Tag: love

Humility

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Humility

Pride is a funny thing.

For that matter, so is humility.

They aren’t quite what I thought they were.

On some surface level I had a general idea but if I was going to be real honest with you, I don’t know if I could have told you why God hates pride so much.

But I’m in the know, now.

You want to know too, don’t you?

Okay, but you owe me a latte or something.

 

God hates pride because. . . (drumroll, please) it’s a relationship killer.

 

Yep, that’s the big secret.

God hates pride because it breaks down authentic, heart connections.

And on the flip side, God L-O-V-E-S humility because it promotes very real, very close relationships.

 

So this got me thinking.

What the heck is humility anyways.

And I don’t mean a definition out of the dictionary.

I mean if I take humility off the rack, what does it look like on a person?

 

 

It’s not self-depreciating.

If you’re good at something, own it.

No, seriously.

I told you, humility is not what we think it is.  When we self-depreciate ourselves its so we LOOK humble, but inside we are high five-ing our awesome selves.

Might as well just get it out in the open.

Besides, self-depreciating yourself is no laughing matter. . . unless you’re a writer then it’s just plain funny.

 

It’s not comparing yourself to others.

It’s like those old Nintendo racing games.

Every car had some pluses and some minuses, which kinda all evened them out in the end.  We’re all in this race together, except if you had the cheat codes, then your car was definitely the best, but if you have cheat codes, you owe it to the rest of us to share the love.

 

It takes time to rest.  

Whoa.

Hold up.

What does rest have to do with humility?

I know, right?  I was thinking the same thing.  We could be besties, the way you read my mind.

Rest is the simple act of acknowledging that hey, maybe I’m not Wonder Woman after all (or Superman, you choose.  They’re your tights).

And yeah, I’m human and I have needs.

Like a couch, some Netflix and a bag of Doritos.

Don’t knock it people.

Doritios, right there on the bottom of the Needs Pyramid.

What?!  It’s not there.

Well, they should be.

 

Humility is a team player.

It’s open to hearing new ideas. . . like putting Doritos on that dang Needs Pyramid.

 

And humility is okay with saying “no”.

Not to Doritos.

Humility would never say no to Doritos.

 

And maybe the most defining mark of humility is this. . . it’s cool being itself.

Humble people are comfortable in their own skin.

You know, like your grandpa when he wears his tank top and boxers with socks rolled up to his knees.  You know what I’m talking about – that is a man who is secure in his own skin . . . and fashion choices.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline

Colossians 3:12

The Message

 

I could use more humility in my life.

I could do with less comparison of what I think I should be.

I could do with more rest.

I could do with more saying “no”.

And I could definitely do more with just being me.

Maybe you could too.

We live in a world full of causes and needs – and we will get to them.  We will, because God has poured his spirit into us.  Those things won’t get left undone.  But in all of our doing, lets not forget that we are people and not vending machines.

Maybe that’s the truest mark of humility.

That we remember that we are human.

 

Love you,

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Anxiety much?

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I’ve been feeling anxious lately.

It’s that obnoxious type of anxiety because I once had peace – a lot of it and it feels like I’ve misplaced it somehow.

Doctors have run tests and scans and I am perfectly healthy by all accounts.

But I could barely function.

Peace, joy, and a host of other good things were seeping out of my life and I couldn’t understand why.

I was being the mom my kids needed.

I was being the worship leader that my church wanted.

I was being the wife that supported my husband.

I was being the daughter I should be.

I was being the friend that was always available to listen.

I was doing all the things I thought God wanted me to do and be.

All of these roles serve people I love. And I am passionate about being all of those roles- mother, worship leader, wife, daughter, friend.

But all of me was hurting.

My body.

My mind.

My spirit.
Let me just say, not a single person asked me to be something I’m not.

 I did that all on my own.

I’m driven by nature and sadly sometimes still find my worth in what I can do rather than who I am.

Relate much?
Am I called to be all of those things.
Wife.

Mother.

Daughter.

Worship Leader.

Friend.
Absolutely.

