Today is voting day so I thought I'd post the amazing thoughts of Derek Webb because I feel as if he says it best. It's just thoughts so don't get your panties in a wad but seriously, think about it today.
Part 1: A Brief Statement On Matters Of Conscience
Depending on when you’re reading this, we could be on either side of one of the most evocative elections in our country’s recent history. It shouldn’t really matter, as this writing isn’t necessarily about our current election but rather on living an honest and integrated political life. Even so, there is no time for clever stories or introductions. I’ll cut right to the chase: ultimately our problems will not be solved by the right man (or woman) in the White House. It simply doesn’t work that way. We live in a democracy, a representative form of government, where it’s as much if not more our responsibility to love and take care of our neighbors than our politician’s responsibility. Real and lasting change comes from knowing and loving the folks who live in the houses that sit next to ours rather than saving all of our longing and hope for the voting booth.
Now that’s not to say that we shouldn’t make informed decisions, be involved in the process. Of course we should. I mean, if your conscience allows, you can even vote. But that’s tricky, especially in a two party system (but I definitely don’t have time for that).
But in all seriousness, I want to be perfectly clear on this point: it is never advisable, in any decision that you make, to violate your conscience. As it applies to this election, you might have serious moral conflicts with both candidates, and therefore feel as though you must vote in a defensive manner or for the lesser of two evils.
Now let me say before I go any further that that may not be you. And in terms of the body of followers of Jesus, it would likely be sinful if we were all reaching the same conclusions on how to best love our neighbors, so there’s plenty of room for a difference of opinion there. But if that is you, I have a few suggestions:
1. Look through your bible for a mandate that you must vote.
2. When you don’t find one, listen to that conscience of yours. That’s what it’s there for, to be a guide and a red flag when you’re making difficult and significant decisions.
What I’m not saying: you should not vote.
What I am saying: if your conscience is seriously conflicted over both candidates, you are at liberty to not vote.
Part 2: Some Common Objections
Some would say that not voting is giving your vote over to those who seek to use the governmental process for evil. I would actually argue the opposite. By voting, especially when based on just one or two issues, you’re giving your ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ to that party’s entire platform, which likely goes far beyond the statement you’re trying to make on these few issues. This is certainly more perilous and less nuanced than abstaining altogether. No party can co-opt a vote that isn’t cast.
Others would say, ‘Jesus said to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Therefore we have a biblical obligation to vote.’ And of course Jesus said that. That’s why I pay my taxes and try to drive the speed limit. These are among the laws of the land. But my conscience doesn’t belong to Caesar, therefore I don’t render it unto him. Caesar cannot force me to violate my conscience. Voting is a legal right, like carrying a gun or having an abortion. And I can abstain from doing anything that I have a legal right to if it violates my conscience.
Some say that we’ll never completely agree with the agenda or platform of a politician, that if we wait for a candidate that we line up with 100% we’ll never vote. I completely agree. There are many issues upon which I can disagree with a politician that don’t amount to a crisis of conscience. So there will always be necessary and acceptable compromises to make when engaging in the system of politics, but never when your conscience is on the line.
Which brings my to the last common objection: our forefathers fought and even shed blood so that we would have the right to vote. While there’s obviously nothing in this statement that I would disagree with, there is a context to consider. Even greater than our forefather’s sacrifices are those of our heavenly Father, who also shed blood in order to stir in us an allegiance greater than that of nation. We have an ultimate allegiance to our King and the Kingdom he’s building in and through us that trumps all others.
In the early 1520s Martin Luther famously stood before a general assembly in Germany, at the beginnings of what’s known as the protestant reformation. In his legendary speech Luther risked excommunication and death in order to keep from violating his conscience when he said, “To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I cannot, and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”
These matters of conscience are serious and should be considered at great length. I have many friends who have considered the issues of this current election in all their nuances and have chosen to vote for either Obama, McCain, or a 3rd party candidate, and I support them in doing so. Again, we are diverse members of one body in our following of Jesus. It would be suspicious if we all reached identical conclusions to such complex problems. So again, maybe there is no conflict of conscience for you in this election. By all means vote. But if there is, be at liberty not to vote.
Our ultimate hope is not in politicians or powers or governments, but in a day coming when all things will be made right. And our ultimate concern isn’t success but faithfulness. So if you find it necessary to abstain from voting in this election because to do so would be a violation of your conscience, be at liberty to remain faithful and leave the worry of success or outcome to God. He, after all, created governments in the first place.
Peace,
Bethay
Read more!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
We have a women's group at my church, SWAT Serving, Working, Active Together. Something like that. Anyways, there's a group of us that our leaders, maybe 5 of us and each month we put together a newsletter. Last month I was asked to write monthly editorial regarding singleness, since the leader of the women's group is our pastor's wife and she wanted there to be something for the married women and then remembered (thankfully) the single women in our church. So, I know I have been horrible about updating my blog but at least now there will be at least 1 post a month and here's the first one...
Hello friends!
I’ve been asked to begin writing a column for the women’s newsletter geared towards our single women. But, no worries ‘married gals’ I think you all will enjoy my thoughts, as well. I wanted to use this first editorial as a way of letting you all know who I am. Many of you know me so I’ll try to be creative and share things y’all probably don’t know about me. It’s always fun to play reporter, so here goes:
Who are you?
Bethany Michelle Croney.
What will you be sharing each month in the newsletter?
Well, I really started praying about it once I decided I’d write each month. I didn’t want to just randomly write stuff and it makes me nervous when I don’t have a specific thing to write about so thankfully, as I was praying God really gave me a vision for what my editorial would consist of each month.
So, what are you going to write about?
Hold your horses. You haven’t event asked me about myself.
Um, ok…How old are you?
I turned 24 at the end of March.
What are you doing here in Modesto?
