Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me and Peter Sagal

So I'm an NPR listener.  It's true.  Does that make me sound old?  Or nerdy?  Or boring?  Or hippy-ish? 

Oh well.

Because I really enjoy listening to it.  Seriously. 

And I know what some people think...that NPR is for liberals.  Meh...that's what I say.  When it comes to politics my opinion is this: I don't care if you're a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Tea Party (uhh Tea Partian?), Independent, etc.  All I care about is helping people.  Caring for people.  Doing good.

But I digress...

Back to the point.

I typically listen to NPR before/after work in my car to hear the latest local and world news.  I also really enjoy a few programs they have: "This American Life" with Ira Glass, "Wait, Wait! Don't Tell Me." with Peter Sagal, and "Car Talk" with Click and Clack.  Anyway, I was listening to NPR recently and heard that Peter Sagal was coming to Orlando to talk about his experience with "Wait, Wait! Don't Tell Me."  Immediately I thought that I wanted to go.  So I talked to a friend that I work with who I knew was a huge NPR fan and we made plans to go.

So what did I expect?  I expected to be entertained.  And I was.  Peter Sagal is hilarious and engaging.  He has so many stories to tell that are all very interesting.  So I enjoyed his entire lecture.  At the end of the lecture he answered a few questions.  One woman rambled on for a while and eventually asked something along the lines about raising children and how to teach them about politics.

And this is the part that got me...I mean, I may have teared up a little.

This is when I realized that God is EVERYWHERE.  In EVERY situation.  He uses ALL things for Good.

Peter told this story.  And of course, I'm going to paraphrase.  Peter was on a plane once and was sitting next to an old retired farmer.  The farmer told him that he was going to South America for the 8th time that year to take glasses to impoverished children that didn't have them.  The farmer had told Peter that he watches Fox News exclusively.  Peter could have been quick to jump to the conclusion that the farmer was just "one of those people".  (You know what I mean.  The stereotypically type of person that watches Fox News).  But Peter realized that was unfair.  He realized that as he sat talking to this man, that he was doing more good in the world than he (Peter) was.  Regardless of what the old man's political beliefs were, he was helping those in need.

And that's the point.  We need to quit judging people, writing people off, turning our backs to people that are different from us.  We need to keep the lines of communication open.  When someone begins to judge and condemn we need to stop them.  We get nowhere with hatred.  Nothing gets done when we quit talking.

And the bigger story is this.  We are all capable of good.  Regardless of our political party...regardless of our ethnicity...regardless of our religion...regardless of our nationality....regardless of our economic status.  We are all capable of caring for and loving others.

Oh and the best part about the story.  Peter said that the old man said he was doing the work of God...and Peter said "And you know what, I would agree with him."  And so would I...because the work of God is this...to LOVE.

Brokeness

This afternoon I had some good, quality conversation with my friend Angela as we took a walk in the Florida sunshine (yep, it's still 80 degrees here...in NOVEMBER!!!). We were discussing a variety of things when our conversation turned to the topic of brokeness. I hear talk of brokeness a lot, but typically it's in the context that we live in a broken world and to me that translates to there is poverty and injustice and no matter what we do to help, those things will all exist until the coming of the new heavens and the new earth. However, as Angela and I talked about it, I realized that it goes a lot deeper than that. Brokeness affects each and every one of us at a very personal level. Whether we admit it or not, every relationship that we have is broken--even the ones that we think are healthy and good. Yes, even those relationships are broken in some way. We are broken, sinful people and it affects the way we love and relate to others. It is only by the blood of Christ that we are able to experience love through others. It's only because Christ lives in us that we are able to love others and be loved. But I think, that at times, it's good to be reminded that we live in a broken world and we are a broken people.

Personally, I know I expect a lot out of relationships (with family, friends, etc) and when I'm disappointed I have a tendency to do a couple of things. First, I want to blame the people who have failed to love me how I feel I should be loved. And I want to do this without understanding the brokeness that they are experiencing in their own lives. Second, I find myself wanting to replace those broken relationships with other relationships that seem to be whole. But the truth of the matter is this--even those "replacement" relationships are broken.