So since last Fall, I’ve been muddling through what life should look like for me, because I don’t want to be that exhausted again.  Ever.
But thank God for good friends and strong coffee.
I have a friend, and musical mentor extraordinaire, tell me that she felt like God was telling her that I was taking on too much.

That was what God gave me as my starting place and like I said, the past 6 months have been a painfully slow learning process.

So what’s the secret of juggling the demands of life without losing ourselves in the process?

For me, it’s been learning about boundaries and rest.

Really practical, I know.

But sometimes the most practical words are the most spiritual and more importantly, the ones that God is speaking in the moment.

“Stress was hurting me physically and emotionally. But the Lord also began to show me that stress was hurting me spiritually. I was allowing the external pressures of life to affect my internal peace and joy. If I didn’t make some major changes, I was never going to fully enjoy the life Jesus died to give me.”
Joyce Meyer 

from her book “Overload”

I’m hoping to blog more on this- because it’s important.

It’s important to remember to have some fun in this life and that we are worth far more than what we produce. 

In the waiting

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In The Waiting

Hold on to your promises, even if they feel a little tattered and torn at the moment.

God moves in seasons.

 

Why?

 

I’m not sure, but I think sometimes that farmers must understand God better than us city kids.

 

There are seasons when we are waiting on God to blow on our dreams and to answer prayers.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

 

 

My friend Praveena and I went out for dinner a couple of months ago and she said in her usually brilliant way, “God is teaching me how to hold onto my dream without having any casualties in my relationships along the way.”

Wow.

Doesn’t that sound like the God we know.

The one who wants us to have our dreams.

The one who loves people.

 

The one who wants us to learn how to do both.

Have our dreams and love people.

 

In the waiting, we’re learning how to do just that.

 

Maybe it goes without saying, but waiting is hard.

Correction.

Waiting is really really hard.

 

God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.

In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s here! The bride-groom’s here! Go out and greet him!’

The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’

They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’

They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’

He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’

So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.

Matthew 25:1-13

(The Message)

 

We read this verse a lot when we talk about Jesus coming back, but I believe there’s a kingdom principle embedded in this story.

Those who have been wise to hold on to their oil, to not give away their hope and their faith in who God is, get to enter into the party with Jesus.

Why?

Because when the time comes, they have hope that gives them light to see and discern the opportunities God brings our way.

These are the ones that held onto believing the promises of God, even when it felt like you were just holding on by a thread.

It still counts.

Remember Jesus said, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed.

And a thread is bigger than a mustard seed.

 

So hold on to your promises, even if they feel a little tattered and torn at the moment.  God is good and he always comes through for us, the ones he loves.

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Photo Credit: “Sparkler” by Unsplash, permission through C.C. by 2.0

Be Heard

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Be Heard

I’m working on a short story.

Wanna hear it?

Okay, here goes. . .

Once upon a time, maybe a month or so ago, in a location far, far – okay maybe not that far away, a person said something to Joyce.

The something that was said made Joyce really mad.

Joyce was so mad she could spit fireballs and smoke was coming out of her ears.

Joyce knew she was right.

Joyce wanted the world to know she was right.

She prayed for direction (and maybe some sweet vindication).

She desperately wanted to be heard.

She NEEDED to be heard.

Joyce realized regardless of who was right, the bigger issue was that her love was growing colder by the minute.

Joyce felt really sorry and realized she had no control over the other person, but that she could always control her own reaction.  So she did speak, but she spoke in a way that gave her opinion without trashing the other person’s.

And they all lived happily ever after.

 

 

Okay, so maybe not so much short story and more just life in motion, but a true story nonetheless.

 

There is a lot going on in the world right now. . .

 

Take politics.

Were you team Hilary or team Trump?

Wait,did I go there too soon?

 

Okay, how about civics.

Where do you stand on the debate regarding law enforcement and race?

 

Global Events?

What is your stance on how terrorism should be dealt with?

 

If you’re breathing, you probably have an opinion on each one of these matters, with compelling reasons for why your opinions are the right ones.

