a rabbi. The ones that were doing well and on the right path to becoming a rabbi graduated to a different schooling and this continued as long as they proved that they were the best of the best. Eventually they would have the opportunity to follow a rabbi and learn his ways... this was called taking up the rabbi's yoke. The rabbi would question the boy about his knowledge of the Torah and all that he learned through years of rabbi schooling. If the rabbi thought the boy had potential, he would say, "Come, follow me." If the boy wasn't the best of the best and the rabbi felt the boy was incapable of doing what he did then the boy would go on to his other option which was to carry out the family business.
Jesus changed all the rules. Jesus goes to pick his disciples and instead of picking the best of the best, the ones who the most knowledgeable and well-prepared like all the other rabbis, Jesus picked the ones who failed. He picked the ones who were just carrying out their family business, who thought that they had no chance of being the best of the best, to just carry out their only other option. But Jesus tells them, "Come, follow me." Rob Bell talks about how Matthew must have felt when a rabbi tells him to drop what he's doing and follow Him. Jesus telling his disciples that was like him saying "You're capable of doing this. You're capable of achieving whatever you set your mind to. You don't have to be the best. You can be a failure to other people, but I love you. And I have faith that you can do this. Follow me. Be like me because I believe you can be."
He's saying this to you and me. And a lot of us I think are thinking that Jesus is this typical rabbi dude who only wants the best of the best. The people who pray to Him everyday and who read their Bibles everyday and who never curse or get angry. No! Jesus picks us! The failures, the screw-ups, the completely imperfect people to BE LIKE HIM. He calls us to take up His yoke because He believes that we are far more capable of anything that we think we could ever be capable of. He has a huge amount of faith in us. We don't have to be perfect, He doesn't want us to be perfect. He says "COME AS YOU ARE!" And try! He says to love Him and love others and all that other stuff, that stuff that you think you're doing all wrong and that you think Jesus would be so angry about, that all just fades away and you start realizing the incredible, powerful, joyful love that comes with the real love of Jesus.
Father God thank you so much for your true love that's real to every person! The person who has been extremely successful by human standards and the person who is living on the streets addicted to drugs because WE KNOW that you love us all and that you have faith in ALL of us! Thank you Father for a grace far beyond what we could even comprehend and for blowing us away with your truth and outstanding love. You are perfect and holy and we are so honored that you call us your sons and daughters. We love you Daddy, Amen.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Without the Social Network
So far, I've been without Facebook for a week. And I never had anything against Facebook or the purposes that I believe it was created to do, but not having it has freed me to do other things and to spend my time differently. For example, I'm writing more. I love writing! And not that Facebook was the only thing keeping me from writing or even having ideas to write about, but it did tempt me to want to know all that someone is up to or the next events or the questionable relationship status'. And that kind of thinking, the mindless, uncontrollable need to submerge myself discretely into drama kind of thinking is not healthy for anybody.
So not only did I delete what some consider the best way to socialize with friends, but I decided to take a trip to see my grandparents this past weekend with my mom. And instead of waking up wanting to check my Facebook (it's sad that that was ever a thought when I first woke up), I got up and looked outside. And being in the beautiful state of Colorado, looking outside was one of the most beautiful sights. I was just in a house on a street looking out the window at some other houses, but the beauty of it was the snow on the ground. A beauty that is a rarity to wake up to where I live. I sat there on the windowsill, looking at the snow, and the incredible sight that God gave me to wake up to. I watched out the window at a neighbor across the street taking a big red shovel and going back and forth on the driveway gathering snow, something I've never experienced. And then I did when Grandpa offered me the job. Not only did I get to do something I've never done before, but my Grandpa and I did it side by side. It was the most enjoyable moment of my entire trip.
I'm not saying that if I had Facebook right now or over that trip that I wouldn't get to experience something new and memorable, but I would of missed some moments that were there only for that particular time and place. And I got to see all of them! Sure, I missed out on moments that my Facebook friends reflected on in their status' and the latest wall posts on miscellaneous people's walls, but I loved just living in my moments and soaking in ALL of what I was offered. It was a beautiful thing.
