Remedy

I read this article in Atlanta Magazine about a woman who is a former strip club dancer who is now a Christian and has this amazing minstry where she and other former exotic dancers go into strip clubs and hand out goody baskets to the girls who work there. They also hold worship services in the middle of a questionable area of Atlanta which is evidently right near one of said clubs. So far, they have helped something like 125 girls get out of this lifestyle. I thought that was pretty life-changing.

Then, tonight at the Romania Partnership night, Pastor Gelu told this story of a time before Vox Domini Church was established when he and an American friend were out evangelising on the streets of Timisoara. He felt very uncomfortable doing that, and they are were getting ready to go home when his friend said, "Let's just go get that guy on the bike." So they chased down this man who was riding a bike and when they finally caught him and told him about Jesus right there, he responded by saying, "I've been waiting all my life for someone to tell me this."

It's been a really tough weekend, but God is still God and I am so blessed because of Jesus. This song by David Crowder Band just reminds me of who I am---who we are as Christians---and what a big world there is out there, just waiting for someone to tell them there's another way.

REMEDY, by David Crowder Band

Here we are, Here we are
The broken and used, Mistreated, abused
Here we are

Here You are, Here You are
The beautiful one, Who came like a Son
Here You are

So we lift up our voices, We open our hands
To cling to the love, That we can't comprehend

Oh, lift up your voices, And lift up your heads
To sing of the love, That has freed us from sin

CHORUS
He is the one, Who has saved us
He is the one, Who embraced us
He is the one who has come, And is coming again
He's the remedy

Here we are, Here we are
Bandaged and bruised
Awaiting a cure, Here we are

Here You are, Here You are
Our beautiful King, Bringing relief
Here You are with us

So we lift up our voices, And open our hands
Let go of the things, That have kept us from Him

[Chorus]

Oh, I can't comprehend, I can't take it all in
Never understand, Such perfect love come
For the broken and beat, For the wounded and weak
Oh, come fall at His feet
He's the remedy, He's the remedy

So sing, sing

You are the one, Who has saved us
You are the one, Who forgave us
You are the one who has come, And is coming again
To make it alright, Oh, to make it alright
You're the remedy, Oh, in us
You're the remedy

Let us be the remedy
Let us bring the remedy

I love that last bit..."Let US be the remedy..." That is what we are called to be to a dying world, isn't it?

Malachi's Prayer!

A friend of mine from college just posted her first-grade son's prayer from last night before he went to bed and I thought it was a riot. Bless his heart! I enjoyed it so much that I thought I'd post it here:

"Dear God, How are you? I was very good today. I stayed on green, got a hundred on my spelling test, and I'm star student of the week. Please bless Mom, Dad, Mary Ruth, and the dogs. And keep the Tooth Fairy safe when she travels to my house. Keep her warm because it's cold at night. Please let her leave me more money. If she does I promise I'll take canned goods to the student council food drive next week. And forgive me of my sins. Amen"

A Recap

How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His chosen Son, to make a wretch His treasure.

Our sermon series the past four weeks has been, "Judgment Call," by Andy Stanley and I have learned several things lately about what the Bible actually says regarding judging others and being judged by others. As Christians, we go either one of two ways: we tend to think, "I can't judge because I'm a Christian," or we feel that we are the ultimate judges because we are Christians.

In Andy's first talk, he addressed the fact that as Christians, when we see something another person is doing that bothers us, we are to first look in the mirror and assess what it is that God is trying to address in our own lives. After that, we may be in a position to judge another, but only another believer. It is really unfair to try and judge a secular person by a standard that they do not subscribe to. Without addressing my own sin first, I have no leverage to help address the sins of others. He also talked about how when we sincerely have our hearts broken over something a friend is involved in, that is when it is time to approach others and confront them.

I think about this often. It seems that I am perpetually juggling the ball labeled "other people's problems" and I'll be honest, it stresses me out a great deal at times. How can my heart be breaking over so many people at once, and yet I'm supposed to balance my job, my friends, my family, and my many other responsibilities? This is still somewhat of a mystery to me.

Andy concluded the series by talking about awkward situations, those talks that nobody really wants to have, but those which are necessary for growth and ultimately, restoration. He also addressed our response to being the one who is having judgment passed on you unfairly. In that position, my responsibility is to forgive the person who has misjudged me and pray for them. Andy says that we either give our enemies power or we forgive them.

