Rent to Live?

Okay, so I'm a huge nerd, and I really love watching the Oprah show. Sure, not everyone loves Oprah, and I too have some qualms about her-mostly the fact that she doesn't share her magazine cover with anyone. But, anyway, there are some things that she does that really are great. She started another show (yeah, yeah) called The Big Give, which takes 10 people from across the country who want to give back for something they themselves have been given. I think it's a great thing. MalaakCompton-Rock, Chris Rock's wife is one of the celebrity judges on the show, and one thing she said today on Oprah made so much sense. She started it by saying that this is something she says so much at home that her kids can already recite it; "Serving is the rent we pay for living." I have no idea what the Rock families values are, or what their beliefs are, but as Christians, I think this is the attitude we should all possess. We have been given life by the Almighty, powerful God, and what did we ever deserve to have it? And, in our sin nature, we continue to act like huge clowns, grieving the heart of God, yet He continues to love and care for us, walks with us and never turns His back on us no matter how many times we may do it to Him. We have been given this life and the only thing we are really supposed to do is to love God, and show His love to others. I think that the least we can do is pay our rent for living-through serving. God calls us to serve and to do it without griping or feeling burdened by it. Last night we have a worship and prayer night at Lakeview, and there were only about 10 of us there. But one thing Pastor Kevin said about prayer is that it is a burden from God, but shouldn't be burdensome. It should be something we feel we need to do, but not that it is a pain or a hassle. I think the same can be said for service. It should be a burden from God, but shouldn't be burdensome at all. In fact, I know from traveling to Uganda and seeing these amazingly beautiful people- who by our standards have absolutely nothing- may not have "anything" materially speaking, yet they have everything because they have God, and the biggest, most giving and serving hearts. We went there to serve them and help them to spread the Gospel, but more than I can say I helped them accomplish anything, I learned what it truly means to serve others, and do it cheerfully and out of love. The Ugandan people are some of the most unique and beautiful people I have ever met. They love people so much, don't get mad about anything, and are just genuine in every sense of the word. This is something that I hope that I can aspire to and think that I forget sometimes. I pray that for each of us, we take the very gift of life and blessing that we have been given so freely, and use it to serve others. To pay our rent for living, so to speak.

Outside the Church Walls

The nation lost and dying// Searching for You// Creation waits// Children with the word of God// Written on their hearts// Show love to the world// We need to wake up, wake up// Live like God// Pour out love// We need to wake up, wake up// Live like God// Pour out love// I know it's sad// That the gift we have// We keep it for ourselves// Most of the time// The world is looking// For a love that's locked up// Inside these four walls// Break the door down and shine// Our face is set// Our goal is heaven// Jesus, You are the well of love// We'll pour You out -Leeland

So yesterday I went and got the new Leeland CD because they are amazingly amazing and I love their music very much. This is a song called Wake Up, and as per usual, listening to the songs yesterday, I wasn't in love with any of the songs like I was with their first CD, but recognize that it is extremely rare that I actually enjoy a worship CD the first time I hear it. However, this song stood out to me yesterday because it uses Toms in the drumming pattern which always make me like songs even more. And this morning after I dropped Mike off at work, I listened to the song over, and over again the whole way home. It typically takes me a while to be able to pick out lyrics, and so today I got them. And this song is just super awesome to me. Not only does it sound super neat, but it's a really great message. We as Christians tend to keep out Christianity locked up within the confines of the four church walls-however, what God calls us to is to pour out love to the world, and take "church" outside of church on Sunday's. We really do need to pour out the love of Jesus to others-in the community, and the world. That looks different for everyone; but the idea is the same. For me, pouring out that love comes in the form of service. For Mike, worship. For others, Administration, Healing, Prayer, any number of things really. The point is, God has given us these amazing gifts and talents, and why we keep them locked up inside the Church is beyond me, really. I know that I tend to want to serve in the church and hide there and be surrounded by the safety and comfort of other Christians, but I'm completely missing the point if I want to stay locked up there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that I quit serving in the church itself, but just that I need to take my God-given gifts outside of those walls, and start putting myself in slight less comfortable situations so that I can share the love of God with others.

It's a dangerous thing to pray sometimes, because God does hear them and answer them. It's like when the world says "Be careful what you wish for", only be careful what you pray for, because God will use you if you ask him to. So, here's me asking. God, bring me to a new place, a place that is less comfortable for me. Help me to use my gifts of service to help others, and bring your joy and light outside the walls of the Church.

Weight Loss and God?

“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?” Job 38:8-11.

