I am constantly amazed at how God uses such simple things in our everyday lives to prove that He is just here for us, no matter what. Last night I decided to brave my not feeling so great to go out with friends to the Falls Theater downtown River Falls to see Dolphin Tale. Who knew that a thing as simple as a children's movie meant purely for entertainment could have so much packed into it?
First, the movie's main character is an 11 year old boy, Sawyer, who has no friends, does poorly in school, and who has lost his father. The incredible way the screenwriters use this background in the plot has so much meaning to it. This boy is positioned for failure, living a hopeless life everyday, until he finds a dolphin (Winter) on the beach and gets to be involved in its rehabilitation. The transformation that takes place in this boy as he opens up to the dolphin is almost unbelievable. All of the sudden he is pouring his whole life into helping this animal recover. It gave him something to have hope for, a purpose for waking up everyday. What's more astonishing is how much Sawyer learns about himself during this process.
This kind of reminds me of the way God puts certain things - events, people, etc. - inot our lives to help us to become all He wants us to be. In this case, Sawyer found purpose to his life by helping Winter, and then helped Winter to help other people, like his cousin Kyle. Through all of this, Sawyer never gave up on Winter or on himself - he always believed she would get better. How many of us can say that we aren't going to give up when hard times come? And how many that say that actually follow through? A lot of times people just want to lay down and let the waves of life crash over them while they slowly drown. These challenges are put into our lives to make us stronger and help us to become the people God meant for us to be.
Another thing about Winter is that she never gave up on Sawyer. She has a way of communicating with him and got him to understand her, the same way that God figures out ways to comunicate with us. Winter helped Sawyer to feel and to experience the love that he was never able to find with anyone or anything else. God loves us the same way - like no other man or creature ever could. Through learning to love Winter, Sawyer learned to love those around him, especially his family, despite all the pain he had felt from them over the years. A big theme of this movie was that "family is forever." Sawyer discovered this with his own family and Winter. God wants us to discover the "foreverness"of His family. He wants us to experience His love and to allow that love to teach us how we should love others.
Lastly, this movie depicted the utter beauty and creativity of God. Through the opening scenes of the dolphins swimming in the ocean, we see God's splendor and majesty. Throughout the movie we see a glimpse of God's sense of humor as a part of Winter's personality. We see how God has created us to have relationships with animals, with each other, and with God, and how God uses those relationships in our own personal growth.
Besides this being a wonderful movie anyway, this movie blessed me because it gave subtle depictions of God's majesty, creativity and sovereignty. From that perspective, I would say it's definitely a movie to see, and also an opportunity to take a look at your own passions and give them new life again, all while witnessing some of God's greatest creativity and glory in action!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
My Encounter with the Beatitudes
This week I spent a good deal of time taking a deep look at The Beatitudes, one of Jesus' most remembered teachings, from Matthew 5. First, I'll comment on the deeper meaning I found in the passage itself and then leave you with the charge that God gave me at the end of my time studying this scripture.
Matthew 5:1-12
3(D) "Blessed are(E) the poor in spirit, for(F) theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are(G) those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5"Blessed are the(H) meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are those who hunger and(I) thirst(J) for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7"Blessed are(K) the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are(L) the pure in heart, for(M) they shall see God.
9"Blessed are(N) the peacemakers, for(O) they shall be called(P) sons[a] of God.
10(Q) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for(R) theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11(S) "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely(T) on my account. 12(U) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for(V) so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
v3 - "poor in spirit" - those who recognize their need for God
v4 - Jesus came to comfort those who mourn, who have repented and are looking for a new beginning
v5 - Meek = recognizing our need for God through humility
v6 - when we are searching for God to fill us, He will fill us beyond satisfaction
v7 - when we show mercy to others, God is inclined to show mercy to us
v8 - purity of heart as such that we come to God with a child-like faith, desiring more of Him and not questioning His motives but trusting that He has our best interest in mind
v9 - we are called to minister the peace and love of the gospel to the world, bringing healing to those who need it
v10 - withstanding persecution brings about blessing; it is basically a guarantee that we will not be liked by those around us because of the message that we bring
Jesus has called me to:
Matthew 5:1-12
The Sermon on the Mount
1Seeing the crowds,(A) he went up on the mountain, and when he(B) sat down, his disciples came to him.The Beatitudes
2And(C) he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:3(D) "Blessed are(E) the poor in spirit, for(F) theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4"Blessed are(G) those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5"Blessed are the(H) meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6"Blessed are those who hunger and(I) thirst(J) for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7"Blessed are(K) the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8"Blessed are(L) the pure in heart, for(M) they shall see God.
9"Blessed are(N) the peacemakers, for(O) they shall be called(P) sons[a] of God.
