As Dearly Loved Children

Colossians 3:12

 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 

Ephesians 4:1-3

walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love;

 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Kind of going off my post from yesterday, Pray in the Spirit, I feel like the Lord is just teaching me stuff in layers. 

I was praying this morning and Ephesians 4:1-3 came to mind, so I looked it up. A little later I checked my e-mail to see the "Verse of the Day" was Colossians 3:12, both along the same lines. It's about walking in the Spirit. 

Being called of Christ, we need to recognize whose we are, putting on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience as Colossians reads. Ephesians basically says the same thing, but mentions an aspect of endurance and that all of this is to create a bond of peace for believers. 

Scripture

So how does this tie into yesterday? The 2nd point Pastor Dan made was that praying in the Spirit births endurance. We are empowered to walk as Beloved Children of God, and not give up in this calling. This creates peace. When we are praying for one another and striving to live in peace with our brothers and sisters in the faith, we find reconciliation, understanding, and love for one another. We are willing and able to stand by one another, though we are all messy and broken. However, recognizing that we have been reconciled to God, we seek unity with one another, as we have been made one with Christ. There is no unforgiveness or bitterness that can bubble up between us, because we are seeking peace. 

Abba, 

I pray that you would bring unity to your church body, that we may see each other through your eyes, and as we have been reconciled to you, we would find reconciliation with one another. Fill our hearts with compassion that we maybe kind, humble, meek, and patient with one another. Always forgiving, because we recognize we are all in a spiritual battle. Let us not be offended with one another, but instead, look on each other with grace and be driven to prayer that your body would be given life and life to the fullest.

Amen

Pray in the Spirit

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints- Ephesians 6:18

For this past week, I think I have heard a sermon on praying in the Spirit about 4 times. I think Someone might be trying to tell me something and I think it's something I need to start implementing in my life. 

This past week I have been plagued with some intense feelings of guilt and shame. Feelings of insecurity. We've all been there. We've all felt insecure from time to time. However, if I have learned anything about insecurity over the years, it's that it is just another form of pride. It's placing our opinion of ourselves and our strength to be perfect over the Lord, his opinions, and his strength which is made perfect in our weaknesses. Praying in the Spirit brings us out of this pride and back into the light of God's will. 

Today I went to Heights Church in Colombia Heights and Pastor Dan Thompson made three points of what Praying in the Spirit does: 

1. Praying in the Spirit brings us to the heart of God in a more INTIMATE way. 
2. Partnership with the Spirit brings a new level of ENDURANCE.
3. When we partner with the Spirit we are better PREPARED to pray for God's will. 

What these points spoke to me is that praying in the Spirit brings us into INTIMACY with our Heavenly Father. In this intimacy we see the heart of God. He is able to reveal who he is, what he really desires, and be transformed by the knowledge. We are humbled in the essence that we see who we truly are in light of the glory of God and he transcends all of our thoughts and ideals. 

Secondly, we are given a new ENDURANCE to chase after the Lord, to see his face, and seek his will. We become more determined to actually preform his will on this Earth and are empowered to actually be his light, love, and life to the World. 

Finally, when we pray in the Spirit, because we are aligned with the will of God, we are PREPARED to pray the will of God is accomplished on Earth as it is in Heaven. We want nothing, but the Lord's will. 

The Lord's will is that we would first love him, but then to also love others. This is his commandment. When we are bogged down by insecurity, truly we are so self-focused that we can only love ourselves and be looking out for ourselves. Praying in the Spirit aligns us with the truth of the Lord, that we may be able to love others and thus pray for them. When we turn our face from ourselves and begin praying for those around us, we begin to see them through the eyes of Christ and love overflows for them. This is my new priority, to pray for others more than ever before and keep praying until the Lord answers. Terrying means to keep waiting on the Lord until he replies. Thus I will terry. Therefore, if anyone has a prayer request, feel free to post it on my wall. Hold me accountable to pray in the Spirit and seek the Lord on behalf of others. In this way his love will be made known. 

Lord, 

Today I surrender my pride and selfishness. Lord, I want to be aligned with your will that I may be a vessel that shines your light and love, that your life may be breathed into all I come in contact. 