I thought of this from a psychological standpoint, and it really makes a lot of sense. When we begin to believe the lies that people speak into our lives, whether or not we admit it, we actually are giving power over to those people. For example, if someone has been told all their life that they are dumb, eventually they may begin to believe that they are. That person then, has in essence, given power to all those who have called her dumb by allowing them to create who she is. This strategy is something that we work to rewire in my school often. We try to uncreate the wrong messages parents have sent their children while we can still intervene. It's hard work! But how much more does God desire to restore our hearts from past judgments? Far more! He is so amazing and so forgiving. And that is what we must work toward...realizing that sometimes judging at the right moment is a loving thing to do and at other times, receiving judgment is necessary. And we must recognize that God wants us to forgive those in our past who have misjudged us and move on. Easier said than done for sure!

I Wanna Be A Part of it!!!

Publish PostWe are always trying to persuade our students at school to make better choices. At church in Waumba and UpStreet we teach the kids to "Make the wise choice." But sometimes, isn't it interesting that this can trickle UP to adults as well?

I was with a friend tonight who had Andy's series, "The Best Decision Ever." In this series from a few years back, Andy suggests that we ask ourselves this question when pondering tough life choices:

In light of my past decisions, my current circumstances and my future hopes and dreams, what is the WISE thing to do?

Today, sadly, my cousin and I made the wise choice. It was not a fun choice, but we made it. We've been wanting to fly to New York and take in a few shows on Broadway at the end of November. Jennifer Garner is playing in Cyrano and I was sort of wanting to see Legally Blonde The Musical. But after doing an excel spreadsheet of the budget, we decided this trip could wait. Every hotel is in the price range of $300-$500 minimum, and it was just not happening. Sadness. But it was the right choice.

Sometimes, the right choice is the harder choice. Actually, much of the time it is. I guess this is what our parents meant when they said things like, "The right thing to do isn't always the easy thing to do and the easy thing to do isn't always the right thing to do." It used to seem so mystical when they said it. Now I get what they meant. Am I getting older, or just wiser?

I love this song!

We sang it at 722 last night and I'm diggin' it big time! It's by Hillsongs.

LEAD ME TO THE CROSS
Savior I come
Quiet my soul, remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

CHORUS: Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed, You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

CHORUS

To your heart, To your heart
Lead me to your heart, Lead me to your heart

Quote This...

Be the person God wants you to be right now! ~Louie Giglio

When God is silent, He is not still. ~Andy Stanley

Faith is not an emotion; it's a decision. ~Jeff Henderson

Don't be ugly. God don't like ugly. ~Keri Beth Brown

Jesus loves you, but I'm His favorite. ~On t-shirt worn by Keri Beth Brown

Whispers & Art

As a verb or a noun, its simplicity is resoundingly simple. God whispers. Not God screams, or yells, or is silent. God whispers.

Louie was wrapping up his series on Hope on Sunday morning and told the story of a girl who was struggling with God over abuse that she suffered when she was younger. She questioned God, saying, "God...where were you when that was happening to me?" Apparently she felt God respond to her by gently whispering, "I was there, weeping." God fully understands the pain we feel. And sometimes we underestimate His ability to empathize with us.

But one of my favorite Psalms reminds us that God knows us inside and out; after all, He is the one who made us! (Psalm 139). And yet, it is so easy to compartmentalize God and put Him up on the shelf with our Bible and only get Him down when we have a need, a request, or something distressing is happening in our lives. It is only when we begin to integrate Him into our daily plans that we realize how much His ideas really do work and that His principles are designed to make our lives richer.

All this is to say that I am working hard on renewing my mind daily and realizing that I am a part of God's bigger story.

Which reminds me of this poster I have in my classroom. It's a photograph of Norman Rockwell's painting, "The Golden Rule." If you aren't familiar with this painting, it is a picture of a group of people, dressed in clothing depicting their varying nationalities. Most of them have their heads bowed in some sense, as if they are all looking toward something. At the bottom of the picture are the words, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I bought the poster at the United Nations. But before the poster, I saw it for real. Someone has actually installed a mosaic of this painting on a huge wall inside the UN. You could really look at it for a long time, each tile so intricately laid in its right place. It's fascinating really.

When I think about God's plan for me, and for all of humanity, I think about that mosaic. It's one of the best mosaics I've ever seen up close. But just think, what if a big chunk of tiles were missing from it? It wouldn't look the same. It would still be art, but something would be missing. But what if---what if ONE single tile were missing? Would that make a difference worth noting? It would if it were part of an eye, a cheek, a chin, a hand, a piece of clothing. There would be a hole that no other tile would match color-wise. And this is how God feels about us. He valued our relationship with Him so much that He was willing to sacrifice His son so that we can be part of His ultimate story. So that we can be part of his magnum opus---His great work. And I definitely do not want to miss out on that. Do you?

If you want to check out the mosaic, here's a link:
http://www.gcms.k12.il.us/gcmsms/art/art%20appreciation/rockwell.jpg