Pieces of Me

SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

So, After much research, I have decided to write congress asking them to vote no on SOPA and PIPA. Please join me. Pipa will go a vote on January 24th! Sopa will go to a vote in February. Please do not let this issue fade. Take a stand!

Wikipedia can provide you with the email addresses for your representatives, and Fight for the Future.org has a great form letter that you can paste into your emails. Both are below.

Representative Lookup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CongressLookup?new=yes

Form Letter: http://fightforthefuture.org/pipa

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Jesus >Religion

2012-01-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

What if you were told that Jesus came to Abolish Religion ...

Who is Your Idol?

2012-01-10T07:05:00.001-05:00

Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun

2011-12-31T14:20:00.081-05:00

As the year draws to a close, now is a good time to reflect on all that has been accomplished. However, I still need some time to think about it and to decompress :).

So, for now I will just take a look at my most read blogs in 2011. To date, there have been 4,430 page views, about 1400 of that was in 2011. 3 of the top 10 were posts were actually quite old. For the second year in a Row, Shari takes the #1 spot ... I wish it were for a better reason.

Thank you to all who quietly read along with me, all who reached out to comment in some way, and also to those who lovingly convicted me.

1: For the 2nd year in a row as #1, An Old Friend Taken by Domestic Violence (7/23/09): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-friend-taken-by-domestic-violence.html

2: Thankful My Car Died on Sunday! (7/26/11): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/thankful-my-car-died-on-sunday.html

3: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People (1/26/2010): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010/01/why-bad-things-happen-to-good-people.html

4: Who owns the pond? (1/13/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/01/who-owns-pond.html

5: Mourning (9/16/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/09/mourning.html

6: Media Beauty Vs. Natural Beauty(7/28/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/media-beauty-vs-natural-beauty.html

7: ... and So Ends an Era (7/21/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/and-so-ends-and-era.html

8: The Prodigal Cat (1/21/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/01/speaking-cat.html

9: Remembering Chris (3/21/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/03/remembering-chris.html

10: Observations from The Crutch(1/18/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/01/learning-from-crutch.html

11: #6 most read blog in 2010 - Lind Squire: The mission field is wherever you are (7/7/2010): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010/07/mission-field-is-wherever-you-are.html

12: Dan Wolley: Miraculous Survival in Haiti (1/12/11): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/01/i-heard-this-today-show-interview-last.html

13: Wounded by the Church: When Christians don't act Christian (6/17/2011): http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/06/wounded-by-church-when-christians-dont.html

The 2010 Most Read Blogs can be found here: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

Oooo, LEts do this instead!!

2011-11-29T06:19:00.000-05:00

The Conquering Hero Returns

2011-09-24T09:47:00.005-04:00

Somehow I stumbled on an interesting Mark Driscol sermon (Its only about 7 minutes long).

It is on Revelation 19:11-21 when Christ returns as our conquering hero to win the final battle over sin and death, and deliver us to a new heaven and new earth where there is no more pain and suffering. This brief sermon focuses only on the passages that describe Jesus as our battle ready Savior coming to our rescue on a white horse and his sword at the ready. When watching the sermon though, it is important to keep his final statements in mind. We are called to live like Jesus did during His first coming. This is just a glimpse of how Christ will come in Victory when He Returns.

I will warn you that his delivery is more "in your face" than I would like, but I do enjoy the Biblical imagery of our Hero coming back to save a world in distress. That part is very cool!! :).

Mourning

2011-09-16T12:22:00.006-04:00

On the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11/01 attacks, I had the honor and privilege of being one of the worship leaders at my home church. It always blows me away when you can feel the presence of God right there with you during worship, its a feeling I never want to lose. Afterwards, we went with friends to the Kimmel center for a beautiful tribute to the victims of the attacks 10 years past, and to honor our service heroes who continue to keep us safe. In addition to all of the armed forces, they included paramedics, police, fire fighters, and first responders in those honored. I also got to hear my amazing friend Teresa sing "People Need the Lord" with the orchestra accompanying her. I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day honoring and reflecting. I thought that this day would mark the end of a period of national mourning for me. I suppose in some way it did, but it also marked the beginning of a period of personal mourning.

While at the Kimmel center, I got a voice mail message from my good friend Alex. His wife Christine who had been battling cancer for over 2 years, came home for hospice 2 days earlier. She passed away later that day. I also learned that Gabriella Martha Vogel who I have been praying for, also passed away. This 5 year old also battled cancer which was found just 3 months or so ago, and it ravaged her quickly.

Gabby's dad John posted on Facebook about Gabby's final hours. He described the family gathered around her, their emotional burden, and wanting so badly not to miss her final breath. They wanted to be with her at that final moment of her passing, as they were with her at the first moment of her life. They wrote in great detail how in the end she struggled for each heart beat and for each breath. Reading his post was so gut wrenching. Reading it though in some way made me feel like I was sharing the burden with them and some how lightening the load for them ...even though I know that this is just an illusion. His knowing that folks cared enough to read along is only a very small comfort. Friends who were with Christine in her final hours shared with me similar recollections (In far less detail) to what John posted about Gabby. Similarly, I wanted to hear it so I could share Alex's burden, but at the same time I could never understand what it was like to hold the hand of your best friend, love of your life, and mother of your child, as she passed from this life into the next.

As I reflected I thought about a blog I had once read by Melissa Brown. She talks about how unnatural death seems and how after all, we were not made for death. It is only something we face because of the fallen world we live in. In the moment of hearing about how these two beautiful daughters of God struggled from this life into new life with our Savior, I remembered something that Melissa wrote on this subject. She said, "What a bittersweet process it is to watch someone go. He [God] uses those last hours of suffering to bring you to a point where you long for her to depart and be with the Lord, more than you long to keep her here. It makes the letting go more sweet than bitter, because, though your heart breaks, you ache more for her wholeness than your own." I think that Melissa beautifully captured what it was like for me watching an aunt and a grandmother take those final breaths many years ago. Hearing what the family of Gabby and Christine experienced made me feel that way again.

This however is not the end of the story for Gabby and Christine. In Melissa's blog about her grandmother, she captured it for me when she said, "What a relief it must have been for her to go from this labored, suffering state to her new, glorified body! What a sweet communion she instantly enjoyed, free of not just weakness and pain, but of any memory of it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank You Jesus that Christine and Gabby are safely home with You. Thank You Lord for the new and glorified bodies that You have given them. Thank You also that if we have accepted You that when You return or call us home, that we will be with them again in your presence. Lord, I pray for Comfort for Alex and Little Alex, as well as for the Vogel Family. I lift them in prayer to You, in Your precious and Holy Name.

Amen

Gabby's Fight

2011-09-16T12:06:00.001-04:00

On 9/11/11, Gabriella Martha Vogel went home to be with the Lord after a 3 month struggle with brain cancer. Gabby was just 5 years old. This tribute to her fight leaves me in awe not just of Gabby's bravery, but of the bravery of her parents and sisters.

The Storm

2011-08-31T06:44:00.018-04:00

Local Park

Although there was serious flooding in my home town, we are praising God
that our home was safe and dry. We slept in the basement (if you
can call it sleep) due to tornado warnings. We are praising God also
that although funnel clouds were spotted, nothing touched down in our
area.

Another Local Park

Here are a few pics of my neighborhood. The sign that is almost covered in water is about 6 feet tall..
Below is a pic of our makeshift basement shelter. It would appear
that the week of the earthquake, tornado, and hurricane has made for
some unexpected bed fellows :).

Strange Bedfellows :)

WHAT A WEEK!

2011-08-28T08:50:00.001-04:00

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and Tornadoes!!!! Oh My!!!

More on this topic after I decompress :).

Great Quotes

2011-08-11T06:40:00.002-04:00

I heard a few great quote over the last few days:

- "On the one side love with no obligations. On the other side, religion with an agenda. The difference couldn't be clearer" - Darren Wilson (Finger of God)

- "Religion is what happens when the Spirit has left the building" - Bono

Media Beauty Vs. Natural Beauty

2011-07-28T06:48:00.005-04:00

Today the LA times reports that "the British Advertising Standards Authority has just banned two makeup ads for being misleading because of too much airbrushing. One of the ads, for a new Lancome product called Teint Miracle foundation features Julia Roberts. The other is for a product called The Eraser by Maybelline and features Christy Turlington." The article goes on to say that "when makeup companies use Photoshopped images to sell products that also claim to soften imperfections, well, then things get tricky." Essentially they are calling it false advertisement, and I agree.

When I read this story, I think back to a blog I wrote in 2007 called Distorted Perception. At that time Dove was doing a campaign for real beauty revealing the techniques that the media uses to make natural women reach an unattainable level of beauty by airbrushing imperfections, photoshopping their eyes, elongating their neck, etc. The message that this photoshopped media sends to our world is that you will never be beautiful enough to match up to these standards. It is no wonder why so many women have self esteem issues, because we are comparing ourselves with the unattainable and unnatural.

In my 2007 blog I posted the video from Dove (Reposted below) and asked that folks take a look and see what "Dove has put out there to show you how those models get to look the way they do, and remember, your natural beauty that God gave you is far more desirable than anything that photoshop can do".

If any of this resonates with you, I would encourage you to check out the devotions I posted previously on body image (linked below). They are about 10 minute sound bites packed with great wisdom and encouragement. Also, don't forget to check out the Dove video. It is definitely enlightening.

Body Image: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/body-image.html
Body Image Pt2: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/body-image-part-2.html
Body Image, Our Bodies are Not Our Own: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2011/07/body-image-our-bodies-are-not-our-own.html

The Great Recovery

2011-07-27T07:07:00.001-04:00

The Great Recovery is a grassroots movement spread by people who know the truth. The truth is that the government can’t fix this economy. It’ll be restored one family at a time, as each of us takes a stand to return to God's (and grandma's) way of handling money.

The great recovery of this nation begins with you! For more information and resources on how you can help bring this country back on track — one family, one church, one community at a time; visit TheGreatRecovery.com

What is Google+ (Google Plus) and do I need it?

2011-07-27T06:53:00.000-04:00

This is an amusing video that illustrates the differences between G+ and FB. The end really gives you something to think about though ...

Thankful My Car Died on Sunday!

2011-07-26T06:21:00.006-04:00

I am so thankful that my car battery died on Sunday. Believe it or not, I am not being sarcastic. It delayed our kayaking trip, and was money we didn’t expect to spend … but I am so thankful it happened on Sunday. Here is why.

On Monday, I left for work per usual. Pulled into the parking lot at work and realized that I left my laptop (and cell phone) at home. I drove back home to get my laptop and then realized that I put the house keys in my husband’s glove compartment (So we didn't lose them Kayaking). So, I was locked out of the house and had no cell phone. I then drove back to work to call him to get the address for his office that is an hour away. Thanks to over dependence on technology; I didn’t quite have his cell phone memorized well enough. So I first had to ask a coworker to Google Shane’s parent’s business. So I called them for the correct cell number. Then I got the address and was off. An hour to Shane’s to get the house keys, and then an hour back to get the laptop …..

… As I was driving I was thinking how HORRIBLE it would have been if we didn’t go Kayaking yesterday and discover the dead battery on Sunday. Instead I would have discovered it on Monday when I was locked out of the house without a phone or laptop!!!!!! I had vendors flying in from out of town that afternoon. They would have flown in for nothing while I was stuck in a dead car waiting for my husband to get home at the end of the day with no way to let anyone know what was going on.

In the middle of my little mess, it would have been so easy to forget how big I am blessed.

I am SO THANKFUL my car battery died on Sunday!

Don't Let a Legalist Rule

2011-07-25T06:12:00.001-04:00

We have all met Christian's who struggle with the heart of a pharisee. This is a great devotion about not letting the legalists rule.

... and So Ends an Era

2011-07-21T06:37:00.010-04:00

Today the Space Shuttle Atlantis landed for the last time. For 30 years, the shuttle program has marked my life, beginning when I was just 7 years old and it had an enormous impact on my generation. Today that era has ended.

Thank you to the scientists, engineers, mission control, crews and everyone else who dedicated their lives to the missions of the space shuttles Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. We also remember the fallen Heroes and their families of the shuttles Columbia and Challenger.

My Parent's generation landed on the moon. Mine went into deeper regions of space, established the international space station, and developed telescopes to see beyond. As I look ahead, I wonder what new depths of God's glorious creation my children will have the privilege of seeing.

Without a doubt the universe is spinning and singing for You! Thank you God for letting us go on this journey with You. Not to us, but to Your Name be the Glory!

Body Image: Our Bodies Are Not Our Own

2011-07-17T07:38:00.002-04:00

And so the convictions continue ... Thank you God :)

Father's Love Letter: An Intimate Message From God To You

2011-07-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

My Child,

You may not know me,
but I know everything about you.
Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up.
Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways.
Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.
Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image.
Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being.
Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring.
Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived.
Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation.
Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth
and where you would live.
Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb.
Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born.
Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented
by those who don't know me.
John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry,
but am the complete expression of love.
1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you.
1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child
and I am your Father.
1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.
Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father.
Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand.
James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.
Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love.
Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless
as the sand on the seashore.
Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you.
Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession.
Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you
with all my heart and all my soul.
Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things.
Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart,
you will find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you
the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires.
Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you
than you could possibly imagine.
Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you
in all your troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted,
I am close to you.
Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb,
I have carried you close to my heart.
Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away
every tear from your eyes.
Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain
you have suffered on this earth.
Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you
even as I love my son, Jesus.
John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed.
John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being.
Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you,
not against you.
Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression
of my love for you.
1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved
that I might gain your love.
Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus,
you receive me.
1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you
from my love again.
Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party
heaven has ever seen.
Luke 15:7

I have always been Father,
and will always be Father.
Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…
Will you be my child?
John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you.
Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Father's Love Letter used by permission Father Heart Communications
© 1999-2011 www.FathersLoveLetter.com

A True American Hero!

2011-07-15T06:29:00.023-04:00

Leroy Petry was recently awarded the Medal of Honor and inducted into the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon. This guy was shot in both legs. Shortly there after an enemy grenade landed near him. Already wounded, he picked up the grenade and threw it back. The grenade landed far enough away that it saved his fellow soldiers, but it was still close enough that he lost his hand. He now has this awesome bionic hand!

This is a true American Hero!

Thank you Leroy Petry for your bravery. As he stated on the today show this morning, when he wears the Medal, he is wearing it for all American soldiers who who ever were, are now, and ever will be!

What Happens if We Don't Raise the Debt Ceiling?

2011-07-14T06:23:00.000-04:00

Greece is default on their debt, Italy and Spain are seeking a bail out from the world bank so they don't default, and if we don't raise the debt ceiling (with a recovery plan), we may not have enough money to either pay entitlements (Social Security, medicaid, medicare, food stamps, etc), or pay for defense (Soldier salaries, food for them, ammo, pentagon staff).

The debt ceiling has been raised 74 times since 1962!!!!!!!! Congress has a horrible record of spending more money than they have ... This has been 49 years coming ... :(.