Amen

Lenten Friday 2: Stations of the Cross 1

Jesus was condemned to death

Dear Jesus, I am a ungratefully, filthy person. Guilty in every way. I deserve condemnation from both you and the world. However, you, in spite of the wretchedness that plagues me, have given me grace. You came down, putting on all the likeness of a man, but without sin. Without guilt and you took mine, so that I may be given the place of life. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your sacrifice. There is nothing I can cling to but you. Though I have sinned and still sin everyday, you are constant in your forgiveness. You paid it all. What more can I do, but give my all to you. Help me every day to remember the price you paid and realize that the price I pay to show your love to others is oh so small in comparison. May I walk in the assurance that I am freed from condemnation and the authority to free others. Amen

Sabbath

I don't remember the last time my schedule was just...open. Yes, most days I have about a 1-2 hour break where there is nothing going on, but usually I am left using this time to clean the bathroom or the kitchen floor. Then I'm off running to the next task. Does it ever end?!

The weekends. Of course, the weekends. Sunday is the Christian Sabbath, but because I usually spend my Sundays running from home to church, to home, to work, I've been making Saturdays my Sabbath. But oh the weekends. You can't waste them. Indeed, from early morning prayer breakfasts, to day trips, to parties. Yes, these things are good. Yes they break the mold of everyday routine, but running around from here to there, is still as busy as a bee, even if it is a good busy.

I don't feel like this is the way we as humans were meant to live. To be in constant motion, with never a stand still. Where is the time to just sit? Where is the time to think, meditate, and contemplate our lives? Where is the time to listen and actually absorb what the Lord is telling us? And often times I do believe he is telling us to simply relax.

Tonight I'm free. This is my first free moment in I don't remember when. There's no agenda, no drama, not even homework to occupy my time. So I sit hear and think, meditate, contemplate, and I hear the voice of the Lord saying: CHILL OUT!

Business so often creates anxiety, anxiety breeds panic, and panic detaches us from trust. When we loose our trust in the Lord, we forget that he's already worked things out. We begin flailing, worried about our future, our friends, our money, etc., etc. And become even more busy with the work of figuring these things out.

Meanwhile, the Lord is saying, "I've got this."

Tonight, that is my meditation, and this is my point of letting go of all the fears and concerns that have strove to cloud my mind. I am choosing not to be concerned and, instead, to surrender to the power of one greater than me. I have nothing to chase after and nothing to work for. You know, the Lord and I may just chill out and watch some Downton Abbey this evening and I think that would be okay.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted through out the earth."

Lenten Friday 1: The Lord is my Advocate

 Often, when people think of advocacy, they think of marching on the plaza with picket signs on their hands. They don’t generally think of calling up a land lady and saying “Hey, give my girl an apartment, because she’s worth it.”

She really is worth it. She’s worth the chance this world isn’t giving her. The moms I work with are probably some of the most beautiful people I have ever met and every time we talk I have to take a ten minute break, cry, and pray for them. When a mom is rejected from multiple apartments, because she’s on welfare, apartment skipped in her old state and has domestic abuse stamped in her background, that’s when I get a little pissed. No one ever stops to consider the fact that maybe she was apartment skipping, because she was running from the Baby Daddy, and now needs a little Welfare, because she’s been so busy running that she forgot what her feet feel like, much less what it feels like to stand up on them. She’s vulnerable. Sadly, vulnerable people are the ones that are easy to abuse. They have nothing, so somehow some people think that it’s okay to take the little they have and run away with it. That’s not right. I could really say some unsanctified words about this.

When a girl who has the world in the palm of her hand ends up with the wrong guy at the right time, her dreams come crashing to the ground and shatter. Shatter. If anyone has seen a shattered glass they know it’s easier to sweep the pieces in the dust pan and throw them away, than to put them on the table and try to glue the glass back together. Who’s got time for that?

No one sees that this girl has a college degree. They don’t see that she has a baby to feed and she does feed, sacrificing her everything to provide. They don’t see the love she has for others who have a harder life than she. No one sees the beautiful soul that she owns. No one.

Hence, that little girl who once was golden is now running the streets, looking for a home, with no hope of anywhere to go. She’s on welfare. She’s broke. Domestic abuse case? Now no one’s got time to mess with that. I could get so mad and scream at the inhumanity I see when a girl goes the county for reliable housing and instead send her to a crook, who will take that deposit and shut her out. How many times? 1? 3? 5? 9 and more to come. This is what I call injustice.

