I have several friends who have recently been talking about simplicity and decluttering on their blogs. As I have pondered their thoughts and discoveries about these two ideas, I have decided that I am WAY to busy, WAY to involved and WAY to complicated. My life is running me instead of the other way around.
I have decided to simplify my life. Granted, I'm not sure exactly what it will look like. I don't know what all it will involve. But, I do know that my actions are directly linked to simplicity or chaos. I want to make huge changes quickly, but that is not as feasible as I'd like. So, I will commit to do several smaller things each month, adding to the previous month's activities (I know, a strange word when speaking of simplifying!).
To start, I will commit to doing the following things through the month of June (since it's almost the end of May).
1. Eat at home or take my meals with me unless the meal is provided by someone else. (With the exception of 1 meal a week--I eat with a great group of ladies every Wednesday for lunch....the fellowship is worth the meal out!)
2. I will recycle what I can because in doing so I will be more conscious of what I buy and what I get.
3. I declare June "No-Buy Month" except for one grocery trip and the meals previously mentioned.
These things will help me to be a better manager of my resources and time. Let the simplicity begin.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The heart of God....
Tonight in small groups we talked about evangelism. Sharing our faith with others. The definition given: having a heart for people like God's. Wow. What a definition.
Our normal Western idea of evangelism is handing someone a track about Jesus, reading verses from Romans that tell how we are all sinners but can be saved, sharing how God has changed our lives. We usually think of it as a thing we do where we give our "testimony" to someone who does not know about the gospel. We tend to treat those who do not "know" as lesser than us. We treat them as many people have been treated by missionaries in past days. We often want to feel like we (believers) are superior to others because of our faith commitment. How does that reflect the heart of God? It doesn't.
When we begin to look at people (the man to the right, the kid down the street, the woman in the nursing home) the way God sees them, we will share His love and good news with them. When we see the world through the eyes of God, we will love the world. We will love the unlovable, the untouchable, the least of these. We will not try to "convert" the masses in order to add to our church roles. Instead, we will truly want to walk with them as we seek to be disciples together. We will walk hand in hand rather than holding a position over one another.
Evangelism is having a heart for people like God's heart for people. How is your heart?
Grace and peace.
Our normal Western idea of evangelism is handing someone a track about Jesus, reading verses from Romans that tell how we are all sinners but can be saved, sharing how God has changed our lives. We usually think of it as a thing we do where we give our "testimony" to someone who does not know about the gospel. We tend to treat those who do not "know" as lesser than us. We treat them as many people have been treated by missionaries in past days. We often want to feel like we (believers) are superior to others because of our faith commitment. How does that reflect the heart of God? It doesn't.
When we begin to look at people (the man to the right, the kid down the street, the woman in the nursing home) the way God sees them, we will share His love and good news with them. When we see the world through the eyes of God, we will love the world. We will love the unlovable, the untouchable, the least of these. We will not try to "convert" the masses in order to add to our church roles. Instead, we will truly want to walk with them as we seek to be disciples together. We will walk hand in hand rather than holding a position over one another.
Evangelism is having a heart for people like God's heart for people. How is your heart?
Grace and peace.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The mission continues.....
Today I watched two of my best friends resign from their ministry position effective at the end of the summer. It was hard to watch and yet exciting because God is leading them in a new direction. In times of change it is easy to try to figure out why and what is next. It is easy to be angry or hurt or sad when change comes in a church setting. It is easy to forget that the message and mission continues even when individuals move on to a different role in that mission.
We see the same picture in the transition from Moses' leadership to Joshua's leading. The Israelites had placed a great deal of trust in Moses. He had encouraged them to leave Egypt when Pharaoh was oppressive. In fact, he led them out himself. (Exodus 12-14) He led them to the desert and then God used him to provide food and water. (Exodus 15-17) He led them to the edge of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 1-2) They disobeyed God by not continuing on into the Promised Land, so they wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2) Then, Moses dies. (Deuteronomy 34)
Before he died, Moses passed on his mission and role to Joshua. God has appointed Joshua to continue with the mission that Moses began. The Lord spoke to Joshua in chapter 1. He told Joshua that he would cross the Jordan River and would give him and the people every place he had promised to Moses. God promised to be with Joshua just as he was with Moses.
In this part of Scripture we see that even though Moses died and his part of the mission ended, God prepared Joshua to take the reigns and lead on. Just as with days of old, God continues to provide leaders to step up and continue to the work started by others. We never minister alone. Our ministries are impacted by those who have come before us. Our ministries impact those who come behind us.
As the song says,
Grace and peace to you.
We see the same picture in the transition from Moses' leadership to Joshua's leading. The Israelites had placed a great deal of trust in Moses. He had encouraged them to leave Egypt when Pharaoh was oppressive. In fact, he led them out himself. (Exodus 12-14) He led them to the desert and then God used him to provide food and water. (Exodus 15-17) He led them to the edge of the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 1-2) They disobeyed God by not continuing on into the Promised Land, so they wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2) Then, Moses dies. (Deuteronomy 34)
Before he died, Moses passed on his mission and role to Joshua. God has appointed Joshua to continue with the mission that Moses began. The Lord spoke to Joshua in chapter 1. He told Joshua that he would cross the Jordan River and would give him and the people every place he had promised to Moses. God promised to be with Joshua just as he was with Moses.
