Road Signs

"You're going to end up at the destination of the road you are on no matter what your intentions are." ~Jeff James

 Read Proverbs 7. Right now. Before you go any further. It's ok, I'll wait  ----------------

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First of all, I am so incredibly thankful for the people in my life. This theme has come up in three totally different conversations with three totally different people, so I dubbed it an important topic to talk about. The above quote is that from the pastor of my church in Hoover. Even though I can't be there every week like I so wish I could, the sermons are posted online! Hooray for technology!!

At first glance this quote sort of seems like a no brainer when you think about our transportation and the fact that every road has a destination. You may not leave the house with the intention to go anywhere, but if you get on the wrong path there is a destination; albeit it may not be where you wanted to end up.

The same is true of our spiritual lives. We are all on a path. And sometimes it is hard to know where you are going. One minute we may be cruising down the highway and the next thing you know you are in unfamiliar territory and having to deal with things you never thought you would have to deal with.

With this there is good news and bad news. But today I'm going to start with the good news first. Ok, small fib. It flows better if you get the bad news first. So the bad news is that you can't expect to get where you want to go without directions. You will get lost (in this case, getting lost has eternal implications of being in Hell...not my idea of a good day). You are NOT the exception. If you do not follow the directions you WILL get lost. It is sometimes so hard to grasp why we say we want to end up at a certain destination but we refuse to look at the road map and look up to see where we are. The reason? There is a disconnect. It has always been this way! Not just with our spiritual lives. Why is it that young women want to find the "perfect man for them" one that is "a strong Christian and a good leader" and all the other things a girl wants from a guy, but is then willing to go out with anybody that looks her way? disconnect. Why do we say we are going to take care of our bodies because they are the temple of God but then eat non-stop and have a sedentary lifestyle. disconnect.

However, there is good news. You have a GPS! The combination of community and fellowship with others is a vital part of your spiritual journey! Love God, Love People. It's as simple as that. You must love God: read His word, obey His statutes and have your heart in the position to know what His will is for you. You also must love people. For me, this is in the form of two hour lunch dates with a close friend, early morning Facebook chats with a co-worker, late night campus strolls with the boyfriend, and most importantly, my small group. This is our GPS. If we surround ourselves with people who can recognize the path we are on, they are able to tell us to turn around and mend our ways!

Which leads quite nicely into my second point. It is so dad-gum hard sometimes to see where we are and where we are going. I, for one, look at people around me and it is so obvious where they are going and where they are going to end up (this can be both good and bad mind you). It seems like they have it all figured out and I find myself getting frustrated because I have no idea where I am headed! It isn't hard to figure out where you are going....look at the lifestyle you lead. Where is the disconnect? Where is your accountability? TURN ON YOUR GPS! When you surround yourself with people that care about you, they will let you know when you are headed quite literally to Hell in a handbasket. And when you are submersed in God's word and your heart gets to the place where you only desire God's will, He will be shouting at you. They (your accountability and God) will be that annoying and persistent voice that echos through the car "make next legal U-turn."


"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it."{Matthew 7:13-14}

Les Miserables

Les Miserables is, just for the record, a FANTASTIC musical both in the story line and in the music (I've been listening to it all morning). But more than that it gets you thinking about justice and rebellion and all the goulash that comes with a musical based on a book in post French Revolution France.

For those that need a synopsis Jean Valjean has just been released from 19 years of imprisonment when he breaks his parole by stealing from a priest. The priest spares him his life, essentially, and makes him promise to use what he stole to make himself a good man. So the musical is the story of Valjean running away from his past and trying to create a new image of himself. 

The first thing is was thinking about, being the nerd that I am, was what this musical says about society in the time that it was written. And then I thought, "well, in a hundred years when someone is watching a production of Wicked (my all time favorite musical), what will they be thinking about our society?" It's kind of scary and weird to think that the facets of our media portray something about our society, don't you think?