Typical day: I call a land lady. I hang up the phone with a desperate, crippled, beautiful gem of a girl, and dial the office number for the apartment she is hoping to rent.

“Hello,” the other end sweetly calls out.

“Hi, this is _____with_____________. ”

She says she’s been expecting my call. She has some questions.

I bet she does.

She asks about the girl’s history. She asks about the Welfare. She asks about the domestic abuse. She needs someone that could speak for this girl.

I speak for her. I advocated. I say this girl is a girl that is trying. She is striving and wants to thrive. She’s got a baby, and she loves him. She has a degree and she has dreams that someday she could use it to change the world. To keep little girls from becoming like her: a welfare case. Domestic abuse. A number. She just needs someone to speak for her. That is advocacy. Speaking for someone. Being on someone’s side when the rest of the world is against them.

This kind of reminds me of Jesus. I have been watching Francis Chan's Basic Series, and I just watched the 2nd one the other day. It was about Following Jesus. I point made is that often we claim to be Christian, but we don't actually do what Jesus did. When Jesus came and made disciples, he went to some guys and said, come be like me. Then, when they learned how to be like him, he sent them out and told them to make others to be like him as well. This is what following Jesus looks like. It looks like him. 

One thing I consistently see Jesus doing in the Bible is speaking up for those that everyone else despises. From the prostituted women they were going to stone, to the blind men calling out his name and were being hushed, then finally on the cross. There were two beggars be crucified next to Jesus. The crowds rallied around, hurling insults at the Lord and one thieve chimed in on the rants. He said, "Yeah, if you are God, save yourself, and us too." 

However, the other thieve rebuked the first, "Leave him alone. Don't you see he's innocent?" Then he addressed Jesus, "Lord, remember me when you go into your kingdom." 

And Jesus said, "I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." 

This man, on the the cross with Jesus, had a past. They didn't usually just crucify people for no reason. It was punishment to the highest degree of torture. You don't just send a person to die that way. However, regardless of his past, Jesus said to him, "You will be with me." Jesus advocated on behalf of this man, gracing him with an eternal home in paradise. 

And the Lord does the same for us. All of us have muddy pasts where we have hurt someone and committed wrong. Whether we did something that deserves crucifixion or not, Jesus speaks on our behalf, intercedes for us that we may also know the eternal glory of a home in paradise. That is the beauty of grace. The entire essence of the Gospel.

How much more can we intercede on behalf of a single mom who life has hit hard to secure for her an apartment in the present. It is not enough to merely have a relationship with the Lord, it must be lived out and reflected in our interactions with others. This is the art of perpendicular living. Where we take our relationship with the Lord above, and spread it out among those around us. 

Today is Lenten Friday. Purpose of the day: Reflect on the Lord's advocacy for me, that he intercedes on my behalf. How much more should I intercede on behalf of others. 

Covenant: Contact vs. Relationship

This semester I have been taking a course in Psalms and Wisdom Literature. I decided to take this class, because the Psalms are really something that interest me. Today I was far from disappointed in class discussion.
My professor asked, "If Job does not explain suffering, what is the point of the book?"
All the students looked at him, perplexed. Wasn't the point of the book that Job went under intense suffering, but never sinned? However, what is it that made him righteous. What is it that made it so he never sinned? If we read the rebukes of his friends, they are all arguments that we use to rationalize suffering in our own day and age. We believe people suffer, because they sin. I mean, after all, if someone ends up poor and on the streets, that's obviously the result of poor decision making, says the logic of the modern philosopher. We also believe that God is God and we are not, so why question him? He is sovereign. Again, we say that there is a higher order to everything, so all leads to a greater good. These are all the arguments of Job's friends, but Job is the only one who does not sin, and in the end is told to pray for his friends that they may be washed of their wickedness.

In light of all that, what made Job righteous? The answer is simple: relationship. While Job's friends were debating the cause and effect of disaster, Job merely sought an audience with the most high.
If we look at the ancient format for a covenant, we see that there is always a high king, who offers protection for the lesser king who obeys. They follow the commands laid out in the covenant by laws. However, above all other laws, and interwoven with all the laws prescribed is the call for faithfulness. There is a call for loyalty, for relationship, and this covers a multitude of sins.