I pray that we figure out the right answer here .. it sort of seems like the lesser of the evils is the decision we are faced with, but I also pray that decision (Whatever it may be) is coupled with a recovery plan to turn our deficit into a surplus. We have done it before, it can be done again ....

Below is an interview with Jay Powell who is a scholar at the Bipartisan policy center. He has done a study on the effects of not raising the debt ceiling so that folks are making an informed decision when they vote. Interesting stuff:

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/12/137799686/what-happens-if-we-dont-make-the-debt-ceiling-deadline#commentBlock

Body Image, Part 2.

2011-07-13T06:40:00.000-04:00

More on Body Image .. I am finding this all very convicting :):

Body Image

2011-07-01T10:02:00.002-04:00

This sure puts body image into perspective :)

The Cry of Our Hearts!

2011-06-30T06:41:00.001-04:00

I heard this great song on the radio yesterday. This has been the cry of my heart and the hearts of everyone I know at some point in their lives. It is heartbreaking and beautiful:

He cries in the corner where nobody sees

He's the kid with the story no one would believe

He prays every night "Dear God won't you please

Could you send someone here who will love me?"

Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me

'Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means

Her office is shrinking a little each day

She's the woman whose husband has run away

She'll go to the gym after working today

Maybe if she was thinner

Then he would've stayed

And she says:

Who will love me for me?

Not for what I have done or what I will become

Who will love me for me?

'Cause nobody has shown me what love what love really means

He's waiting to die as he sits all alone

He's a man in a cell who regrets what he's done

He utters a cry from the depths of his soul

"Oh Lord forgive me I want to go home"

Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside

And it said

"I know you've murdered and I know you've lied

I have watched you suffer all of your life

And now that you'll listen I'll tell you that I..."

I will love you for you

Not for what you have done or what you will become

I will love you for you

I will give you the love

The love that you never knew

Lyrics provided by http://www.kovideo.net/

Source - http://www.kovideo.net/love-me-lyrics-jj-heller-434012.html

Wounded by the Church: When Christians don't act Christian

2011-06-17T07:13:00.012-04:00

This morning when listening to my devotions, Tom Holladay spoke about what to do when Christians don't act like Christians and at the end, when we are wounded by the church.

This was a very well written lesson and just 12 minutes long. Check it out.

Three New Additions to the Family :)

2011-06-09T08:41:00.000-04:00

I have three new cousins!!! Welcome to the world Anthony (April), Avery(May), and AvaMarie (June)!!

Anthony

Avery

Ava Marie

The Enemy Wins Another Captive

2011-05-02T06:07:00.011-04:00

Last night our President announced that the US conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. Immediate celebration erupted across the country, especially at ground zero and in DC.

Speaking as a native New Yorker who toiled on 9/11 and the days after in the NOC helping to restore communication to vital NY and federal agencies, I have mixed emotions about this: … As an American I am sad because I know that this monster has many heads, and taking one doesn’t take the beast. As a Christian, I have a hard time celebrating that the enemy won another captive, that another person rejected salvation, healing and redemption.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not judging if this act was just. Clearly in scripture God has either destroyed evil people Himself, or commissioned His followers to do it. That being said, I can’t help but wonder if this was done at God’s command, or man’s. Looking at King David, God clearly approved of David killing Goliath, but not Uriah. One was God’s Will, the other was Man’s. In the case of Uriah, we know that somehow the end would have eventually been met (Bathsheba marrying David to produce the line of Jesus), but certainly David was not carrying out God's Will when he ordered Uriah's death. Thankfully He turns our failures into Glory. If this military operation was not His will, I just pray that this too will be turned into Glory.

I confess that I do breath a sigh of relief, but I also believe that it is a false sense of security. So, I will respond by pressing deeper into God and reminding myself of His wisdom poured out for us in Proverbs 24:17.

Proverbs 24 (NASB)

¹⁷Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T09:14:00.002-04:00

Every wedding is a royal wedding because we are all children of the King :)

But then came Sunday…

2011-04-22T05:08:00.001-04:00

But then came Sunday…
by Rich Stearns, president, World Vision U.S.

Just a few weeks ago, I walked in those places where Jesus walked in the Holy Land. It dawned on me yet again that Jesus did almost everything differently than conventional wisdom would have dictated. I visited Capernaum and Galilee, where most of His three-year ministry took place — a “hick town” ten days’ journey from Jerusalem. Not the best location to start a movement that would change the world.
I also walked in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed in agony that night — and then on to Jerusalem, where He appeared before Caiaphas and Pilate, and where He was beaten and spit upon. Jesus was no conquering hero in the manner of Caesar or Alexander the Great. And then I followed His footsteps along the Via De la Rosa to Calvary, where He was brutally crucified. Not the best strategy to overthrow Rome and declare your new kingdom.
As a marketer, Jesus didn’t seem to understand “ratings” and size of audience. As a political figure, Jesus had a penchant for telling people what they didn’t want to hear — take up your cross, lay down your life, the first will be last. And as a leader of the Jewish people itching to be freed from Rome’s occupation and oppression, He commanded no army, brandished no weapons, and wielded no force.
Everything He stood for seemed to be lost that Good Friday afternoon as His disciples watched Him suffer and die. Peter denied Him, and the rest scattered. The lofty ideals had been crushed. The movement had failed. End of story.

But then came Easter Sunday…He is risen!
I sometimes feel the work World Vision does around the world is met by human suffering that never ends. Twenty-two thousand kids still die every day, 1 billion go to bed hungry, and more than a third of the planet lives on less than $2 a day.
So we work harder, raise more money, speak up to our government, stand up for justice, sharpen our programs, tell Americans that they can make a difference. What difference can our small actions possibly make? The poor are always with us. End of story.

But then came Easter Sunday…He is risen!
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Easter reminds us that victory can be disguised as defeat. Easter reminds us that every act of kindness done in the name of the Risen One is significant. Easter reminds us Christ is the hope of the world and He will be with us even unto the end of the age.
As you celebrate Easter this week, whatever is going on in your work or in your personal life, do it with the confidence that you serve the One who has overcome the world. He is risen! He is risen indeed! And that makes all the difference.
Read more posts from Rich Stearns.

April's Fool

2011-04-01T08:50:00.000-04:00

Oh mother Nature, you have made us quite the April fool! Now please take your snow back!

Remembering Chris

2011-03-21T19:52:00.007-04:00

My old elementary school friend Chris Gilardi must be on my mind. Last night I dreamed that I was in brooklyn crossing the bridge when I turned a corner and there was a water slide leading into the River. Chris was standing there in a blue surfing shirt and trunks. He was walking perfectly and had full use of both arms. I think he was about to jump into the water slide when he spotted me and asked if I wanted a turn .... that's when I woke up.

I can't believe that on the 29th it will be SEVEN YEARS since his life was taken.

I have had moments today where I was overwhelmed thinking about his mom. She nearly lost him in 6th grade when he was hit by the car and ultimately paralyzed on his left side, then... he was shot and killed at age 30. I just can't imagine her grief. If I am this upset even now, she must be beside herself. I think that I had the dream as a reminder to pray for comfort for his mom. Also, I think it is a reminder to stop mourning the tragedy in his life because his body in heaven is perfect :).

Tonight I was telling my husband about Chris and how he was ALWAYS happy. If the rest of us had it as hard as him I doubt we would be able to live with such joy. I was thinking how that is such a great gift. Shane thought that maybe this was another reason I had the dream, to remember to celebrate life even when it gets hard. Chris was a great example for that :)

I miss you buddy.Thank you for always being an inspiration :)

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2004-03-31/news/18251287_1_cops-disability-silent-alarm

Lent

2011-03-09T17:43:00.034-05:00

I begin the season of lent every year in a Roman Catholic church, the church I was raised in. Normally I go to a modern charismatic evangelical church, but I always felt that lent was a great time of preparation for Easter and renewing your commitment to Christ by self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, sacrifice and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. So, I continue to observe it :).

This blog beautifully captures all of the reasons why I still observe Lent. I just love these two quotes:

“Any special attention to the Lenten season that honors God must include heart-level repentance and real faith, not external obedience to church tradition.”

“You don’t need a special season to do this. But there also is a benefit in setting aside a specific time to focus on these things.”

Thank you Elliott Grudem and Bruce Benedict for posting this. The original post can be found here: http://blog.marshillchurch.org/2011/03/09/why-bother-with-lent/

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Why Bother with Lent?

by Mars Hill Church on Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 3:11 pm

Lent is largely a Catholic tradition. So what value does it have for Evangelical Christians today? The following post addresses the history, themes, and practice of Lent and today, Ash Wednesday, and how it can apply and be beneficial for our faiths.

By Elliot Grudem and Bruce Benedict

The Lenten season often provides Christ’s followers with more confusion than clarity. However, there is benefit to thinking about the themes of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection in preparation for Easter Sunday.
The Lenten season starts today, Ash Wednesday. For many recognizing Lent, that day marks the first day of a 40-day fast from something. The day before Ash Wednesday is known as Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”). Many people have at least a day of feasting before the season of fasting.
In the minds of many, Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street in New Orleans is a great picture of this: Party up to the last minute before the Lenten season starts. Get what you can before you have to give it up. Feast before you have to fast. It’s the reason the celebrations associated with Mardi Gras are often referred to as Carnival (or carnaval)—a word that comes from the Latin for “goodbye meat.”
(In the minds of others, that’s also what makes the Lenten season at best a disappointment and at worst a farce. It seems almost hypocritical to celebrate the Seven Deadly Sins before suppressing them.)

“Our heart should be overwhelmed with a love for Jesus that helps us grow in our distaste for sin.”

ASH WEDNESDAY

The use of ashes in the observance of Ash Wednesday, to start a season of repentance and faith, is rooted in the ancient biblical practice of severe repentance and contrition. You can read about it in Daniel 9:3 or concerning the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:6).
Ash Wednesday provides an opportunity to remember our mortality and to ask God to “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). It is also a time to remember Jesus‟ promise in light of our mortality: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).
We can, as Jesus encouraged Martha to, then reflect on that promise and answer ourselves, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26). If we do believe it, as we consider our weakness and mortality and remember our salvation and the promises it holds, our heart should be overwhelmed with a love for Jesus that helps us grow in our distaste for sin.

“Any special attention to the Lenten season that honors God must include heart-level repentance and real faith, not external obedience to church tradition.”

CONFUSION ABOUT LENT

There is much confusion in the American Evangelical Church regarding Lent. To be sure, the Bible doesn’t require us to recognize seasons like Lent or even Advent. In Romans 14:5, Paul writes that the celebration of holy days is a matter of Christian liberty. Paul continues, “The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord” (Rom. 14:6). Therefore, any recognition of Lent must be done in a way that honors God.
As Jesus made clear when he quoted Isaiah to the Pharisees, external actions void of heartengagement are not honoring to God. Well did Isaiah prophecy of you hypocrites, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
Therefore, any special attention to the Lenten season that honors God must include heart-level repentance and real faith, not external obedience to church tradition. So the Lenten season and its encouragement to take an extended time to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with an opportunity to honor God as well as a temptation toward sin. There can be a real value in marking this season, but only if done with a heart that seeks to honor God.

HISTORY

Lent is one of the liturgical seasons of the church calendar that precedes Easter. The name of this season originates from the Anglo-Saxon lencten meaning “spring.” The origins of Lent are controversial. Traditionally it is understood as an intense season of preparation for “Catechumens” (converts under training) who were preparing to be baptized on Easter.
By the Council of Nicea, A.D. 325, it officially referred to Lent as “forty days” and made it immediately precede Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of Lent, since Sundays are reserved for celebration. The Season of Lent now officially begins with Ash Wednesday because of the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of Christians. This practice is dated back at least from the late-eleventh century.

THEMES

Lent carries in its tide a number of biblical themes, stories, and structures. Again, Lent was a season that the early church used to prepare catechumens—new converts WHO wished to join the church through baptism, which was typically accomplished at Easter. The catechumens were encouraged during the 40 days to engage in regular times of repentance and confession and to seek reconciliation with those whom they had sinned, and been sinned against—the very spiritual disciplines that every Christian should engage in daily. (Matt. 5:24, 2 Cor. 5:18)
Now, you don’t need a special season to do this. But there also is a benefit in setting aside a specific time to focus on these things. Throughout the history of the church, many believers have benefitted from using the Lenten season to do just that.

PRACTICE

The Season of Lent is part of a larger church calendar that includes Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Ordinary time. These are celebrations that have been developed over a long period of time originally in the Catholic Church and have flowed into practice in other denominations (Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian). The practices connected to each season mostly find their roots in observing the life of Jesus as it is portrayed in the gospels. Some of the practices and celebrations may also be connected to ancient pagan celebrations that Christians re-appropriated over time.
Historically, the Reformed tradition has largely discarded the celebration of a complete church calendar because it binds the conscience to follow rules and rituals from man. Nowhere is the church calendar commanded in Scripture. Calvin and others thought it permissible to recognize the chief evangelical feasts of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost but felt that the focus should always be on the proclamation of the whole gospel for the people of God each Sunday.

“You don’t need a special season to do this. But there also is a benefit in setting aside a specific time to focus on these things.”

PREPARATION FOR EASTER
Again, the Lenten season and its encouragement to take an extended time to focus on the death and resurrection of Christ provides us with an opportunity to honor God as we prepare for Easter Sunday.
Now, consider if there might be a better and more beneficial way for you to think about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Elliot Grudem is the network coordinator of Acts 29. He and Bruce Benedict wrote this last year for Christ the King Presbyterian Church, where Grudem was then working. You can read the full paper on the Resurgence.

It is better to be a Mouse than an Elephant

2011-03-02T09:38:00.001-05:00

What a great message from Marlene Nathan!

http://vineyardcolumbus.org/watch-and-listen/the-women-in-jesus-past/lessons-to-be-learned-from-a-scandal-the-life-of-bathsheba/

The Prodigal Cat

2011-01-21T06:10:00.007-05:00

Mystic as Co Pilot

As many know, my husband rescued a cat named Mystic before we were married. Now, for the first time in my life I have a cat. Mystic has adjusted well to a home with a dog and where he has to travel a lot. He actually seems to like the traveling.

Although Mystic may have adjusted well, my dog Rosie and I are still adjusting. Cat behavior is just so different from Dog behavior. So, it is like learning a whole new language for us both. Through the journey of learning to speak cat, God has used this time to teach me some interesting lessons.

Back in March of 2010, I wrote a blog about Rosie and how God used her to teach me about His character. Well, today I write about how God used Mystic to teach me about my own character.

Mystic

Now I know cats have a reputation for being affectionate one minute then swatting at you the next. We all have experienced this with Mystic and it confuses me. I am not quite sure what to do with it. Well, last week the behavior escalated. Shane and I were sitting next to each other in the office and Mystic was on my lap purring and content, or so I thought. In a moments notice he jumped up on the desk, bit my arm, and slinked away. Not a little love bite either, he took a chunk out of me and left me with a bruise that is still healing.