 

These are all important issues.

Issues that affect communities and nations.

Issues that need to be talked about.

Issues that need to come out into the light.

 

I agree.

 

We need to be heard.  But our need to be right cannot override our love for people.

 

But Joyce, you say, these are really important issues.

 

Yeah.  Yeah, they are.  The future of our country, the upholding of justice, and human lives are all really important.

 

But what if in all of our arguing and trying to be heard, we are slowing tearing one another down?

 

And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other. . . . For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.

Matthew 24:10 & 12 

 

What if we gave people the freedom to make their own choice without the name-calling and volunteering to help them pack for the long trip to Canada.

 

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. 

1 John 4:7 (The Message)

 

Easier said than done, huh?

 

How the heck do we speak up when the world has gone mad, and when we want to be heard?

 

I always find that coffee helps.

I mean, who are we kidding.

Coffee pretty much fixes everything.

 

Drink coffee.

With people.

Surround yourself with the reminder that God loves people.

And once upon time, you and I did too.

 

And you pray.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 

Philippians 4:6 (The Message)

 

And trust God.

Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Philippians 4:7 (The Message)

 

Does that mean we shouldn’t talk about these things?

 

Maybe.

 

If it’s stealing your love for people, it’s not worth it.

 

I thought the whole Team Edward/Team Jacob debate was crazy but Team Trump/Team Hillary wins hands down.  I gotta be honest, I’ve really struggled with this, the last few months.  Holding my convictions in my hands without losing the love in my heart for people.

And funnily enough, it was Twitter that convicted me.

Yeah right Joyce.

No really – I promise.

 

Bill Johnson tweeted this: “This election is the most bizarre in my lifetime, yet it’s not confusing.  The spirit of offense is robbing people of their ability to discern.  Pray for wisdom, without the accusations.  For wisdom, seeing from God’s perspective, is really all that matters.”

 

Bill Johnson.

 

Geez.

 

The man even tweets revelation.

 

So, you’ve made it all the way through this blog and here’s what I hope you take away from it today:

 

Your voice DOES still matter, and it’s okay to be excited if you were a part of Team Trump.

 

And it is just as okay to be disappointed and angry if you were Team Hillary.

 

And it’s okay if you voted third party and are disenfranchised with politics altogether.

I’m not here to tell you how to feel.

 

But the fact that you feel something means you cared.

 

So. . . take all the time you need to process this election, and remember that God works all things together for the good of those who love him.

 

He’s got this.

And he’s got you.

 

 

Photo Credit: “Cafe” by Unsplash permissions through C.C. by 2.0

Falling In Love

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ranunculus-1286874_1920

 

There’s something about love that is both terrifying and beautiful.

A gift.

Torture.

Life.

Pleasure.

Pain.

Seeing and well, being seen.

Surrendering to love is a scary thing.

There’s no self-protection to hide behind.

And no such thing as an emotional condom.

 

But I promise, God is trust worthy and he’s good.

I had a season where I was muscling through life,  wait, who are we kidding – I have a lot of seasons where I just muscle my way through life – which is pretty pitiful because I’ve got like no upper arm strength.

L7 Weenie – right here.

 

My M.O. is to suck it up and soldier on and then I’m exhausted and my spiritual walk becomes oh so not spiritual and no longer relational.

It’s all my effort and no God.

 

But I’ve got some pretty good peeps in my corner and a really good friend of mine felt like God was telling her to share this verse with me one night.

 

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—
how good God is.
Blessed are you who run to him.

Psalm 34:8 (The Message)

And today I’m passing it along.

Because he is really good.

He’s good, and he doesn’t just expect you to believe some words on a page without any experience.

He’s the God who created things like butterflies and oceans and hugs and raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . .uh-oh, I feel a song coming on.

Come back to love.

If your walk with Jesus has become a little stale and you’re using phrases like “my walk”.  It might be time to fall in love again.

