Sacrifice

This week in Bible study we spend time thinking through SACRIFICE. 'Hardly something our culture embraces today! However, sacrifice is "part and parcel" of the Christian faith (the true one, not the one we all made up!)...There were two key points made by Beth Moore during this study:

1. "We will be selfish unless we deliberately do something about it"
2. "If we miss the sacrificial life, we will miss our calling"

LORD, help me to be a living sacrifice; to choose You over me; to choose others over me...Help me to be deliberate and committed to this. Help me not to let my SELF get in the way of who and what you have made me to be. I so need your help; this is not natural to me or easy...help me to be like you.

Popsicles

...are a good thing. I hadn't had one in a really long time, but I was drawn to them in the grocery store and let me tell you they make my day! I feel like it's a little "maturity" break in the middle of trying to act like an adult.

You know what else is good:

• The Saturday Farmer's Market in Broad Ripple
• Grabbing an Iced Coffee at the Monon and a biscuit for the dog
• Popping into Renee's for a scone
• Sitting on the porch swing and reading...or daydreaming
• Driving with the top down on my car, listening to the Dixie Chicks

I am so ready for summer!

Questions from a work life....

• Why do people who do so very little seem to get along so well in the professional world? ...How does that happen?
• Why do people react when they are held accountable for not doing what they are supposed to be doing?...and try to make those who hold them accountable, look bad for doing their job?
• When did workers get so lazy? whiny? demanding?
• When did bosses get so unreachable, out of touch, uninspired?
• When, exactly, did we start to think our jobs were supposed to fun; relaxing; enjoyable?
• How did we get to be a group of workers who think they are owed so much...?
• Why do companies tolerate low performers?
• Why are we afraid to be direct and honest and therefore don't problem-solve? Why do we see problem-identification and truth telling as "not being a team player"?
• Why can't we celebrate our mutual work with something other than a pitch in?

WHAT would it look like if:

• Leaders were servants; knowledgeable; involved; invested; creative; inspired, fun-loving; honest; direct; supportive
• Staff: were long term thinkers and not short term ; were dedicated; creative; life-long learners; hard workers; fun-loving; supportive; honest; direct; problem-solvers; positive
• Companies had a mission of truly serving their customers; supporting and building a growing/producing/positive staff and a healthy, accountable, creative environment

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

This one speaks to my soul...

I am reading "VELVET ELVIS: Repainting the Christian Faith" by Rob Bell. I know already this will become one of my "can't do with outs" (one of which is "Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning)...you know, those books that just speak to your soul as if the author was reading your heart and mind. It just works...just makes sense...just makes you go "AH HA! someone wrote down exactly what I needed to hear and/or already believe but never saw in writing". I LOVE it when that happens.

Here are some of my favorite quotes so far:

"Because God has spoken, and everything else is commentary"

"Being a Christian then is more about celebrating mystery than conquering it"

"God is bigger than any religion. God is bigger than any worldview. God is bigger than the Christian faith."

..."the Bible is about today. These stories are our stories. They are alive and active and teaching us about our lives in our world, today."

"Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective"

There's so much more, but you have to read it for yourself...I know it is a gift from God for me right now! :-)

Think Time...and just being

I actually was totally free this week-end...nothing Friday nite, Saturday or Sunday (other than church)...you know what? It was a little weird! As much as I have been craving "down time", I actually got a little anxious about having no commitments to attend to...now that's really weird isn't it?

It took me about 1 day and a 1/2 to relax...in the meantime I worked in the yard, sorted out a couple of drawers, made a few calls I owed on my "to call list", and started on summer reading list (my goal is to work through all of Jane Austen's books...what a crack up!)

I realized that I so fill my days that I'm starting to have trouble when they aren't full, and that's just crazy! God was so wise when He told us to "come a part and rest for awhile". Rest time, that "think time", is so vital and I tend to throw it all away. SO...here's my goal...this summer I'm going to work on being OK with just "being"! I want to enjoy swinging on my porch swing; sitting at my porch table and reading...just being...

You know, I'm pretty sure if I STOP a little bit more, God won't have to wade through so much "stuff" to speak to me...I'm gonna see if that's really true, and I'll let you know! :-)

One very COOL wedding

I am studying in John with one of the gals from our church. This week we are looking at the 2nd chapter...wow! I love getting to see Jesus in His real life world. He had friends, He got invited to weddings, He spent time with His family. In this situation, He gets to perform His first recorded miracle...and at a wedding! His very first act was changing water into wine, something common; every-day; required for life itself; needed-but "usual"... into something with a "kick":with taste; that had value; was grown from a vine and harvested by hand...you get the picture.

It makes me think that Jesus wasn't just helping out His friends at that point in time, but letting us know (centuries later) that if He can do what He did with water...imagine what He can do with us? I think I'm the most average, pretty boring person one can aspire to be...but Jesus gives my life some real "kick"; value; He grows me from a vine (HIMSELF) and harvested my heart. He makes something new, different and interesting spiritually. He does that for anyone who comes to Him...isn't that the greatest?

I love that His words are real: they live and breathe and speak to us...throughout all generations. Thank you God and please help me and all those who seek you to value your word, to study it, hear from you through it, to believe it and to let it change our lives!!!

The Culture of the "Close Mouthed"

Tonite I watched "60 Minutes" and there was a report about the rap culture ...this in light of the recent Don Imus/Rutgers issue and conflict and the Virginia Tech shootings. Why were the two connected? Researchers and Experts agree that whether it be rampant racism or the rantings of someone screaming for help at another horrific level, there are those around who hear or know about both, and choose to do nothing. This means they don't speak up, they don't notify anyone--whether it be anonymously or not.

What was interesting was the "new morality" that our youth is learning from the music culture, be it rap, or my guess is any other "cool/hip" type of tunes. This so called group of new leaders/hero's will not "snitch" and clearly let it be known that anyone who "follows them" or who is truly "cool", won't "snitch" either. It doesn't matter that someone is going to get hurt, or already has been....and that their being able to share that with a leader who can help could change the course of some terrible event. To them, that's not the issue at all...in fact, it doesn't factor into the decision. They are true mirror of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell...

It really saddened me, but it also reminded me that the great deceiver is really being successful with this. The TRUTH is that Jesus calls us to care for those around us, no matter what that means to us. Remember the Good Samaritan?...wow we have wandered so far... Jesus also said that everything hidden in the dark will be brought into the light...I know that His words will come true, everything he has said always has and always will. The question is, what are we doing to counteract that horrible, ridiculous "truth" that music and gang leaders are peddling...what are we doing individually, and corporately as a community? Every time we know something bad is going on with someone and that it could hurt them or others and we DON'T try to help, we are complicit in their hurtful or evil plans. Every time we choose to protect ourselves and not speak up for the protection of others we grow more and more deeply indebted to the evil one.

LORD, change our hearts, cause us to take back this "shadow morality" and expose it to the light. Let your light shine and change us, all of us from the inside out...LORD, so change us that the "new morality" is looking out for each other: and that's the only thing that is applauded! Please forgive us, have mercy on us and help us be more like you. AMEN!