10(Q) "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for(R) theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11(S) "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely(T) on my account. 12(U) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for(V) so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
v3 - "poor in spirit" - those who recognize their need for God
v4 - Jesus came to comfort those who mourn, who have repented and are looking for a new beginning
v5 - Meek = recognizing our need for God through humility
v6 - when we are searching for God to fill us, He will fill us beyond satisfaction
v7 - when we show mercy to others, God is inclined to show mercy to us
v8 - purity of heart as such that we come to God with a child-like faith, desiring more of Him and not questioning His motives but trusting that He has our best interest in mind
v9 - we are called to minister the peace and love of the gospel to the world, bringing healing to those who need it
v10 - withstanding persecution brings about blessing; it is basically a guarantee that we will not be liked by those around us because of the message that we bring
Jesus has called me to:
- recognize my need for Him
- ask Him for repentance and find comfort in His salvation
- come to Him humbly adn seek His face to be fulfilled
- show His mercy to those around me
- approach Him with the heart of a child, putting off all my doubts and worries to allow Him to cleanse me of my impurities
- bring the peace of His gospel to the world with my life as a witness to His glory
- and withstand persecution for the sake of His name, knowing that ultimately He will be glorified and bless me in return.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
All Put Together... Really?
It's crazy what happens when you realize that a person that you could not imgaine having problems all of the sudden reveals to you all the things that go wrong in their lives. It's easy to make a person out to have everything together, even when you know they don't. Almost like a "don't ask, don't tell" type thing, or "out of sight, out of mind." I've been told recently that this is how some of my friends view me - the ones that don't know my history and haven't been close enough to me to experience my struggles with me. I've been on both sides of this, thinking that a friend or classmate of mine has it all together, and being the one that appears to have it all together to everyone else looking in. Truth is, no one has it all together, and when we come to realize this, it makes us love the people in our lives even deeper, in the way that God loves them.
As I'm thinking about this I'm reminded of a good friend and classmate I had in high school. She came to our school in freshman year and seemed like she was instantly loved by all. At first I refused to get to know her too much because I had been there my whole life and never had anywhere near that much attention. Gradually, I came to respect her a little more each year because she was a pretty nice person; but I always kind of had the idea that nothing ever went wrong for her. She gave the appearance that things were always peachy in her little world. Her parents were happy, she had a great family life, she wasn't super rich, but she wasn't almost on the streets, and she was a decently nice person. It wasn't until an encounter I had with her during senior year that I recognized that she experienced all the same human emotions and struggles that we all do. I knew in the back of my mind that she dealt with things - everyone does - but because those things were never exposed and she kept up appearances, it was easy to assume and act as if nothing ever happened to make her life hard.
In senior year we were required to give Senior Speeches, a sort of testimony of what we've experienced God do in our own lives as a way to share our faith. Right before writing her speech, she and I had a decently deep conversation about life and God, and I shared with her some of my struggles, mainly because she asked. But I didn't ask her about her own struggles because I felt like she wouldn't really be able to relate to me anyway. A few weeks later, though, she gave her senior speech in front of the entire school as one of the finalists. In her speech she talked very vulnerably about the struggles she had, especially before coming to our school, and how those struggles affected who she decided to be when she switched schools. And to my surprise, she even took pieces of our conversation and shared them anonymously in her speech to help make her point. At that moment, I realized how much this girl cared for me and how similar we were because she struggled too and we both had mastered the ability to hide our problems from the public eye. As soon as I knew she was talking about me in her speech, my heart melted, I lost any sort of bitterness and jealousy I held toward her, and to this day am so thankful that she is in my life.
I guess you could say that when we are told not to judge a book by its cover, it really is wise advice, because there is no way for us to know what another person could be struggling with. This kind of goes for the things we say and do to others too - without even realizing it, one word out of our mouth could be the last thing it takes to cause a seemingly happy person to fall into deep inner turmoil. And who knows, when you step back and realize that everyone is struggling, just in their own way, it makes us all a little more human and can open up great opportunities for dear friendships that God has inspired.
As I'm thinking about this I'm reminded of a good friend and classmate I had in high school. She came to our school in freshman year and seemed like she was instantly loved by all. At first I refused to get to know her too much because I had been there my whole life and never had anywhere near that much attention. Gradually, I came to respect her a little more each year because she was a pretty nice person; but I always kind of had the idea that nothing ever went wrong for her. She gave the appearance that things were always peachy in her little world. Her parents were happy, she had a great family life, she wasn't super rich, but she wasn't almost on the streets, and she was a decently nice person. It wasn't until an encounter I had with her during senior year that I recognized that she experienced all the same human emotions and struggles that we all do. I knew in the back of my mind that she dealt with things - everyone does - but because those things were never exposed and she kept up appearances, it was easy to assume and act as if nothing ever happened to make her life hard.
