Taking a Look at the [Wo]man in the Mirror

I started off the Lenten Season, as I usually do, by going to Ash Wednesday church service; by receiving the cross of ashes on my forehead that symbolize my mortality, as I begin to reflect on the immortality of Jesus and the sacrifices he made for me.

How Can We Have Peace Amidst the Chaos

Raise your hand if your heart is breaking today  Nepal , Baltimore, perhaps your own town, your own home and family - in crisis mode.

Look Ahead with Hope

Many times I bog myself down with current worries,  or with the baggage of the past- so much so that I forget what lies ahead because I can't see it.  My brain gets caught up in the concrete of what I, as a human can see.

Thank you, God, that there is more to life than what I Spy with My Little Eye...

Ahead there is newness.  A day, yet to be encountered, always holds hope.  No matter what I am feeling now, or what has passed, there is hope in front of me.  There is light, even when I don't believe it.

Such simple, yet beautiful promise the future has yet to unveil.  The future's potential is wrapped up in one four letter word.

HOPE.

~Psalm 40:11-12
New Living Translation (NLT)
Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
For troubles surround me—
too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost all courage.

Faith by Itself is Useless

Recently, a good friend of mine, who happens to be a non-Christian, brought up some recent political news topics (Google it yourself, I'm not here to debate or discuss recent legislation or comments surrounding it) centering around things that were said by professing Christians, and she pointed out how out of whack the comments where with who Jesus was [is],

This brought to my mind and heart a subject that I believe to be of paramount importance: Accountability for me as a Christian.

I never want my belief in Jesus to be questioned because of the way I treat others.  I want to live a life like Jesus.  He reached out to others. He loved everyone.  He admonished those who set themselves above standard...  In three small, but meaningful words - Jesus was love.

I know I will never be able to completely live up to Jesus' standard, but I have to try.  What good would it do me to call myself a disciple, and yet not strive to live up to Jesus' legacy?

 James 2:6-18  says that belief in Jesus [faith] by itself is useless.  It says we must show faith in our lives or that faith is dead.  No one will benefit from a faith that is dead.  We have to breathe life into our faith by reaching outward, and living a life of love, compassion, mercy and grace, just as Jesus did.

Anything less is a farce.

~John 13:34-35New Living Translation (NLT)
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Allow Jesus to Take Your Hand

I have no shame in admitting my fear.  I'm afraid of constant pain.  I'm afraid of the unknown.  I'm afraid I will never be physically whole again.

It was that fear which kept me from any doctors' offices for quite a long time.  Fear that there was something really wrong with me.  Fear that there was nothing wrong, and my symptoms were all in my head. How's that for dichotomy?

I feel just like Peter in Matthew 14:26-31.  I see Jesus out there walking calmly on the water, and I come to him, only I am distracted by the wind [my fears] so I take my eyes off my Jesus.

He's not willing to allow me to go under, however.  Guess what?  He loves me too much!  He saves me from myself by reaching out, grabbing hold of me and guiding me into his calm presence.

What a gift of mercy which I can never repay.  Though I am still in the midst of some disconcerting circumstances.  I realize I've never been abandoned, for that, in the same way I am unashamed of my fear, I am unashamed to say I am well and truly blessed.

Isaiah 41:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 

For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you,
‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.

What Anchors your Life?

Fear can paralyze and threaten to drown me at times.  That breathless feeling of fear is not one I enjoy.  It's pretty terrible, in fact.

When I start to feel hopeless, when fear holds me in its grip, here's the way I see it- I have two choices- drown, or find something with which to anchor myself.

Drowning never has seemed like a great option to me (there is a whole other kind of fear that comes with that prospect), so I choose to find an anchor.

For me, after trying many different sources and [things] to anchor myself with, I've come to realize that only Jesus can bring to me the peace I need to feel hopeful and secure.  Only Jesus and my full reliance on him can truly anchor my soul and drive out fear.

~Romans 8:14-16 New Century Version (NCV)
The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. The Spirit we received does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God. With that Spirit we cry out, “Father.” And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God’s children.