 

To quote Jason Gray:

“It’s gotta be more like falling in love,

Than something to believe in

More like losing my heart

Than giving my allegiance”

Jason Gray from the song, “More Like Falling In Love”

 

Photo Credit: “Ranuculus” by Pezibear is licensed under CC BY 2.o

 

Learning Curve

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Photo Credit: Roger Arleryd

Photo Credit: Roger Arleryd

 

Bob Jones, the prophet came to our church a couple of years ago to share what God had been showing him.  Our church was packed with people, some had driven from out of state just to hear him speak.

And I don’t remember a word.

Correction: Of the entire weekend, I only remember one thing that he shared.

“When we stand before God, he’s going to ask us one question. . .  ‘Did you learn to love?'”

That resonated with me and through me – you know like those Looney Toones characters when they got smashed with cymbals and they reverbed into the next week.

Uh,that was me.

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying—quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.

Matthew 7:21-29 (The Message)

We can’t learn to love without God

God is love

And we can’t get to God without Jesus.

So, I’m still reverbing through life.  But it’s a good reminder of what really matters to God.  In the most simplest of terms we are here on Earth to learn to love.

And the best part is, Jesus gave us the cheat sheet to the test.

And then to top it off we’ve got the Holy Spirit to help teach us what that looks like against the backdrop of our own personal giftings and situations.

So, if you’re wondering what this life is all about.  What’s the purpose behind it all. . .it’s that you’re back in school.

The School of Looooove.

You’re here to learn how to love God and how to love people.

And that’s gonna look a little different for each one of us and that’s okay, it’s supposed to.

There are some people that are amazing artists and if they painted a picture for God, it would be a treasure.

Me, it would be a train wreck – for me that’s not love.

It’s a root canal, for me and God.

For some people it’s being out in nature, riding a horse and just talking to Him.

The last time I rode a horse, I fell off. . . backwards. . .and then got stepped on. . . twice.

It was not an expression of love.

It was an expression of pain.

But for me, to write is an expression of love.

I’m safer here in Starbucks than on a horse and I can’t offend anyone with my bad choice of paint strokes here either.

So, if you’re looking for the meaning of life. . .remember it all comes back to love.

What God would say

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Photo Credit: Monikha (www.deviantart.com)

He’d say you’re amazing.

He’s so proud of you.

He’d say, he remembers the day you were born.

And that even though he made you, designed you – he still , was caught up in wonder at the sight of you.

He’d tell you, he remembers every coo and sigh.

He say he remembers potty training and that for your parents sake, he’s really glad that it’s over.

He’d tell you that he was there all through your school years.

A proud papa as you learned to read and write.

And that he’d stayed up late with you while you struggled through Algebra.

He’d remind you of when you first fell in love, and that even though it didn’t work out that it awakened something in you.

Something that would later find itself complete in Him.

He’d tell you that he watched you dance at your wedding and couldn’t wait to be the one to dance with you someday.

He’d laugh and tell you with a little bit of irony that the day that your first child was born, he knew it would be a crazy adventure.

And not so secretly hoped that having children of your own would help you to understand him a little better.

He’d tell you that he knows where you’re at, both your actual coordinates and your heart’s location.

He’d want you to stop doubting yourself.

He’d want you to trust him, because he has a plan.

He’d want you to know that nothing has changed. . .

He’s still as crazy about you as the day you were born.

And more than anything, he wants to hold you close and tell you he loves you.

God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and I never will!” Expect love, love, and more love!

Jeremiah 31:3 (The Message)

Bound yet Free

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We live an odd life as Jesus lovers.

We are free.

We are bound.

Free in our creativity, our expression, our choices.

Bound in our love to each other.

And I think most of the time the free in me is not at odds with the part of me that is bound to you.

Except. . .

Except last week, I found myself staring at our family calendar and found myself wishing desperately for a paper bag to breathe into.

All of the things I “had” to do were slowly creeping into the life I wanted to be living.

And I thought back on last month and realized I had started developing some weird twitches.

 

I’d be in our mini-van rapidly switching radio stations looking for the perfect song.

Don’t knock my mini-van – they’re the new black.