The second thing I found myself thinking about was a great image of mercy and justice throughout as time and time again Valjean's life was spared because he insists on keeping his word and helping those in need. Which ties into the third thing I thought about, which was the path of salvation. 

Aren't we all like Valjean? We have been held captive to our sins all our life and when we are freed from them, we are constantly reminded by the world that our sin defines who we were, but not who we are. Romans says that we become a "new creation." How true! As Valjean tries to establish himself, the brand on his chest tells people that he is not of their world. Our brand is on our heart.

Valjean's journey is more than that of an ex-convict, but that of a flawed human. "for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (just a little reminder for those of you who think you're perfect just because you went to church last week). Are there earthly punishments for those sins that are "worse" than others? Absolutely yes! There would be anarchy without them. But none the less, anything that is not absolute perfection is short of God's glory, and even our best is filthy rags. 

Valjean spends his entire life running from his sin and doing the noble things he feels compelled to do. Are yous starting to see the picture? We, as Christians especially sometimes feel that we cannot bring our sin to the forefront because we are supposed to have this persona to the world that we are above them. NOT TRUE. We all have things we are ashamed of and wish weren't part of our past. But the good news, like Valjean, is that our debt has been paid whether it be by 19 years of slavery or by the blood of Christ. There is nothing more we have to do! All we are called to do is live according to God's will and bring Him glory! Is it hard to establish yourself in a new type of society, say like college? OF COURSE it is! But who ever said the freedman's life is easy? It's not. Paul said that too "rejoice in tribulation dear brothers."

In the end, these are just the crazy messed up thoughts of an English major. But I think it's interesting that, whether it was intentional or not, it shows an amazing portrayal of the life of bondage the Christian lives. First we are slaves to sin, then we are enslaved to Christ. (Again, Paul....this dude was a smart cookie)

Next chance you get, go see Les Miserables. It is officially endorsed by a nerdy college kid.

Another Catchy Title

Once again I found myself debating about what do write about for this post and struggling with the fact that I am resolved to not merely rant and rave about what else could go wrong or how stressed I am or how thousands of emotions coursing through my veins has my nerves rubbed raw.

And even now as I type this I have absolutely nothing on my mind but the fact that I have to wake up in 6.5 hours to finish my laundry list of things to do.

Speaking of laundry lists of things to do, I can check "blogging" off in a few minutes: HOORAY! I just knew you were dying to hear from me.

The topic of laundry lists could keep me going forever. So let's continue with this train of thought! Why do we put God on our laundry list?! Is he really not sovereign enough in our lives to be more than something to check off our list, or part of our routine, but something we long to do each day? As I get older and gain the infinite wisdom about the world that every college student does (yeah...right) I realize that even though we may not want to spend time with God and get to know Him and delve into His word more than once or twice a week in corporate worship or in small group, He longs to spend time with us!

Isn't it amazing to you that the God of the universe is in a constant pursuit of a relationship with you? So why can't we ever seem to want to spend time with him? It's like Brad Pitt chasing you down the street, calling your name and you just keep walking.....except WAY more important....it's kind of a matter of life and death with God. Not kind of. It IS. Eternity, in fact. Eternal life or eternal pain and suffering. (as if we don't get enough pain and suffering from the world! I'll take eternal life!) But it's not just life! It's an eternity of praising the amazing, wonderful, loving, just God without persecution! No more worrying, or pain, or stress, or any of the stupid stuff we have to put up with here. And let me tell you it's gonna be GREAT!

Speaking of life and death: in Life Group tonight we were talking about the passage in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 that talks about being the sweet aroma of life or the rancid aroma of death. When we live out the gospel, we are a sweet aroma not only of life in Christ, but God "smells" it and it reminds Him of His son, isn't that great? We can "smell" like Christ! But when we don't live out the gospel, we smell like death. gross. I think I'd rather smell something like....Forever Sunshine or Twilight Woods from Bath and Body Works or better yet...JESUS! (I'm working under the assumption that Jesus smells better to God than He did while He was human considering that He didn't get to bathe every day like we do. But it's metaphor, so it's OK).