Now, being a dog owner, my instinct was that animals don’t bite owners unless there is a serious psychological/behavioral issue and that animal has got to go. That was when God turned my eyes to Him. I then thought to myself, isn’t this how I treat God? He wants to love me, feed me, provide for me and sometimes I purr and accept it. Other times though I swat him away. When I am really bad my behavior can be biting and hurtful to my master who wants only to love me.

A few years ago, some friends told me about this “Cat and Dog Theology” The premise is that a dog thinks, “You feed me, groom me, and love me. You must be God!” Then the cat thinks, “You feed me, groom me, and love me. I must be God”. The cat in this story sure sounds a lot like the human condition to me :).

I think there is more that God wants to teach me through my pets. I just hope that future lessons are not quite so painful.

Observations from The Crutch

2011-01-18T06:01:00.005-05:00

As many folks know I recently sprained my ankle. I am on crutches and in a boot for a few weeks. My temporary handicap has lead me to quite a few observations. Three of which I will share, and the last one is somewhat disturbing.

The first and obvious is how difficult it is to get around on crutches and having to rely on others for so many little things. Learning to ask for help has been a challenge for me, but I have learned to do it out of necessity. I had one experience at the gas station recently where I really struggled to pump the gas. I looked around at the people in the station and thought how nice it would be for someone to help me. Then I remembered an incident when I was a child and I wanted to help someone in a wheel chair. My companions told me that the person in the wheel chair didn’t want my help, and in fact they wanted to be independent. Now that I was in a similar circumstance, I wondered if that was really true. I also wondered if these people thought the same thing about me. I wanted to yell at the top of my lungs, “ I DON’T WANT TO BE INDEPENDENT, YOU CAN COME HELP ME IF YOU WANT TO”! Maybe next time I will and see what happens :).

I have also learned quite quickly that we are a dangerous people when we are pushing a shopping cart in the supermarket! For my last two shopping trips I had to use the motorized cart that most supermarkets offer (THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT BTW). The carts are the same height as regular shopping carts, but people pushing theirs rarely seem to notice those of us driving ours. I feel like I am playing Frogger as I try to maneuver through the isle just to get a can of tomato sauce. Also, I am surprised how many people avert their eyes when close to making eye contact with me. I guess they hear their moms whispering in the backs of their mind not to stare, so they go polar opposite. On rare occasion some people would go out of their way to speak to me. Usually making comments like, “That looks like fun” or “You are good at maneuvering that”. I think that is really sweet. Especially considering that those same folks probably wouldn’t have said anything to me if I was pushing my cart like they were. I am sure that says something about their character, that they see and encourage folks in need in ways that they might not see and encourage others who are more independent.

My final observation is somewhat disturbing as I mentioned previously. I am honestly surprised how many people see a woman on crutches and make jokes about domestic violence. When my close friends did it, I could see the humor in it. After all, they all know my husband and to think of him as a violent man is completely contrary to his character. In general as Americans we find humor in statements that are contrary to fact, so I didn’t give it a whole lot of thought. What really surprised me though were the fringe friends and especially the complete strangers who made the wise cracks. A good example of this was when I was in a café sitting with my leg elevated and the crutches at my side. A complete stranger walked over, pointed to my husband, turned and looked at me and said, “Maybe next time you will listen to him”, implying that my husband beat me for not listening. In that moment I thought … How is this funny? What if this was true? If I were a battered woman hearing comments from strangers like that, I imagine that it would encourage my husband to beat me and encourage me to submit to the beating. Now, I am sure that man was thinking that it was the furthest thing from the truth, and therefore funny … but he didn’t know me from Adam. Worse yet, he could have been encouraging a dangerous situation without even realizing it.

I guess when domestic violence is no longer in the news, we forget that it is a real threat to families across our communities and right in our own back yard. It happens far too often that people we consider friends and even our own family become victims of domestic violence, and we don’t even realize it. I wonder if I would not have laughed along with that stranger had I myself not had a very close friend suffer the affects of domestic violence without anyone ever knowing it, and another who lost her life to that same atrocity: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-friend-taken-by-domestic-violence.html

Who owns the pond?

2011-01-13T05:27:00.002-05:00

After reading Shane Claiborne's article reposted in my 12/11/10 Blog, I asked for his book, "The Irresistible Revolution" for Christmas. My awesome Mom and Dad in laws got it for my Birthday (Which is shortly after New Years). I am almost half way through and I read something this morning that intrigued me and gave me something to think about.

On page 150, Shane quotes John Perkins on the topic of the old saying, "give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime". Per Shane, John perkins challenges us that "The problem is that nobody is asking who owns the pond". Shane adds, "others must be looking at who owns the pond and who polluted it, for these are also essential questions for survival. We must storm the fence that has been built around the pond and make sure everyone can get to it. For there are enough fish for us all."

Dan Wolley: Miraculous Survival in Haiti

2011-01-12T07:31:00.002-05:00

I heard this Today show interview last year. I love Dan Wolley's telling of his miraculous survival in the rubble of a fallen hotel in Haiti. He recently wrote a book called Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana. I can't wait to read it :).

Last year I posted this other blog about Haitian Miracles.

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Haiti: One Year Later

2011-01-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

My heart cried out for every man, woman, and child caught in the destruction of the Haitian Earthquake. Feeling helpless half way around the world, I am thankful for organizations like World Vision and The Red Cross who already had a presence on the ground and could immediately begin serving. Although we couldn't be there, I am also thankful that by supporting these organizations, we are doing some small part in partnering with them to bring life to this recovering nation.

Below is World Visions update on Haiti one year after the devastation hit. The fact that one year isn't nearly long enough to recover really brings home for me just how devastating this really was and is.
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When the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, at least 220,000 people lost their lives, and millions were displaced from their homes.

World Vision responded within hours. With more than 800 local staff members, 30 years of experience in Haiti, and disaster-relief supplies pre-positioned in the region, World Vision was uniquely prepared to provide immediate relief and assistance.

In the first few days following the earthquake, World Vision provided medical supplies and care to injured children and families in Haiti. And over the past year, more than 1.8 million people have received food, and hundreds of thousands were provided with life-saving supplies, including tarpaulins and tents. World Vision also opened Child-Friendly Spaces in Haiti to help children work through the trauma caused by the earthquake and began providing transitional shelters to families who had lost their homes.
Thanks to the support of generous donors, quake-affected families are beginning to recover and rebuild. World Vision will continue to remain active in Haiti for years to come, equipping families to create a better future for themselves and their children.

One-Year Haiti highlights

With support from generous partners like you, World Vision accomplished the following on behalf of Haiti’s most vulnerable survivors in the critical first year following the earthquake:

Child protection

Established 22 Child-Friendly Spaces that regularly provide more than 5,600 children in Haiti with a safe place to learn and play
Identified more than 1,700 children who were separated from their families during the Haiti earthquake, providing them with care while working to reunite them with surviving relatives
Reunited nearly 700 separated children with family members

Shelter

Provided more than 113,400 tarpaulins and nearly 7,500 tents to tens of thousands of quake-affected families
Constructed more than 620 transitional shelters in the camps at La Gonave and Corail

Health and nutrition

Provided basic care items to more than 350,000 people
Supported 14 public and private hospitals in Haiti with urgently needed medical supplies
Established an initial 17 health clinics to serve displacement camps in Haiti
Responded to more than 54,000 visits to health centers, providing critical health, hygiene, and nutrition services

Food security

Distributed emergency food to more than 229,700 households in the first three months following the quake, and continued to monitor the nutritional status of vulnerable Haitians
Operated cash-for-work programs that provided more than 14,700 Haitians with income-generating opportunities

Water, sanitation, and hygiene

Provided 190 million liters of clean drinking water to more than 132,000 people in 40 locations across Port-au-Prince
Constructed more than 700 latrines and nearly 600 showers for earthquake-affected Haitians living in camps

New Years Blessing

2011-01-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

“The LORD bless you
   and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you
   and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
   and give you peace.”

- Numbers 6:24-26

Most Read Blogs in 2010

2010-12-31T23:59:00.004-05:00

According to Google analytics, here are my top blog entries that folks have come back to read. What is interesting is that only 3 were written in 2010. Also, I moved my blogs here in 2009, and already 3100 hits. Thank you for reading, and more importantly, thank you for your kind words of encouragement and loving convictions.

I love that Shari Pynchon was #1. She was and is such a beautiful soul :). The fact that this blog got the most reads, tells me that so many of you also love and miss her. I am thankful that we will see her again on the other side :):

1) Shari Pynchon: An old friend taken by domestic violence: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-friend-taken-by-domestic-violence.html

2) Gram: Angels come in many forms: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2007/10/angels-come-in-many-forms.html

3) Andrew: Marriage from a 3 year old's point of view: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/10/marriage-from-three-year-olds-point-of.html

4) Snow: Shoveling Mercies: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010/02/shoveling-mercy.html

5) Gas: Getting to the next station: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/11/getting-to-next-station.html

6) Lind Squire: The mission field is wherever you are: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010/07/mission-field-is-wherever-you-are.html

7) Us: A testimony of God's provision: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/09/testimony-of-gods-provision.html

8) Our engagement: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/10/shanes-testimonyour-engagement.html

9) Why do we fail: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-do-we-fail.html

10) Lisa, walking on water: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/12/walking-on-water.html

11) I am including #11 because this issue really touched me: Becoming a revolution: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2010/06/becoming-revolution.html

In Quest of the “New” Radical Middle

2010-12-16T06:03:00.000-05:00

In Quest of the “New” Radical Middle

This is VERY insightful, and fits in nicely with the article from Shane Claiborne that I recently posted:

In Quest of the “New” Radical Middle

Posted by admin in Position papers | Tags :Boise Vineyard, John Wimber, Tri Robinson, Vineyard Churches | No Comments