 

I’d had this monster craving for Doritos.

No mom, I’m not pregnant.

 

I found thoughts slipping into my day, whispering things like “What am I supposed to be doing?” and “What am I really supposed to be doing with my life” and the kicker, “Am I slacking? Should I be doing more?”

 

And more than anything else, I was tired and running on empty.

 

The only thing that seemed to satisfy was the Doritos.

 

But that only lasted for like 5 minutes.

 

Everything else I found myself running to felt like stale chips.

My very full, very fulfilling life suddenly became exhausting and empty.

 

And of course, this all takes place like a silent movie.

I had to step back and read the subtitles to understand what my erratic music choices and cravings for Doritos and questions about identity were trying to tell me.

 

I had gotten a little selfish with my time.

No, not hoarding piles of quiet time all to myself (sigh, I wish).

But not really considering that the gift of quality time is one of the best gifts I could give to those around me.

And I know that the enemy always tries to attack my calendar first.  Tries to get me running from obligation to obligation because it wears me down.  It distracts me from truly loving you.

And then, everything goes a little fuzzy and suddenly, I can’t quite remember what I’m doing here anymore.

Kinda like when you walk in a room and pause.  Wondering what you came in there for in the first place.

I was here for a reason. . .what was it?

So, the free in me is not at odds with the part of me that is bound to you.

I like you.  I love you. . .except when I get a little selfish (dude, get your own bag of Doritos) and truthfully, nothing makes me more selfish than when I’m tired.

Worn down.

Distracted by the minutiae of life.

And as I stared at our calendar, wishing for a paper bag and now, some more Doritos I realized that somehow our schedules had filled up with really good, well meaning things but nothing that really satisfied.

I had run out of energy for the important things.

The specific things that God has asked of me.

 

I had gotten suckered into the lie that I needed to be doing more.

And it’s dumb, but I find myself here, like every 9 months or so.

Realizing I’ve done it again.

Gone running with the butter knife, when I knew darn well I should be walking with it.

And it didn’t end well.

For me or the knife.

And so I took my blunt,bent butter knife and cut a few obligations and whatdya know, I can see my way forward through the haze of Doritos again.

 

It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God’s Spirit. Then you won’t feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

Galatians 5:13-18 (The Message)

 

What is that God has called you to?

I’ll give you a hint. . . it probably isn’t more ministry.

 

Gasp, oh no she didn’t.  Did she really just say that?

 

Yes, yes I did.

Remember my last post?

Dauntless, baby.

M’kay, maybe a little sprinkle of Candor too.

 

What is it God has called you to?

I know for me, it took awhile to remember the answer to that question.

What do I know that God has asked me to do?

Staring at my calendar I had to take some time for reflection.

Did my litany of things I just had to do line up with anything God had told me to do?

 

Was I giving my whole heart to my hubby?

Yeah, guess I didn’t push him off a train.*

I must like him too much.

 

Was I giving my kids my undivided, unexhausted attention?

 

Was I writing?

 

Was I making an effort in my relationships to stay in touch?  To be the one who initiated actual conversation.

So I nervously started making some cuts and saying no to new things that came up.

I started untangling myself from the obligations and started coming back to what was essential for me and my relationship with God.

And my relationship with those around me.

 

My schedule looks a lot less cluttered, kinda like my head these days.

And I’m not there quite yet but I’m feeling nice enough to share my Doritos with you again so that must be a good sign.

Just don’t lick your fingers and stick your hand back in the bag.

That’s so gross.

What? I said I wasn’t quite there yet.

 

 

*please refer to last post before calling the cops. . .and, umm, maybe watch the movie too.

The Ache

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I’ve got an achey breaky heart these days. . .

and it kinda just snuck up on me.

Rewind with me to earlier this month.  My duff was happily glued to my couch while I was mindlessly caught up watching a tv show about a genetically modified super soldier, struggling with maintaining his humanity while wrestling with his manimal side.

It was about then when I felt it.

There was this ache in my chest.