I graduated from Fresno State last May and was led to move back here to my hometown to direct a ministry house on the West Side of Modesto. Right now I’ve been living with my mom to help her out but soon I’ll be moving back in. Right now the hope is that one day the house will be a leadership development program in which young people will move in for an allotted amount of time in which they will be developed as Christian leaders in our community.
For now I am serving at our church in the homeless ministry on Tuesdays as well as networking with different organizations and folks in the area, finding places where God is at work with the least of these.
What is your favorite verse?
I think my favorite verse changes often, depending upon my mood, my situation, etc. But for now it is Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
I LOVE the imagery of this verse. Rooted in love. Could you imagine that? That your very foundation is love, everything about you (your actions, words, what you buy, etc.) comes from those roots of love which comes from CHRIST! Good stuff.
Okay, now back to the editorial…what is your subject?
I LOVE to read. Last summer I read a book called Dating Jesus: A story of fundamentalism, Feminism and the American Girl by Susan Campbell. This book is my inspiration. Y’all should read it! Anyways, Pastor Chuck and I have this on-going joke about setting me up for an arranged marriage. Pastor is supposed to be searching for the guy right now and once he’s found him we’ll plan the wedding and voila! Despite our joking we believe that arranged marriages can work, especially if both are sold out to Jesus and willing to allow Him to work out any kinks, just like He should be allowed to do in a dating relationship and into a marriage. As I was thinking about my own relationship with Jesus I feel as if Jesus and I had a bit of an arranged marriage. I used to say that I was born and raised in the church. Whenever those doors were open I was there. So, in a sense I was “forced” * into this relationship with Jesus. (*I rarely complained about going to church and even if I did I would have gone anyways. My mom used to tell my cousin that he didn’t have to go to church, he got to.) There was no discussion about my attendance in church, just like there’s no discussion with the women and men in the Middle East who turn 16 and are married up. But I had to decide whether this was really for me. I had to decide if I was going to make my faith my own or live off my mother’s faith.
Jesus and I had a tumultuous relationship at times. I was always a good girl; didn’t complain about going to church, did what I was told, served in the youth group, led bible study, etc. but there were moments in which I was just going through the motions. Doing whatever it took to keep everyone happy. And then college happened. As I left I remember being told not to let them ruin me, don’t let that liberal college take away your religion. It did the exact opposite. After 2 years of resisting and continuing to go through the motions God pushed me into InterVarsity (IV), where I met a Jesus who became real to me for the very first time. I had spent so many years living with a man who I never really looked at. I knew him, I knew he was there but I had never really been intimate with him. I had never looked past myself to REALLY get to know him, just glimpses here and there. But IV revealed a God who cared not only about me but about the whole world and wanted ME to care about that world too. I’m sure I’ll share more about this journey throughout the next several months so I’ll stop here with this part of my story.
I was thinking about all of this stuff as I was considering what I could write about for you all and I ended up talking to a good friend who goes on dates with Jesus. She takes a day, or a few hours at least once a month in which she sets aside for her and Jesus. This isn’t supposed to take the place of your daily times with Jesus but as all you married gals know your husband (nor you!) would be okay with just seeing each other day in and day out without setting aside some time just for you and he to get away, catch up with each other, enjoy one another’s company without the distraction of everyday life. So, that is what I’ll be sharing each month with you all. You all will be a kind of accountability group, if you will. I’ll go on my date with Jesus each month and report back to you all how it went! And I pray that through my experiences you all (singles and married) will also begin taking time to go out with Jesus. There really is enough of Him to go around
I’m excited about what God has in store for the women of MFWB! I pray that you will be challenged, provoked and moved by something I may share and please, please feel free to share your feedback with me. Trust me, you will not agree with everything I say. And guess what! That’s okay! We don’t all have to agree on everything. You may (ok, you probably will) disagree with me at times and that is really okay too. I love peaceful dialogue so feel free to come and talk with me about anything you have questions about each month. I look forward to being with each of you every month, so be sure to make a good cup of coffee next June as you sit down to read the women’s newsletter!
Shalom,
Bethany Croney Read more!
Hello friends!
I’ve been asked to begin writing a column for the women’s newsletter geared towards our single women. But, no worries ‘married gals’ I think you all will enjoy my thoughts, as well. I wanted to use this first editorial as a way of letting you all know who I am. Many of you know me so I’ll try to be creative and share things y’all probably don’t know about me. It’s always fun to play reporter, so here goes:
Who are you?
Bethany Michelle Croney.
What will you be sharing each month in the newsletter?
Well, I really started praying about it once I decided I’d write each month. I didn’t want to just randomly write stuff and it makes me nervous when I don’t have a specific thing to write about so thankfully, as I was praying God really gave me a vision for what my editorial would consist of each month.
So, what are you going to write about?
Hold your horses. You haven’t event asked me about myself.
Um, ok…How old are you?
I turned 24 at the end of March.
What are you doing here in Modesto?
I graduated from Fresno State last May and was led to move back here to my hometown to direct a ministry house on the West Side of Modesto. Right now I’ve been living with my mom to help her out but soon I’ll be moving back in. Right now the hope is that one day the house will be a leadership development program in which young people will move in for an allotted amount of time in which they will be developed as Christian leaders in our community.
For now I am serving at our church in the homeless ministry on Tuesdays as well as networking with different organizations and folks in the area, finding places where God is at work with the least of these.
What is your favorite verse?
I think my favorite verse changes often, depending upon my mood, my situation, etc. But for now it is Ephesians 3:16-19
I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
I LOVE the imagery of this verse. Rooted in love. Could you imagine that? That your very foundation is love, everything about you (your actions, words, what you buy, etc.) comes from those roots of love which comes from CHRIST! Good stuff.
Okay, now back to the editorial…what is your subject?