Last night I started a Bible study with Setting Captives Free called The Lord’s Table. It is a study about eating right and being healthy and losing weight- but not for our own benefit and desire, but to bring glory to God. The first night really rocked me. For as long as I can remember, I have had poor self-image. I remember being ten-years old and standing in front of a wall of mirrors at my grandmothers’ house and her coming up behind me and saying, “Wow, you’re getting a little chunky.” I’ve never been the same since. I also remember being in 4th grade sitting in the backseat of our family Volvo Station Wagon crying because my legs were too fat because they didn’t have a gap in between them when I sat down or when I stood up. And in all this time, I’ve never realized that the reasons I wanted to lose weight were out of my own selfish motivation. I wanted to look good, to feel good, and for people to notice that I look nice or was pretty or really thin. Not that I want to be a supermodel, because it’s just not in the cards for me, but I just wanted to be—cute. However, after starting the study last night, I realize that I’ve been going about weight loss all the wrong way. If I change my perspective to wanting to bring glory to God through weight loss, then my motives are right and I’m not being selfish and will probably have much better results because I won’t have done something on my own-but through the help of the Lord. As I was wrapping up Job this morning, I came across the verses above and was really stunned by them. It’s so amazing to think about how God has complete control over every single thing in creation. He gave the rivers a place to flow, gave the stars a place in the sky, put the clouds in the air and told them to hold in the rain, and the oceans’ waves where to stop. Holy buckets! Again, not that these are particularly new ideas that I’ve learned, but putting them in perspective with this new study makes it seem so much more realistic that I can reach my goal-not of my own volition or power or strength, but by the grace and strength of God who has done all of these amazing feats. If He can tell the waves where to stop crashing, He can certainly tell me when to stop eating just because I’m eating, not because I’m hungry. I really feel empowered by this new sense of freedom, and find rest in knowing that if I put my work in (which I will definitely have to do-and stop being quite as lazy), that God will take care of the rest and through all of this, I can bring glory to God.

“And they will go to others and say, ‘We have sinned, we have perverted what is right, but we did not get what we deserved. God has delivered us from going down to the pit, and we shall live to enjoy the light of life.’ God does all these things to people-twice, even three times-to turn them back from the pit, that the light of life may shine one them.” –Job 22:27-30

I read this section of Job this morning, and it continues to be so refreshing to be reminded that the things we go through in life are never without purpose. God calls us to be pure, and views us as holy and upright, but only after we repent of our sins. It’s nice to know, and be reminded, that when we do go through things, are put through the proverbial fire, and sometimes even multiple times, God uses those times to teach us, to draw us closer to Him, and to cleanse us of our unrighteousness. Not to say that going through these times is enjoyable, but it’s good to realize that sometimes, we are just completely blind to what God is trying to show us. I know for me, I’ve been going through a really tough time in not being able to find a job. I was really questioning God, and asking what I was missing and not understanding. And it wasn’t until about last weekend when I finally figured something out; I was really wrapped up in finding a job that has some kind of special title-something that sounded cool, and good. I wanted so badly to be a ‘doer’ and was lacking on being a seeker. I had come to realize that all the time I was yelling in God’s face about how I don’t understand what He is doing and why He was continually not allowing me to have a job, I was missing the part about really asking Him what it is that He wants from me. I was so caught up in making myself feel special because of some job title, that I was missing out on serving Jesus. And back to Job, I am so thankful that despite my terrible attitude and being angry with God, that He loves me enough to continually put me through the fire when I’m missing the point, and sinning, so that I can be refined into the person He wants me to be. I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets put through the same fire-two, even three times!

On Prayer

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you. Accept instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent...Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done and light will shine on your ways. When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’ then he will save the downcast. He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.” –Job 22:21-23a,26-30.

This past Sunday at church, Pete Gregg came to speak with us about the importance of prayer. He came all the way from England, and is a friend of Pastor Mark Jobe. He was really interesting. He started a grassroots movement called 24/7 prayer, which is exactly as it sounds; he started a meeting place in England where people come to pray for one month 24/7, to see what God can do when we submit to him in prayer. He said that everything we do must be birthed in prayer, or it is not worth doing. He also talked about how we as Christians generally have a poor time with prayer and we spend a lot more time doing and much less time praying. Pete said there are three stages we typically go through, and struggle with each one. He said that the first is knowing and understanding God’s unending, and pure love for us. He illustrated this by describing his baby Hudson, who is the only person who has ever done such horrible things to him(yelled in his face, spit in his mouth, pooped on him and thrown up on him), yet he loves him more than any human being he has ever loved. This is how God loves us; while we are dirty and horrible and do many of these same things to God, he loves us unconditionally as a father loves his children. (I completely understand this illustration, but don’t think I will ever truly understand this until I become a parent.) The second stage then is truly finding the time to be with God. Luke 6:13 says, “When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated as apostles.” God chose us to be his disciples, as his apostles. It is really humbling, and exciting to rethink the idea that God chose each one of us, and God chose me to be one of his Apostles! Because God chooses each of us, and calls us by name, He wants to be with us! This means He wants us to spend time with Him; and spending time with Him means being with Him in prayer. This is where I began to feel convicted. I often do my prayer time in the shower each morning-which is not to say is the wrong place to pray, but it is not time set apart to be with God. I also pray throughout the day as I’m driving, or running errands, or even running, again, not bad times or places, just not set apart. I know I need to seek God more intimately and spend time just being with Him. And then the third thing, after we know and understand who God is, and spend time being with Him, then we can go and do-we can serve and know we are serving and doing the things God calls us to be doing, not just do what we think would be fun or should be doing, or have to do.