So, there was a scene in the movie "Do You Believe" that really struck me.
//-Where was God when she died?
-He was with the bartender saying "Please don't serve another drink. He was with the driver saying 'please don't drink and drive.'"//
This really helped me answer the question: Why do bad things happen to good people?
Two main things are apparent in the above dialogue: community and the fall.
We are responsible in holding one another accountable to our faith in scripture. Because of the fall, we are prone to sin, (but Christ has forgiven us of these sins). Our sins affect one another (our community). This is why we must remind one another of the scripture so that when we follow God's law, Good Things will happen (not bad) to others and not bad.
This is why we spread the Good News. When we spread the Good News, more and more good can spread. But we are still prone to sin. Because of "the fall" when Eve ate the apple. This is why we live according to God's will, then good things will follow. But when we do not, we see the results of our wrongdoing.
The bartender and drunk driver are in community with the daughter because God loves us all. Their actions affected her. God attempted to leave his fingerprint upon them, but their sin nature (a result of the fall) resisted his ways and caused one of God's beloved children to die. Though she may have been ready to meet her God in Heaven, this may be an example of how God has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), but we as a community and as individuals deviate and interfere with them. Sometimes, we simply choose to do wrong when we know what's right. Knowing this and what's worse, we infringe upon others' God annointed plans (the daughter's plans are now off course) due to our sin nature without even realizing.
People always say that God has a way of turning bad things into good things. I think that's because those bad things aren't really God. It's man making their own agenda. Or the devil. (sin, the fall) And God showing his grace and mercy in our circumstances to provide us with good and right our wrongs and remind us of how we are completely forgiven and loved.
So, why do bad things happen to good people? Because we as a community (a true, entire community) are still broken and influenced by the fall. We have done this to our selves. It's not fun to think about, but it is the truth. We need to reach our community through the belief or our Christ and his cross.
Do you believe?
Friday, March 20, 2015
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
I Want.
I want...
to laugh uncontrollably.
I want a belly aching laugh.
I want clear, direct, honest, and open communication.
I want him to know what I want and to know what he wants.
I want to be silly with him and to be my goofy, ridiculous self.
I want to be best friends.
I want to play together.
I want to talk about serious stuff.
I want to talk about regular stuff.
I want him to kill bugs and to cook. (But those aren't deal breakers).
I want him to want me as much as I want him.
I want him to love God more than he loves me. I want to pour over the Bible together and to be in community for Christ with one another.
I want to encourage and support one another in all of our endeavors.
I want to exercise with each other.
I want to go to the park together.
I want to explore and try new things together.
I want to go for walks. I want to go for runs.
I want to compromise with him.
I want to feel it in my gut.
I want to love him.
I want to love him, flaws and all.
I want crazy, stupid, love.
I want to keep on learning how to love him.
This is just the beginning of what I need.
1 John 4:19. We love because He first loved us.
to laugh uncontrollably.
I want a belly aching laugh.
I want clear, direct, honest, and open communication.
I want him to know what I want and to know what he wants.
I want to be silly with him and to be my goofy, ridiculous self.
I want to be best friends.
I want to play together.
I want to talk about serious stuff.
I want to talk about regular stuff.
I want him to kill bugs and to cook. (But those aren't deal breakers).
I want him to want me as much as I want him.
I want him to love God more than he loves me. I want to pour over the Bible together and to be in community for Christ with one another.
I want to encourage and support one another in all of our endeavors.
I want to exercise with each other.
I want to go to the park together.
I want to explore and try new things together.
I want to go for walks. I want to go for runs.
I want to compromise with him.
I want to feel it in my gut.
I want to love him.
I want to love him, flaws and all.
I want crazy, stupid, love.
I want to keep on learning how to love him.
This is just the beginning of what I need.
1 John 4:19. We love because He first loved us.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Salvation.
Today, I went to church with Beaver.
It was great. It was so ironic first of all because he was preaching on the same scripture that Derrick's church had preached on when I went a few weeks ago, Luke 16. It's a parable about the Rich Man and the beggar, Lazarus. The Rich Man goes to Hades and the Beggar goes to Heaven. So, the pastor talks a lot about what happens after we die and what it means to have eternal life and how we don't want to be like the Rich Man. So, it really got me thinking. I felt good because I really got the message of the scripture the second time around. I think I was really hung up on all the terminology of Heaven and Hell and Hades and Sheol (sp?) and missed the central message: eternal life. What it is and how to get it. I'm still navigating the meaning of Heaven and Hell and want to learn more about it, but I think right now it's important that I understand the importance of eternal life.