Do any of my thoughts make sense?

I'm definitely not saying that relationships aren't good things. In fact, I believe that God calls us to relational communities. I just think it's good for us to remember that relationships will never be perfect and that we need Christ to bring healing.

If you have thoughts on this, please share. :)

Conversations with my new friend

I spent the last 2 nights hanging out with the kiddos at the Rescue Mission. It's safe to say that I utterly enjoy my evening spent hanging out with the kids there. Wednesday night I hung out with some of the older girls as we did an ice breaker to get to know them in anticipation for an activity we're planning to do next month. Tonight I spent my time in the nursery with the younger ones. I colored, played catch, played trucks, had my hair done multiple times (apparently the little ones like my long hair), rocked in the rocking chair, and of course laughed a lot. The highlight of my evening was having a conversation with a little girl who is about 5 years old. We were sitting on small wooden chairs next to the coloring table when she noticed my necklace. She wasn't the first child of the evening to start playing with my necklace, a silver cross with a turquoise stone in the middle--a couple of them had asked about it (one even put it into her mouth...can we say "germs"?). Then we had this conversation:

Little girl: Jesus
Me: Yep, Jesus. What happened to Jesus on the cross?
Little girl: He bleeded down
Me: That's right. For you and me, right?
Little girl: *nodded*
Me: What happened next?
Little girl: He died.
Me: That's right, he did. What happened then?
Little girl: He came back to life.
Me: Yep! He did! Where is he now?
Little girl: *Just kind of looks at me*
Me: Is he in heaven?
Little girl: *smiles* yes!
Me: And someday we'll get to be there with him, right?
Little girl: Yes, some day.
Me: Do you love Jesus?
Little girl: Yes, I love Jesus lots.

The conversation went on a bit longer, but she was mumbling so I couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Nevertheless, it amazes me so how a five year old can have such a grasp on the story of the Gospel. I certainly pray that she never forgets what happened on the cross and what it means for us. And I pray that she continues to grow and understand the love that our Savior has for her.

How Powerful

I often question why God brought me to Orlando. I'm sure there are many reasons, some that I may not ever understand, but I realized tonight that God is forming my heart here. I feel as though God is slowly breaking down the walls of my heart and revealing more about his unfailing love and power.

Tonight, I was reminded again of the great power of the gospel. We hear these verses at Christmas time, but as we read them tonight at small group I was overwhelmed with how amazing my Jesus is.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6

God sent His only Son for me, to die on the cross for my sins as the ultimate sacrifice. He was blameless and yet here I am, full of sin and fault, yet allowed to live fully in the grace and mercy and love of my just and righteous Father.

I've heard these Truths for as long as I can remember and yet the power of it renews my soul every time I hear it or read it.

On the way home, I listened to "True Love" by Phil Wickham. Listen and let the Gospel speak to your heart.

The Face of Love

Yesterday at church I saw it. I've seen it before, I'm sure, but yesterday I truly saw it. Love. All around me. It was almost overwhelming. I suppose it wasn't suddenly that I noticed it as I recall in weeks prior seeing and feeling something truly special about City Church, but I think on Sunday it just clicked.

I think it started when I sat in the auditorium (our church utilizes an auditorium of a local museum as we don't have our own facility) before worship. I was there early because we had had a meeting for kids church helpers before the service. I saw families start to come into the auditorium and it was so amazing to me how other people were so eager to love on their kids and the parents.

During worship I continued to look at the people surrounding me and was just overwhelmed by how obvious love was being spoken. There were a few married couples sitting around me and sure, I know it's typical for married couples to hold hands or to put their arms around each other, but for some reason, it seemed different. When the guy sitting next to me reached over and put his hand on his wife's arm it was so much more than a thoughtless act of holding her hand--it seemed like a true "I'm so in love with you" type act. But yet it was simple. And I see it in so many of the couples in our church. The way I honestly see it is that they are so deeply in love with who Christ is that they only know how to love their wives the way the Bible calls them to love their wives (I'm certainly not saying that they are perfect for I don't know what their marriages are like behind closed doors and I know that naturally there is human failure. I'm purely saying that I see a people who love Jesus so much that it bleeds into their love for people so obviously and clearly).