So not only did I delete what some consider the best way to socialize with friends, but I decided to take a trip to see my grandparents this past weekend with my mom. And instead of waking up wanting to check my Facebook (it's sad that that was ever a thought when I first woke up), I got up and looked outside. And being in the beautiful state of Colorado, looking outside was one of the most beautiful sights. I was just in a house on a street looking out the window at some other houses, but the beauty of it was the snow on the ground. A beauty that is a rarity to wake up to where I live. I sat there on the windowsill, looking at the snow, and the incredible sight that God gave me to wake up to. I watched out the window at a neighbor across the street taking a big red shovel and going back and forth on the driveway gathering snow, something I've never experienced. And then I did when Grandpa offered me the job. Not only did I get to do something I've never done before, but my Grandpa and I did it side by side. It was the most enjoyable moment of my entire trip.
I'm not saying that if I had Facebook right now or over that trip that I wouldn't get to experience something new and memorable, but I would of missed some moments that were there only for that particular time and place. And I got to see all of them! Sure, I missed out on moments that my Facebook friends reflected on in their status' and the latest wall posts on miscellaneous people's walls, but I loved just living in my moments and soaking in ALL of what I was offered. It was a beautiful thing.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Our God is an Awesome God
I knew I wanted to write tonight, but no ideas or subjects are coming to mind. But the thing I love writing most about is our awesome God. So here I go... just some thoughts I have on the God I love and serve.
He loves you.. He has an incredible sense of humor. He has grace that is sometimes unfathomable. He thinks you're smart, funny, beautiful, kind, gentle, patient, wise, and awesome. He has the power to change lives. He has the power to control lives, but lets us make stupid choices. He loves when we are serving people. He loves your laugh. He loves reminding you just how big He is. He loves showing you mountains and His oceans. He loves when you study really hard for exams. He loves when you jam out in the car by yourself. He loves when you sing to Him. He has prepared a place for you in His kingdom. He has better pillows than Temper-pedic. And all He wants, our God who is bigger than anything or anyone, has all the power in the world, and is the creator of the universe and all that is in it, just wants us to love Him back. Wow.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves and our lives. It's nice to take a moment and meditate on the overwhelming God who loves us even when if we feel like it's sometimes hard to love Him in return or if we feel like we're undeserving of His love. It doesn't matter to Him... He just hopes that someday we fall on our knees and just see exactly who He is.
He loves you.. He has an incredible sense of humor. He has grace that is sometimes unfathomable. He thinks you're smart, funny, beautiful, kind, gentle, patient, wise, and awesome. He has the power to change lives. He has the power to control lives, but lets us make stupid choices. He loves when we are serving people. He loves your laugh. He loves reminding you just how big He is. He loves showing you mountains and His oceans. He loves when you study really hard for exams. He loves when you jam out in the car by yourself. He loves when you sing to Him. He has prepared a place for you in His kingdom. He has better pillows than Temper-pedic. And all He wants, our God who is bigger than anything or anyone, has all the power in the world, and is the creator of the universe and all that is in it, just wants us to love Him back. Wow.
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves and our lives. It's nice to take a moment and meditate on the overwhelming God who loves us even when if we feel like it's sometimes hard to love Him in return or if we feel like we're undeserving of His love. It doesn't matter to Him... He just hopes that someday we fall on our knees and just see exactly who He is.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Overwhelmed and Overjoyed
God is surprising.
Things that you think He could never do, situations that you think could never work out, God somehow intercedes and makes things happen that you would never expect to.
And that's vague. But I also think that it could apply to a lot of different people because no matter who we are, Christians, non-Christians, pastors, or prostitutes, God works. God works.
I love looking back on moments that I was aware of God's presence. The first was before I even knew what it meant to be loved by God. My brother was made new in God over the summer of 2005. The Wednesday after he came back at youth group, he prayed for me. And I don't know how it's possible to feel like you have the Holy Spirit around you even before you even understood what the Holy Spirit is, but I did. That moment was one of the most joyful moments in my whole life. Not only was it the first time I heard anyone in my family pray, but it was my brother whom I love more than life, and all he did was pray and thank God for me.
