http://www.boundlessline.org/2009/12/looking-for-a-virgin.html
Very, very interesting.
Read it. :)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
jane austen quiz . . . link
I think that pretty much says it all...for now. ;) Take it. But only if you're a girl; be freaked out if you're not!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
can't fix you
The other day, my sister and I were having a lovely conversation, and she made this point: church doesn’t and can’t fix you.
Only He can.
And I’m going to embellish on it, because it’s so good and I think more people need to think about it.
Sure, church can set you on the road to God, or away from it—you have to admit that. But when people talk about 'church' they're meaning 'going to church'. They're not meaning it in the way that Paul said it in his letters to the churches in the New Testament. The Church is the people of God, not a building, not a place you go on Sundays and Wednesdays optionally. It is a people. And sometimes people do things in the name of something they are not even connected with. That's the part of life that sucks. That, I think is what's called 'taking His holy name in vain': doing and living in a way that contradicts the Way you say you follow, the Lord you say is your Saviour.
But really, there are those who have no relationship with Him—but there are even those of us who do and still are rustily moving through life on our own terms and thanking/praising Him for the good times. When they come along.
We know how Christians believe, but not how they live.
The preachers and pastors tell us to lay down all the sin and our lives at the Cross, but they don’t tell us what to pick up.
[Shane Claiborne]
Going to church, as they say, does not make you a Christian (definition: little Christ). And it doesn’t fix you, that much is clear to me.
So how are you to ever be fixed? How am I? (because I certainly have not attained, shall we say, perfection of any sort?)
You talk to Him. You seek Him. You ask for His help, you read His Word. And you also fellowship with other Followers.
And another point: you can talk about Jesus all you want, make people promise to come visit your church, but you’re wasting time with only your mouth doing something. Be Jesus. Show, not tell.
Because really, since when did we stop being Him (to the world and its hopeless inhabitants) and start arguing _______? (fill in the blank)
Some of us have never been too devoted.
"Some of us" being His Followers.
There have always been some --alright, a lot-- of us that have been distracted . . . with the world.
Those haven't known or realized He want us, Loves us. Too preoccupied with the things, the materials and superficiality of the place we are in.
This was to all those Christians out there…or whoever is reading this and needed a kick in the you-know-where just like me.
Only He can.
And I’m going to embellish on it, because it’s so good and I think more people need to think about it.
Sure, church can set you on the road to God, or away from it—you have to admit that. But when people talk about 'church' they're meaning 'going to church'. They're not meaning it in the way that Paul said it in his letters to the churches in the New Testament. The Church is the people of God, not a building, not a place you go on Sundays and Wednesdays optionally. It is a people. And sometimes people do things in the name of something they are not even connected with. That's the part of life that sucks. That, I think is what's called 'taking His holy name in vain': doing and living in a way that contradicts the Way you say you follow, the Lord you say is your Saviour.
But really, there are those who have no relationship with Him—but there are even those of us who do and still are rustily moving through life on our own terms and thanking/praising Him for the good times. When they come along.
We know how Christians believe, but not how they live.
The preachers and pastors tell us to lay down all the sin and our lives at the Cross, but they don’t tell us what to pick up.
[Shane Claiborne]
Going to church, as they say, does not make you a Christian (definition: little Christ). And it doesn’t fix you, that much is clear to me.
So how are you to ever be fixed? How am I? (because I certainly have not attained, shall we say, perfection of any sort?)
You talk to Him. You seek Him. You ask for His help, you read His Word. And you also fellowship with other Followers.
And another point: you can talk about Jesus all you want, make people promise to come visit your church, but you’re wasting time with only your mouth doing something. Be Jesus. Show, not tell.
Because really, since when did we stop being Him (to the world and its hopeless inhabitants) and start arguing _______? (fill in the blank)
Some of us have never been too devoted.
"Some of us" being His Followers.
There have always been some --alright, a lot-- of us that have been distracted . . . with the world.
Those haven't known or realized He want us, Loves us. Too preoccupied with the things, the materials and superficiality of the place we are in.
This was to all those Christians out there…or whoever is reading this and needed a kick in the you-know-where just like me.
blackbird
if I were a blackbird
I'd whistle and I'd sing
and I'd follow the ship
that my true love sails in.~anonymous
I'd whistle and I'd sing
and I'd follow the ship
that my true love sails in.~anonymous
Friday, November 20, 2009
love never fails
Love still believes when you don't . . .
It's truth: we are all broken. We are hurting. We callous ourselves, but we're bruised every day.
It's the truth. And we must see it in the middle of our oceans of pain, that He is our only saving grace.
Our only saving grace.
Our only hope of feeling not alone.
Because He suffered too. He hurt, too. He was in pain, has felt it most intensely.
And in the pain, maybe we can know that He loves us? That He sees us in our mire, that He feels it all with us, the ripping of our hearts, the bleeding our souls do behind closed doors and open doors alike.
And He loves us.
Love never fails you . . .