During this season of Lent, our church has also been partaking in communion every Sunday. As I watched each family filter through the communion line there were two sights that particularly stick in my mind. One family has 2 children who are probably around the age of 12. As they walked through the communion line, each parent took a hold of a child's hand and guided them through the line and pulled them close while partaking in the bread and wine. I don't have adequate words to describe how this instance clearly spoke of love to me, but I just remember feeling overwhelmed with the sight of a family that clearly loves and cares about each other. The other sight I remember is seeing a husband and wife with their infant child walking through to get communion. The mother was holding the small baby and was in front of her husband. The baby was looking over her mother's shoulder at her father who was smiling ear to ear and abounding love for his daughter. The nonverbal communication that was transpiring between this infant and her father was amazing. I could tell that this dad was just head over heels for his daughter and would do anything for her.

Tonight, I think was really the topper on it all. At my small group I once again felt incredibly overwhelmed by love. I've been so stressed with a variety of items lately and have felt such a feeling of staggering discontentment, frustration, and sadness. I arrived at small group in tears tonight just paralyzed with stress. I sat outside in my car for a moment crying and praying. When I felt as though I had gathered myself and rid all evidence of red eyes, I went inside where I was greeted with many warm hugs and an instantaneous knowledge that something was bothering me. A few of us talked for a short couple of minutes before we started our study for the evening. Afterwards I went to leave and got sidetracked in a conversation where I just felt as though my life was being poured into. Sure, all of my same stresses are still present, but now I can rest in the knowledge that there are people praying for me and fighting my battles with me, and mostly, just people loving me and showing me God's love.

*Note: I'm sure that God's love is evident in churches around the world (and many many many places outside of churches), but I just had to write this moment down for my own memory. In this place in my life where I've battled with discontentment and longing, God is hearing my cries and my pleas for love and guidance and has provided a community that undoubtedly is living out the Gospel.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness. Doesn't it seem so simple? You think about being a little kid...you get in a fight with a sibling or a friend, your parents make you say "I'm sorry" and then it's all done and over with, right? And really, it should be that easy...but I don't think it is. Not always. And especially not as we age and time passes. The hurt builds up and although we tell each other "I'm sorry" and "I forgive you" it seems as though we secretly keep score of how many times someone has wronged us. We say we forgive, but we feel the pain. We don't always know how to separate ourselves from the hurt although we try so hard to move on with the relationship (whatever form it is--friends, siblings, dating, family, etc.).

But then...it all changes--our perspective that is. When we open our Bible and begin to read, forgiveness begins to take on a different light. In Matthew 18:21-35, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, we see the first servant, who is in more debt than can even be described, given complete pardon--a slate wiped completely clean. And then, we see him turning right around and refusing to give pardon to another servant who's debt is not nearly as great as his own. How painfully true that is in our own lives. Over and over and over again God pardons our sins. He completely forgives us and wipes clean the slate with absolutely no payment needed from us. And then what do we do? We turn to those who owe us and refuse to let it slide. We feel that we are owed. We do this with our forgiveness all the time. We don't want to fully forgive those who have hurt us. We may even go so far as to saying we have forgiven them, but is it ever completely wiped clean? No matter how hard we try, we are humans. We fail at all we do...including forgiveness. We are so incredibly in need of God's grace--even when it comes to just learning to forgive others.

And the real beauty of it all is that when we forgive those who have hurt us, we learn to trust the Lord and his Promise to provide all that we need. When we forgive those who have let us down and disappointed us, we see the Gospel come to life as we find fulfillment, hope, and joy in God's word. Each time we forgive, we are given the opportunity to turn to the Lord to fix the hurt, fill the void, provide for our needs---mostly, just to love us the way that we were designed to be loved and long to be loved. Because, after all, doesn't it seem that all forgiveness relates back to not feeling loved/appreciated/needed/cared for/etc. the way that we believe we deserve to be?