I LOVE to read. Last summer I read a book called Dating Jesus: A story of fundamentalism, Feminism and the American Girl by Susan Campbell. This book is my inspiration. Y’all should read it! Anyways, Pastor Chuck and I have this on-going joke about setting me up for an arranged marriage. Pastor is supposed to be searching for the guy right now and once he’s found him we’ll plan the wedding and voila! Despite our joking we believe that arranged marriages can work, especially if both are sold out to Jesus and willing to allow Him to work out any kinks, just like He should be allowed to do in a dating relationship and into a marriage. As I was thinking about my own relationship with Jesus I feel as if Jesus and I had a bit of an arranged marriage. I used to say that I was born and raised in the church. Whenever those doors were open I was there. So, in a sense I was “forced” * into this relationship with Jesus. (*I rarely complained about going to church and even if I did I would have gone anyways. My mom used to tell my cousin that he didn’t have to go to church, he got to.) There was no discussion about my attendance in church, just like there’s no discussion with the women and men in the Middle East who turn 16 and are married up. But I had to decide whether this was really for me. I had to decide if I was going to make my faith my own or live off my mother’s faith.
Jesus and I had a tumultuous relationship at times. I was always a good girl; didn’t complain about going to church, did what I was told, served in the youth group, led bible study, etc. but there were moments in which I was just going through the motions. Doing whatever it took to keep everyone happy. And then college happened. As I left I remember being told not to let them ruin me, don’t let that liberal college take away your religion. It did the exact opposite. After 2 years of resisting and continuing to go through the motions God pushed me into InterVarsity (IV), where I met a Jesus who became real to me for the very first time. I had spent so many years living with a man who I never really looked at. I knew him, I knew he was there but I had never really been intimate with him. I had never looked past myself to REALLY get to know him, just glimpses here and there. But IV revealed a God who cared not only about me but about the whole world and wanted ME to care about that world too. I’m sure I’ll share more about this journey throughout the next several months so I’ll stop here with this part of my story.
I was thinking about all of this stuff as I was considering what I could write about for you all and I ended up talking to a good friend who goes on dates with Jesus. She takes a day, or a few hours at least once a month in which she sets aside for her and Jesus. This isn’t supposed to take the place of your daily times with Jesus but as all you married gals know your husband (nor you!) would be okay with just seeing each other day in and day out without setting aside some time just for you and he to get away, catch up with each other, enjoy one another’s company without the distraction of everyday life. So, that is what I’ll be sharing each month with you all. You all will be a kind of accountability group, if you will. I’ll go on my date with Jesus each month and report back to you all how it went! And I pray that through my experiences you all (singles and married) will also begin taking time to go out with Jesus. There really is enough of Him to go around
I’m excited about what God has in store for the women of MFWB! I pray that you will be challenged, provoked and moved by something I may share and please, please feel free to share your feedback with me. Trust me, you will not agree with everything I say. And guess what! That’s okay! We don’t all have to agree on everything. You may (ok, you probably will) disagree with me at times and that is really okay too. I love peaceful dialogue so feel free to come and talk with me about anything you have questions about each month. I look forward to being with each of you every month, so be sure to make a good cup of coffee next June as you sit down to read the women’s newsletter!
Shalom,
Bethany Croney Read more!
Monday, March 22, 2010
I’m sorry that I want to be fed honey but spew out venom.
I seriously have soo much to talk about and simply don't want to sit down to write it all out. But today I happened upon a really awesome youtube video and wanted to share it, plus mention the book that I finished months ago!
My friend Lauren from the Pink House got me interested in slam poetry so now I LOVE it! And this youtube video I found is spoken word by Chris Tse. He apologizes for being a christian. I think a lot of Christians (more conservative ones) may be offended by this video, but I've realized how important it is to say 'i'm sorry,' whether it's warranted or not.
I was so affected by reading Don Miller's Blue like Jazz when he set up a confessional booth at his college and when ever folks came in to sit down, instead of them confessing their sins, Don confessed the sins of the church. And then in another book I read, Lord, Save us from your followers Dan Merchant talks about setting up a confessional booth similar to Don's at a Gay and Lesbian parade in which he apologizes as a Christian for not sharing Jesus' love to that community. I think folks like these are revolutionaries. If only we'd, as Christians, be so quick to seek forgiveness, to humble ourselves instead of boasting about our righteousness.
On to my book.
Under the overpass; A journey of faith on the streets of America by Mike Yankoski 224 pages.
This book just continued my desperate desire to serve and be with the poor in our country (and maybe someday in another part of the world). By the 2nd page Mike has said something that I've thought many, many times before, "But we were created to be and to do, not merely to discuss. The hypocrisy in my life troubled me. No, I wasn't in the grip of rampant sin, but at the same time, for the life of me I couldn't find a connecting thread of radical, living obedience between what I siad about my world and how I lived in it. Sure, I claimed that Christ was my stronghold, m peace, my sustenance, my joy. But I did all that from the safety of my comfortable upper-middle-class life. I never really had to put my claims to the test." So, this guy and his friend leave for 5 months. Thestart at the rescue mission in Denver, CO then off to the streets of Washingto, DC.; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Phoenix, AR; and fnally San Diego, CA. It's fascinating getting to read from his Christian perspective, dealing with the church while being homeless. It's sad that rarely did the church step up in their interactions with church-folk.
Although now that I'm on the topic of homelessness, I can share my new friend. My church fixes sandwiches every Tues. morning and we head over to the park and pass them out to the folks there. I noticed this one guy probably in October, maybe even September. He was always there to get a sandwich. He'd eat there and then normally head off in the direction of downtown. I started specifically saying hello to him and that moved to a hug every time I saw him and usually a short conversation about the weather and how he was doing. I wish I could remember the time line of all this but somewhere in there I decided I'd make him a crocheted scarf. By the time Christmas came he hadn't been to the park. The first few weeks of January he wasn't there when I was and then I missed a couple Tuesdays and I heard he was there! Finally we were both there on a Tues. It was raining so he just took the package and had to leave. I had attached a short note saying Merry Christmas so the next Tues. it was raining again and he slipped me a letter and then had to leave again. That began our friendship and our letters back and forth. Now we normally see each other 2 or 3 times a week and I'm super excited because his birthday is a day before mine so I'm treating him to fried chicken (a fundraiser at my church this Sunday) to celebrate our birthdays together. Hopefully I'll take pictures and post them for y'all...or for you, Candy :)
Okay, that's all for now. Let's hope for another update soon!