The beggar, Lazarus achieved his eternal life and salvation by having faith and Christ, whereas the Rich Man did not. By the time the Rich Man was in Hades, it was too late. I don't want it to be too late for tomorrow is not promised, for anyone. What we do now in the present, during our Earthly life, will determine where we end up after we die and if we will be with Our Father. I want to be with my friends and my God in Heaven.
That being said, I guess one could say I rededicated my life to Christ today. January 25, 2015. The pastor said, if you are 99% sure that you are going to Heaven, you are 100% lost and well, I felt uncertain and I just felt this pull to go up. It felt right. I felt this nudge from God and I did it. I prayed with Annie Hinton after reading Romans 10:9 and filled out some information. It felt good.
To be honest, I don't feel different. I feel good. I have always accepted Christ as my Savior, but have always felt something missing. I think today I worked toward what some of what that would be--a personal declaration. I feel a greater sense of purpose in my life after today. To live for today to have a Heavenly eternal life with The Father. Knowing and declaring this now makes me want to strive to be a better person.
But, I know I will sin. I know it will be hard and so I must build a community of supporters. I want to begin by really growing within a church. I was talking with Beaver about this and I really must reevaluate my involvement with the Deaf ministry as to how it impacts my own spiritual growth. I have been to a variety of churches in Raleigh. I think both my gift and curse is that I can fit in anywhere, but I need to make it a goal for myself to grow and prosper where I am planted.
Right now, I believe that may be RCCC. I think I can begin by seeking out (again) some of the Young Adult classes and as Brittany mentioned, some of the Women's classes. I can still balance this with interpreting and when I know I will not be interpreting can use that time to invest in other small groups or classes. I also think I need to change my mindset and attitude toward the Deaf ministry from one of service to one of BOTH service and learning. There is room to grow and learn with them, but I am not yet taking advantage of this.
I think what it comes down to is I need to loosen up my standards a bit on the church. I have expectations on what I look for in a church, yes. And I should. But if I really want to grow in the word I have to be willing to grow and learn from those that are around me even though it may not be whom I initially intended. God has a plan and I need to let him execute it instead of making my own plan work out. And maybe that's why my plan isn't working out--it's not meant to be, but God's is!
These are all things I can be looking to do. I will look into RCCC now! I'm excited for all the possibilities and for a fresh, new perspective after my reaffirming my declaration for needing Christ Jesus in my heart!
Amen!
It was great. It was so ironic first of all because he was preaching on the same scripture that Derrick's church had preached on when I went a few weeks ago, Luke 16. It's a parable about the Rich Man and the beggar, Lazarus. The Rich Man goes to Hades and the Beggar goes to Heaven. So, the pastor talks a lot about what happens after we die and what it means to have eternal life and how we don't want to be like the Rich Man. So, it really got me thinking. I felt good because I really got the message of the scripture the second time around. I think I was really hung up on all the terminology of Heaven and Hell and Hades and Sheol (sp?) and missed the central message: eternal life. What it is and how to get it. I'm still navigating the meaning of Heaven and Hell and want to learn more about it, but I think right now it's important that I understand the importance of eternal life.
The beggar, Lazarus achieved his eternal life and salvation by having faith and Christ, whereas the Rich Man did not. By the time the Rich Man was in Hades, it was too late. I don't want it to be too late for tomorrow is not promised, for anyone. What we do now in the present, during our Earthly life, will determine where we end up after we die and if we will be with Our Father. I want to be with my friends and my God in Heaven.
That being said, I guess one could say I rededicated my life to Christ today. January 25, 2015. The pastor said, if you are 99% sure that you are going to Heaven, you are 100% lost and well, I felt uncertain and I just felt this pull to go up. It felt right. I felt this nudge from God and I did it. I prayed with Annie Hinton after reading Romans 10:9 and filled out some information. It felt good.
To be honest, I don't feel different. I feel good. I have always accepted Christ as my Savior, but have always felt something missing. I think today I worked toward what some of what that would be--a personal declaration. I feel a greater sense of purpose in my life after today. To live for today to have a Heavenly eternal life with The Father. Knowing and declaring this now makes me want to strive to be a better person.
But, I know I will sin. I know it will be hard and so I must build a community of supporters. I want to begin by really growing within a church. I was talking with Beaver about this and I really must reevaluate my involvement with the Deaf ministry as to how it impacts my own spiritual growth. I have been to a variety of churches in Raleigh. I think both my gift and curse is that I can fit in anywhere, but I need to make it a goal for myself to grow and prosper where I am planted.
