Day of Stumbles

Everyone stumbles, makes mistakes, even sins. I know, Christians sin??? Shocking...NOT! In fact, if we cannot admit this about ourselves, yet we judge others for their stumbles, no wonder Christians often are labeled hypocrits. Over the last five weeks, I've had the opportunity to host a community group centered on The Great Commission...making disciples. I was nervous because frankly I've made so many mistakes in my life, I feared answering questions with wisdom that would promote others' desires to become and make disciples. What I learned, however, is one of the best ways to teach is through your own life experiences, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly (sorry, Clint Eastwood). If you want to connect with people and not come across as elitist and judgmental, don't be scared to share your mistakes, your stumbles, your missteps, and even your vulnerabilities causing you to sin. As a church, we are required to lift, support, and bear the burdens of our fellow believers.

Here's the thing, sin is in our DNA. Adam and Eve's original sin partaking of the apple fundamentally transformed human DNA. Think about it, even when God attempted to cleanse the Earth by way of the great flood saving only Noah and his family, sin still resonated and displayed itself countless times (as an aside, I won't say whether or not you should see the Noah movie, but I would strongly encourage you to read the biblical depiction of the great flood in order to know the truth and not fall victim to fictional characterization). HOWEVER, even though sin is ingrained in us, this doesn't mean we are not accountable for ourselves and our choices. Being mindful of our susceptibility to sin should cause us to approach situations differently. It should cause us to understand the dangers in the choices we make. It should remind us we are not immune to the immoralities of this world and as such need to work harder to avoid succumbing to such temptations.

All that being said, God loves us regardless and grants grace. Is that not incredible?!?! For as far as we've steered away from God, He has always been present, is present, and will always be present in our lives. Reach out to Him when you stumble! Ask Him for forgiveness vocalizing an acknowledgement of knowing right from wrong in God's eyes. Ask Him for strength and wisdom to learn from your mistakes. Praise Him for loving you anyway.

Day 88: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving me anyway. Thank you for knowing I would struggle, I would falter, and I would need you. Thank you for always being present and patiently waiting for me to realize it.

God, I feel like we spend too much time hiding our faults. We deceive ourselves and others by way of deflecting attention from our own sins and call attention to others. You taught us to be a community of believers for the ups and the downs with our relationships centered on you. But, particularly during the downs, it seems these are the times when we separate and seclude ourselves from one another. Sometimes, we do this out of fear of judgement. Loving constructive criticism is essential to building relationships! If the church isn't loving and supportive to help members, but instead criticizing to turn attention away from their own misdeeds, no wonder many separate themselves. I pray we can chuck our pride, fears, and shame at the door of our relationships and trust you to lead us to healthy, supportive fellowship.

Father God, I want to be in fellowship with my church family. I want to trust those with whom I worship, study, and develop friendships. I desire the sense the fellowship found in Amish communities, where I trust the collective has my best interest at heart and they trust I have the same feelings for them. I want to help lift others through your loving encouragement and celebrate their joys of celebration. I pray through the vision and leadership of Pastor Scott, we may become a congregation similar to The Early Church. Thank you for leading and instilling this desire within me.

I love you.

Source: http://www.thankfulme.net/2014/03/april-2014-visiting-teaching-handout.html?m=1

Day of Slop

Many Hoosiers were thrilled with the "heat wave" today with temps reaching the 50s. Even though I don't mind the snow (I mean it is still winter), the frigid temps were wreaking havoc for me and my little one, both asthma sufferers. My plan after work was to take a jog to enjoy a bit of the evening sun.

Thankfully, it dawned on me that my youngest hasn't been able to enjoy much of the snow because of the temps. What better time to take her sledding when there's tons of snow still on the ground and comfortable temps to protect her little lungs! As we trudged through the sloppy mess of snow, we could've easily said it was just too wet (it really was wet). But, instead, we embraced it! After a few attempts getting the sled to go anywhere, we made a nice slick path for giddy fun! Even with boots getting stuck in the slop and falling off our feet, it was a hoot! 

We had a choice: we could've viewed the sloppiness just on the surface as a spoiler for any laughter or we could dig a little deeper and embrace the howls of laughter caused by sopping, sometimes missing, boots! I think this is a nice analogy for people teetering on the edge of Christianity. They could view just the sloppy surface of personal sacrifice required to serve a greater purpose or they could dig through the fear of sloppiness and realize the out of this world life to be experienced giving all to God!! I say enjoy the slop; it's so worth it!!

Day 49: Heavenly Father, thank you for creating me to be an optimist! I find this winter to be perfect (well, nearly). If it was warmer, I may not have appreciated the opportunity presented to share some fun in the uniquely warm temps! Thank you for the sloppy snow sledding celebration today!

Lord, what more can I do to help people understand their fear that faith can "slop" up their lives is merely a myth? I've tried being an example, a witness, a counselor, a confidant, and a resource, but until someone has experienced their own aha! moment with you, I feel lost as to what else to do. How do I get past their fears and reveal the positive transformation that occurs following you personally?

Father God, I pray my loved ones are able to find happiness in sloppy moments! Help them to see the light of opportunity in the darkest moments. Help them to feel the warmth of support during cold, lonely days. Help them find clear direction even in the middle of chaos. It is through you I trust all these things are possible. I cherish my sloppy moments as they realign my focus toward you.

I love you.

Source:

http://bionicdaniel.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html?m=1