Peace y'all. Read more!
My friend Lauren from the Pink House got me interested in slam poetry so now I LOVE it! And this youtube video I found is spoken word by Chris Tse. He apologizes for being a christian. I think a lot of Christians (more conservative ones) may be offended by this video, but I've realized how important it is to say 'i'm sorry,' whether it's warranted or not.
I was so affected by reading Don Miller's Blue like Jazz when he set up a confessional booth at his college and when ever folks came in to sit down, instead of them confessing their sins, Don confessed the sins of the church. And then in another book I read, Lord, Save us from your followers Dan Merchant talks about setting up a confessional booth similar to Don's at a Gay and Lesbian parade in which he apologizes as a Christian for not sharing Jesus' love to that community. I think folks like these are revolutionaries. If only we'd, as Christians, be so quick to seek forgiveness, to humble ourselves instead of boasting about our righteousness.
On to my book.
Under the overpass; A journey of faith on the streets of America by Mike Yankoski 224 pages.
This book just continued my desperate desire to serve and be with the poor in our country (and maybe someday in another part of the world). By the 2nd page Mike has said something that I've thought many, many times before, "But we were created to be and to do, not merely to discuss. The hypocrisy in my life troubled me. No, I wasn't in the grip of rampant sin, but at the same time, for the life of me I couldn't find a connecting thread of radical, living obedience between what I siad about my world and how I lived in it. Sure, I claimed that Christ was my stronghold, m peace, my sustenance, my joy. But I did all that from the safety of my comfortable upper-middle-class life. I never really had to put my claims to the test." So, this guy and his friend leave for 5 months. Thestart at the rescue mission in Denver, CO then off to the streets of Washingto, DC.; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Phoenix, AR; and fnally San Diego, CA. It's fascinating getting to read from his Christian perspective, dealing with the church while being homeless. It's sad that rarely did the church step up in their interactions with church-folk.
Although now that I'm on the topic of homelessness, I can share my new friend. My church fixes sandwiches every Tues. morning and we head over to the park and pass them out to the folks there. I noticed this one guy probably in October, maybe even September. He was always there to get a sandwich. He'd eat there and then normally head off in the direction of downtown. I started specifically saying hello to him and that moved to a hug every time I saw him and usually a short conversation about the weather and how he was doing. I wish I could remember the time line of all this but somewhere in there I decided I'd make him a crocheted scarf. By the time Christmas came he hadn't been to the park. The first few weeks of January he wasn't there when I was and then I missed a couple Tuesdays and I heard he was there! Finally we were both there on a Tues. It was raining so he just took the package and had to leave. I had attached a short note saying Merry Christmas so the next Tues. it was raining again and he slipped me a letter and then had to leave again. That began our friendship and our letters back and forth. Now we normally see each other 2 or 3 times a week and I'm super excited because his birthday is a day before mine so I'm treating him to fried chicken (a fundraiser at my church this Sunday) to celebrate our birthdays together. Hopefully I'll take pictures and post them for y'all...or for you, Candy :)
Okay, that's all for now. Let's hope for another update soon!
Peace y'all. Read more!
Monday, March 1, 2010
a weekend and a baptism....
It was a very full weekend for me. I can't really remember what Friday consisted of but Saturday I was up early to head over to the church and help set up for our ladies luncheon on Sun. We set up tables and made a backdrop for Amanda to stand infront of to speak and finished wrapping up journals that all the women were going to receive as gifts. Then I headed over to the grocery store to get the stuff for the desserts that I was planning on serving at my Open House later in the day. I am still a member of Procrastinators Anonymous. Sometimes I doubt that will ever change, sadly. I went and had lunch with my mom and we started baking brownies, which we took over with us to my place and finished cooking chocolate chip cookies. Folks started comin over at about 2 and the last of them didn't leave till past 5. There were people who didn't come who I wished really would have put in the effort, but the folks that were there were the ones who needed to be there. It was the coolest that my 2nd cousin David showed up and then I got a good visit with Renee and Kevin. That made it all worth it!
Sunday ended up being quite eventful. Rosanna got up at the end of the service and surprised us all by giving her testimony and then getting re-baptized, along with Jeff. As I watched them both getting baptized I was really reminded of how important and beautiful baptism is to the Christian faith. As far as I know there isn't any other religions that do baptism, but as Christians it's vital to our faith. Of course, the most well known and awesome baptism story is Jesus' baptism; 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
I think that Jesus was baptized as an example for us and this was also the sort f "send off" for the very beginning of his 3 years of ministry in which he called out His disciples and showed Himself as the Son of Man. But I think it's different for us, as His followers. Baptism is death and resurrection. We die to the old creation; our sinful nature dies and in it's place, as we're raised out of the water, we're resurrected as new creatures. 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come' 1 Cor. 5:17 I seriously got this beautiful image in my mind as Rosanna and Jeff were being baptized as all this grime, caked on dirt and muck were being washed away as the came out of that water. Jesus provided a way, in His death (taking on of all that dirt) and resurrection (a washing), to be LIKE HIM through baptism. I read a book where the girl described her baptism and she was wearing a white gown. I really like that.