At a Vineyard leadership conference held at the Anaheim Vineyard in the late 90s Todd Hunter (acting as our new AVC National Director) shared his perspective concerning John Wimber’s greatest contribution to the Body of Christ and the distinction that made the Vineyard unique to other Christian movements around the world. Todd put words to something we as leaders all innately knew. John had married the best of Evangelicalism with the best of Pentecostalism and presented it to the world as the new norm. Through John’s amazing ability to tell stories and communicate logical ideology he convinced thousands that “Spirit-filled Evangelicalism” (as Rich Nathan later put it) was the most effective form of Christianity. In its time, that concept seemed novel—even radical because it challenged people who were stuck in two opposing theological camps to see the virtue in both views. Later, Bill Jackson wrote the book, The Quest for the Radical Middle, which chronicled our history as a movement and illuminated the trials and tribulations as we endeavored to achieve this distinctive. (That is, holding two seemingly paradoxical Biblical views in tension.) John’s accomplishment was without question profound and will forever be a story worth telling, but what was once radical is no longer. Like Vineyard worship (which also had its day of unique, cutting edge distinctiveness), being a Spirit-filled Evangelical is no longer radical, but widely accepted. Those who are still on the “quest” believing that being Spirit-filled and believing in sound Kingdom theology is radical are falling behind the curve. For those of us who have participated in the Vineyard for a season of time, these issues should be a matter of elementary discipleship. The radical middle has now moved.
The Vineyard’s original quest for the radical middle was discovered between two ideological practices of the church, but the new middle will not be discovered within the safety of the Body itself, but somewhere outside between the authentic, functional church and a rapidly mutating secular world. It is a place unlike any that previous traditional efforts of evangelism have taken us. Getting there will require the courage to be seriously misunderstood and a willingness to embrace a new form of criticism and painful persecution.
Like the old Star Trek series, discovering this new middle ground will require going “where no man has gone before.” It will require diving into a few black holes that some will never return from, and although some may dabble in the discovery, only a few courageous pioneers will initially get there mapping its route for those who will wait in the safety of more familiar ground. There will be casualties of the faith as is expected in these sorts of quests. Many theorists will endlessly discuss where this new ground is and how it might be reached, but only a few bold practitioners will be willing to actually step out and chance the journey. Truth be told, not everyone (even within the Vineyard) is equipped to even take the initial journey. There are prerequisites.
In Mark 1 the story is told of Jesus healing a man with leprosy. (40-45) Moved by compassion, Jesus transformed the man’s life and then strongly exhorted him saying, “See that you don’t tell this to anyone.” He directed the man to “show himself” to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for his cleansing, as a testimony. Instead the healed man went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news everywhere. There is much to be discovered in this short account, but two things stand out to me. The first is that Jesus exhorted the man not to talk, but to “show himself.” And second, Jesus told him to go to the temple and through the proper channels of being certified as a cleansed citizen before independently and prematurely announcing himself as being clean. As we know, the man’s zealous enthusiasm got the best of him and he went to the world telling his story to everyone.
What stands out in this account is this: Jesus sternly told the man not to talk but rather to show himself. I believe that our effectiveness will not come through words like they once did, but only by showing ourselves. In today’s world there is already too much talk; so much so that words have lost impact. Eloquence might raise a crowd, but true life change is the only thing that will have a lasting impact in the world we live in today. Even within the church, the time for too much talk is over. Those in search of this new radical middle must have already experienced the transforming power of the Holy Spirit rather than still engaging in the discussion of its legitimacy in Christian practice. That conversation should be long over by now. It should be obvious to anyone who is going to reach this out of control world that that the job can’t be done without the empowering presence of the Spirit leading the way.
In the same way, the “now and the not yet” of the kingdom is also a conversation left to those who are still trying to discover the old radical middle. Kingdom theology is mainstream for those who are going to be effective in this new quest. That conversation should be happening in basic discipleship classes, not among leaders and pastors who are gearing up to transform communities. By now these issues should be, as it says in Hebrews 5, “the elementary truths of God’s word.” Now it is time to “show ourselves,” not sit around and discuss what should be already resolved theological views. Now is the time to take the old radical middle and use it for the sake of the new one. This is “taking the best and going.” It is only our actions (based on these resolved truths) and the lasting transformation of our lives that can speak for us now.
The other key point I noticed in the story of the healed leper is the importance of the church. Jesus told the man to go first to the priest. By going through the ceremony of purification the man would have been given a certified bill of health by the authority of the priest. This simple act would give the man legitimacy to speak with authority and endorsement. This is one of the roles of church fellowship—to validate those who have experienced authentic transformation.
I don’t pretend to know exactly where this new radical middle is, but like many Vineyard pastors who have been searching for it, I have discovered a few things I believe to be characteristic of it. Here are five things I know to be true.
1. The new radical middle will not be reached through outspoken political bias.
Our message must be clear that Jesus didn’t come for just the conservative right, but for all of humanity. For the church to draw lines and make enemies of the liberal left is to outwardly reject the heart and commission of God to reach all ethnos. The camp we choose to pitch our tent in must not be based on politics, but rather on biblical truth wherever we find it. Personally I see myself as very conservative in terms of the values I hold dear, but I work hard to promote my values from a biblical worldview rather than a political one. Families have left our church because of my outspoken passion for environmental stewardship and biblical justice. Sadly, they have missed my heart motives because of preconceived ideas as to what are liberal agendas. As hard as I labor at communicating the idea that biblical justice is, in fact, the ministry of Jesus and that a damaged environment will ultimately destroy humanity (especially the poor), many well-meaning and good Christian people have become programmed to understand that the issue of the sanctity of life only pertains to the unborn. Too many Christians today are setting their moral compasses more by talk radio and television commentators than on sound, biblical truth. To entrench ourselves in these very polarizing camps, even if we share many of their views and values, may disqualify us from reaching the broken world we are called to. Interestingly the May, 2010 issue of Charisma Magazine was focused on this need to meet the cultural shift. In an article written by Brian Sahnd, End of the Line, he writes about God shifting the church from one seasonal platform to another. In the article he addresses many of these issues.
“Have we embraced, due to our frightened response to uncertainty and shifting culture, an angry “Ann Coulter Christianity” and made apostles of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity without recognizing they are simply entertainers and profiteers in America’s culture war? If so, we had better disembark the protest train before we are marginalized into complete irrelevance.
Now that we are a full decade into the third Christian millennium, it’s time to take stock of a movement that in Western culture isn’t moving forward much anymore. How then have American evangelicals come to be identified?
Largely by our protests and our politics. We are mostly known for what we are against and what political positions we hold. We have unwittingly allowed our movement to be defined in the negative and to be co-opted as a useful tool in the cynical world of partisan politics.”[1]
2. Life actions are the new statement of faith.
Not long ago we invited Robbie Dawkins, a Vineyard pastor from the Great lakes Region, to minister in our church. He had been recommended to me by a number of pastor friends whose opinion I valued. They assured me that he would be a person who could reinvigorate the spiritual gifts in our people. Robbie was a breath of fresh air for sure. He is one of the first guys I’ve met that functionally demonstrates in a very real way the ministry of the Holy Spirit working in the streets, especially among the downtrodden. Although he is a wonderful teacher and a gifted story teller, it was actually his compassion and effective ministry among the folks we met on the streets that won my heart. For years we have believed as John Wimber always told us that “the meat is in the street.” Robbie had a way of challenging us to get out of the church meeting hall, to go beyond the walls of the church to reach out to those in need. Many of our young people “caught” what he was saying and have been doing it ever since his visit.
This is a matter of “showing ourselves” vs. going and telling as is exemplified when Jesus exhorted the leper to do just that in Mark 1. To reach this new radical middle it will be through radicalized kingdom living that truly expresses the kingdom message. There must be no conflict between what we profess to be true and what is demonstrated though our behavior, attitude and actions. This new evangelism will not come easy, but rather through long-term consistency of selflessness, servant-hood, lifestyle and relationship. The era of passing out evangelism tracks is long gone; now it is our track record that counts and the world is watching.
When Jesus told the leper to show himself to the priest and undergo the cleansing ritual of Moses he wanted to validate that the healing transformation of the man was authentic and real. His ministry will never be based on hype or invalidated claims, but real and lasting change which takes us to the next point.
3. The new radical middle will come out of “communitas” not just community.
Communitas is a latin word loosely translated as a community that rolls up its sleeves together to work for a common cause. It is what authentic Christian fellowship is meant to be. It is community with a defined missional vision. It is a community that clearly exists to impact and change the world. It is a community that incorporates the value, passion and practice of Biblical discipleship. It is not focused on building a big church, but on building and growing a mature people. In the context of doing so however many churches will naturally grow in number, yet not for the sole sake of numerical growth. Radical middle churches are churches that spend every day of the week walking their people from the place of new birth in Christ to mature missional kingdom living. Like in the case of the man Jesus told to show himself in the temple, the church will become the place of validation and endorsement. It will be the place to unclothe the leper for the sake of exposing true character and change. It will not be a place to hide but rather a place of transparency and accountability. It will be the place of true ongoing transformation and spiritual growth. As in the case of leprosy, our unclean wounds can be covered up and overlooked. But the church of the radical middle will be a church that is all about doing life-changing work and not sending unsanctified lepers prematurely into society. How often have we prematurely sent people too soon? Leaders with hidden sin, unhealthy marriages or non-kingdom agendas will eventually become exposed in the context of ministry. Before the leper is sent to “tell” he must first show himself over the course of time in the temple so that his sin will not infect others. Communitas is crucial for this reason because it demands transparency and authenticity.
Discipleship must become more than a religious word if we are going to be effective in this new hour. Hypocrisy just won’t work. The old bumper sticker that used to boast, “I’m not perfect – just forgiven” won’t cut it in the world we are now being sent into. With broken promises the norm in our culture today, people are unimpressed and mistrust our words and empty credo slogans. Our track record as the church of America has caused us to lose credibility that must now be reclaimed one person at a time. Our beliefs must become believable among those we are called to reach. This requires authentically transformed and transparent people who are committed to long term consistency and the demonstration of our lives together.
4. Leaders who hope to connect with the fast-moving culture must lead the duck.
Two new internet dating services have recently come into the forefront of the news. One of these popular new services is dedicated to hooking up married people for one night affairs. Their television ad begins with a steamy bedroom scene with words superimposed over the image saying, “These two people are married – but not to each other.” Information to connect to their website then follows. The second is a site now popularly known as Beautiful People.com. This site has high requirements based on physical attributes for people to qualify and participate. It boasts that those who qualify as being “beautiful people” no longer have to fish through long lists of ugly people to hook up. CNN recently reported that this new site, which is rapidly growing in popularity, is now endeavoring to establish a sperm bank for qualified customers so that they can be assured of delivering beautiful babies.
How can this be happening? This is not only shocking and unbelievable that such things should exist in American culture but it is also downright scary. What is truly frightening is the fact that this is becoming the norm or what some are calling the “new normal.”
As politically incorrect as it might seem, I’d like to talk about shooting ducks. It is a seasonal sport that is widely accepted here in Idaho. Those who have participated in this pastime know that in order to hit a moving duck with a shotgun you have to aim way out in front of it. It you aim directly at one of these fast flying birds you will miss it every time. The faster the duck is flying the further out in front of it you must aim. Much like passing a football to a running receiver, shooting ducks on the fly is more of a feel or an art than a static well thought-out movement. Some people are better at it than others. In any case it takes experience and practice to become proficient.
Effective ministry in today’s culture is much the same. Things are moving so quickly in our present day culture that most well-meaning leaders are shooting way behind the duck. To hit the duck you have to estimate where it will be tomorrow not today. Earlier in this paper I said that a prerequisite for finding the “new radical middle” would be to have long term competence in the old one. That means not only being solid in kingdom theology (willing to live and operate in the “now and not yet” of the kingdom), but being filled to overflowing with the Spirit. Leading the duck I am talking about will require mature and refined gifts of discernment and prophecy. If our leadership in the church is to be impacting it must be ready to lead the cultural duck. I have personally experienced this, and also have the war wounds that attest to the fact that doing this is not for the faint of heart. Having pulled the trigger more than once after aiming ahead of the duck, it has caused me great pain.
After writing Saving God’s Green Earth I immediately became an enemy of both the conservative church and the liberal, unchurched world. Criticized by many in the church and called a liberal, I was perceived by the liberal world to be another self righteous evangelical with a new gimmick. In both situations I found myself being held in deep suspect. Honestly it was a very lonely and insecure place to be at that time. With my next book, Small Footprint, Big Handprint: How to Live Simply and Love Extravagantly I had a similar thing happen. This book challenged Christians in America to downsize their lives so that they would be in a position to upsize their effectiveness on the world in preparation for harder times. At that time the economy was booming and unemployment was not at record numbers. I did receive some unfavorable reviews from those who felt I was overreacting, calling people to an extreme lifestyle while being critical of those who were prosperous.
I believe the book provided a timely message and for many it was not only helpful but impacting in light of the economic times to come. We not only applied these simple principles in our personal lives but in the operation of the church as well. This has allowed us to continue to be positioned and equipped to help thousands of hurting folks. While Idaho has been one of the hardest hit states in terms of unemployment, we have been able to keep our entire staff while still carrying on effectively in our many areas of ministry. God had given us insight for what was to come and as a church leadership we acted upon it. But at the time the book was published, I was considered by many to be an extremist and radical.
Finding the new radical middle will require leaders who are not afraid to go up against status quo worldviews. It will require those who are willing to push the envelope when necessary. They will be those who are ready to not only take aim in front of the duck, but are ready to pull the trigger as well.
5. Fearless participation in the missional ministry of Jesus is the new radical middle.
Kingdom theology demands all out kingdom ministry. Kingdom living is in itself extremely radical. The New Testament told the story of twelve Apostles who gave their lives literally for the cause of the kingdom. The only exception was the Apostle John who lived a full natural life only after being exiled to a lonely island. Kingdom living requires not only proclamation, but demonstration and all out participation. We are not only called to proclaim the truth that is in Jesus, but to passionately do it. What he did and now instructs us to do is, in fact, radical—it breaks every norm of status quo living. Jesus initiated a new world view that was backwards and upside down to what seems natural. In his kingdom the greatest is the least, the first is the last, the greatest is a servant and men are called to love and forgive their enemies. It all sounds easy in a benign Bible study, but to actually practice this kind of living goes against everything the world values and endorses. Trying to live like this can be brutal. It is one thing to pray for the sick and downtrodden, but to get into their lives and show long term compassion and sincere mercy is another story altogether. It may require a total life change for most of our people.
In light of this I believe churches that want to discover the place of the new radical middle must pursue the following key points.

Accept the messianic job description of Isaiah 61 as Jesus stated it in Luke, chapter 4. We must not only do this through prayer, but through the physical response of hands-on ministry. We must do those things that Jesus exhorted us to do in Matthew 25.
Become proficient at helping our people discover God’s good, pleasing and perfect will for their lives and help them find their place of ministry in the world. (Romans 12:1-3) Facilitate helping our people to understand that they are saved by grace through faith and that they are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:5-10) We must help them understand that they were created for a divine purpose with special gifts and abilities that are unique only to them. God desires that they not only know they are loved by him but that he has significant things for them to do with the life he has given them.
Pursue unity not conformity. We must celebrate the uniqueness and diversity among us and never persecute or marginalize it. We cannot push people out because they have different ways of expressing the ministry of the Kingdom. Because we have been a people of the middle ground between Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism it is natural that the Vineyard will be diverse in practice. We need to let people be who they are in this matter. Not only that but we must not demonize parachurch efforts, or any other group that recognizes Jesus as Lord.
Be organic in nature. Because the cultural duck we are aiming at is moving fast we must be in a position to shoot spontaneously and without undo restriction. In this way we need organization that is functional for relationship, training and collaboration, but not so centralized and structured that the guns we shoot have a safety on that is too difficult to release.
Develop disciples willing to go to every ethnos, either locally or abroad. The spirit of radical missionality must become a natural part of our DNA, especially in our younger generations.
Reignite a youthful spirit in our churches by empowering and placing fresh, young and energetic leaders in key and significant positions, even on a national level. We must not grow old as a movement but be willing to hand the baton without fear to the emerging generation. We must allow them to make the same mistakes that we did when our movement first began.

Live in such a way that our lifestyle reflects sound Biblical doctrine while being continually filled with the Holy Spirit for a time such as this.

[1] Charisma, May, 2010, page 45. Link to article: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/charisma-channels/758/28347#ixzz0uzGmBtS4

Words of Wisdom from Shane Claiborne

2010-12-11T18:23:00.001-05:00

My Friend Amy reposted this on her blog. It was so good, I needed to repost on mine:

What if Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

http://www.esquire.com/features/best-and-brightest-2009/shane-claiborne-1209

This radical Christian's ministry for the poor, The Simple Way, has gotten him in some trouble with his fellow Evangelicals. We asked him to address those who don't believe.

By Shane Claiborne

[more from this author]

The Simple Way

To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.
Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God.
The other night I headed into downtown Philly for a stroll with some friends from out of town. We walked down to Penn's Landing along the river, where there are street performers, artists, musicians. We passed a great magician who did some pretty sweet tricks like pour change out of his iPhone, and then there was a preacher. He wasn't quite as captivating as the magician. He stood on a box, yelling into a microphone, and beside him was a coffin with a fake dead body inside. He talked about how we are all going to die and go to hell if we don't know Jesus.
Some folks snickered. Some told him to shut the hell up. A couple of teenagers tried to steal the dead body in the coffin. All I could do was think to myself, I want to jump up on a box beside him and yell at the top of my lungs, "God is not a monster." Maybe next time I will.
The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination. But over the past few decades our Christianity, at least here in the United States, has become less and less fascinating. We have given the atheists less and less to disbelieve. And the sort of Christianity many of us have seen on TV and heard on the radio looks less and less like Jesus.
At one point Gandhi was asked if he was a Christian, and he said, essentially, "I sure love Jesus, but the Christians seem so unlike their Christ." A recent study showed that the top three perceptions of Christians in the U. S. among young non-Christians are that Christians are 1) antigay, 2) judgmental, and 3) hypocritical. So what we have here is a bit of an image crisis, and much of that reputation is well deserved. That's the ugly stuff. And that's why I begin by saying that I'm sorry.
Now for the good news.
I want to invite you to consider that maybe the televangelists and street preachers are wrong — and that God really is love. Maybe the fruits of the Spirit really are beautiful things like peace, patience, kindness, joy, love, goodness, and not the ugly things that have come to characterize religion, or politics, for that matter. (If there is anything I have learned from liberals and conservatives, it's that you can have great answers and still be mean... and that just as important as being right is being nice.)
The Bible that I read says that God did not send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it... it was because "God so loved the world." That is the God I know, and I long for others to know. I did not choose to devote my life to Jesus because I was scared to death of hell or because I wanted crowns in heaven... but because he is good. For those of you who are on a sincere spiritual journey, I hope that you do not reject Christ because of Christians. We have always been a messed-up bunch, and somehow God has survived the embarrassing things we do in His name. At the core of our "Gospel" is the message that Jesus came "not [for] the healthy... but the sick." And if you choose Jesus, may it not be simply because of a fear of hell or hope for mansions in heaven.
Don't get me wrong, I still believe in the afterlife, but too often all the church has done is promise the world that there is life after death and use it as a ticket to ignore the hells around us. I am convinced that the Christian Gospel has as much to do with this life as the next, and that the message of that Gospel is not just about going up when we die but about bringing God's Kingdom down. It was Jesus who taught us to pray that God's will be done "on earth as it is in heaven." On earth.
One of Jesus' most scandalous stories is the story of the Good Samaritan. As sentimental as we may have made it, the original story was about a man who gets beat up and left on the side of the road. A priest passes by. A Levite, the quintessential religious guy, also passes by on the other side (perhaps late for a meeting at church). And then comes the Samaritan... you can almost imagine a snicker in the Jewish crowd. Jews did not talk to Samaritans, or even walk through Samaria. But the Samaritan stops and takes care of the guy in the ditch and is lifted up as the hero of the story. I'm sure some of the listeners were ticked. According to the religious elite, Samaritans did not keep the right rules, and they did not have sound doctrine... but Jesus shows that true faith has to work itself out in a way that is Good News to the most bruised and broken person lying in the ditch.
It is so simple, but the pious forget this lesson constantly. God may indeed be evident in a priest, but God is just as likely to be at work through a Samaritan or a prostitute. In fact the Scripture is brimful of God using folks like a lying prostitute named Rahab, an adulterous king named David... at one point God even speaks to a guy named Balaam through his donkey. Some say God spoke to Balaam through his ass and has been speaking through asses ever since. So if God should choose to use us, then we should be grateful but not think too highly of ourselves. And if upon meeting someone we think God could never use, we should think again.
After all, Jesus says to the religious elite who looked down on everybody else: "The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom ahead of you." And we wonder what got him killed?
I have a friend in the UK who talks about "dirty theology" — that we have a God who is always using dirt to bring life and healing and redemption, a God who shows up in the most unlikely and scandalous ways. After all, the whole story begins with God reaching down from heaven, picking up some dirt, and breathing life into it. At one point, Jesus takes some mud, spits in it, and wipes it on a blind man's eyes to heal him. (The priests and producers of anointing oil were not happy that day.)
In fact, the entire story of Jesus is about a God who did not just want to stay "out there" but who moves into the neighborhood, a neighborhood where folks said, "Nothing good could come." It is this Jesus who was accused of being a glutton and drunkard and rabble-rouser for hanging out with all of society's rejects, and who died on the imperial cross of Rome reserved for bandits and failed messiahs. This is why the triumph over the cross was a triumph over everything ugly we do to ourselves and to others. It is the final promise that love wins.
It is this Jesus who was born in a stank manger in the middle of a genocide. That is the God that we are just as likely to find in the streets as in the sanctuary, who can redeem revolutionaries and tax collectors, the oppressed and the oppressors... a God who is saving some of us from the ghettos of poverty, and some of us from the ghettos of wealth.
In closing, to those who have closed the door on religion — I was recently asked by a non-Christian friend if I thought he was going to hell. I said, "I hope not. It will be hard to enjoy heaven without you." If those of us who believe in God do not believe God's grace is big enough to save the whole world... well, we should at least pray that it is.