Faith Journey

Faith journey.  What is that? an expedition; excursion; tour; trip; odyssey... so many synonyms for that word. For every synonym, there are thousands of stories to tell.  Most everyone has one, and the tales, and their outcomes vary greatly, but each is unique and personal to the individual on the road.  This is a portion of  mine:

Fighting Satan

Over the past couple of years something disheartening as occurred in my life-- I lost myself.  I floundered around, desperately trying to fight my way back into existence and it's the biggest uphill battled I've faced.

Chick-fil-A -- You Make Me Sad

I am sad today.  As a Christian, in America, I scroll through articles, Tweets and Facebook posts about the record sales at Chick-fil-A yesterday and I cringe.  It's a sad thought that hatred and bigotry are the Face of Christianity today.  That they are held up as a beacons of family and moral values.

Healthy Mind, Body and Soul Journey 4-6-12

Psalm 77
Many times in my life I have felt like I was completely alone; that even my God had abandoned me. That is not the greatest feeling in the world. As a matter of fact it is one of the worst feelings imaginable. Sometimes the reasons for these feeling are plain and at other times it is inexplicable why I feel so dejected. I know God is always there, so why is it so hard to feel his presence sometimes?

Healthy Mind, Body and Soul Journey 3-28-12

Did you know I'm special?  That I am one in a million?  Actually not just one in a million, more like on in a quadrillion or some other unfathomable number way up there in the stratosphere. I don't say that as a boast, but as a simple fact that I believe.  I believe I am the only ME ever created by a loving God who made me, and every other individual ever born, ever to be born, uniquely and individually-- with a purpose for each created person.

I Don't Condone Ignorance and Bigotry...

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There is a Reason

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven" so says Ecclesiastes chapter three verse one (ASV). As a believer in God, I believe this to be a true statement, but at times, it is hard for me to understand that even the trials have a purpose. The sadness that we feel seems to overwhelm and leaves us shaken and unsure. Why?! We rail at the powers that be. "What were you thinking, Lord?"

Vessel of Love

Being a Christian is so much more than regurgitation of scripture and saying all the right things. It is more than reading meditations, prayers and interpretations written by someone else. It is a deep and abiding personal relationship with your Lord.

Jesus Is...

In Psalm 15, the person whom David is describing sounds like Jesus. Who else can say his walk is blameless? No one but Jesus. As followers of Jesus, we all strive for that perfection that Jesus embodied, but we can never achieve it.  Of course, knowing that we can't acheive perfection does not give us license to simply do as we will and continue in our old sin patterns.

The End is Near. Or not.

Last week the blogsphere, Facebook, Twitter, etc were abuzz about the predicted end of the world as we know it on May 21st.  Most posts were tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at the people who actually believed they would be raptured last Saturday.  I admit I had some fun posting silly pictures and whatnot myself.  I mean, come on, they made it so easy.  Anyone who has ever read a bible knows that it clearly states that even Jesus himself didn't know when the time would come for him to return.  It makes me wonder why people believe a clear chalitain like Harold Camping and why some seem to be preoccupied with the so called End Times.

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD!!

Osama Bin Laden is dead and people all over the United States are reveling. They are waving our flag and chanting "Hey, hey, hey, goodbye" from a pop music song in the streets. As an American, who was shocked and saddened by the 9-11 Terrorist Attacks, just like everyone else, I admit my first thought was - Good.  Justice has been served.

Listening to Jesus

I have to admit it.  I am sometimes judgmental.  I admit it without pride and with more than a little regret.  I don't want to judge people.  I want to be like Jesus.  I want to look at everyone and see them, and their problems, through his eyes. Unfortunately there is a little thing called humanity that stands between my reactions/feelings and Jesus'.  I strive to narrow that gap, however, by praying and reading scripture for insight and resolution.  Sometimes that insight comes from those prayer and study sessions, and I can see more clearly right then and there.  Then, other times, it takes a bit longer, and my insight doesn't come straight from prayer, it comes from a less obvious source, but I believe that the insight is an answer to those prayers nonetheless.

Happy Resurrection Day

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

Why Me?

It is sometimes hard not to paint ourselves into the 'Why Me?' corner when it seems that at every turn, there is a setback or another piece of 'bad luck' that comes our way.  Painting ourselves into that corner however, is just that, painting ourselves into a corner.  In the corner there is not much to do but stay stuck and feel sorry for ourselves.