In this part of Scripture we see that even though Moses died and his part of the mission ended, God prepared Joshua to take the reigns and lead on. Just as with days of old, God continues to provide leaders to step up and continue to the work started by others. We never minister alone. Our ministries are impacted by those who have come before us. Our ministries impact those who come behind us.
As the song says,
"Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful,As times change and people move to and fro, may we remember that God's mission is not dependent upon our work alone. We are in this grand mission of the ages together.
May the fire of our devotion light their way,
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful."
Grace and peace to you.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Life Update
Things have been a bit crazy around here lately. Finals have come and gone....over 60 pages turned in between three classes. Chip has been super sick with some kind of sinus/strep stuff. Mom and Dad are coming tomorrow for Chips graduation Monday night, which he may or may not be able to attend.
So, I've been playing nurse and maid the last few days. And it's been a job!
It's been a job because I don't do nurse duty well. I don't have tons of patience and I want to do what I want to do, which does not usually mean taking care of sickly people. In addition, I don't deep clean my house often. So, when the parents come, I have to spend several days vacuuming, dusting and making sure everything is where it belongs. It would be so much easier if I would do a little bit more often.
That's how my spiritual life is a lot of the time. I go for long periods without a good, deep cleaning or examination. Life just goes and goes and goes okay for a while. Then, I begin to notice things are going as smoothly. I am less patient. I am angry more often about more things, most of which are really insignificant. I am bitter more often. I am frustrated more.
If I would just take some time on a regular (say, weekly or even DAILY) to really examine my spiritual life, to really dig into who I am and where God is leading, these moments of completely crashing and getting stuck with sickness and stinky-ness would not come as much..nor would they be as bad.
Where are you? Are you in need of some cleaning and medicine? Are you seeking fully? Are you spending time evaluating your life? Am I?
So, I've been playing nurse and maid the last few days. And it's been a job!
It's been a job because I don't do nurse duty well. I don't have tons of patience and I want to do what I want to do, which does not usually mean taking care of sickly people. In addition, I don't deep clean my house often. So, when the parents come, I have to spend several days vacuuming, dusting and making sure everything is where it belongs. It would be so much easier if I would do a little bit more often.
That's how my spiritual life is a lot of the time. I go for long periods without a good, deep cleaning or examination. Life just goes and goes and goes okay for a while. Then, I begin to notice things are going as smoothly. I am less patient. I am angry more often about more things, most of which are really insignificant. I am bitter more often. I am frustrated more.
If I would just take some time on a regular (say, weekly or even DAILY) to really examine my spiritual life, to really dig into who I am and where God is leading, these moments of completely crashing and getting stuck with sickness and stinky-ness would not come as much..nor would they be as bad.
Where are you? Are you in need of some cleaning and medicine? Are you seeking fully? Are you spending time evaluating your life? Am I?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
"Jesus Camp"
Ok, so I watched "Jesus Camp" yesterday and while I found it to be extremely scary, I also found some positive things that might be good for us to consider. Here's the summary: An evangelical, fundamentalist children's pastor holds a camp in North Dakota for kids from what appears to be age 6-12. So, typical kid camp ages. They do all the camp things, sing, sermons, crafts, etc. but they also talk about topics such as government corruption, abortion and other hot button issues in the USA. The worship times are very emotionally driven and the kids tend to be really "in to" it. This camp is of a Pentecostal/Holiness tradition, I believe, so there is some speaking in tongues and a large emphasis on the Holy Spirit. (Please note: I'm not saying anything one way or the other on that, just giving the back ground.) So, here are my pros and cons from what I saw.
CONS:
*They deal with subjects that I do not believe children can comprehend and make informed decisions about (for themselves) based on the developmental levels. An eight year old cannot grasp enough about the political system to promote specific people for supreme court justices. Also, six year olds cannot grasp all that the abortion issue covers. Yet, the leaders had the kids chanting "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!" and eight year olds were calling down curses upon the USA for the abortion epidemic. I'm fine with the stances they took here, but I'm not sure a kid can really understand what they are saying or calling on the government to do.
*Some of the language used in the sermons were not on a level where most kids could understand. At one point the pastor told them that she had a vision that some of them were not living the same way at church and school. She then used words like "stop being a hypocrite." Again, not a problem in theory, but not sure the kids can understand.
*All of the language and concept issues I've pointed out are a problem for me because of the age of the children. It is indoctrination at it's finest. They point out that other religions are doing the same thing. True, but I think it is necessary to allow people (children) included to understand what they are supporting and saying instead of just blind adherence to what others around them are saying. It seems very militant in the approach.