Your brother,
Shane

Wisdom and Inspiration

2010-11-29T06:22:00.010-05:00

While driving home from Thanksgiving in NY, my mind drifted to a story someone on my worship team told me about George Washington Carver and how he invented many uses for peanuts and attributed his success to God. So, that inspired me to research it on my husbands iphone. What I found was most inspiring and had me awestruck. All of the non Christian pages had a list of his accolades, but the Christian pages talked about how GWC asked God to give him this wisdom, and spoke of his interactions with God.

George Washington Carver C.1910

Here is an excerpt from the blog of Pastor Carrie Scheller from Trinity Lutheran's blog entitled "Peanuts and Wisdom"

"“God’s little workshop” was the name George Washington Carver gave his laboratory. It was there that the famous scientist asked in prayer to discover the uses of what was then a lowly, unesteemed crop—peanuts.

“Dear Mr. Creator,” the humble man began, “please tell me what the universe was made for.”

“Ask for something more in keeping with that little mind of yours,” God answered.

So Carver tried again. “Dear Mr. Creator, what was man made for?”

Again the Lord replied, “Little man, you ask too much. Cut down the extent of your request and improve the intent.”

So the scientist tried once more. “Then, Mr. Creator, will you tell me why the peanut was made?”

“That’s better,” the Lord said, and from that day on Carver began to discover more than 300 uses for the lowly peanut!"

Carver who was born a slave, reputedly discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes (a biofuel), ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powderand wood stain. Three patents (one for cosmetics; patent number 1,522,176, and two for paints and stains; patent numbers 1,541,478 and 1,632,365) were issued to George Washington Carver in the years 1925 to 1927;

GWC in his Laboratory

I should add that GWC was a true servant of the Lord. He made little money off of his inventions because he didn't think it appropriate to make money off of something that God gave him so freely. Instead he used this information to help better the lives of former slaves and helping them find more ways to be successful farmers and more uses for their fields other than growing cotton.

There are two things about Mr. Carver's story is that I find most amazing.

1) The things that God revealed to him just about a peanut seem so massive. If this is just a spec of God's wisdom, then I am completely floored and unable to begin to fathom a fraction more of it!

2) GWC approached God as a humble servant and asked God to give him wisdom, and HE does! Although I am blown away at the measure of wisdom given to Mr. Carver, when I think back to scripture, isn't this what God promises us?

James1: 5-8 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. ⁶But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.⁷That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

This has given me much to reflect on, and the ways in which I lack wisdom and need God's wisdom. I echo Pastor Scheller's closing remarks in her blog when she says, "I wonder what God will give us if we ask for a hearing heart today. If you need wisdom, ask him, and he will gladly give it to you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Father, thank you for the inspiration you have given us through George Washington Carver. Thank you also that you promise that when we ask for wisdom in belief that you will provide, that you honor that and it will be given. So, Father I ask you for wisdom today. Specifically for wisdom in the work place. Lord open up my mind to understand all aspects of my work, and all aspects of how you want me to interact with coworkers both near and far.

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Thankful for a Wonderful Weekend with Family :)

2010-11-28T08:37:00.002-05:00

God is Not a White Man ... Just in case you were wondering :)

2010-11-19T06:07:00.001-05:00

This video is too cute :)

Gazelle Intensity when Murphy Comes to Visit

2010-11-18T06:04:00.006-05:00

As many of our closest friends and family know, we have put ourselves on a plan to get out of debt in 5 years. That means all of our consumer credit, Student Loans, and the 2nd mortgage on the house. This is no easy task. When we married in April, we both brought considerable debt into the marriage and I am thankful that we are both in agreement to end our slavery to debt now.

As part of our marriage prep, I read the Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. It took all of the budgeting principles that I already knew, and arranged them into a process that gave us the intensity of a gazelle to pay off debt in a hurry. To date, we have paid off 3 of our 5 consumer debts in just 7 months of marriage!!!!! They only reason that we have been this successful is because we are in agreement with God's plan to be good stewards of His money, and He has given us amazing grace!

This most recent debt pay off was a big one for us and God's timing is perfect! We were able to get the debt paid off 7 months early thanks to God's provision. The same month that we paid it off, Murphy came to visit. You know Murphy ... the one the law was written about. "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong". So, Murphy decided that my house in Atlanta which is currently being rented to cover the mortgage there could become vacant at any time, and was out to prove it. Last Saturday my tenant called that he would be out by the end of the month. AHHHHHH!!!!

So, the old me would have panicked and freaked and complained how this is "just my luck", "right in time for the Holidays", but the me of today felt so blessed! God knew this was going to happen. This was why He gave me the desire to pay off that last debt early. You see, if we didn't pay that debt off we would not have been able to make the minimum payment on that debt while still making the house payment on the house in Atlanta, plus all the other bills. Because we have that debt paid off, not only can we make all of our bills, but we have some extra to keep our debt snowball rolling. Albeit at a much slower pace, but rolling none the less!

God's provision is amazing!!!!

So, the debt snowball is temporarily paused while we make plans to get to Atlanta to paint and clean the house, and the search is on for a new tenant. God's plans are way better than mine, so I am sure that He will provide in that area too! I have already posted the listing on AJC and Craig's list, and I am amazed that I have gotten about 10 responses to the add in just 12 hours! God is so good!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you Lord that you always provide a way. Thank you also Lord that your ways are higher than my ways, and that you break my plans and replace them with yours which are SO much better than mine! Father I just ask for your wisdom as I interview new tenants. Lord, please bring me the right person who you want to see live there. I just ask that you make that person very clear and undeniable. -Amen!

20 Year High School Reunion In Just 2 Years!

2010-10-29T06:09:00.006-04:00

This morning a friend asked if we could start planning the 20 year reunion now since so many of us are out of state. So, I went the the Alumni Facebook page for our year to send a shout out to ask folks to start inviting 92 alumni to join the page, putting feelers out to see who might be interested in planning it.

It all got me thinking ..... It will be almost TWENTY YEARS!!!! Where does the time go. I does not feel that long!

SO, If you graduated from Sachem in the class of 1992, please catch us on Facebook and we hope to see you at the 20 year reunion!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101413077046

There is also a blog for reunion planning: http://sachem92.blogspot.com/

PS. My Favorite response to the email came from my friend Linda who thought about how our 20 year reunion will be in 2012 and said, "Funny that it would coincide with that whole Mayan apocalypse thing." ... now that's classic :)

What Drummers Do When No One is Looking

2010-10-26T19:14:00.000-04:00

SO, on Saturday I heard Shane banging away in the basement on his Electronic drum kit. So, I went down to give a listen and when I peaked my head around the corner I saw this amazing scene. He had set up some of his stage lighting and was playing to a program that turned his kit into a one man band. He just looked so cute playing that I had to run and grab the camera. The first is him playing to the program, and the second is a compilation of him and his K9 fan Rosie :). She was so cute just wanting to be near him while he played :).

The Bullying Crisis :(

2010-10-20T06:00:00.006-04:00

Over the last few weeks my heart has been heavy dwelling on the bully epidemic in America. Sure, we have all been bullied and teased in our youth. On some level, that prepared us for adulthood and taught us skills to deal with confrontation. Lately however, Bullying seems to have been taken to a new and disturbing level. It is no longer stopping at the elementary school play grounds. It is growing rapidly well into high school, its being taken to college campuses and neighborhoods across America ... not just by teenagers, but by adult bullies as well ... who don't even stop at the point of death!

Tyler Clemente

Please watch both of the videos below for a small sample of the epidemic that is gripping our nation. The fist is a message from the Ellen Degeneres Show. Here Ellen talks about 1 college student and 3 high school kids ranging from the ages of 13 and 18 who were bullied and harassed for being gay. The bullying got to the point where these boys thought that suicide was the only way out. Each one of them have taken their own lives! I can not echo Ellen's sentiments enough, growing up and figuring out who you are is hard enough without someone attacking you!!!!

It makes me so sad that a nation that is built on diversity continues to breed generations who hate those who are unlike themselves. The stories that are mentioned in the clip below are just 4 of thousands of untold stories.

Kathleen Edward

The Issue of bullying doesn't just stop though at the ignorance of others who lash out in hate against those they perceive as different. I am further sickened how people lash out in hate for the sake of hate! Below is another news clip telling us about Kathleen Edward who is a seven year old girl who is being bullied by her adult neighbors! Kathleen is dying of Huntington's disease. The neighbors have posted Kathleen's picture on facebook as a skull and cross bones. Kathleen's mother also had the same disease and died recently. The same neighbors have her mothers picture on facebook in the arms of the grim reaper. In the clip below reporters asked why they are doing this. The wife said "Personal Satisfaction" "Because it burns her ass". I simply can not express how heart sick I am about this!

I don't understand any of it and I don't know where to begin putting an end to it. That being said, I am not sure that we will ever fully understand what drives some of us to be so callous in over the top ways. If I feel this helpless, then you can be sure that the victims of the bullies feel infinitely more helpless. When I look around to find some inspiration in this moment my mind drifts to David. David is the quintessential figure of a relatively small boy whose bully was a military trained warrior the size of a giant. The Giant's name was Goliath, and he was the champion of the philistine Army. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels ; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us" (1Samuel17:4b-11).

This standoff between Goliath and the Israelite army went on for 40 days! Now David was the youngest of 8 sons. His older brothers were soldiers in the war, but David was a child who tended his father's sheep, and would ferry supplies over to his brothers on the battle field when needed. On one trip to bring supplies to his brothers, David heard the demeaning and belittling insults of Goliath as he challenged Israel that if just one among them could defeat him, then they will have won the battle and the Philistines would surrender to Israeli control. Obviously David was the most unlikely candidate to face this giant. After all he was a child and there was an entire Israeli army who were trained to fight. David however took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

What David said in return amazes me. To the Philistine he responded, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

So David armed his sling with a stone and triumphed over the Philistine when the stone sunk between GOliath's eyes and knocked him out! Without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him (1Samuel17:40-50).

As we face our own giants who demean, belittle, and berate us, we may think how could this story ever inspire me. Well, here is the thing. David didn't triumph because he was stronger, well equipped, or had any other type of advantage over his adversary. He triumphed because he didn't listen to the lies of the giant. He didn't listen the lie that he wasn't big enough, strong enough, that he was unworthy or some how defective. Every giant we face in our life time will use these tactics against us. When you have an awareness, it is easier to recognize them for what they are, a lie of the enemy! David disregarded the lies that could have destroyed him internally and instead listened to the voice of truth that told him a different story. He put his faith in the voice of truth, and that gave him the courage to stand firm. The voice told him that "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:47). Scripture tells us that our enemy is not flesh and blood (eph6:12). Really it isn't even our battle, although we may become the victim. If we surrender the battle to God and let Him handle it, then he can use us to do some amazing things. He covers our weakness and gives us strength that surpasses all understanding. He equips us as he takes those things meant for bad and turns them into something meant for good.

Looking beyond this event and at the whole life of David, this main theme of surrendering circumstances to the Lord so that He can use it to do amazing things had been played out time and time again. David was the youngest of 8, and the unlikeliest candidate to beat the Giant, to become a king, and to become a spiritual leader. David became even more than he ever imagined he could be because he trusted in the Lord, and confessed his weakness to the Lord. God used his weakness to lead the strong and change the course of history for Israel.

We may never understand why our bullies find pleasure in harassing us, but we can seek comfort, encouragement, and truth in a God who can turn every attack into something good if we surrender it to Him, and put our faith in Him.

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Father, I pray that you reach out to each and every person of every age around the world who is being bullied by a giant in their life. Lord, fill them with Your love and reassurance that no problem is too big or too small for You. Help them to surrender their circumstances to You Lord, and when they do Father, I just ask that you blow them away with Your amazing power to transform lives and turn each and every attack into something beautiful and benefitting to the victim and to You! I ask this through Christ our Lord through whom all good things come!
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From the Ice cream pop, and mom&pop too!

2010-10-05T20:51:00.001-04:00

D0 you remember that old commercial about cholesterol being a combination of what you eat, and your genes? Well, I am now living that. A year ago my DR said that my cholesterol was too high and she was going put me on medication if I couldn't get it down. A year later and over 10 lbs lost I still have high cholesterol. I have genetics working against me, but there are still some things I can do with my diet to help. I saw a nutritionist in the cardiology department a the university hospital at Penn and I learned a few things.