Jesus' blood cleanses us. During this time of Lent it's been so easy for me to just go about my day, not get on FB or Twitter, fast on Fridays and go about doing what I always do but lately I've really been convicted about truly setting aside these 40 days to contemplate and meditate about what this season is really about; repentance.
http://rachelheldevans.com/lent-calvin
I really love the way this blogger writes about Lent and our response to our Heavenly Father. I especially appreciated when she said, "For if we are worthless to God, our sins agaist him are inconsequential; if we are but pesky isects or venomous sertpents, our rebellion would not grieve him." I read a book that used the metaphor of a family out on a picnic. Mom and dad has set up this delicious feast of amazing food and it's a beautiful day. Mom makes a plate full of all the yummy items that she made specifically for her child, things that he enjoys and sits the plate in front of the child. Instead of going for all the goodness in front of him, he grabs a fistful of rocks and dirt, pushing it into his mouth as his parents sit horrified, finally finding their voice to tell him to stop but he continues. Soon his teeth are chipping, blood is pouring from his ripped open gums. There's lots to say about this metaphor but the thing that I thought about while reading the above blog was the fact that God desires the very best for his kids, he's a daddy offering what we want and how often I reach for things that aren't His best, things that hurt me. He doesn't sit there and say, "I told you so" when that happens, He grieves. It hurts Him. So, I think that Lent is a time in which we intentionally decide to enter into a time of repentance for those moments we chose the rocks and dirt, instead of the delicious feast and as Rachel said, "It is the beginning of restoration and redemption and all the beautiful things that God does through people who know they came from dust."
It was also cool reading this blog and getting to the quote from the liturgy and remembering being apart of that on Ash Wednesday!
Okay, well this is a nice long post that's been long in coming! I hope you enjoyed it.
Shalom! Read more!
Sunday ended up being quite eventful. Rosanna got up at the end of the service and surprised us all by giving her testimony and then getting re-baptized, along with Jeff. As I watched them both getting baptized I was really reminded of how important and beautiful baptism is to the Christian faith. As far as I know there isn't any other religions that do baptism, but as Christians it's vital to our faith. Of course, the most well known and awesome baptism story is Jesus' baptism; 13Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
15Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
16As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
I think that Jesus was baptized as an example for us and this was also the sort f "send off" for the very beginning of his 3 years of ministry in which he called out His disciples and showed Himself as the Son of Man. But I think it's different for us, as His followers. Baptism is death and resurrection. We die to the old creation; our sinful nature dies and in it's place, as we're raised out of the water, we're resurrected as new creatures. 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come' 1 Cor. 5:17 I seriously got this beautiful image in my mind as Rosanna and Jeff were being baptized as all this grime, caked on dirt and muck were being washed away as the came out of that water. Jesus provided a way, in His death (taking on of all that dirt) and resurrection (a washing), to be LIKE HIM through baptism. I read a book where the girl described her baptism and she was wearing a white gown. I really like that.
Jesus' blood cleanses us. During this time of Lent it's been so easy for me to just go about my day, not get on FB or Twitter, fast on Fridays and go about doing what I always do but lately I've really been convicted about truly setting aside these 40 days to contemplate and meditate about what this season is really about; repentance.
http://rachelheldevans.com/lent-calvin
I really love the way this blogger writes about Lent and our response to our Heavenly Father. I especially appreciated when she said, "For if we are worthless to God, our sins agaist him are inconsequential; if we are but pesky isects or venomous sertpents, our rebellion would not grieve him." I read a book that used the metaphor of a family out on a picnic. Mom and dad has set up this delicious feast of amazing food and it's a beautiful day. Mom makes a plate full of all the yummy items that she made specifically for her child, things that he enjoys and sits the plate in front of the child. Instead of going for all the goodness in front of him, he grabs a fistful of rocks and dirt, pushing it into his mouth as his parents sit horrified, finally finding their voice to tell him to stop but he continues. Soon his teeth are chipping, blood is pouring from his ripped open gums. There's lots to say about this metaphor but the thing that I thought about while reading the above blog was the fact that God desires the very best for his kids, he's a daddy offering what we want and how often I reach for things that aren't His best, things that hurt me. He doesn't sit there and say, "I told you so" when that happens, He grieves. It hurts Him. So, I think that Lent is a time in which we intentionally decide to enter into a time of repentance for those moments we chose the rocks and dirt, instead of the delicious feast and as Rachel said, "It is the beginning of restoration and redemption and all the beautiful things that God does through people who know they came from dust."
It was also cool reading this blog and getting to the quote from the liturgy and remembering being apart of that on Ash Wednesday!
Okay, well this is a nice long post that's been long in coming! I hope you enjoyed it.
Shalom! Read more!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Pictures!
512 at sunset 
Isn't it beautiful?
I especially love the colors here.
I took those pictures awhile back but I didn't have a way to upload them to my computer till this week...so voila!
And now here's a picture of my hairy legs! Be prepared. If you don't think you can handle see a woman's legs be hairy then you better just stop now and don't scroll down! It's only one picture but more will come. I'm pretty proud of them my self, but I think the hair is probably going to go in the next week. I actually really do love the feel of smooth legs. But no worries, the hair will come back next Winter. And knowing me the hair will probably reappear throughout summer time when I get lazy and remember these last 4 months in which I never touched a razor and never spent time in the shower lathering up my legs and attacking them with a blade.
Here's my thigh
Here's me on Ash Wednesday. It was really exciting. I got to celebrate Ash Wednesday for the first time this year. I've been observing Lent now for 3 years or so but this was the first time I'd been part of a Ash Wed. service, ash cross and all! And I took the whole house since it was supposed to be our house meeting, so that was cool too. We all went to an Anglican church down town. The service was cool. I've never gone to a church who does liturgy and afterwards I realized that I really enjoy that. I think others just think of the Catholic Church and all their ups and downs and reciting Haily Marys but I think it's more than that. Funny enough I've even ended up reading several things about liturgy and how important it is after that service so I'm planning on going back there for Palm Sunday, the end of the 40 days of Lent.
But anyways, I just wanted to get these pictures up before I got busy again. I'll write more later.
Read more!
Monday, February 15, 2010
10 years...
Okay, so this update has been a long time coming! Seriously, I'm such a crazy procrastinator.
It's an issue.
I don't like it.