Right now, I believe that may be RCCC. I think I can begin by seeking out (again) some of the Young Adult classes and as Brittany mentioned, some of the Women's classes. I can still balance this with interpreting and when I know I will not be interpreting can use that time to invest in other small groups or classes. I also think I need to change my mindset and attitude toward the Deaf ministry from one of service to one of BOTH service and learning. There is room to grow and learn with them, but I am not yet taking advantage of this.
I think what it comes down to is I need to loosen up my standards a bit on the church. I have expectations on what I look for in a church, yes. And I should. But if I really want to grow in the word I have to be willing to grow and learn from those that are around me even though it may not be whom I initially intended. God has a plan and I need to let him execute it instead of making my own plan work out. And maybe that's why my plan isn't working out--it's not meant to be, but God's is!
These are all things I can be looking to do. I will look into RCCC now! I'm excited for all the possibilities and for a fresh, new perspective after my reaffirming my declaration for needing Christ Jesus in my heart!
Amen!
Friday, January 16, 2015
Community.
Tonight's thought:
Community. I was just on ThoughtCatalog and one of the articles focused on why the writer did not miss church and the one reason they did. That one reason was community. So, I decided to unpack that word. I've always struggled with community and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's my introverted nature?
Dictionary.com defines community as:
a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists
What do I define community as?
-People with whom I share common interests
-People with whom I am comfortable
-People who I have a natural inclination to spend time with in outside environments and not in primarily structured settings
-Natural, authentic, undefined relationships
The two definitions overlap. I am finding that the one contrast is that my definition is that I thrive off of relationships which are organic, innate. So many communities in which I find myself must be defined and then be organically made. I work from the inside out. Whereas so many other types of relationships work from the outside in. Hm, interesting.
But, I guess a community is still a community, regardless, right? Working from the inside out as opposed to the outside in, I still had to put in a great length of time and effort in the relationships I have built and who is to say that they are any better or more significant than relationships that are built from the outside in? Perhaps working from the outside in, I have to do the same, but it feels like more than what I am used to because I am working from a different angle. Maybe I should give the outside in, defined relationships more of a chance?
After all, there's no right way. Just different ways.
So, then the next question is, why am I so scared of the outside in approach?
Am I scared?
Am I impatient?
Do I not like to change my way of doing things?
Am I stubborn?
Do I not want to admit that I am wrong? (Is it time to admit that I am wrong?)
Have I genuinely just not found a defined community approach that fits my undefined sense of relationship and community?
If I have, what is keeping me from flourishing in these define community approach contexts? How can I change this?
Community is more puzzling for the Christian individual to figure out than one would think. I will take it one day at a time. I do feel comfort in knowing that I can at least be aware and open to both the defined and undefined types of community I engage in on a daily basis.
Community. I was just on ThoughtCatalog and one of the articles focused on why the writer did not miss church and the one reason they did. That one reason was community. So, I decided to unpack that word. I've always struggled with community and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's my introverted nature?
Dictionary.com defines community as:
a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists
What do I define community as?
-People with whom I share common interests
-People with whom I am comfortable
-People who I have a natural inclination to spend time with in outside environments and not in primarily structured settings
-Natural, authentic, undefined relationships
The two definitions overlap. I am finding that the one contrast is that my definition is that I thrive off of relationships which are organic, innate. So many communities in which I find myself must be defined and then be organically made. I work from the inside out. Whereas so many other types of relationships work from the outside in. Hm, interesting.
But, I guess a community is still a community, regardless, right? Working from the inside out as opposed to the outside in, I still had to put in a great length of time and effort in the relationships I have built and who is to say that they are any better or more significant than relationships that are built from the outside in? Perhaps working from the outside in, I have to do the same, but it feels like more than what I am used to because I am working from a different angle. Maybe I should give the outside in, defined relationships more of a chance?
After all, there's no right way. Just different ways.
So, then the next question is, why am I so scared of the outside in approach?
Am I scared?
Am I impatient?
Do I not like to change my way of doing things?
Am I stubborn?
Do I not want to admit that I am wrong? (Is it time to admit that I am wrong?)
Have I genuinely just not found a defined community approach that fits my undefined sense of relationship and community?
If I have, what is keeping me from flourishing in these define community approach contexts? How can I change this?
Community is more puzzling for the Christian individual to figure out than one would think. I will take it one day at a time. I do feel comfort in knowing that I can at least be aware and open to both the defined and undefined types of community I engage in on a daily basis.
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