I already knew trans fat was a big no no. What I didn't realize was that even if the label says 0 trans fat, it could still have .5 g. If everything you eat all day has .5 grams of trans fat, your daily intake of trans fat can still be quite high. So, I now have to become a label reader to make sure there is nothing that says"partially hydrogenated" aka trans fat. Also, I have to limit my saturated fat to no more than 12 grams a day. I did know that I needed to increase my soluble fiber. She recommended up to 10 grams a day of that. That seems like a lot. I guess I could always have 3 bowls of my fiber one cereal a day :). The other thing that I learned was that plant sterols block your body from absorbing cholesterol and increasing your intake up to 12MG a day can lower your cholesterol by 10%. So, I got a list of foods high in plant sterol and I need to start adding them to my diet.

So, now that I am armed with data, the hard part begins. Taking all of the good nutritional advice that I received today and putting it to work :).

Engagement Anniversary

2010-09-20T21:26:00.001-04:00

On this day last year, Shane asked me to be his wife :)

Check out the blog: http://jagzier.blogspot.com/2009/09/testimony-of-gods-provision.html

9/20/09: Jacob's Well

BEST HUSBAND EVER!!!!

2010-09-18T22:29:00.000-04:00

I have the BEST HUSBAND EVER! Shane had a surprise waiting for me when I came down stairs for dinner. All the lights were out, and he lead me on a candle lit path out to the patio where he had an awesome dinner waiting for me. I love this man :)

Exciting News

2010-09-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

My cousin Tony and his wife Belynda have announced that they are expecting their second child! Their daughter Miranda was one of my flower girls. We are so excited for them. Below is a video of Tony and Belynda telling their parents, my Titi Gloria and Tio Tony:

Jeremy Hawkins

2010-08-27T06:08:00.009-04:00

I still listen to 104.7 the Fish in Atlanta via the internet. Today they talked about Jeremy Hawkins. "According to school officials, Hawkins fell ill during chorus class Wednesday and stopped breathing. Another student attempted CPR while others called for help. Hawkins was rushed to the hospital, but slipped away" (NBC News Atlanta).

On the Fish, they mentioned that students remember Jeremy saying, "Today is going to be a great day!" When I look at this with my worldly lenses on, I think that when this poor kid said he was going to have a great day that he had no idea what was really going to happen to him. Then I put on my Kingdom lenses and I realize that this kid knew exactly what was going to happen to him, and that is why he was happy! They reported on the fish that he had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savor, so when he died he immediately went to be with Jesus! In addition, several classmates went to Jeremy's youth group where they too accepted Christ! Jeremy was right! That day was an AMAZING day for him! Not only did he get to go home to be with the Lord, but he also got to celebrate with the Lord over his friend's salvation! Knowing this surely takes the sting out of a a very tragic situation. I pray that Jeremy's family can find the same comfort during this most difficult time.

Jeremy, you are an inspiration to all who knew you! I will be keeping comfort for your family and friends in my prayers. See you on the other side!

Henry County Students Wear Blue in Memory of Teen - 11Alive.com | WXIA | Atlanta, GA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAM!

2010-08-06T14:20:00.001-04:00

Today Gram would be 88. I am thankful I was given a small glimpse into her life a few years ago, and the amazing woman she once was. Click here to read a small piece of her fascinating story :)

Aunt Violet, Gram, Aunt Lucille

Juror 48

2010-07-13T18:45:00.000-04:00

Well today I fulfilled my jury duty obligation. I have to say that the employees of the Norristown court system are the nicest and most helpful civil servants that I think that I have ever met! Every experience I have had with them has been excellent (Getting my marriage license, fighting a failure to use blinker ticket, and jury duty). In the Marshaling room, they had movies for us to watch, ethernet cables we could borrow, free magazines we could keep (Good ones too), a list of places we could eat on the lunch break. I was impressed.

The process of Jury selection was long and tedious. It was quite different than my previous experience serving on a jury on Long Island.The counsel couldn't ask us questions directly. The questions went to the judge who asked them, and we all waved signs with our juror number if our answer was yes. If the counsel has specific questions for an individual juror, they pulled them back into the jury room so the rest of us couldn't hear. Also, EVERYONE stayed until the end when they revealed the final 12. It was a long 9 hour day. About 4.5 hours of which I was in the jury box, unable to do anything but sit and wait.

I am somewhat thankful that I was not selected this time. It was a murder trial, and they warned us they would be showing graphic pictures of the body. I am however curious how the trial will turn out, and pray that justice is served.

I CAN'T SLEEP

2010-07-09T04:03:00.001-04:00

So here I lay suffering from insomnia when I am suddenly starving! My body thinks it is breakfast time! Since I am trying to get back to sleep, I decide to ignore the hunger and see if some reading will help. So, I hop on facebook, and go to the page of an on line devotion. I notice That the page had not updated and was showing a post that is several months old. It says this,

"Blessed are you who hunger now,
      for you will be satisfied.
   Blessed are you who weep now,
      for you will laugh."

I feel like God is reminding me that I should rest assured that He knows everything going on with me, inside and out. Right down to the fact that I am wide awake at 4 AM and starving! This to me is comforting!

Thank You Lord for the reminder :).

Healing Long Island's Anger

2010-07-08T06:36:00.001-04:00

Every time I go home to visit Long Island, I am always shocked by the level of anger and disrespect I encounter. I don't remember it being this way when I left in 2001. I think living away from the Island has really made this negative attitude more obvious to me.

This morning I read the blog of an old highschool friend who really brought home just how bad it gets some times. How can this anger problem be healed?

Click here to read Melissa's blog on a recent experiences while walking her dog. It is both amusing, and sad ...

The Mission Field is Wherever You Are ...

2010-07-07T07:19:00.009-04:00

About a year ago I went to a drive through coffee shop near Shane's old house. I remember thinking that this would be such a great business to have as a Christian, that you would have so many opportunities to show God's love to people if you chose to.

God however convicted me of this thought. Almost immediately it came to mind that any job can be used to show his love. That was quite a realization, but I often struggle with how to do that successfully. I think that I have come to the conclusion that the change has to come from within me. It isn't my environment that prevents me from being able to show God's love in the work place, its my heart condition. I can come up with so many reasons why it isn't me. When God gave me a solution to all of my concerns I had one more, "I feel that I don't have the right tools to do this effectively".

Well, today, God gave me a model. Today he showed me that it can be done in a practical way, and that it is all about being relational. He showed me how a faithful servant used their job to do the very thing I have been pondering.

Today our friend Linda from Jacob's Well (Shane's old church in MD), made the front page of the Delaware News Journal. She made the prestigious front page by simply reflecting God's love in a practical way. When she became aware of a need in someone's life, she empathized with the person, and asked them if she could pray with them about it. It was just a simple act of love that God used to change the hearts of the people she was praying for.

What was Linda's response to her new found attention? "I pray that its more about GOD and His amazing love and grace in our lives and ... less about Linda Squier."

Linda, you are such an inspiration to model for us all how every profession we hold can be raised to ministry if we always put God first, and reflect His love always! Thank you for showing us that the mission field is right where we are! Thank you for sharing with us this news article, and modeling how to show God's love in action!

Click here to read Linda's article in the Delaware News Journal

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Father, show me how to reflect your love to others in my own work place. Thank you for giving me Linda as a role model. Thank you that by her example she was not only able to show your love to the people she meets in a practical way, but to people all over the world thanks to the news coverage that you designed according to your perfect plan. Please continue to bless and annoint Linda, and all those in mission fields both near and far who are commissioned by you to show your love in a practical way!
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Becoming a Revolution

2010-06-23T08:30:00.031-04:00

I have been reading a book by Rich Stearns, who is the president of World Vision. World Vision is a charitable organization where you can sponsor children in impoverished nations. However, they do more than just feed starving children. They revolutionize communities! They inspire change! They are changing the world one child and one community at a time.

Rich’s book however isn’t about World Vision. It is a book of inspiration. It is inspiration for everyone who looks at this broken world and becomes overwhelmed. It is inspiration for those who have become passive, and especially it is a call to action for Christians who are commanded to bring positive change to the world. It’s a book about me and about everyone else who calls themself a follower of Christ. I have found this book to be so compelling because I see myself on almost every page. Many of us have become a speaking people and not an acting people, so much so that we no longer have an impact on the world. At least, not as positive an impact as we would like. The intention of this blog is not to write a book report of “The Hole in our Gospel”, but rather to convey the inspiration that I have gleaned from reading it.

Mohandas Gandhi once said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”. Wow! That stung when I read that for the first time. It stung because for some of us, it is true. Worse yet, the Bible tells us that all will know we are Disciples of Christ if we love one another (john 13:35), yet the perception that others have of Christians in America is not that of a loving people. In one study quoted in Rich’s book we are perceived to have the exact opposite attributes of Christ Himself:

Perceptions of Christians Attributes of Christ

Antihomosexual Loving to all

Judgmental Forgiving

Hypocritical Genuine

Old-Fashioned Revolutionary

Too Involved in Politics Involved with People

Out of Touch with Reality Truthful and Aware

Insensitive to Others Loving

Boring Radical

Not accepting of other faiths Inviting to members of all faiths
Confusing Simple in presenting truth.

(Hole in our Gospel, Stearns, P230)

Rich goes on to say that perception is reality. Even if we don’t think we are this way, and others only perceive us this way, we then have to change either the reality or the perception (Hole in our Gospel, Stearns, P228). What I take away from this isn’t criticism, but rather inspiration to persevere to be more Christ like.

The reality of Christianity is that Christ was and is a revolutionary. He inspired radical change throughout the world. He inspired social justice, equality, reform, while at the same time offering love, healing, forgiveness, freedom, and salvation. All who follow Christ are also called to be revolutionaries. When I think about the people that Jesus called to be His revolutionaries, it is quite inspiring really. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, Paul who persecuted Christians, David who was the youngest in an unlikely line to become the king of Israel (Hole in our Gospel, Stearns, 45), and Moses who was a stuttering shepherd called to lead a nation and deliver the word of God. It would appear by the people that God chooses to be His revolutionaries, that it isn’t the quality of the person who can serve that is most important, but rather the perfect quality of the God who calls and empowers them to serve.

I love the picture that Steve Sjogren paints of Mother Teresa. She was a small, old woman, with gnarled feet. Yet she personally carried thousands of people off of the streets of Calcutta to feed, cloth, and care for them. One small woman was used by God to revolutionize Calcutta and the world.

We are all called to be part of His revolution. Although we may consider ourselves unqualified, Christ has shown us that it is He who qualifies us, and it is nothing we can do of our own strength. For me at least, this removes some apprehension and insecurity. I know I can't do anything on my own, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). The question I have is how God wants to use me to be the catalyst for change. It makes me seriously ponder how one organic chemist and one network planner can be used to change the world…

Father, thank you for the inspiration you brought through Rich Sterns in his book, the Hole in our Gospel. Show me how you want me to be part of Your revolution, how You want to call and empower me and my family. In Jesus name, Amen!

Return from Cloud 9

2010-05-17T06:52:00.004-04:00

I have so much writing to catch up on! I have blogs in my mind that I need to commit to "paper" about the wedding, Shane moving in, the wedding recovery, the honeymoon, Thoughts on the book I am reading: "the Hole in our Gospel". The thing however that has captured my thoughts at this early hour of the morning is how to mourn. Shane and I arrived back on Long Island after our amazing honeymoon to face the death of a cousin, and the death of a friend.

The friend was Matt French. Matt was an old coworker from Boston. He was a gentle and kind spirit who I had the pleasure of getting to know at Genuity. When our buddies Jeffy and Ginny were married on a cruise a few years ago, many of us from work joined them on the Carnival Miracle to celebrate and that was when I got to know Matt and his wife better. They seemed like a fun couple. Soon after, Matt introduced me to this AMAZING breakfast place in New Hampshire called the maple barn that rivals my all time favorite Maureen's Kitchen! My stomach is grumbling just thinking about it. Someone on Face book posted a blog about that trek up north. It really captured my memory of the visit. Matt was tragically taken on 5/11/10 due to injuries sustained in a motor cycle accident.

My cousin who passed away was Leslie Garcia. Leslie was an Air Force Vet who was retired in St. Augustine Florida. He had two sons, Jeremy and Andrew. I didn't get to know Andrew as he was a baby the last time I saw him and he grew up in Alabama. I know that Leslie kept in contact with Andrew and always seemed to have him on his mind. I am quite close with Jeremy who is pictured here with Leslie. Les always had a twinkle in his eye when he talked about Jeremy who was in the 101st airborne division, taught jump school, and also taught at West Point. Les was very proud of him and had deep affections for his first born son. The last time I heard about Leslie's happenings, I know that he went to Santa Domingo in hopes of working with a mission group there. We just never knew where we would find Les, or what he was going to do next. His life always seemed to be such an adventure. Leslie passed away suddenly in his sleep due to a heart attack. Leslie struggled with a heart condition for many years, and it was the reason why he had to leave the air force many years ago.

The thing that I am pondering at this early hour of the morning is, how do I morn these men? I remember the first Christian funeral I went to after surrendering my life to Christ, and I was totally amazed at how different it was. All funerals prior to that were the picture of devastating loss and anguish. This one however was a true celebration. There was sadness yes, there were tears and pain also, but knowing that our friend had leaped from this life into the arms of the Lord brought an overwhelming sense of joy and relief! If I know that the person was saved, then all sadness is accompanied with great joy that they are now with our Lord, and that I will see them once again. However, when I don't know if they were a follower, I am just not sure how to feel or how to pray. I want to pray that they did accept Christ, but isn't it too late for those prayers? I know that God relentlessly pursues all of us and gives us the opportunity to decide before we die, but by the time they pass, they will have already made their choice. Not knowing them well enough to know their choice is somewhat troubling to me. So, I will choose to put my faith in the Lord that He has lovingly pursued these men right up to their final breath. I will also put my faith in the understanding that once you experience the love of Christ that choosing Him is easy and a choice that both Leslie and Matt made. I am sure that they are right now celebrating their homecoming with the Lord :)

Human Equality

2010-04-11T21:01:00.007-04:00

What a powerful message on God's Plan for Human Equality!

Click here to watch the video :)

Here is the link to the NY Times article on the women's crusade that Rich Nathan quotes from in the video:

Sacrificial Love

2010-03-21T20:46:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, we moved in Shane’s music equipment, and living room furniture. The moment he opened the trailer my eyes began to feel itchy and sticky. Shane has 3 cats at home to which I am very much allergic and having all of that stuff with their hair and dander on it in a confined space immediately set off my allergies.

As soon as Shane saw the reaction I was having, he pulled out the vacuum and upholstery attachment. Once he finished vacuuming everything, he got the steam cleaner and its upholstery attachment. He cleaned each and every piece of furniture and every speaker with a fuzzy outer covering that was in the trailer. I didn’t ask him to do this, he just saw that it needed to be done and he got to work. Also, he didn’t really have time to clean everything either. He had to get to rehearsal, but wanted to make sure that when he left I would be OK.