Anyways, Since January 1st I've been wanting to write an update on the end of a decade, so here goes:
2000: I graduated the 7th grade and entered into High School! I stepped into 9th grade with my best friend Candy and we spent 4 years there together, experiencing it together. I can't say we did anything crazy. I don't even think we went to any school dances or functions. We did fall in love with our science teacher, Mr. Moyer and thought up of a crazy love triangle between him and 2 other teachers. I fell in love with my math teacher, Mr. Smith and actually enjoyed math for a little while there. I endured my first encounter with a school yard fight, with none other than my best friend's cousin. That was crazy.
During those 4 years I really didn't do anything worth writing about in long detail. Did well in my classes, spent some time on the Modesto Area eXpress until Candy got her first car, went to church a lot, took care of my grandma, had my cousin live with us on and off, spent a whole lotta time at Candy's house making dinner with her and staying up till all hours of the night talking about everything from the mundane issues in life to seriously crazy subjects. That brings us to graduation from highschool in 2004
2004: Enter COLLEGE. I got accepted to Fresno State along with Candy (yes, she's very evident in the past decade of my life). I went into college with 2 slipped discs that appeared in my senior year of highschool. Thankfully it didn't affect me too badly, except for random pain. Very quickly I declared my major as a Deaf Education major. Candy and I lived in the dorms for 4 years. That was some fun times. We spent many a night, Candy on the top bunk, me on the bottom, talking into the wee hours of the night and eventually getting up to get a late night snack of yummy nachos at Roberto's.
2005/2006: I joined InterVarsity and Jesus seriously rocked my world. I learned of a God who cared about the world and He wasn't just blessing America. And I encountered a Jesus who was subversive, resisting the status quo of our culture. I started going to a bible study in the dorm and quickly became part of leadership, eventually leading my own bible study in my junior year
2006: I was adopted into another family; the folks up north at Liberty Hill Christian Church. I met Paul, the pastor who has become my papa and his wife Shelley and soo many other amazing people. They sent me off to Guatemala with an extra $700 after having just met them. I spent 3 weeks in Guatemala with my friends from IV. It was an amazing experience and just solidified my desire to love and care for the poor in our world.
2007: I headed into my junior year of college and that summer I went to Bulgaria in Eastern Europe with Free Will Baptist young people. We spent 2 weeks at an English camp for Bulgarian students. I also turned 21 this year and had my first boyfriend. I met him up North. It was a short relationship, maybe 3 or 4 months and most of that was spent on the phone because of the distance between us. Don't really want to get into the details of this tragic relationship. But then later that year I began a new relationship with my estranged father. I had actually sent him a letter the year before after finding my uncle and my dad called on Father's Day of 2007, ironically enough while I was celebrating with my Papa Paul. That began the process of getting to know one another again since we hadn't seen each other since I was 3.
2008: Still in school. My buddy left me this year to go to Japan for a semester. It was hard but I enjoyed being able to fully give myself to IV and the friends I had there. I also had some roommate issues but thankfully it ended out that I got my very own room for most of a semester in the suites. That was really sweet! I also got rejected as an intern with InterVarsity after going through a length application process, but instead got accepted into the Pink House Program in the inner-city of Fresno! Which was really cool because in the beginning of the school year (while Candy was gone) I had read Irresistible Revolution and fell in love with Shane Claiborne and caught on to his vision of the Kingdom of God. In August of 2008 I moved into a big pink house with 10 other folks, serving at the Pregnancy Care Center, meeting amazing folks doing God's work with the poor and marginalized, beginning awesome relationships with people with the same heart beat as mine and falling in love with Fresno's inner city.
2009: Started the second half of my stay at the Pink House. I was very very sad to move out as I was called back into Modesto, where I moved into Modesto's inner city; The West Side. I moved into a house with 3 other girls at the time of my move in and a desire to see the house(s) move into more of a ministry program. I met Kevin who lived in the guy's house and became good friends with him as we began to dream of what the houses could look like. Two of the girls moved out and 2 new girls took their places as 2 guys (including Kevin, which was hard) moved out, leaving Cole and Gilbert alone in the guy's house. Spent the rest of the year figuring out what my place was in the house and dealing with being back in a place that was soo very different from Fresno in every way.
2010: And that leads us to our present year. I can't believe how fast these past 10 years has gone by and despite the fact that a lot of that time was merely spent "living, " I have done a lot. I am now officially directing these ministry houses and still trying (and probably will for awhile) figuring out what God desires here and what He wants done. I am also still figuring out what it means to live in a city where not everyone has the same vision of relationships and stewardship. But I'm just trying to allow God to work in my heart, continue to change me and mold me into what He would have me to be. And I'm still just as tight (probably more so) with my best buddy as I was 10 years ago.
Hope you enjoyed the walk through the last 10 years of my life. Read more!
It's an issue.
I don't like it.
Anyways, Since January 1st I've been wanting to write an update on the end of a decade, so here goes:
2000: I graduated the 7th grade and entered into High School! I stepped into 9th grade with my best friend Candy and we spent 4 years there together, experiencing it together. I can't say we did anything crazy. I don't even think we went to any school dances or functions. We did fall in love with our science teacher, Mr. Moyer and thought up of a crazy love triangle between him and 2 other teachers. I fell in love with my math teacher, Mr. Smith and actually enjoyed math for a little while there. I endured my first encounter with a school yard fight, with none other than my best friend's cousin. That was crazy.
During those 4 years I really didn't do anything worth writing about in long detail. Did well in my classes, spent some time on the Modesto Area eXpress until Candy got her first car, went to church a lot, took care of my grandma, had my cousin live with us on and off, spent a whole lotta time at Candy's house making dinner with her and staying up till all hours of the night talking about everything from the mundane issues in life to seriously crazy subjects. That brings us to graduation from highschool in 2004
2004: Enter COLLEGE. I got accepted to Fresno State along with Candy (yes, she's very evident in the past decade of my life). I went into college with 2 slipped discs that appeared in my senior year of highschool. Thankfully it didn't affect me too badly, except for random pain. Very quickly I declared my major as a Deaf Education major. Candy and I lived in the dorms for 4 years. That was some fun times. We spent many a night, Candy on the top bunk, me on the bottom, talking into the wee hours of the night and eventually getting up to get a late night snack of yummy nachos at Roberto's.