Such is found in the righteousness of Job. Job was righteous. What made him righteous? While his friends were seeking out to answer for and defend the most high, Job sought to tell the Lord what he thought to his face. He got his wish, and though the Lord's answer was less than sufficient, he was given an answer. Job desired relationship of reasoning. He desired faithfulness over false explanation. Job was righteous in all his ways, because he remained faithful to relationship with the most high.

This is my prayer, that through trials and storms, rather than trying to reason my way to explanation, may I seek the Lord's face. May I not need to know all the answers, but only know my Lord.

Lent

The season of lent will kick-off this upcoming Wednesday, starting with Ash Wednesday. Mind you, being that I am not from a Catholic background I have never celebrated lent. However, the idea really intrigues me. As I have moved out on my own, and in college have been given the opportunity to explore many different traditions in the Christian faith, I have discovered that there is a lot of elements to Catholicism that I particularly like. The rich symbolism of this tradition overflows with imagery to our sanctification. As I have been studying Lent (well and fasting in general) I have been learning that it is a time to align ourselves with the will of God. Lent is a time where we put away our carnal desires to focus on the spiritual and the ways of the Lord. We reflect on the Lord and our humanity, so that we may better appreciate and accept the grace shown us through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.  Lent also represents the time of prayer and fasting Jesus had while in the desert after his baptism. Jesus was baptized before he began his ministry, but he also fasted and aligned himself with the will of the Father before he began His ministry. I believe that I, having accepted the Lord's grace, am made to be an icon of Christ in this world. I was made to be a minister of the Lord. Therefore, if Christ fasted before he stepped into ministry, I believe it may be wise to do the same. I want to be so aligned with God's will that when people bump into me on the street, the love of the Lord would shine so radiantly that they would no longer see me, but Him. Therefore, in following the path of Jesus, I want to humble myself, that I may be fully transformed into his likeness, evermore able to accept his grace and give it to others.
Being that I have never done a 40 day fast, I don't think it would be wise to fast from food as I have read many monks used to. However, because I do not eat much meat anyway, I see that the path of a modern Catholic may not do either. I have been praying, and asking the Lord what I may need to be surrendered to him. I think I have my answer.
For 40 days, I will be fasting coffee. Anyone who knows me, knows this is a feat. I'm a connoisseur of this fragrant drink. Though I quite disdain this term, I have been frequently accused of being an addict (though I do not believe this to be the case). This is my vice. Therefore, I'm going on a spiritual caffeine with drawl for the next 40 days. I'm seeking to be aligned with the will of God in every area of my life.

Basilica Sanctuary

Along with fasting from coffee, I am also going to try to attend the Friday services at the Basilica of Saint Mary. I would try to attend the Ash Wednesday service, but I work 4-11 p.m. However, I feel that the Friday night services could be most enlightening.  Featuring the partaking of the Eucharist at 5:30 p.m., a Soup supper at 6 p.m., and Stations of the Cross at 7 p.m., I think that this would create a great opportunity to learn more about this tradition. I won't be able to participate in the Eucharist, because I am not Catholic, but I can take the opportunity to pray and reflect. The supper would then give me a chance to have some conversations with members of the congregation about the observance of lent. Finally, the Stations are a beautiful observance of the Lord's sacrifice on the cross.

I'm really looking forwards to the lessons that may be learned and to hopefully have my ideals about the Lord blown open. Look forward to seeing more posts about this journey.

Stick it to the Man

My darling roommate and I were having a great conversation this morning. Although we live together, we never see each other (we're both seniors, trying to graduate, and figure out what we're doing with ourselves after school). This means that these rare occurrences when we do get to talk are all so sweet and treasured.

Suddenly she perks up, "I think I've discovered the true meaning of the phrase 'Stick it to the Man.'"

I looked at her, perplexed. What was she talking about?

"You know how things can just get you down and be overwhelming?" She continued. "That's when we need to say "stick it to the man." That man is Jesus."

I mulled over her words, and the truth rang out. "Stick it to the Man." The man who "bore our shame and carried our sorrows. We thought that his sins were a punishment from God for his own sins, but indeed, they were ours." (Isaiah 53:4).