Life is not for living depressed and letting everything get to you 24-7, but rather to hold onto His hand, and follow Him through it all.
Italics are lyrics from Love Never Fails, by Brandon Heath
It's truth: we are all broken. We are hurting. We callous ourselves, but we're bruised every day.
It's the truth. And we must see it in the middle of our oceans of pain, that He is our only saving grace.
Our only saving grace.
Our only hope of feeling not alone.
Because He suffered too. He hurt, too. He was in pain, has felt it most intensely.
And in the pain, maybe we can know that He loves us? That He sees us in our mire, that He feels it all with us, the ripping of our hearts, the bleeding our souls do behind closed doors and open doors alike.
And He loves us.
Love never fails you . . .
Life is not for living depressed and letting everything get to you 24-7, but rather to hold onto His hand, and follow Him through it all.
Italics are lyrics from Love Never Fails, by Brandon Heath
Monday, October 19, 2009
who is there . . . ?
When the sun goes down
Who is there
When the snow falls and I’m cold
Who is there
When the rain drowns out voices I once wanted to hear
Who is all around
When I want to curl up in a corner
Who is there
When the blue of the sky I don’t notice for the blur of my eyes
Who is there
When nothing makes sense, when all sense leaves
Who is there
When sense makes an appearance but circumstances soon drop it away
Who is there
When I’m so tired I need reality back or maybe I just need to forget it all
Who is there . . .
Who is there
When the snow falls and I’m cold
Who is there
When the rain drowns out voices I once wanted to hear
Who is all around
When I want to curl up in a corner
Who is there
When the blue of the sky I don’t notice for the blur of my eyes
Who is there
When nothing makes sense, when all sense leaves
Who is there
When sense makes an appearance but circumstances soon drop it away
Who is there
When I’m so tired I need reality back or maybe I just need to forget it all
Who is there . . .
Sunday, September 13, 2009
we can be friends.
We can be friends if you want to
There’s a friendship waiting to be
We can be friends if you want to
Take my hand, be friends with me-Beautiful People; Jason Upton
God is all about making the outcasts part of the family.
He’s all about bringing the unwanted into the gathering of blood relatives. He took the Gentiles and accepted them along with His Chosen people. Jesus’ sacrifice made the walls fall.
It’s us that is the problem—we hold on to the borders and lines and separators, no matter that we have a problem with segregation in church. We segregate our family, our friends, and everyone outside and inbetween.
God takes us side by side with the drug dealer-slash-human-seller who just dedicated his life to Jesus and His Way.
We love our families. God calls us to bring non-blood relatives into our circles of family, to take them in as He takes us in. He calls us to love, to show His Love, to embrace the outcasts and friends as He embraces us.
The world loves its own. We love our own. Jesus’ Way calls us to Love without inhibitions, which is something the world does not do—love with no conditions on it. No reasons to love, but still loving. The world does not know how to do that. In fact, we will only know how to do that if we fully accept His Love for us, and read His word and talk to Him, and focus on Him and… live as He did. He lives through us.
We live because of Him.
How can we take that and run with it? Go deep into the dirty parts of humanity and the cities we live in and around but stay away from.
Love with no reasons. No chance of them giving anything back. That is Jesus’ Love. Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Give water to those who thirst.
Love with no reason, no condition other than that He loves us like that, so why not? It’s hard, but then… life’s hard, and we’re called to this. It’s hard but good. why not have good with the hard?
There’s a friendship waiting to be
We can be friends if you want to
Take my hand, be friends with me-Beautiful People; Jason Upton
God is all about making the outcasts part of the family.
He’s all about bringing the unwanted into the gathering of blood relatives. He took the Gentiles and accepted them along with His Chosen people. Jesus’ sacrifice made the walls fall.
It’s us that is the problem—we hold on to the borders and lines and separators, no matter that we have a problem with segregation in church. We segregate our family, our friends, and everyone outside and inbetween.
God takes us side by side with the drug dealer-slash-human-seller who just dedicated his life to Jesus and His Way.
We love our families. God calls us to bring non-blood relatives into our circles of family, to take them in as He takes us in. He calls us to love, to show His Love, to embrace the outcasts and friends as He embraces us.
The world loves its own. We love our own. Jesus’ Way calls us to Love without inhibitions, which is something the world does not do—love with no conditions on it. No reasons to love, but still loving. The world does not know how to do that. In fact, we will only know how to do that if we fully accept His Love for us, and read His word and talk to Him, and focus on Him and… live as He did. He lives through us.
We live because of Him.
How can we take that and run with it? Go deep into the dirty parts of humanity and the cities we live in and around but stay away from.
Love with no reasons. No chance of them giving anything back. That is Jesus’ Love. Clothe the naked. Feed the hungry. Give water to those who thirst.
Love with no reason, no condition other than that He loves us like that, so why not? It’s hard, but then… life’s hard, and we’re called to this. It’s hard but good. why not have good with the hard?
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