2005/2006: I joined InterVarsity and Jesus seriously rocked my world. I learned of a God who cared about the world and He wasn't just blessing America. And I encountered a Jesus who was subversive, resisting the status quo of our culture. I started going to a bible study in the dorm and quickly became part of leadership, eventually leading my own bible study in my junior year
2006: I was adopted into another family; the folks up north at Liberty Hill Christian Church. I met Paul, the pastor who has become my papa and his wife Shelley and soo many other amazing people. They sent me off to Guatemala with an extra $700 after having just met them. I spent 3 weeks in Guatemala with my friends from IV. It was an amazing experience and just solidified my desire to love and care for the poor in our world.
2007: I headed into my junior year of college and that summer I went to Bulgaria in Eastern Europe with Free Will Baptist young people. We spent 2 weeks at an English camp for Bulgarian students. I also turned 21 this year and had my first boyfriend. I met him up North. It was a short relationship, maybe 3 or 4 months and most of that was spent on the phone because of the distance between us. Don't really want to get into the details of this tragic relationship. But then later that year I began a new relationship with my estranged father. I had actually sent him a letter the year before after finding my uncle and my dad called on Father's Day of 2007, ironically enough while I was celebrating with my Papa Paul. That began the process of getting to know one another again since we hadn't seen each other since I was 3.
2008: Still in school. My buddy left me this year to go to Japan for a semester. It was hard but I enjoyed being able to fully give myself to IV and the friends I had there. I also had some roommate issues but thankfully it ended out that I got my very own room for most of a semester in the suites. That was really sweet! I also got rejected as an intern with InterVarsity after going through a length application process, but instead got accepted into the Pink House Program in the inner-city of Fresno! Which was really cool because in the beginning of the school year (while Candy was gone) I had read Irresistible Revolution and fell in love with Shane Claiborne and caught on to his vision of the Kingdom of God. In August of 2008 I moved into a big pink house with 10 other folks, serving at the Pregnancy Care Center, meeting amazing folks doing God's work with the poor and marginalized, beginning awesome relationships with people with the same heart beat as mine and falling in love with Fresno's inner city.
2009: Started the second half of my stay at the Pink House. I was very very sad to move out as I was called back into Modesto, where I moved into Modesto's inner city; The West Side. I moved into a house with 3 other girls at the time of my move in and a desire to see the house(s) move into more of a ministry program. I met Kevin who lived in the guy's house and became good friends with him as we began to dream of what the houses could look like. Two of the girls moved out and 2 new girls took their places as 2 guys (including Kevin, which was hard) moved out, leaving Cole and Gilbert alone in the guy's house. Spent the rest of the year figuring out what my place was in the house and dealing with being back in a place that was soo very different from Fresno in every way.
2010: And that leads us to our present year. I can't believe how fast these past 10 years has gone by and despite the fact that a lot of that time was merely spent "living, " I have done a lot. I am now officially directing these ministry houses and still trying (and probably will for awhile) figuring out what God desires here and what He wants done. I am also still figuring out what it means to live in a city where not everyone has the same vision of relationships and stewardship. But I'm just trying to allow God to work in my heart, continue to change me and mold me into what He would have me to be. And I'm still just as tight (probably more so) with my best buddy as I was 10 years ago.
Hope you enjoyed the walk through the last 10 years of my life. Read more!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010, let's do it again
I'm definitely not into the whole New Year's resolutions because I know they're NEVER kept but I read a great blog from one of my favorite authors and he talked about writing resolutions within the context of your story. Instead of setting lofty (unattainable) goals he encourages folks to consider setting a goal relative to their narrative. I'm including an excerpt from his blog so you can get the picture a little better.
I’ve discovered something better than resolutions. If you’ve read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, you know I’ve reorganized my life into stories rather than goals. I don’t have any problem with goals. I like goals and still set them. But without an overarching plot, goals don’t make sense and are hard to achieve. A story gives a goal a narrative context that forces you to engage and follow through. People who are in great shape and have their finances in order probably don’t set goals to be in good shape or get their finances in order. They probably set goals of running a marathon or paying off their house. In other words, they think in narrative rather than goals. The goals get met in the journey of the story.
Sadly, I haven't read his book YET but I like this idea and really it's not a new concept. I spent many semesters in water aerobics thinking of short-term and long-term goals that could be measured, attained, etc. So, my best friend and I have already begun the no-shave test. We're not shaving our legs or our underarms. I think I started somewhere in the beginning of November but I know my friend and I officially decided to stop shaving in the beginning of December so it's definitely been a full month for the two of us. My hair is definitely visible! And my underarms are quite full and luxurious :) Didn't think you'd ever hear those terms used to describe underarm hair on a woman, huh? But someday my friend and I hope it won't be odd at all! And to begin this revolution my friend began an amazing blog. Go check it out! http://hairyleggedgirls.blogspot.com/
This same friend and I are also ending the consumption of pork and beef. We're both resigned to the fact that this idea may not last very long. We both love beef and pork and have fond memories of dining on both quite often together, but we'll see.
I have joined a gym and I've realized that when I'm regularly working out I don't eat as poorly as when I'm not working out so that may help to keep me away from the pork and beef. We'll see.
While writing this blog I realized that I wrote down my resolutions for 09 on my LJ. Here's my resolutions from last year:
1. Write in my LJ at least once a week. I'm doing good on that one so far
Hah, that didn't happen. Since I've had this new blog here at blogspot I haven't even been able to write a blog a week. Sadness.