Not unlike what I can imagine a heart attack might feel like, but it wasn’t that – it was deeper.  More emotion and less artery.

At first I just brushed it off thinking I was just wishing I was a mutant super soldier who moonlighted as a vigilante (“Yeah, I probably belong in some sort of weird comic-con crowd”, she says as she bashfully looks at the ground with her hands locked behind her back).

But two hours later as I was drifting off to sleep, I felt whispers of the ache again somewhere in the deepest parts of my heart.

Well, so naturally the cure for this type of ache had to be to watch more tv.

So that’s what I did.

And for a minute, it worked.  I had some relief, a little bit of distraction from my ache.

But then it came back with a vengeance. . .and my ache turned into something I couldn’t ignore anymore.

I realized I needed medical attention. . . of the God variety.

I haven’t felt an ache like that in a while, but I’ve found that it’s my heart’s way of crying out for God.

And while it’s not physically painful, it is uncomfortable and colors seem to fade and life sort of wilts a little.

Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm.
For love is as strong as death;
ardent love is as unrelenting as Sheol.
Love’s flames are fiery flames—
the fiercest of all.
Mighty waters cannot extinguish love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If a man were to give all his wealth for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (HCSB)

I’ve tried to self-help the ache when it flares up.  You know, keep it distracted with busyness or push through the pain and just do what’s right.  Some people try to heal it with other people or sex or with food or with shopping or tv or books.  I mean really, we try to treat it with all of the weirdness of the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding who sprays Windex on everything as a cure all.

But love is not so easily dissuaded, because it is as strong as death.

It’s unrelenting.

So what’s the cure for the ache?

It’s watching mutant super soldiers wrestle with their inner humanity.

I’m not contradicting myself – promise.

I was watching my mutant super soldier and do you know what kept him human?  Love and time (okay, fine and an occasional tranquilizer).

It was spending time with the love of his life and her reminding him of her love for him.  (Granted her mother turned him into the beast that he is now and her father is with the FBI secretly hunting him, but really what’s that compared to the epic love they share?)

So, back to reality. . .

We need love.

We crave love.

Which really, isn’t that all that our aches are telling us?

We keep that beastly ache at bay by being with the one that loves us best and the one who aches in return.

We ache because love is as strong as death.

So, I’ve been listening to the whispers of the ache in my heart.  And I’ve been clearing space in my schedule to just talk to God and to let him talk back.  Learning that there is an ebb and flow to this ache.  It’s God’s way of pulling us closer to himself.

And my own ache is lessening.

And this is where the battle is won and lost for our humanity and our hearts.  It is here, in what God calls the secret place.  It’s the place of spending time with him.  Not in that sterile, got to read 20 minutes of my Bible, pray for everyone on my list, maybe fast something, sort of way.  It’s more fluid, more intimate, more like falling in love.  It’s the place of, my heart is yours.  And from that place, desire is born to want, yeah, actually want, to read our Bibles and pray.

But without the ache first, nothing can follow.

Nothing should follow. Because anything that would, wouldn’t be love.

As for the genetically modified super soldier, I’ve got to go – his DNA is changing again and the unsanctioned FBI agent (the girlfriend’s father) has put out a hit on him and it looks like it’s gonna get really good. . .

The face of God

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My sister re-posted this on her Facebook page this morning. . . thought it was beautifully sobering for all of us.*

Seen

Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000 member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor at that morning. He walked around his soon to be church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service….only 3 people out of the 7-10,000 people said hello to him. He asked people for change to buy food….NO ONE in the church gave him change. He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit n the back. He greeted people to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such. When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation……..”We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek”….The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation…..The homeless man sitting in the back stood up…..and started walking down the aisle…..the clapping stopped with ALL eyes on him….he walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment….then he recited

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning…many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame…. he then said….Today I see a gathering of people……not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples…when will YOU decide to become disciples? He then dismissed service until next week…….Being a Christian is more than something you claim. It’s something you live by and share with others.

*not sure who the original author was but kudos, whoever you are!!