Every Family has a Crazy Uncle

It's true... But in this case, the "crazy uncle" also happens to be one of the best people ever! (Funny, selfless, caring, compassionate, wise...)

My Great Uncle Fred, a former military man and current ROTC teacher, imparted some very valuable wisdom to me today that I thought I might share...

The Setup: 
Sitting around after a fantastic lunch made by one of the best ladies in the world, my Nino, Fred and I were discussing the feeling of "always being under the microscope" or never feeling like you can please some people.

His Wisdom:
If you live in a glass house, it's not the stones you should worry about. Your glass is bulletproof. What is really scary is when the manure starts being thrown. Not only does it hide the beauty of your house to others, it changes how you see the outside world as well. Cutting people down and judging others hurts everyone in the process.

What I Think:
His words were so true. In my meager experience, I've decided that people judge for two reasons: they love themselves too much or they hate themselves too much. Either way, cutting others down produces the same "result," which is to make the accuser temporarily feel good. Unfortunately, what we fail to realize is that we not only hurt the other person, we hurt ourselves as well because we rob ourselves of the wisdom and blessings God is trying to bestow upon us through that person.

We also hurt future relationships.  
In the case of the victim, we weaken their ability and desire to trust and love unconditionally. I think every reader has met at least one person who had a really hard time loving others because they had been so hurt in the past.
In the case of the accuser, people who allow themselves to freely judge and mistreat others train themselves to be heart-breakers, morale destroyers, and joy thieves. Of course, this is not what God has called us to be.  For more insight, read and practice James 3.

The Bad News:
I've been on both sides of this predicament, and I find myself often paying the consequences for such behavior.

The Good News:
I am saved by an amazing God who forgives and forgets! The damage I've done and the damage that has been done to me can be forgiven and healed if I just ask.


To sum things up:
I guess today I was given a very loving and timely reminder to speak and act cautiously. It's impossible to predict the extent to which my words affect others. I was also encouraged to remember that whether I'm doing the throwing or it's my glass house that's under attack, Christ can and will wipe it clean because He is good, loving, and full of mercy.


 Some encouraging verses:

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." Isaiah 1:18

"If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chron. 7:14

"O LORD my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me." Ps. 30:2

"He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions." Ps. 107:20

"He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds." Ps. 147:3

 

Hope this blesses you as much as it has me!


(Disclaimer: Please excuse the informality of this blog, as it is more of a musing...)

Political Piety

Remember When I Started a Blog a Year Ago?


Clearly, my undergraduate years were spent grossly underestimating the time-consumption of teaching within the public school system. Nonetheless, it's probably better this way, because now I'm one year older and wiser (somewhat against my will)!


So this morning I was reading an article written by Bill King of the Houston Chronicle assessing the behaviors of Christians in regards to pushing political agendas. I thought it was pretty insightful.  He basically describes two extreme types of believers: the closed vault cowardly christian who never speaks of his faith, and the loud mouth jerk who tries to shove christianity down everyone's throats via political infiltration. King says, and I agree, that a biblical christian falls under neither extreme.


The article, along with some of my own studies on the matter, has led me to come to a few conclusions:


Jesus loves PEOPLE, not politics.

**Let's be honest, many Christians, including myself, are arguing so hard politically because we have been lazy spiritually. If people don't know Jesus, it's the church's fault, not the government's. It's time to take responsibility, because the blame game is getting us nowhere. **

King says it this way, "But [Jesus] also adamantly refused to start a political movement. He famously tossed the Pharisees' Roman coins back at them, telling them to "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." He declared before Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. He did not form any political action committees or hold any political prayer rallies. He did not foment revolution or cozy up to officialdom. He did not lobby lawmakers to legislate the people's morality. Instead he appealed directly to our better nature, seeking to change hearts, not laws." 
This is not to, in any way, say that our Messiah did not create some waves during His physical time here. However, his focus was not to change the government, it was to change people. I've said this before, and I'll probably say it a million more times: NO ONE truly changes their heart or mind because a complete stranger is screaming hateful and belittling remarks about their belief system at them. It.does.not.happen. Speaking as a representative of the population of overly stubborn people, if anything, this kind of behavior only makes my own resolution stronger and closes my ears to any future discussions on the given topic. 


Even a perfunctory knowledge of history will tell you that forcing religion via government is ineffective. 
This is true for many reasons, but this I believe to be the primary.
A change of governmental policy does not necessarily indicate the change of a politician's heart on the matter. It certainly does not guarantee an invocation of compliance on the part of the masses. Instead, religion imposed by government breeds bitterness and resentment as well as stirring the rebellious nature within our hearts to which we all, as fallen people, are prone. The book of Romans says that it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. 1 John 4:19 says that the only reason we love God is because he first LOVED us. Ultimately, it's the Holy Spirit's revelation of God's goodness that changes hearts. 


So, what should we do?
(I'll just say that as I was reading the King article, I had multiple tabs open and accidentally switched to a "Reasons to Neuter" page. Had I not caught this mistake, the following insights may have been VERY different.)


