Riches

I've been reading the book of James for the past couple weeks. I really like that book a lot. What's been sticking out to me the most is all the talk about how being poor is a good thing. "Christians who are poor should be glad because God has honored them..." (1:9) "Hasn't God chosen the poor to be rich in faith? Aren't they the ones who will inherit the kingdom..." (2:5) "Look here you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away and your fine clothes are moth eaten rags." (5:1-2) After living and working in places like Kencot in Kingston, Jamaica or the Kenyan desert you really understand how these verses are true. As the rich American I've always understood God as the provider, so I looked at the lives of these "poor people" and could not fathom how they could trust God. They are sleeping with 6 people in a house the size of my bedroom and walking miles for drinking water on a daily basis. But they are rich in faith, a faith that riches has robbed from me. I long to go deeper and see a new side of Christ I've been missing out on.

Glass Slippers

We've all got a story like Cinderella, we've all got a glass slipper that we leave behind for someone to hold for us. The only problem is we don't live in a fairy tale. Any man, woman, bank account or job will scratch, chip, and most likely shatter that slipper we entrust to them. The slipper is our security, our identity, our hope and when these things are placed anywhere but the hands of God its pain waiting to happen. Psalm 118:8-9 reads: "Far better to take refuge in God than trust in people; Far better to take refuge in God than trust in princes." Who have you given your glass slipper to? Is it time to take it back and place it in God's hands?

Alive

Its been a while since I've been at anything to do with church that moved me to tears. Last night my passion for my faith was finally revived and it was just a simple prayer at the end of a Q & A session that brought this intense realization of the spirit back to life in me. I would love to go intern at Doug Pagitt's church in Minneapolis I pretty much do fit right into these post-modern stereotypes people are trying to shove on my generation and he gets what it takes to spur us on in our faith. Story and discussion and open exploration of what biblical Christianity should look like transfered into our day awakens my desire to go deeper with God while the traditional one line answers of the churches I've been a part of just dull the excitement.

experiment observations

Its amazing how much God has to say when you purposely stop talking. I've pretty much been blown away. He's probably been trying to get through to me for a while now but my heads been too full of my own words.

This week's experiment

I'm trying an experiment this week. I recently realized how incredibly self-centered I am, even to the point of neglecting ministry opportunities God is giving me right now. For the past few weeks I've not thought about much other than what I am called to, what is next after college, how I'm going to make money, who I'm going to live with...me, me, me. God says that if we ask he will give us wisdom and show us the way we should go, I've done that so I just need to start being patient and wait for him to answer. This week I'm going to do my best to not think about/pray about my future and instead spend time reading/meditating on scripture and praying for the starving, sick, enslaved children all over this world. There is so much going on in this world that does not center around me and I need to get my eyes off myself!

Enough with the lies

I'm really getting tired of all the commecials that are continuously feeding Americans lies. Home Goods promises for just $79.99 you can have that mirror that will finally make you feel good. Jinny Craig ensures that you will be so much happier if you just lose that last 50 pounds. Heart broken? Taco Bell will make it all better with a 1/2 pound burrito. And of course after a long day relaxing with Happy Meals and $2.99 double cheeseburger dinners from McDonald's makes everyone have a great night! Feeling crappy America? How about you go drownd your sorrows in greasy fast food and buy all those new decorations you've always been wanting! It'll make you feel better we promise! Even if the high does only last for a couple minutes we'll have a new sale next week and you can start all over! I'd love to throw in a few horrible Christian cliches right around here "Jesus is the answer!" "We all have a God sized hole in our Hearts." but they leave you just as empty as the fries from McD's that can sit on the counter for a month without decomposing. We need a real God whose presence is made known in real community life, life that is not centered around always making sure you feel happy but making sure the rest of the world is loved.

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There is so much going on in my head I don't even know where to start writing.

practice what you preach

Even though its a few years off still, I've been dreaming a lot about my next car. I really want a truck or suv, but I also say that I want to care for the planet and "Go Green!" If my actions aren't showing the same things as what I say I believe then I probably don't really believe it. I will most likely go with a car with better gas milage. I can't say I want to care for God's gift of creation to us and then not recycle, waste resources and drive a gas guzzler.

Yesterday I was thinking about all the distractions in my life and how if I could just get rid of everything then I'd be able to focus on God a lot more. I really understood why Jesus told the rich man to sell everything he had, its a question of true desire and commitment. We live in an upgrade society, we are never going to be satisfied with what we have because then next shinier model with more buttons will soon come out and we will HAVE to have it. "If you look around you and find nothing that satisfies, its probably because you weren't made for this world."- C.S. Lewis. I wasn't made for this world, rather than continuing to try and find something that satisfies I can just give it all up.

Live simply so others can simply live...we had a Compassion International spokesman come and do two concerts on campus. It was amazing. And then my teacher went on this rant today about how more people are dying from hunger than from abortion and our churches (especially the SBC) are not doing anything about it, but they will do all sorts of things for abortion (which is cool, keep doing it, but look at whats going on outside your country too).