*Also, I find the emotional aspect troubling. It seems like the adults were wanting lots of emotions and tears, which broke the kids down and helped with the indoctrination. Kids should not become a well of tears and sniffles every time they hear some leader speak. Yet, this is what happened at this camp. The kids were emotionally and spiritually spent most of the time, but the leaders pushed harder and harder while telling them that they were responsible, even as kids to change the world. In the midst of the emotion, they were told to accept a burden that I believe it too big for them to bear at six or eight or ten.
*A final con: The adults and students interviewed in the film made very clear that they were opposed to separation of church and state. While the US may have been founded upon some beliefs consistent with Judeo-Christian beliefs, as a Baptist Christian, I cannot support a merger of the two. I believe that every has the right to their beliefs. I may not agree with them, but I will not tell them the MUST believe like I do. (Which does nto mean I am against evangelism....I'm not) I believe that people have the freedom and intellect to decide for themselves. As such, I believe that a merger of church and state would mean that any religion or belief would have to be protected. I don't want to have to listen to a prayer to another diety over the PA system anymore than someone of a different faith wants to hear me pray to YHWH over the same system. The group at Jesus Camp wanted a complete Christian take over of government so that Christian beliefs could be made the norm for society. I disagree.
PROS:
*They do begin teaching their children very early about their faith. They expect their kids to know what is taught and to live by it. We might do well in our home and churches to do the same thing.
*They do take their faith very seriously and see it as the most foundational part of life. Most of us tend to see it an one aspect of life, not much more important than any other part.
*They do promote evangelism. We often brush it aside becaue it is hard work.
*They are very, very pasionate about what they believe . They make no excuese for their openness about thier faith. We might do well to have a little more passion in our faith lives.
Summary:
While I did find the majority of Jesus Camp to be deeply disturbing and scary, we must also realize that they offer some pictures of things that we all should be doing. I don't agree with their methods. I don't always agree with the message they proclaim. I don't think their approach is the best. However, they do believe strongly in their practice. They do believe strongly in their faith. For that, I cannot fault them.
May the words above be a true reflection of my heart and a fair representation of what I saw and observed.
CONS:
*They deal with subjects that I do not believe children can comprehend and make informed decisions about (for themselves) based on the developmental levels. An eight year old cannot grasp enough about the political system to promote specific people for supreme court justices. Also, six year olds cannot grasp all that the abortion issue covers. Yet, the leaders had the kids chanting "Righteous judges! Righteous judges!" and eight year olds were calling down curses upon the USA for the abortion epidemic. I'm fine with the stances they took here, but I'm not sure a kid can really understand what they are saying or calling on the government to do.
*Some of the language used in the sermons were not on a level where most kids could understand. At one point the pastor told them that she had a vision that some of them were not living the same way at church and school. She then used words like "stop being a hypocrite." Again, not a problem in theory, but not sure the kids can understand.
*All of the language and concept issues I've pointed out are a problem for me because of the age of the children. It is indoctrination at it's finest. They point out that other religions are doing the same thing. True, but I think it is necessary to allow people (children) included to understand what they are supporting and saying instead of just blind adherence to what others around them are saying. It seems very militant in the approach.
*Also, I find the emotional aspect troubling. It seems like the adults were wanting lots of emotions and tears, which broke the kids down and helped with the indoctrination. Kids should not become a well of tears and sniffles every time they hear some leader speak. Yet, this is what happened at this camp. The kids were emotionally and spiritually spent most of the time, but the leaders pushed harder and harder while telling them that they were responsible, even as kids to change the world. In the midst of the emotion, they were told to accept a burden that I believe it too big for them to bear at six or eight or ten.
*A final con: The adults and students interviewed in the film made very clear that they were opposed to separation of church and state. While the US may have been founded upon some beliefs consistent with Judeo-Christian beliefs, as a Baptist Christian, I cannot support a merger of the two. I believe that every has the right to their beliefs. I may not agree with them, but I will not tell them the MUST believe like I do. (Which does nto mean I am against evangelism....I'm not) I believe that people have the freedom and intellect to decide for themselves. As such, I believe that a merger of church and state would mean that any religion or belief would have to be protected. I don't want to have to listen to a prayer to another diety over the PA system anymore than someone of a different faith wants to hear me pray to YHWH over the same system. The group at Jesus Camp wanted a complete Christian take over of government so that Christian beliefs could be made the norm for society. I disagree.
PROS:
*They do begin teaching their children very early about their faith. They expect their kids to know what is taught and to live by it. We might do well in our home and churches to do the same thing.
*They do take their faith very seriously and see it as the most foundational part of life. Most of us tend to see it an one aspect of life, not much more important than any other part.
*They do promote evangelism. We often brush it aside becaue it is hard work.
*They are very, very pasionate about what they believe . They make no excuese for their openness about thier faith. We might do well to have a little more passion in our faith lives.
Summary:
While I did find the majority of Jesus Camp to be deeply disturbing and scary, we must also realize that they offer some pictures of things that we all should be doing. I don't agree with their methods. I don't always agree with the message they proclaim. I don't think their approach is the best. However, they do believe strongly in their practice. They do believe strongly in their faith. For that, I cannot fault them.
May the words above be a true reflection of my heart and a fair representation of what I saw and observed.
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