1. Know the truth. Read the Bible. Ask God to show you people the way He sees them. Repeat as needed. 


2. Focus on the people, not the policies. 
This is not to say you should endorse political agendas that spit in the face of biblical truths, but remember that poor governmental policies are often a reflection of a heart problem. If you despise abortion, stop yelling at your senator, and go love a pregnant girl. If you think gay marriage is extra-biblical, care for your gay friends. Love them. Treat them like people because that's what they are.  Dwell on the Bible's definition of true religion: "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:26-27

3. Understand what love means, BIBLICALLY. 
Keep in mind, BIBLICAL love does NOT mean that you just tell people whatever they want to hear (what scripture calls "tickling the ears" 2 Tim 4:3) but rather that you are truthful with people in a loving way. (Ephesians 4:15) Coddling people's feelings is not more important than honoring and loving God Himself. 


4. Put down your picket signs and go to work! 
My question is how a person would possibly have time to take care of their family well, spend time with the Lord daily, love and help the lost and/or needy, AND cause an uproar about politics. I suppose if you have time to do it all well and to the glory of God, then more power to you, but if any of the other areas are suffering, prioritize. The Bible says that this is how we make a real difference: "And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." 1 Thess. 4:11-12 


Chron. Article: http://www.chron.com/default/article/King-An-assessment-of-being-a-Christian-at-2418713.php

Mark Driscoll's- The Tolerance Rant

The Gates of Splenda?

Rather than doing some "introductory blog," where I recant some heartfelt, epiphanal tale of what has driven me to sharing my life over the internet, I'll simply give you the real reason: I talk a lot. I think a lot. I have a lot of opinions. I, like all narcissistic bloggers, feel that what I have to say is worth reading. With that being said, this is my first official entry, so please take it easy with the critiquing. Thanks.

Accepting Imitations


As we forge ahead into 2011's New Year's Resolution season, I have noticed many friends and family of mine trying to improve their health by losing weight or eating better. One way they do this is by cutting sugar from their diets (a nearly impossible task if you read any labels whatsoever). Rather than going cold turkey, many said dieters opt for a low-cal substitution like Sweet-n-Low, Splenda, or my personal fav, Agave nectar. This is all well and good (I have no intention of making some grand statement about nutrition in this particular entry), but as we are now in the 3rd week of January, those sugar-free  imitations are no longer cutting it. I know this firsthand because several of the strongly resolved, sugar abstaining educators I eat lunch with daily are now ready to rip my arms off if it means I will relinquish my sinfully sweet oatmeal cream pie. The truth is, if we have spent a lifetime conditioning our bodies to enjoy the "real deal," all the phonies, despite our efforts, are sure to eventually come up short and leave us wanting.

This whole "imitation" craze doesn't confine itself to our shoddy dieting endeavors; it has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives. I'll give you a few examples:

Imitation Community: I walk into a room, put on my "church smile," hug a few gal pals, and eat some yummy finger foods. All the while I am struggling through sin, heartache, trial, or pain that God never intended me to handle alone. Do I dare to share? Of course not. We're church people. Church people should have their lives "together" and free of sin, dammit!

Imitation Peace: The absence of conflict = true peace. WRONG! As it turns out, God doesn't really do things half-way. The absence of conflict is only half of what true Shalom really is. In fact, according to Strong's concordance, the original Hebrew word "Shalom" entails much more: "completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord." Trying to pass off a simple lack of discord as a true, God given peace is like pasting a Porsche logo on your Pinto: you're not fooling anyone. 


Imitation Romance: This happens to be a subject near and dear to my heart, particularly as of lately, so you'll probably see a more in-depth explanation of "imitation romance" in a future blog... For now, all you need to know is that if you are:
1. Believing that your dating/marriage partner can fulfill your every longing and satisfy the desires of your heart,
2. Involved in a co-ed friendship that looks like a dating relationship without the commitment (and therefore using each other as temporary pacifiers until that "right" person comes along)...
or
3. Fantasizing about how perfect your life will be if you can only find that "special someone"


then you are accepting imitation romance. Truly fulfilling romance can only come from someone who knows everything about you, can be trusted to love you unconditionally and tirelessly through your flaws, and has your best interest at heart. Good news and bad news: the only one who can do that is God. Other romances may be able to (and should) reflect that kind of love, but no earthly relationship can give you everything you need. 


This is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of imitations we accept every day. The truth is, we all do it. Today, I challenge you to look deeply at your life and "find the phonies." The little imitations we accept as authenticities in our daily lives are breeding discontent and frustration that will zap you of valuable time, energy, and devotion God has given you for Himself. We may be able to feel satisfied by our Splenda lifestyles for a spell, but ultimately, we have been created and conditioned to desire the Real Deal. In my next blog, I'll talk more about what exactly the Real Deal is, and what each of these imitations in our lives says about our view of God.