In senior year we were required to give Senior Speeches, a sort of testimony of what we've experienced God do in our own lives as a way to share our faith. Right before writing her speech, she and I had a decently deep conversation about life and God, and I shared with her some of my struggles, mainly because she asked. But I didn't ask her about her own struggles because I felt like she wouldn't really be able to relate to me anyway. A few weeks later, though, she gave her senior speech in front of the entire school as one of the finalists. In her speech she talked very vulnerably about the struggles she had, especially before coming to our school, and how those struggles affected who she decided to be when she switched schools. And to my surprise, she even took pieces of our conversation and shared them anonymously in her speech to help make her point. At that moment, I realized how much this girl cared for me and how similar we were because she struggled too and we both had mastered the ability to hide our problems from the public eye. As soon as I knew she was talking about me in her speech, my heart melted, I lost any sort of bitterness and jealousy I held toward her, and to this day am so thankful that she is in my life.
I guess you could say that when we are told not to judge a book by its cover, it really is wise advice, because there is no way for us to know what another person could be struggling with. This kind of goes for the things we say and do to others too - without even realizing it, one word out of our mouth could be the last thing it takes to cause a seemingly happy person to fall into deep inner turmoil. And who knows, when you step back and realize that everyone is struggling, just in their own way, it makes us all a little more human and can open up great opportunities for dear friendships that God has inspired.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Loving Uncontrollably: My Thoughts on Exerpts from Romans 12:1-13 MSG
This passage exites me! I want to pick it apart a little bit and share with you little pieces at a time and show you what God has been teaching me through it the past couple of days.
First:
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
4-6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
6-8If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
My comments: I love that this directly addresses our call to ministry and living the life of a witness at all times. I think it kind of hints that all Christians are called to ministry, but all of our roles in ministry will be different: some of us will be helpers, some pastors, some caregivers, some secretaries, but we all have a crucial role to play and we cannot be successful if we're constantly looking at other's positions or talents and wishing we were them. Instead we need to be confident in how God made us individually and do our best to put our whole selves into what He has given us to do.
9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
My comments: In the same way taht we are to be confident in our purpose, it is also our job to build each other up, give encouragement in teh hard times, and have each other's backs. We are responsible to make sure that we are being refueled, but also that our teammates are getting what they need. It's never all take and no give, but as the passage said, "love from the center of who you are,"we are to selflessly offer what God has been fueling us with to those who need it and rely on God to refuel us again. It also can't be constantly giving with no take because that is when we burn ou and are no longer effective in spreading God's love and His Word. That is where the team comes in to help rebuild someone who is too drained to take the initiative themself.
I have by no means arrived at this place of not comparing myself, loving always, etc. But God is doing His work in my life to transform me into the person He desires in three ways:
1. He is drawing me much closer to Himself and making our relationship much more personal and intimate.
2. He is working to make me more outwardly oriented, cleaning up my selfishness (which I have struggled with a long time), and turning it into an ability to love others.
3. He is showing me what matter most in life, which is not what our worldly society tends to tell us, but rather showing His love to the people who need it most.
The ultimate goal of God's transforming my life is that we become more like Christ. Christ, in essence, loved people uncontrollably and lived every moment of His life on earth in a way that purposed to glorify His Father and spread God's love and Word to others. When we examine our purpose, then, this basically describes it: we were created to be a true reflection of Christ, to love every person alive uncontrollably and unconditionally. This isn't easy, it sometimes hurts, and it can cost us a lot, but in my experience, there is nothing more worth it than to experience the love of God making a change in a person's life that is going to last for an eternity.
First:
1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
4-6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
6-8If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
My comments: I love that this directly addresses our call to ministry and living the life of a witness at all times. I think it kind of hints that all Christians are called to ministry, but all of our roles in ministry will be different: some of us will be helpers, some pastors, some caregivers, some secretaries, but we all have a crucial role to play and we cannot be successful if we're constantly looking at other's positions or talents and wishing we were them. Instead we need to be confident in how God made us individually and do our best to put our whole selves into what He has given us to do.
9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
My comments: In the same way taht we are to be confident in our purpose, it is also our job to build each other up, give encouragement in teh hard times, and have each other's backs. We are responsible to make sure that we are being refueled, but also that our teammates are getting what they need. It's never all take and no give, but as the passage said, "love from the center of who you are,"we are to selflessly offer what God has been fueling us with to those who need it and rely on God to refuel us again. It also can't be constantly giving with no take because that is when we burn ou and are no longer effective in spreading God's love and His Word. That is where the team comes in to help rebuild someone who is too drained to take the initiative themself.