That was the first time I encountered the love of Christ. And then with strong determination and a lot of confusion and how to even start on being a Christian, I finally felt like God was with me. And it was while reading a book of the Bible that I didn't quite now how to pronounce and sitting in a dark closet in an old church.
And the most recent one was over a weekend that I spent with my sorority at a campground. We had a night completely devoted to the Lord, a night where we dug into who He was and who we were as people who try our best to follow Christ, and the whole time I found that I had the same motivation and determination that I had the first moment I felt God in my life. And since that moment happened best when I was separated from the group and I was able to just concentrate on the incredible everything of God, I decided to go outside and just look up. I asked God to show up. To show me He was listening to me. To let me know that I was doing okay, that the steps I'm taking in my life are okay. That He's proud of me. And I see a cross in a clearing of some trees. And in that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit again surrounding me, completely submerged in all of who our wonderful Father is.
My favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and it simply says, "Be joyous always."
Why would God tell us to be joyous always? Isn't that impossible? No.
God says to seek Him, to just love him, and to love other people as best we can and through all that, through loving God as much as we're capable of loving Him, we find joy. Not happiness, not success, not perfection. Just joy. Rejoicing in God and everything He has done whether we knew of it or not.
This takes me to another point. Parents and teachers tend to say that if you try your best and work your hardest no matter what the outcome, I'm proud of you because I know you did everything you can to achieve this. I think God's like that. He is the dad of all dads and He just wants us to love Him and trust Him and serve people so that other people can see God's love in action! And if we just try with all our best and work our hardest, God's proud of us. And even if we falter and maybe not try as hard as we could and just end up being a lazy old couch potato, God still loves us. Because no matter what we do, He's our dad. And we have joy in knowing just that.
Things that you think He could never do, situations that you think could never work out, God somehow intercedes and makes things happen that you would never expect to.
And that's vague. But I also think that it could apply to a lot of different people because no matter who we are, Christians, non-Christians, pastors, or prostitutes, God works. God works.
I love looking back on moments that I was aware of God's presence. The first was before I even knew what it meant to be loved by God. My brother was made new in God over the summer of 2005. The Wednesday after he came back at youth group, he prayed for me. And I don't know how it's possible to feel like you have the Holy Spirit around you even before you even understood what the Holy Spirit is, but I did. That moment was one of the most joyful moments in my whole life. Not only was it the first time I heard anyone in my family pray, but it was my brother whom I love more than life, and all he did was pray and thank God for me.
That was the first time I encountered the love of Christ. And then with strong determination and a lot of confusion and how to even start on being a Christian, I finally felt like God was with me. And it was while reading a book of the Bible that I didn't quite now how to pronounce and sitting in a dark closet in an old church.
And the most recent one was over a weekend that I spent with my sorority at a campground. We had a night completely devoted to the Lord, a night where we dug into who He was and who we were as people who try our best to follow Christ, and the whole time I found that I had the same motivation and determination that I had the first moment I felt God in my life. And since that moment happened best when I was separated from the group and I was able to just concentrate on the incredible everything of God, I decided to go outside and just look up. I asked God to show up. To show me He was listening to me. To let me know that I was doing okay, that the steps I'm taking in my life are okay. That He's proud of me. And I see a cross in a clearing of some trees. And in that moment, I felt the Holy Spirit again surrounding me, completely submerged in all of who our wonderful Father is.
My favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16 and it simply says, "Be joyous always."
Why would God tell us to be joyous always? Isn't that impossible? No.
God says to seek Him, to just love him, and to love other people as best we can and through all that, through loving God as much as we're capable of loving Him, we find joy. Not happiness, not success, not perfection. Just joy. Rejoicing in God and everything He has done whether we knew of it or not.
This takes me to another point. Parents and teachers tend to say that if you try your best and work your hardest no matter what the outcome, I'm proud of you because I know you did everything you can to achieve this. I think God's like that. He is the dad of all dads and He just wants us to love Him and trust Him and serve people so that other people can see God's love in action! And if we just try with all our best and work our hardest, God's proud of us. And even if we falter and maybe not try as hard as we could and just end up being a lazy old couch potato, God still loves us. Because no matter what we do, He's our dad. And we have joy in knowing just that.
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