I was kind of in awe that he would go out of his way to do something that neither of us like … cleaning. I couldn’t help but think that his actions were shining examples of sacrificial love. Anyone can make an offering out of their abundance, but it is when you are faced with a sacrifice to be made out of your deficit that your true character is shown. Shane had a deficit of time, not to mention desire to clean his possessions, but he knew that it would prevent me from allergy annoyances, so through his love he made a sacrifice. What a selfless act, and a true example of what it is to be a husband.

God really blessed me when He brought me Shane. I am very thankful for him! I am looking forward to celebrating this blessing on April 17th :).

Rosie and the Prodigal Me

2010-03-11T18:11:00.005-05:00

Its funny how God can even use my dog to teach me about His character. This time of year I have a very hard time sleeping. The reason being as soon as the sun rises, it’s right at the angle where it’s shining in my face. Yesterday I was just exhausted, dragging, and not thinking strait. The entire day would have been a struggle even if I hadn’t been exhausted. I contributed to a mistake at work, and in general was feeling down on myself. When I got home Rosie didn’t come to the door to greet me. I immediately knew what had happened. I left her outside on her leash ALL DAY! I live in a townhouse, dogs aren’t allowed outside unsupervised, and on top of that. I saw the grounds crew entering the subdivision when I left, so I just knew that she was spending her day trying to scare them off. Also, I immediately thought of the neighbor’s kids. If they were out playing, I am sure she scared them too. Besides the possibility of getting into trouble with the homeowner’s association, I was mostly concerned about her dehydrating, getting fleas, or any other type of parasite.

I quickly ran up to let her in. When she came in, she was such a happy girl and was dancing around in celebration. Its as if she was saying “YAY, YOU CAME BACK TO ME, I MISSED YOU!” I was thinking about how I was so undeserving of this love and affection. I was such a bad momma; I left her outside all day with no water!

It made me stop and reflect on how I do the same thing to God all the time. I forget about Him when I am preoccupied with my day, my exhaustion, all the stuff going on around me … but when I realize that I have neglected Him, and I run back to Him, He welcomes me and celebrates my return … just like the prodigal son. I feel so undeserving of it, but that’s what Grace is all about. Getting what we don’t deserve. What I really deserved was for Rosie to turn her back on me and show her frustration and anger … instead she showed me mercy and love, the same way God does. I am always amazed how God has new mercies for me every day, and also how He uses the world around me to teach me about His character. He even uses Rosie :).

Shoveling Mercy

2010-02-26T06:08:00.016-05:00

Well, this is the third major snowstorm of the year. I have quickly come to realize that I really am NOT a kid anymore and my back is paying for all the shoveling. What a cruel way to come to that realization!

The good news is that God has new mercies for me every day!!!!! Today was a big one. The wind apparently is blowing towards the back of the house. My back yard has about 2 feet! The front yard was protected by the front of the house, and my walk way and drive way were clear right up until the side walk where it was piled pretty high. THANK YOU GOD FOR SPARING MY BACK TODAY!!!!! Without Shane here to help me, it would have been a challenge. My mantra has become, "This is what grace looks like", receiving what I don't deserve! It is still coming down, and I am sure I will have more to shovel, but I am thankful for the respite!

BTW, The first two pics are the back yard. Below is a shot of the front yard. I am not kidding when I tell you that it is only salt on the drive way! Down at the end is a good 6 inches. compared to the back where it is about 2 feet ! To be fair, there was a dusting of snow and some thin ice before I put the salt down.

The Least of These ...

2010-02-24T05:01:00.007-05:00

I have been lagging in my blogging lately ... I have so much floating through my mind these days with 50 some odd days left until the wedding. One thing I wanted to write about last week was that last Wednesday was the first day of Lent. Lent is a season that I like to observe, as it is a season of preparation, renewal, and reflection. One thing that I have sensed the Lord putting on my heart is that I was placed in the wealthiest nation in the world to be a blessing to others. I have been reflecting on how the poorest Americans are upper middle class by world standards. I feel like He is using this preparation time for me to focus on that, so that when preparations are complete I will blessed to be a blessing to others. That is somewhat humbling, since I already feel like my blessings are abundant. I have an amazing family, a fiance who is better than I deserve, and best friends who are one of my greatest gifts.

So, this Lenten season I have decided to begin fasting once a week from Sunrise to Sunset. I started on Ash Wednesday, and today is the second day of my fast. When I feel my stomach rumbling with hunger, I am using that as a reminder to pray for the poor around the world. Also, instead of eating, I am working to feed others in need. I support a charity called food for the poor. Its amazing to me that just $36.00 (What most of us spend on Starbucks in a week) can feed a starving child for an entire year. AN ENTIRE YEAR! This blows my mind. That is worth fasting for a day and abstaining from my carmel machiatos for a week :)

If your not already observing Lent, I strongly encourage you to consider serving others this Lenten season. I have no doubt that our offerings of sacrifice will be multiplied and it will bless our hearts to see how they are giving life to those in need.

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Father, thank You so much for giving us such a wealthy nation to live in. Please remind us that our greatest financial burdens pale in comparison to the poverty of the world. This is especially difficult to remember during this time of economic hardship and I just ask that You bless those who give to others. Their faith to give out of their deficit rather than their abundance is inspiring to me, and I ask for gifts of that faith. Father I just pray that you multiply these monies to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and set the captives free. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen!
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Matthew 25:40 (New International Version)

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

$36 feeds a child for a year - Precious children need regular nutrition to live and thrive. Your gift of $36 will provide a child with lifesaving food for an entire year.

Haitian Miracles

2010-02-12T06:04:00.007-05:00

Hearing miracle stories like these inspire my faith!

Haitian Man’s Four-Week-Survival Story. Click here to read this amazing Story

THANKS MOM AND POP!!!! aka 17 year reunion/playing with the new camera

2010-02-11T05:50:00.001-05:00

My amazing in-laws to be gave Shane and I a video camera for Christmas. I got some new editing software that edits HD natively (YAY NO TRANSCODING), and here is my first attempt playing around with it.

Leaping From This Life Into the Arms of Love

2010-02-09T06:27:00.001-05:00

This past wednesday, I celebrated the life of a friend who went home to be with the Lord. It really made me think about death, and how for those who have accepted Christ, it is truly something to be celebrated. Someone whose blog I follow recently lost a grandmother, and her words really reflect many of my thoughts over the past week, and also many of the same thoughts that I had when my own grandparents and their siblings passed away. I don't think that I could have put it in better words than my fellow blogger did, so please click the link below for her beautiful reflections on transitioning into new life:

Click here for Brown E-Points Blog on life ending, and beginning anew.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

2010-01-26T20:49:00.004-05:00

Blog Edition: Why bad things happen to good people:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

2 Corinthians 4:16 (NIV)

So, a few years ago I reconnected with many of my highschool alumni on a social networking site that was dedicated to our school On the message boards, many topics emerged including one on religion. The subject quickly turned to the pain and suffering in the world and why bad things happen to good people.

Well despite my best of efforts, I made a terribly poor attempt at explaining this to our alumni. This made me research the subject and in so doing, I learned a lot. To answer this question I first looked at the book of Job. In that book we meet Job who was a devout Jew. He was very wealthy and of “upright” character. He was a man who loved God with all his heart and followed all of Gods laws. He fathered seven sons and three daughters. He was the greatest man among all people of the East.

Satan however had his eye on Job and was intent on destroying him. Satan was sure that if he destroyed Job’s wealth, family, and health that he would become a broken man and would reject God (Job 1:9). Job suffered greatly in his trial with Satan.

Although Satan was wrong about Job who was unwavering in his love for God, most of us are not as strong as Job. This is why Satan preys on us. He tests us to see whom he can pry from God.

In Job’s case, God was also testing Job. He was faithful to God throughout his trials. In the end God rewarded Job for being such a stellar example of faith. He was more blessed after his ordeal than he had ever been before.

The story of Job exemplifies two examples of why bad things happen to good people. One was because Satan was trying to pry Job away from God. The other was because God was also testing Job. There could be multiple reasons why anyone might be suffering. Some of the reasons may include:

1) The Refiner’s Fire:

2) Testing By God

3) Natural Causes:

4) Spiritual Attack

5) Punishment

6) Putting Idols before God.

7) Unforgiveness

8) To be an example to others

9) To be an example to God’s GLory

10) Unknown

1) The Refiner’s Fire:

God Molding you or preparing you for something.

Many times throughout our lives, God will put us in situations where He is building some important character trait, teaching us some lesson, or preparing us for something. Some of these lessons are more difficult than others, but sometimes we enter into a period of our lives where it is exceptionally difficult. I was dealing with an impossible situation at work, and at the same time ending a two-year relationship. Here is an excerpt from a blog I wrote on the subject:

... There is this aura of change everywhere. The air is thick with it. I have heard the low rumble of the storm coming for a very long time. In some things, I know exactly what the change means ... for others I just have no idea. I am at the point now where the earth is being tilled. Both the good and bad are starting to become exposed. Exposed in me, my environment, and in the very people around me.

I feel like I am in the refiner's fire. I am in the midst of the flames, heat, and pressure. I am being knocked around on all sides, in every aspect of my life. Its to the point where I fear that I can't take it any more, that I am bending so much that I am afraid I will break ...

... but it is when any metal is tested, and heated just to the right temperature that it becomes flexible and malleable ... it is only then that the refiner can begin to craft that metal into something completely different.

What will that new shape look like? What will be its function? Where will it be placed? Although these are questions I ponder, what I am most concerned about is when will the refiner remove me from the fire and put me into the water to cool, and be cleansed. I long for that period of rest as the new shape settle and is made firm.

... I just know that something big is about to happen, but I'm just not quite sure what it is.

Have you ever felt like that? Like there is a constant pressure where you are being knocked around on all sides? That’s the Refiner’s fire. Where God is preparing you for something.

The movie Signs written and directed by M.Night Shyamalan is an extreme example of the Refiner’s fire. If you look deeper into the movie, deeper than Aliens and crop circles, you find that the true story is really about a man named Graham who has suffered for a very specific reason. His son had Asthma for a specific reason, his daughter tasted water oddly for a specific reason, even his brother had the minor league home run and strike out record for a reason (because it felt wrong not to swing). The most difficult for the protagonist to bear and the thing that ultimately made him lose is faith was losing his wife, which was also for a specific reason. All of these issues and trials, both large and small, were preparing him for a single moment in time so that he could protect his family in the greatest battle that he would ever have to endure.

Likely the purpose of our refiners fire is not as grand as that of Graham, but it is very important nonetheless. If this is where you are, all you can do is pray for the Holy Spirit to comfort you and to bring Gods wisdom for some clarity as to what is waiting for you on the other side of your transformation. Although it is a painful and difficult time, there is learning in the struggle.

2) Testing By God

Just like any good parent, God our almighty father will periodically test us. As we saw with Job, the trials can be quite painful. No one is exempt from the tests of our father. Even Jesus Christ. His only Son, was lead by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tested by the Satan himself (Matthew 4:1-11). Whatever we are being tested for is something that will only bring us closer to realizing the plan that God has for us. It is when life is at its hardest that we must cling closest to God.

3) Natural Causes:

Illness, natural disaster, the actions of others

The unfortunate truth is that until Jesus returns for the final battle over sin and death, we are living in a fallen world. Natural disasters, illnesses, addiction, and untimely death are all symptoms of that fallen world. Sometimes when we experience pain and suffering due to natural causes, it is simply because of the fallen world we live in and for no other reason.

Since we do have free will, sometimes our suffering is the result of the actions of others. If someone goes postal, and starts shooting into a crowd, It is their actions that put lives at risk. Maybe it is someone who chooses to drink and drive causing a fatal accident, or any host of other examples … these events are sometimes just the result of our fallen world.

Although we sometimes fall the victim of a fallen world that will remain fallen until Jesus returns, there are some things that we can do now. Even in a fallen world, God has given us a taste of the Kingdom and the age to come. He has given those who have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ the authority to find the lost, heal the sick, feed the poor, restore the brokenhearted, and set the captives free (Luke 10, 4:18-19, Matthew 28 16:20). More on that in the next section.

4) Spiritual Attack

1 Peter 5:8 (New International Version)

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Satan, a fallen angel who is striving to establish a counter kingdom relies heavily on lies, manipulation, and fear to try to rip us away from God. Essentially, he preys on our darkest moments and lies to us telling us that God can’t or won’t help us... and if we fall for it he tells us that God causes the pain and suffering, or worse that he doesn’t even exist.

Unlike Job however, we do not need to allow ourselves to be the victim of spiritual attack, because we have Jesus (Job lived BC). Now remember that God was also testing Job, so even if he had Jesus he would still likely have had to endure some of his suffering. The magnitude of his suffering however was due to spiritual attack.

So, how does Jesus protect us from spiritual attack? Well, in Luke’s Gospel he tells us that Jesus anointed seventy-two of his followers to heal people from their afflictions including spiritual attack (Luke 10:1-20). When the anointed return form doing Jesus’ work they told him “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.” (Luke 10:17). In Matthew 28:18-20 we learn that these gifts aren’t just for the people following Jesus then, but for us too.

The name of Jesus is powerful. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, you simply need to proclaim “In the name of Jesus I cast out this spirit of affliction” .. or whatever it is that you feel attacked by. We do see in the Gospels that Jesus rebukes sicknesses, which leads us to believe that some medical infirmities could also be spiritual attack.

Here is a first hand account of this. I was having a very difficult time at work. I was up to my neck in stress, but the anxiety was way over my head. I felt so completely out of control and panicked. This is completely out of character for me, but then again, this was some of the most stressful and difficult things that I have had to deal with in my entire life. This had been going on for weeks. I was sleeping for only a few hours a night and my weekends were filled with dread of what I had to deal with when I returned to the office on Monday.

So, after several weeks of suffering, I went after church one Sunday to ask for prayer. I had explained to the prayer team what was going on. They asked God for strength and wisdom, the usual stuff. Then someone on the prayer team kind of stopped like she was tuning into something and just said in a clear commanding voice. “Lord if there is anything supernatural that is creating this anxiety, in the name of Jesus Christ, I cast out this spirit of affliction”.

For the rest of the day I felt the same level of anxiety, but on Monday morning ... it was gone. I still had stress, but with out any of the anxiety. It was gone. The demands at work became more difficult, but still there was no anxiety. Work was so much more manageable; I was able to think so clearly. It was like a burden had been lifted. I am now convinced that there really was a spirit of affliction. I can offer no other explanation.

5) Punishment

Hebrews 12:7-12 (New International Version)

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

12Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

Have you ever been in a place where you just know what your doing is wrong, but it doesn’t seem to affect anyone, so you keep doing it? Maybe you are cutting out of work early, maybe you have a lead foot, or maybe you have been drinking too much or dabbling with porn.

Well, sometimes God will say “Enough is enough”. When that happens, you start to get caught, and even punished. If you especially resist you can sometimes get into big trouble with the law or with your family.

I have a friend who is an alcoholic. She had finally admitted that she had a problem after a string of events that happened in her life which were particularly painful. The events started as gentle taps on the shoulder from God, but as she ignored the warnings, they got bigger and bigger.