That is the whole point of Christ's death, that he would take the things of this world that hold us down, so that we may know true life. Therefore, let's surrender our troubles to him. Let's "Stick it to the Man."

(Look forward to a great painting to be posted, carrying this phrase).

The Glory of 2 Hour Lines

Standing in a two hour long line outside of the Social Security Administration building is not a normal person's idea of fun. Standing, standing, waiting, standing. The whole county is served by this one office. Behind me I hear two ladies complaining and coming to the conclusion that Minneapolis and St. Paul need to have their own separate offices. There's so many people that just one office is not enough space. If I would have had any other morning I would have agreed.
I woke up feeling rushed. I had things I needed to do, and not enough time to do them. Alarm. I need a shower. No time for shower. Lather on the deo and put a hat on. Let's go. Exhileration. Work. Nerves already spasmed. All I want to do is sit down and wait. Too late. The coffee wasn't made last night, rush to fix the problem. No one likes an angry patron. Pull blinds. Pull blinds. Turn on computers. Pull Blinds. Check drop box. Teacher calls in a list of books for classes. Need to find them. How long? 1 Hour. Call numbers? Nope. Find Call numbers. Find call numbers. Find books. Find books. Clock out. Figure out where I'm supposed to meet client. SSA office. Bolt. Coffee spills in car. Book bag lands on horn. New zebra print seat covers ruined. No time to cry. Brush off car and go. Finally park.
Now I'm waiting in line. Finally, I have a few minutes to unwind and think. I say a short desperate prayer for my seat covers.
"Lord, if you love me, could you just make that stain disappear?"
Pathetic? Yes, but at this moment and at the pace my mind has been going for the past three hours, I think I am entitled to a little self-pity.
I just need to breathe.
RELAX.
Stop Thinking....
That's when I remember my verse of the day. "Come to me all who are weary and heavy leaden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-30.
Ironically, my post from yesterday was about being yoked to Satan. In the business of the day we forget that we are the Lords. We cling to the words of the opposer that robs us of the identity we have in the Lord.
So what does in mean to be yoked to the Lord?
Rest. Take a deep breath. The Lord is gentle and lowly in heart. He calls us to lay down the business and learn to breathe. Learn to live in his presence.
I Breathe.
This is a turning point, where I decide I will turn around my day. The Lord has called me to rest and put on gentleness. The Lord calls me to let him lead me. Therefore, this moment I surrender. This two hour long line is the best gift the Lord could have given me. It has given me time to wait, but not just on people, but on his presence.

The Art of Being (...not just doing...)

We are God's children. This is something that has really been captivating my mind lately. We are all God's children. There are a variety of different ways to capture this message. The words created in God's image, co-heirs with Christ, and Sons of God are all illustrations that allude to the fact that we are the Lords.
I think sometimes we are too easy to forget this. We forget who we are, and even worse, whose we are. We belong to the Lord. He sees us, knows us, he created us. He knit us together in our Mothers' wombs and we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

I think the enemy hates this. Satan means opposer, and he indeed is the one that comes against us. If the very core of who we are is the sons and daughters of God, does that not mean that the opposer would do all he could to come against that truth.

The lies of the enemy are vicious. They strive to strip of us our true identity found in our Heavenly Father. It robs us of the joy found in simply just being in the Lord. It creates an insecurity, and suddenly we find ourselves running around crazy, striving to do the right thing, run the right ministry, say the kindest words...We get BUSY! (Which is just a smooth acronym for Being Under Satan's Yoke). Anything Satan can do to rob us of our true identity is a success in his favor. Meanwhile we are striving to earn the favor of God.

We forget that we have already been chosen. We were bought with a price to bring us back into the calling which we were destined for. It is what we have been made for, to be the children of the King. We are God's beloved. We have found his favor as the apple of his eye. Neither heights nor depths nor angels nor demons can separate us from this wonderfully extravagant love. Yet, we sometimes for get this.

So, what do we do? When life gets crazy and we forget the truth of who we are? When we get so focused on the works? This is when we need to be. Just be. Sit in the silence and peace that comes from the Lord's love on our lives. Let his face shine upon us that we may find the blessed assurance that comes simply from being.

Peace BE still and know that I am God...Psalm 46:10