I have by no means arrived at this place of not comparing myself, loving always, etc. But God is doing His work in my life to transform me into the person He desires in three ways:
1. He is drawing me much closer to Himself and making our relationship much more personal and intimate.
2. He is working to make me more outwardly oriented, cleaning up my selfishness (which I have struggled with a long time), and turning it into an ability to love others.
3. He is showing me what matter most in life, which is not what our worldly society tends to tell us, but rather showing His love to the people who need it most.
The ultimate goal of God's transforming my life is that we become more like Christ. Christ, in essence, loved people uncontrollably and lived every moment of His life on earth in a way that purposed to glorify His Father and spread God's love and Word to others. When we examine our purpose, then, this basically describes it: we were created to be a true reflection of Christ, to love every person alive uncontrollably and unconditionally. This isn't easy, it sometimes hurts, and it can cost us a lot, but in my experience, there is nothing more worth it than to experience the love of God making a change in a person's life that is going to last for an eternity.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Burning Love - Topics on the Love of the Father
"Love burns bright enough to compel us, but hot enough to keep us humble." from "Finding Yourself in 'Love'" by Myles Werntz
There is something about love that draws us toward it. It causes us to do things we wouldn't otherwise do and encourages us to pursue it; but love also has a refining quality aobut it, meant to burn away our imperfections and make us our best. This quality leads us to finding humility because we realize that our best would not be present without a little bit of pain to draw it out of us.
Love is something that completes our human existance, makes us feel needed, and gives us an expression of the need we have for another person. It makes us feel esteem for ourselves and others. This craving for love that all humankind experiences is something that God designed within each one of us with the purpose of creating meaningful relationships with others and Himself. God has ways of fulfiling this craving with His own love and by placing people in our lives that show us His love in their own way.
What are three crazy things that love has compelled you to do? Leave your answers in the comment section!
1. Spend an entire evening talking to 2 International Students about everything from the American tradition of s'mores around the campfire to the most intricate details of our lives as Christians. This was such an encouraging experience for me and I learned first-hand how simple the love of God is.
2. Becoming involved as a leader on campus through the Freshman Orientation Program here at UW-River Falls. Not only did I get to impact a group of students new to campus as we spent three days together, but my relationships with them and the other orientation leaers continue to grow in the love of Christ as we discover more about each other and our own faith.
3. Stay out of a dating relationship out of love and respect to the man, myself, and both of our relationships with God. I know that dating is a huge part of the American culture, but I have chosen to wait until God leads me into my one and only relationship because I know His timing is perfect and His love will sustain me as I wait patiently on Him. I have chosen this path because I believe that God should be the center of any relationship I have, but especially a romantic one, so I want both of our hearts to be prepared by God and our relationships to be solid in Him before we begin our lives together.
Loving shapes our entire purpose because it is how we can universally communicate who God is and His love for us to anyone and everyone. As I prepare to work in the mental health field, love is becoming something I value more than anything else. It goes a long way in a patient's treatment. Being loved brings self-esteem and a lot of encouragement, knowing there is someone behind you all the time to support you no matter what. God's love in my life and it's ability to work through me is what gives me the confidence to follow what God has planned for my life.
There is something about love that draws us toward it. It causes us to do things we wouldn't otherwise do and encourages us to pursue it; but love also has a refining quality aobut it, meant to burn away our imperfections and make us our best. This quality leads us to finding humility because we realize that our best would not be present without a little bit of pain to draw it out of us.
Love is something that completes our human existance, makes us feel needed, and gives us an expression of the need we have for another person. It makes us feel esteem for ourselves and others. This craving for love that all humankind experiences is something that God designed within each one of us with the purpose of creating meaningful relationships with others and Himself. God has ways of fulfiling this craving with His own love and by placing people in our lives that show us His love in their own way.
What are three crazy things that love has compelled you to do? Leave your answers in the comment section!
1. Spend an entire evening talking to 2 International Students about everything from the American tradition of s'mores around the campfire to the most intricate details of our lives as Christians. This was such an encouraging experience for me and I learned first-hand how simple the love of God is.
2. Becoming involved as a leader on campus through the Freshman Orientation Program here at UW-River Falls. Not only did I get to impact a group of students new to campus as we spent three days together, but my relationships with them and the other orientation leaers continue to grow in the love of Christ as we discover more about each other and our own faith.
3. Stay out of a dating relationship out of love and respect to the man, myself, and both of our relationships with God. I know that dating is a huge part of the American culture, but I have chosen to wait until God leads me into my one and only relationship because I know His timing is perfect and His love will sustain me as I wait patiently on Him. I have chosen this path because I believe that God should be the center of any relationship I have, but especially a romantic one, so I want both of our hearts to be prepared by God and our relationships to be solid in Him before we begin our lives together.
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