Her first warning was a patient that she cared for who had been paralyzed from drinking and driving. She heard this man’s testimony about how it destroyed his life. The story scared her, but not enough to scare her into AA. She later had gotten a few speeding tickets, when she was actually driving drunk. She appreciated her narrow escape from getting caught with a DWI, but it didn’t stop her from drinking and driving. Then a few times she woke up in a place she didn’t remember driving to. She remembered getting in the car, but blacked out, and woke up some place foreign. Although this was a scary experience for her, she kept right on drinking. Finally, her car was totaled when she wrapped it around a light post. She got two black eyes, a broken wrist, lots of cuts and scrapes, but was generally OK. That was her wake up call. God started out with a gentle warning in the form of a testimony of someone who had been down the path she was embarking on ... and God gradually became more intense in His punishment as my friend remained loyal to alcohol over God.

When bad things happen, it’s a good idea to do an internal check with yourself and say, “Hey, did I do anything to cause this? Is this somehow punishment for something?” Remember though that this is one of ten possible reasons. If you can’t think of a reason why you would need punishment, make sure you look at the other possibilities. Also, be mindful that Satan is the father of lies. Don’t let him convince you that you had fault where there was none. You are never responsible for passing on genes that cause disease in our children, you are never responsible for the victims of someone else who goes postal no matter what your relationship with them. It is never your fault for not asking someone to stay when they got on the road and had an accident. These are lies of the enemy. Although it is important to be honest and truthful in discerning if you are being punished, this is not the only reason why bad things happen. It is important for you to consider all possibilities. If you determine that you are being punished, then it is time to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to change your heart and to lead you back onto the right path.

6) Putting Idols before God.

Deuteronomy 4:23-24 (New International Version)

23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the LORD your God has forbidden. 24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

So, when we think of Idols, many of us think of two things. Either the golden calf in the movie the “The 10 Commandments”, or a TV show about a singing contest. Believe it or not, they are kind of the same thing. An idol is defined as any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion. In essence, it is anything that we make more important than God. In the case of the ancient Hebrews it was the golden calf that they were blindly adoring and devoting to. In the case of the TV show, it is some of the young fans that have blind adoration and devotion to a celebrity. It isn’t the people or items alone that make them an idol, but rather when we put them before God and make them more important than God.

Things may not start out that way, but when they begin to crowd your life, they begin to take the place of God.

Your job can be an idol when it takes up all your time, energy and thought, thus crowding out God. Money can be an idol when you trust it more than God. Lust, pride, and even your leisure time can become an idol. Do you know anyone who spends every spare moment gaming and neglecting everything around them? Maybe its not gaming, maybe it’s social networking. Maybe the idols are just putting your friends first or your routine.

When you put things before God in your life, He begins working to weed those things out. Often times the way He does that is by allowing those things you made more important than Him to become overwhelming.

I am reminded of my grandmother who was caught smoking when she was a kid. Her father punished her by making her smoke an entire pack of cigarettes, which made her sick. She never touched another cigarette in her youth.

When we don’t learn from the lesson however, the feeling of being overwhelmed will become unmanageable. It is then that you seek ways other than God to manage that out of control feeling. Often people cope with it by drinking, drugs, lust, and other distractions that also become idols. The only way to prevent things from spiraling out of control is to lay down your idols and to put God first! Start by confessing to Him that you have put other things before Him. Ask Him to intervene and help you cast out your idols, and to forgive you. If you are sincere, and truly cast out the idols, then God will honor that.

FYI, the original Hebrew word that is translated as Jealous in the scripture above is better translated as zeal, passion, fervor, desiring, and a demand for those things in return.

7) Unforgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

In this parable Jesus is teaching us about forgiveness. When the servant was unable to repay his king, the king should have sold him and his family to repay the debt. Instead, the King showed the servant mercy and forgave his debt. However, the servant did not return the kindness when the he met a fellow servant who owed him money. The first servant had the second thrown in prison.

God is the king of this parable, and we are the servant. Instead of money however, it is the price for our sin that we owe the King. God paid that price to ransom us from hell. That price was his only Son who gave Himself as a sacrifice in our place so that our debt would be forgiven. Not just the debt we hold today, but all of the debt that we have ever held and would ever hold in the future. When we accept Christ, God forgives us for every terrible thing we have ever done and will ever do. Just like the king of the parable, he wants us to show the same mercy to others, no matter what it is they have done to us. If we don’t forgive them, then we run the risk of God punishing us, just as the king of the parable turned the servant over to be tortured until his original debt was repaid.

So, when it seems like nothing is going right for you, give yourself a health check. Is there someone that you need to forgive? Now remember ... forgiving is not forgetting. It is good to establish boundaries to protect yourself from being continuously wronged. In this parable, it would have been acceptable for the servant to forgive his fellow servant his debt, but then never lend him money again. However, if we never forgive at all, then the king will punish us.

8) To Be an Example to Others.

Sometimes the trials are not about us. Sometimes they are about the people around us. I believe that God uses us as an example to others. Not only does he use our successes, but he also uses our failures to teach those around us. Simply look at each and every person chronicled in both the New and Old Testament and you will find this to be true. If we praise him when we succeed, and praise him when we fail, then we have become the imperfect tools of his perfect work. This is our highest calling, and not one that we should become discouraged by.

9) To Be an Example of God’s Glory

John 9:3 (New International Version)

3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Sometimes seemingly bad things happen so that God can show others who he is, and what becomes available to those who follow Christ. In this verse Jesus encountered a blind man. The Disciples asked if he was blind due to sin. Jesus replied that this happened so that God might be displayed in his life. With that, Jesus Reached down for some mud, spit in it, placed it on the man’s eye, and the man was healed.

10) Unknown

I wish I had all the answers, but I am sure there are folks reading this who may be experiencing pain and suffering and do not fall into any of the categories that I mentioned. If that is you, I encourage you to find a quite place, asks the Holy Spirit to come and ask God to take this burden from you, and if you are meant to endure ask for wisdom why and if there is anything you can do to lessen the strife.

Some of my favorite podcasts are by Rich Nathan, the pastor at the Columbus Ohio Vineyard. In one of his sermons he said that God doesn’t always give us a reason for our suffering, but he does give us a coping mechanism. That coping mechanism is Jesus Christ. He bore the sin of all humanity. He was betrayed and abandoned by his friends while struggling through his greatest challenge. He was brutally tortured, and nailed to a cross to serve as a Holy and Living sacrifice for all of mankind. No matter what your pain, Jesus understands. He has lived it. The example Rich Nathan gives is if a parent loses a child. Although their friends comfort them ... it is the friend who has also lost a child who can give the most comfort. No matter your pain, Jesus is the single best coping mechanism. He has been there. He knows your pain. Talk to him. Tell him what you are feeling, and let him console you as no one else could ever console.

No matter what your trial, remember the words that Jesus gave us:

Matthew 5:3-12 (NIV)

3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn,

For they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Haiti: A Witness of Faith

2010-01-14T07:03:00.012-05:00

My heart is heavy this morning, and I am overwhelmed by the suffering in Haiti following the earthquake this week. That being said, I am in total awe of the faith of that nation in the face of disaster! This morning when listening to my 1010 wins news on the run podcast, a correspondent reported that on his way to the air port in Port Au Prince, they encountered a group of people on the side of the road engaged in spontaneous worship. He said that they "have not let tragedy diminish faith". When tragedy strikes, I think that people tend to either blame God or to seek God. Hearing these Haitian voices raised in worship is an inspiration to me, and their faith inspires my own.

I am reminded of Exodus when God told Moses how He would free the Israelites from their bondage. Moses and his brother Aaron went to the elders of the Israelites to share with them all that God had told Moses. This was their response:

Exodus 4:31 (New International Version)

³¹ and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Just as the Lord was concerned about the misery of the Israelites, He is also concerned about the misery of the Haitians. This is why they are able to spontaneously worship God, because He has sent a Savior who continues to save us every day, in all circumstances. I am amazed that through the hardship of these worshipping Haitians, they are teaching the world a very vital lesson about faith, and the goodness of God!
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Jesus, thank you for being our Savior every day! I lift up to you our brethren in Haiti. I praise you and thank you for their faith! You have shown us through Your word that it is by our faith that we are healed. So Lord, I ask for gifts of increased faith for Haiti. I thank you Lord for putting it on the hearts and minds of millions of people around the world to be your hands and feet, and to minister to Your people. In Your name I pray, AMEN!
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To listen to the 1010 Wins podcast and hear the voice of the worshiping Haitians, click here.

Click here to make a donation to the American Red Cross to aid in the Haitian Relief effort.

Christmas in a Nutshell!

2009-12-29T11:13:00.004-05:00

Christmas in a Nutshell from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

The Gifts of the Magi

2009-12-22T20:57:00.001-05:00

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. What strange gifts to give a newborn! OK, maybe today we would give an infant gold stud earrings, but incense and embalming elements? What’s up with that? So, why these gifts?

Well, The wise men knew that Jesus was the king of the Jews, and they followed the sign of his birth, which was a star in the east. They traveled far from the east themselves just to worship him according to Matthew 2:1-2. Obviously they knew how important this baby was. What made them think that these gifts were appropriate for this baby?

Well, Gold seems obvious to us. Not only is gold valuable and practical to us, but it was also a gift appropriate for a king. So, what about the Frankincense? Well, Frankincense was a gift for a priest. It was a perfume used at the temple for sacrifices. They knew that Jesus was a priest even though He was not of the priestly tribe of Levi, because a priest was someone who was a bridge between man and God. Not only is Jesus the bridge between man and God, but Jesus is both man and God. Also, they knew that He would be making a very important sacrifice. It was because of that sacrifice that Jesus became the bridge that covers over and forgives our sins so that we can enter into a relationship with God. The third gift was myrrh. Myrrh was a spice used in the preparing of bodies when someone had died. They knew that the important sacrifice Jesus would make was his own life. All of the gifts pointed to what Jesus was, and what he would become. I wonder though if they knew that He would rise again.

The Magi have left us gifts as well. Gifts that are likely more valuable than the ones they gave to Jesus. Their gifts to us are what they teach us about how to be in relationship with Jesus.

- First they traveled from afar to be with Him. So often we expect God to come looking for us. Although He does call us, we also need to seek Him out too.

- Second, they worshiped Him. This was their primary goal when they set out and the reason that they gave to Herod for searching for Him. They simply wanted to bow down and worship Him.

- Third, they gave Him gifts. I remember as a child asking my mother’s boyfriend if Christmas was really Jesus’ birthday. He said it was. So, I said that if it really was Jesus’ birthday we should give Him gifts, and not give each other gifts. He told me that we give Jesus gifts by praying. He may have also said we give Him gifts by loving each other and giving each other gifts is how we do that, but that part of my memory is a little fuzzy. I think I was 6 at the time. As an adult, and a slightly more mature Christian, I can think of a few other ways we give Him gifts. We can give Him our devotion, our love, our obedience, and our dedication. These are all gifts that start on the inside and radiate outward. When they radiate out, they are usually noticeable to others in the giving of our time, talent, and treasure as they used to call it in my old Catholic church. It is seen in the time we give to others in fellowship and ministry, in the talent we offer to the body of the church, and in the treasure of our tithes.

So, this Christmas what gift will you give the Christ child?

Unto Us ...

2009-12-19T10:48:00.001-05:00

On 12/16 someone in Shane's extended family went into the hospital for pain and bleeding. Lo and behold, she shortly there after delivered a healthy 6lb 14oz baby boy. She never even knew she was pregnant! This has been a particularly difficult year for her family. Her husband lost both his mother and father. In addition to that, they had been taking a break from attempting to conceive. For them, this birth is a great gift, and a miracle! However, what if this happened to you? Depending on your point of view, you could also see this as a blessing, or a very stressful hurdle at an already difficult time.

This made me think about another unexpected birth that happened nearly 2000 years ago, also at Christmas time, when a virgin found herself pregnant by the Spirit of God. I thought about how she must have felt both disbelief and wonder ... She must have felt overwhelmed and unprepared ...not unlike the new mother in Shane's extended family must be feeling right now. I also reflected that when the Christ child was born, it was also at a very inconvenient time! His parents were on a long hard journey. His mother rode on a donkey, in labor, with no place for her to deliver except a stable. They didn't even have a crib to lay the new born Child in. This is such a beautiful parallel to the new born child in Shane's extended family. He too was born at an inconvenient time, with no time to prepare. They too did not have a crib to lay him in.

So often the greatest gifts come to us in ways that we least expect, and in times that are most inconvenient. The question is, when this happens to you do you see only the inconvenience or do you see the gift? The Christ child was born at an inconvenient time to unprepared parents, yet He was a gift to all humanity. I believe that He gave us the gift of a new born child this Christmas to remind us of that. Like Him, this new child was also born at an inconvenient time, to unprepared parents, but I know that he too will make this world a better place.

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Jesus, Thank you for choosing to give us the gift of Your love when you were born on Christmas day. Thank you also for the gift of this child that you have given us as we celebrate your birth. Lord, open our hearts and minds to fully receive all of the gifts that you give us, even if they appear to be inconvenient, and we feel unprepared. We know that you have plans to prosper us, and we just praise you and thank you for that. In Your Glorious Holy Name we pray, AMEN!
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PS. I love the way God uses others to encourage and inspire us. Even people we have never met! I was inspired to write this blog after a friend forwarded a devotion to our prayer chain. Below is the devotion:

Having trouble viewing the images below?
Try the web version: http://lessonslearnedonthejourney.com/devotional/1209_3.htm

This will be the last lesson of 2009. Celebrating the Christmas season, may you know the presence of the Savior and the joy of the resurrection as we journey into the year 2010.

Not As Expected!

December 17, 2009

In late September, a grandson was born to friends.
The birth was not as expected. Kyren was born
very prematurely, weighing 1 pound 8 ounces.
His life has lain in the balance since he was born.
Kyren’s mother blogs regularly to keep us updated
on his miraculous growth and maturation – sharing
the lessons God has taught her through Kyren’s life
and struggles.

The birth of a child does not always happen as we
plan – ask Zechariah, father of John the Baprtist
(Luke 1:5-25;35-45;57-66). An angel told Zechariah
that his prayers were to be answered - a child would
be born even in his advanced age. Because he
doubted, God silenced Zechariah, making him
unable to speak for the duration of pregnancy – not
what he expected!

Even a young Jewish girl who found favor with God
discovered blessings in the unexpected. Her
unplanned pregnancy led to much misunderstanding
and scorn. In the face of the unexpected from God,
Mary questioned God.

How will this be since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:34 NIV)

But she quickly moved to an attitude of acceptance
and submission to God’s plans for her.

May it be to me as you have said! (Luke 1:38)

Much of life is "not as expected" even among those
who have found favor in the eyes of God. Will you join
me in responding as Mary did?

Sharing the journey with you,

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