Well, this is what happens when I try to blog about important stuff at 1 o'clock in the morning. My typical though processes end up on the world wide web...yeah. this goes on in my head pretty much all day and every day. Scary isn't it?

Open Hands

I juggled ideas for a while about this post. I went from talking about being in tough situations to earning respect (which indeed had a catchy title), and to thinking about the importance of whatever character trait you care to name off the top of your head.

But I am keeping with a theme of titles gleaned from songs! This week's title courtesy of James Tealy! Look it up.

But I don't want to lose sight of what I first said this blog was going to be about (I know it's only the what, fifth post? kinda sad that I'm already on tangents). But this is important to me.

I give you full permission to disregard this post and ask me to delete it if it sounds like a rant or a recitation of my boring life.

Have you ever wondered why you are where you are?

Since I got to college (all of what, 4 weeks?) I've been struggling with the idea that I am where I am for a reason. This week I think I got part of an answer (God is faithful!). When I would be laying in bed at night wondering how I ended up at Alabama of all places after it being my dream to be a Bayou Bengal I would trace back the steps of my life and say "well if this didn't happen then I wouldn't have had to do this and then this would be different and this is where I would be right now" NO! STOP IT! It's wrong and a slap in God's face!

I've had the privilege of starting journeys with several people (one being a high school friend, one being a friend since 1st grade, one being my manager) that I never in a thousand years would have thought I would be on. And I gotta say, I have a feeling that these are the relationships that will be the most rewarding than the ones I have grieved over losing.

It is most recently that God has started to reveal to me why I am here, and what I am supposed to do to further His kingdom. Honestly, it was because I wouldn't get out of His way! When you realize that God is the God of Yes and all His promises will be kept it doesn't exclude "I will never leave nor forsake you" Joshua 1:9 or "I am your Rock and Salvation" Psalm 62:2 or "I have anointed you as a Holy priesthood"1 Peter 2:9.

It doesn't matter if you think you would be happier somewhere else or if you retrace back to simpler times when God didn't seem so far away. If you would get out of His way and let Him work THROUGH you instead of you wanting Him to work AROUND your silly plans you'll end up in a better place that you ever thought you could be in.

So the snippet of a part of a glimpse into why I am here at this time in my life is community that I have found in a very special group of girls. More to come I'm sure!

"Be still and know that I AM God" Psalm 46:10

Heroes

I've taken on this habit of trying to come up with titles that fit the post. So this post's title is "Heroes" in commemoration of all those who died on September 11th those ten fateful years ago. It also comes from a popular Superchick song in which the chorus reads "Heroes are made when you make a choice."

 The past week has been filled with documentaries on TLC, Discovery and the History Channel that documented (hence the name documentary) the happenings on that day. But what they can't fully capture, and what will never be able to be fully captured is the fear that accompanied not only those in New York and in surrounding buildings, but of America. If you weren't older than about 8 or 9 you didn't really know what was going on, much less what a landmark the World Trade Centers were.

It shocks me to think that the children in 3rd grade now, where I was then, weren't even alive! It shocks me even more so to hear a story of a younger friend who, in school, was watching something in one her classes only to hear people behind her snickering. I can truly say it hurts my heart to know that people of our own country don't take such offense to what Al Qaeda did to our country.

So much has happened since this day ten years ago.... Let's get some stats, shall we?
Since September 11, 2001
     *America invades Iraq
     *Saddam Hussein is captured
     *Iraq has a legislative election
     *Osama Bin Ladin found and killed
     *4,404 killed and 31,827 wounded in action members of our Armed Forces
     *4,568 military deaths due to hostile-fire
     *318 dead from other Coalition Armies

So, you see? The heroes are the ones that escaped the Trade Centers, the brave men that got as many people out as they could while sacrificing themselves, the men and women who lost their loved ones in the Trade Centers, the citizens of New York, the men and women who have fought valiantly to protect our rights and freedoms, and the men and women who have lost loved ones who were fighting.