2. Noemi and I hung out on Wed. and we decided to do the workout and diet thing together. We've decided to be each other's accountability partner.We have a document on google that we each write in every day. We record what we ate that day, our exercise routine (We have to work out 5 times a week, for a minimum of 30 mins) and we've also decided to write down 3 things that we're happy about for that day. We also decided to meet once every 2 weeks to go on a long bike ride. Today was our first time and it went really well. We ended up at the park for lunch and I admitted that I really want to look good for a wedding I'm attending this summer. So, we've decided my goal is 50 pounds by August. And I say, 30 by graduation in May but Noemi says I can do 30 by March. So, we'll see.
I don't remember exactly how long this lasted but I don't think it lasted too long :( But, I would like to at least document my weight again, until I either forget about it or get depressed, whichever comes first. Oh, and I'm sure I didn't lose 30, maybe gained it even.
3. Spend at least an hour in quiet time: A chapter of Proverbs a day, Oswald daily reading and prayer.
This actually lasted awhile but not all year.
4. I have a friend who writes down each book that he's finished in his LJ with the amount of pages he read and then at the end of the year he adds it all up. I really want to see how much I read in a year so I'm also going to start doing that and recording it here.
This actually last all year!! And here's the page accumulation of all my books that I read in 2009! 5988!!!! Whoo Hooo! Let's see if I can top that in 2010
So, there it is. Not too good about keeping the resolutions in 2009 (despite the fact that I said that I don't even try to keep resolutions, obviously I'm a liar) so we'll see how it goes by setting attainable goals in 2010.
1. Be proud of the enormous amount of hair that my body produces, whether I shave it or not.
2. I know I might not be able to last a whole year without pork or beef but I at least want a time where I won't eat it so I'm going to abstain from pork and beef for 6 months!
3. Keep a weight/health chart, especially while not eating pork and beef and see if that makes a big difference on weight loss.
4. Start reading Oswald's daily devotionals again. I've been wanting to so now is the best time to start again!
5. Continue writing down the books I finish and how many pages I read.
Here's the the new year. It should be full of ups, downs and curves. Read more!
I’ve discovered something better than resolutions. If you’ve read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, you know I’ve reorganized my life into stories rather than goals. I don’t have any problem with goals. I like goals and still set them. But without an overarching plot, goals don’t make sense and are hard to achieve. A story gives a goal a narrative context that forces you to engage and follow through. People who are in great shape and have their finances in order probably don’t set goals to be in good shape or get their finances in order. They probably set goals of running a marathon or paying off their house. In other words, they think in narrative rather than goals. The goals get met in the journey of the story.
Sadly, I haven't read his book YET but I like this idea and really it's not a new concept. I spent many semesters in water aerobics thinking of short-term and long-term goals that could be measured, attained, etc. So, my best friend and I have already begun the no-shave test. We're not shaving our legs or our underarms. I think I started somewhere in the beginning of November but I know my friend and I officially decided to stop shaving in the beginning of December so it's definitely been a full month for the two of us. My hair is definitely visible! And my underarms are quite full and luxurious :) Didn't think you'd ever hear those terms used to describe underarm hair on a woman, huh? But someday my friend and I hope it won't be odd at all! And to begin this revolution my friend began an amazing blog. Go check it out! http://hairyleggedgirls.blogspot.com/
This same friend and I are also ending the consumption of pork and beef. We're both resigned to the fact that this idea may not last very long. We both love beef and pork and have fond memories of dining on both quite often together, but we'll see.
I have joined a gym and I've realized that when I'm regularly working out I don't eat as poorly as when I'm not working out so that may help to keep me away from the pork and beef. We'll see.
While writing this blog I realized that I wrote down my resolutions for 09 on my LJ. Here's my resolutions from last year:
1. Write in my LJ at least once a week. I'm doing good on that one so far
Hah, that didn't happen. Since I've had this new blog here at blogspot I haven't even been able to write a blog a week. Sadness.
2. Noemi and I hung out on Wed. and we decided to do the workout and diet thing together. We've decided to be each other's accountability partner.We have a document on google that we each write in every day. We record what we ate that day, our exercise routine (We have to work out 5 times a week, for a minimum of 30 mins) and we've also decided to write down 3 things that we're happy about for that day. We also decided to meet once every 2 weeks to go on a long bike ride. Today was our first time and it went really well. We ended up at the park for lunch and I admitted that I really want to look good for a wedding I'm attending this summer. So, we've decided my goal is 50 pounds by August. And I say, 30 by graduation in May but Noemi says I can do 30 by March. So, we'll see.
I don't remember exactly how long this lasted but I don't think it lasted too long :( But, I would like to at least document my weight again, until I either forget about it or get depressed, whichever comes first. Oh, and I'm sure I didn't lose 30, maybe gained it even.
3. Spend at least an hour in quiet time: A chapter of Proverbs a day, Oswald daily reading and prayer.
This actually lasted awhile but not all year.
4. I have a friend who writes down each book that he's finished in his LJ with the amount of pages he read and then at the end of the year he adds it all up. I really want to see how much I read in a year so I'm also going to start doing that and recording it here.
This actually last all year!! And here's the page accumulation of all my books that I read in 2009! 5988!!!! Whoo Hooo! Let's see if I can top that in 2010
So, there it is. Not too good about keeping the resolutions in 2009 (despite the fact that I said that I don't even try to keep resolutions, obviously I'm a liar) so we'll see how it goes by setting attainable goals in 2010.
1. Be proud of the enormous amount of hair that my body produces, whether I shave it or not.
2. I know I might not be able to last a whole year without pork or beef but I at least want a time where I won't eat it so I'm going to abstain from pork and beef for 6 months!
3. Keep a weight/health chart, especially while not eating pork and beef and see if that makes a big difference on weight loss.
4. Start reading Oswald's daily devotionals again. I've been wanting to so now is the best time to start again!
5. Continue writing down the books I finish and how many pages I read.
Here's the the new year. It should be full of ups, downs and curves. Read more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