So the answer is, forgive. Forgive and Pray. Pray for the Lord to heal, to remove bitterness, and to provide. Pray that you will learn to trust that the Lord will provide all of these things because He will.

Love/Hate Relationship

New Balance Running Shoes has some really great commercials out right now.  From a marketing standpoint, it's great how the resonate with their audience and they're just cleverly written.  From a runner's standpoint...I couldn't identify more.  Love/Hate is the most accurate description of my relationship with running.  As one commercial puts it--I hate how running kicks me out of my nice warm bed--and another commercial--I love victory.  I've tried breaking up with running...but it just hasn't lasted long.  It seems I'm in it for the long haul.  Anyway...check out some of my new favorite commercials.  I applaud you New Balance.  Job Well Done.

Sex God--Part 2

And these are my concluding thoughts on an overly amazing book.

By far the chapter that resonated with me the most was Chapter 5: She Ran Into the Girls' Bathroom. The chapter is about risking love, taking a chance, and sometimes facing rejection--experiencing heartache.

Rob Bell references Genesis 6:6 "Then YHWH (God) was sorry that he had made humankind on earth, and it pained his heart." God gave us the right to choose, and from the beginning we rejected Him. We rejected his law, we rejected his will and ultimately we rejected--and continue to reject--his love. To quote Bell "God takes this giant risk in creating and loving people, and in the process God's heart is broken." (pg 97). What we can learn from this is that if our Creator can take the risk of allowing all mankind to reject him for eternity, we can take the chance to love--not only in the sense of a romantic relationship, but also our enemies, our neighbors, our coworkers, our family, etc.--and risk being rejected. Because honestly, we will be rejected. It's unrealistic to think that our love will be reciprocated 100% of the time. We live in a broken world and because of this we face imperfect love.

Further quoting Bell, "Love is handing your heart to someone and taking the risk that they will hand it back because they don't want it. That's why it's such a crushing ache on the inside. We gave away a part of ourselves and it wasn't wanted." (pg 98) All I have to say to that is--wow.

So then Bell goes on to explain how we can risk loving others:

Contrast this [bullying others to appear strong] with people who appear weak but are actually quite strong. It's when someone says something mean or cutting about us and everything within us wants to one-up them with an even nastier comment in return, thus winning the exchange, but we hold our tongue. We "lose" the round, but what we did took tremendous strength And it would take even more strength to forgive them and then maybe even love them. It would all appear quite weak to the observer, unless they understood that what they were witnessing was actually strength in action. (pg 103)

How incredible counter-cultural is that?!? To turn the other cheek? To hold your tongue? To not defend yourself? How incredibly hard is that. Try it! And then...try LOVING the person that you're trying so hard not to talk bad about.

And now the part that really resonates with me:

This can transform our experience of heartbreak. Instead of being something that distances us from God, causing us to question, "Where are you?" every poem by a lover spurned, every song sung with an ache, every movie with a gut-wrenching scene, every late-night conversation and empty box of Kleenex are glimpses into the life of God. (pg 106)

Our healing begins when we participate in the suffering of God. When we don't avoid it but enter into it, and in the process enter into the life of God. Wen we see our pain not as separating us from but connecting us to our maker. (pg 107)

So wait, hold up here. Is he? Could he be? What Bell's suggesting is that we experience broken hearts in our lifetime so that, maybe, we can gain a slight understanding of the broken heart God is constantly feeling when mankind continually rejects His love. When I think about the heartbreak I've experienced, I realize that surely it must be nothing in comparison to how badly it must hurt to have mankind reject you...generations upon generations rejecting your law, refusing to trust that your way truly is THE way. What pain that must be. So maybe, I can gain a slight understanding of the sadness God felt when the world rejected his Son and sent him to the cross.

And the last one from this chapter, "Our greatest wounds rarely come from strangers." (pg 108). How true that is. The sting of strangers' rejection lasts mere seconds...but the people we really care about...when they choose to reject us or hurt us...that pain lingers and is the hardest to overcome, to forgive, and to love through.

There really is so much more in this book that is truly astounding. Go read the book. Go. And when you're done, let's discuss. I like theological discussions. True story. :)