As I think about all these people and all the men and women I know who have seen this first hand I thank God for the kind of people who were so caring and selfless to give their lives so others may live, just as Jesus did for us even longer ago.

This day is more than remembering the cold-hearted stab that has left our nation wounded but stronger together. This day is about knowing who true heroes are. We can all be heroes when our time comes. Heroes are made when you make a choice.


"Greater love has no one than this, that he would lay his life down for his friend" John 15:13

GOD BLESS AMERICA


   

Preach What You Practice

I'm still not quite sure how I came upon this inverted title, but I like it. I know, I know it's supposed to be "practice what you preach yade yade yada." But isn't that so mundane and boring?

I think it would pose more of a challenge if we were asked to preach what we practice. The idea behind the philosophy of practicing what you preach is kind of backwards once you think about it, right? Practicing what you preach has the implication that you didn't practice what you were preaching until after your preached it and if you preached before you practiced doesn't that make you a hypocrite at the time of the preaching?

I know that was confusing...I think that's why it was so much fun. Try saying it three times fast...... not really.

The point is that a lot of times we give people advice and then we are afraid to take it ourselves; human nature or something like that....well it's kinda silly. If we preach what we practice wouldn't we all be a bit more honest with ourselves? Instead of disillusioning ourselves into thinking that we take our own advice until someone spews those sour words right back on us, we should get real with ourselves before we tell others what to do. It's a sort of "get the log out of your eye before you try to get the twig out of your brothers" idea.

Maybe if people preach what they actually practice there would be a lot less conflicting advice in the world. And if there were a lot less conflicting advice in the world maybe there wouldn't be so many lost and deranged people looking for direction. Maybe if AS CHRISTIANS we took a moment to look at what we are doing and try to line it up with what we say we believe we would find out that a lot of times our lines may be blurred or even off track. And if we took a minute to see that what we say and what we do AS CHRISTIANS don't always match up we wouldn't have to sit and scratch our heads about why our world is  so fallen and rejects the teachings of Jesus, the Messiah, our Savior and Redeemer. And if we weren't scratching our heads and wondering why our world is so lost then we would have time to get off our butts and do something about it!

No wonder our world is crumbling around us.

Labor Free Day

After spending 30 minutes writing this and then losing it thanks to faulty technology, I suppose I will write this again.

Who really knows why we celebrate Labor Day? If it is called LABOR day, why don't we work? Why do we just sit back, grill some meat and veggies and stuff our faces (while we college students are making bbq pork in a crock pot). WELL....I've taken it upon myself to enlighten myself and you....again....as to why we celebrate this day away from work and school.

Labor Day was a holiday commenced by the government to celebrate the workers of America and all they do to support our country.

THE END --------> NOT!!!!

The first celebration of Labor Day was on September 5th 1882. While it is unclear on whether it was Peter McGuire, co founder of the Central Labor Union, or Matthew McGuire, secretary of the Central Labor Union to first propose a day to "honor  those 'who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold,'" we ARE sure that it was the Central Labor Union who first anointed a committee to plan festivities.

And what were those festivities you ask? I'll tell you. The festivities outlined in the first proposal by this labor union for the celebration of what was then a "workingmen's holiday" were as follows: a parade around the city to exhibit the "strength and spirit of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families to join in amusement and you guessed it...a PICNIC!

However it wasn't until 1884 that other labor unions started to take part in these festivities and by 1885-1886 the holiday was recognized by some municipalities through ordinances.But it was still the little holiday that could.....become nationally recognized. Soon states started recognizing the holiday! The first was Oregon, soon to be followed by Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York. By the end of the decade 23 other states had followed suit. It seems as if our humble minded union workers are beginning to make their mark on history! on June 28th of 1894 Congress passed a law making the first Monday of September in every year a federal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

As the holiday gained momentum and the labor movement rapidly growing, the American Federation of Labor came to a resolution in 1904 to make every Sunday preceding the first Monday of September dedicated to the educational spirit of the day.....but since I didn't research Labor Day until today I guess we can overlook this little mistake of this post being a day late according to history......

So for a quick recap....good job America! We haven't completely corrupted the holiday that started in the mind of a labor union to celebrate the workers in America that contribute every day to our economic strength (or fragility) and to our social strata as a leader in our world. So thank you, workers! You may now get back to eating your ribs and corn.

*information provided by the U.S. Department of Labor....yes...they have a website.*
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm

How Do You Know?

Yes, the title IS an allusion to one of the cutest movies ever, Enchanted. Not only is it a catchy tune that will now be stuck in your head for the rest of the day, but it poses a serious question! Let's take a look further into the question(s) posed here. To find an answer, we must decipher what exactly the question(s) are. The questions we are going to be taking a look at today stem from "How do you know you're beautiful?" Among this, other questions arise. Questions like "How do you know you're..." special, accepted, loved and so forth.  

These questions are all tied together and all posed towards girls, obviously. We all know that girls are always going to be more critical and self-conscious than boys and probably BECAUSE of boys! I'm sure it never ends even as age takes hold of our fragile painted faces and carefully sculpted bodies. One of my best friends sent me a message on Facebook of an article her RA gave her to read. This particular friend has always been beautiful to me, but still felt the need to cover it all with makeup and cute clothes (she still refuses to admit she has a shopping problem!). But why does she insist on wearing makeup every day and spending money in excess on clothes that will be out of style as soon as they came in? Boys, media, other girls and the list of things that cause insecurities goes on. But what this article pointed out is that as a child of God we are made in his image! And to say that we are not beautiful and that we are not thin enough is saying to our Creator that He didn't do an adequate job! 

Let me clarify that I'm in no way blaming boys for our insecurities, I'm simply pointing out that every girl feels the need to be wanted by boys that could really care less whether or not we wear makeup, style our hair for 30 minutes, or try on 10 different outfits. As my wonderful boyfriend and best friend of three years reminded me just the other day "Every girl is going to think she's fat." At first I tended to disagree because I thought that it was just me because I have always struggled with my weight and even after losing 20 pounds I still feel the need to lose more weight. 

But this is not the case! We are all beautiful because we are in the image of God! One of my favorite songs by David Crowder remind us that  "[He] made everything glorious and I am Yours! What does that make me?!" IT MAKES US GLORIOUS IN HIM! How freeing is it to know and take hold of the fact that we are made whole in Him? It doesn't matter if we find our soul mated in high school or in our thirties, the point is that God has a divine plan for our lives (Proverbs 19:21). We are anointed by him; we have a divine part in his redemptive plan and it is not our job to know what it is until he reveals it to us!

The world is so careful to impose thoughts of insecurities upon girls to feel like they need to have the perfect size nothing body, the perfectly proportioned face, and a haircut that says "red carpet." One of my all time least favorite commercials are the Covergirl commercials with Ellen Degeneres. With comments like "inner beauty is important...but not as important as outer beauty" and "hello wrinkly" how can we expect girls to have positive self image??

Good self image is not easy to come by. Only now, at 18 and 20 pounds lighter, am I starting to realize that I am beautiful because I am made in the image of God. Others will think that we are beautiful when we radiate a confidence in our Creator and they way that He has made us.

It also doesn't help that my boyfriend also pointed out that every girl does a mental "look and judge" of every girl that passes us. And it is so true! So this post's challenge is not to have a radical change of heart and walk out of your door feeling as if you could conquer the world. Baby steps, baby steps. But it has helped me to take on a new resolution to pay mental compliments to every girl that passes me instead of judging her for her size, her hair, her face or her clothes. 

Try it, you may be surprised by how you feel about yourself at the end of the day.