Japan 2011

Have you ever heard the song "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan?  It is really good... and you should listen if you haven't before so here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0luHiWwi08&feature=related.

In the song John Mark McMillan compares God's love to a natural event, he says: 

"He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane,

I am a tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy"

I really love this image- this hurricane and tree dynamic… that in the midst of a storm His love and mercy is right there with us and we may bend but He doesn’t give us more than we can handle… So beautiful. 

I have been thinking about this in regards to the recent evens in Japan.  The earthquake followed by the tsunami.  Two other natural events- God created the earth and all creation points to some truth of who He is.  We live in a broken world and sin distorts some of that good God designed, but as I watched a video on the news during dinner showing the tsunami wave rolling through I couldn’t help but see God even in that.  Watching the tsunami roll through the towns made me realize the power of water.  One of the stories I love about Jesus is the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4.  In it Jesus refers to the water God gives as living water.  I associate God with that everlasting water image- how we will never thirst again when we drink from the living water.  Water is necessary for life- and God is necessary for eternal life.  I started thinking of God as those everlasting waters as I watched the wavers from the tsunami tear through towns.  It was so symbolic of how nothing manmade can stand up to the power of the water- God can tear down those things that we try to build up in our lives that aren’t Him.  Those things we build up that distract us from Him and give us a sense of protection.  As I watched the building and houses crumble, the cars get swept away, it made me realize that God does that in our lives too.  He is that water… He takes away and knocks down those things we cling to because they are nothing compared to Him- they are weak.  He doesn’t do that because He wants us to suffer, but because He knows there is no life in those things- in the car we drive, the house we live in, what our yard looks like, or what our societal status may be. 

It also made me think about what the significance that this tsunami and many tsunamis occur after earthquakes might be.  In my life I have seen that combo- where God rocks my world by opening my eyes to where I really am in life- how I have fallen away from worshipping Him with my whole heart and whole life, and then helps me to remove those things that had become idols that I was worshipping or protecting as more important that Him.  When I won’t give them up- sometimes He takes them away out of His love.  It is a painful process because I let those things get to a place where they shouldn’t be in the first place but on the other side I am so thankful to have gone through that pain because I am in such a better place with him as a result.  And that is reflected in how I live my life.

For the record- I am not saying this is true of all Japan- that they were worshipping idols and this is Gods wrath on them or anything like that at all!  I just find it amazing that in the midst of this sadness, a truth about God and His character is revealed through His creation- nature.  It is amazing to see the earthquake and tsunami combination that He uses in my life… and learn from seeing it in real life.

The people of Japan and their families are on my heart and in my prayers- I pray that God would be revealed amidst all this sadness, that He would bring peace and hope, that with nothing else to rely on eyes would be opened to God and His goodness and ability to provide there. 

My how the time flies!

:) i did end up writing some valentines to people and really enjoyed it!  as i started i found i wanted to write more and more- and ran out of the valentines i had made... oops!!  next year, planning to make more and write more!  to love more :)  


song lyric for cards was from brooke fraser's sailboats-  "we're adrift on a sailboat.  my love is the sea. yours is the horizon, constant and steady" i love this song- how the lyrics remind me the truth about our love versus God's love.  Our love and feelings towards God are so fickle sometimes- changing the same way the waves change, sometimes calm and peaceful, sometimes violent and turbulent, as storms come they change, when the weather clears up they seem better (though even then there could be a rip current underneath you cant even see from the surface!)... but despite how often our love changes, God's love is constant and steady like the horizon.  That is so beautiful...  that no matter how we are loving Him, He is constantly loving us the same.... He cannot love us more and He won't love us less-  we cannot diminish that love He has for us no matter how we are loving Him at that moment.  It also made me realize that when the waves start to get turbulent, we often forget to look past them to the horizon and our vision is obscured and tainted by what is going on around us instead...  And when we can look past the waves to the horizon we get a better perspective.

valentines day is coming

Ok- so if you are like me you really don't like Valentine's Day... sometimes it feels like you are treated specially because of the day...  why don't we treat the ones we love more specially all of the time instead of only on say- Valentine's day and an anniversary.  Don't get me wrong- I absolutely love giving the cute little kids valentine's with the fun animated movie characters saying different love and friendship quotes.  But typically my response has been to mope and complain about how stupid it is and get on my soapbox about how buying flowers is dumb because you are taking something that looks so beautiful growing and living and then you cut it off from its source of life to put in a vase where it will look nice a few days and then slowly start to rot, decay and stink.  The water then looks disgusting and makes you feel queasy just looking at it.  It does not seem appealing to me...  why not get a gift of a flowering plant that you've grown all year for them... something that will continue to bring joy!  I dunno... anyway...

I decided to do a little digging... I 'stumbledupon' an article last year that explained that the how real meaning of Valentine's Day is completely different from what we celebrate it as now.  To jog my memory I googled it just to be sure-  and initially the day was a Christian holiday meant to honor two or three different martyrs named Valentine!  I thought this was cool because it is actually a day that truly celebrates love- the love that these men had to give their lives, and the love that they understood- true love that can only come from Christ.   I am all for a day that celebrates that love and all the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice to share it with others.

It has really challenged me- and hopefully all you Valentine's haters... to make the day something special.  A day where even though a lot of other people settle for a fake and cheesy imitation- to go beyond that and celebrate true love.  I want to try and write a card telling people who are important in my life how much i really do appreciate them and focus on that instead of the 'sexy date' love that media throws our way.

He's A Miracle Worker!

This Christmas has been something so different to me- one where I am really trying to see beyond all the decorations and cookies to the true miracle that happened over 2000 years ago.  The more I invite God into my heart- the more I see the pain and feel the pain of our world... the suffering all around us because sin has distorted this world so far away from the way God created it to be.  

I have seen things that we laugh at nowadays- that our culture and civilization joke about and try to achieve- that pain God so greatly.  Society tells us we have to own certain things to fit in, have a certain body to be desirable, to find our identity in skills…give our bodies away…. the list goes on... and seeking these things outside of God leads to is pain and brokenness.  We can't do this on our own.  And as I sat there in tears for the things we give our hearts to I selfishly thought- 

              Why would I even want to have kids that will be raised in this?  

They will be bombarded with all these evil messages and suffer through so much pain?!  And it dawned on me that having a child in the midst of this brokenness is EXACTLY what God did- He sees all the brokenness and is even more greatly troubled than I am and yet He sent His son to us and THAT is why we are celebrating. That God sent that hope down to us that there is a better way- an answer to long awaited prayers and cries- that is exactly what He did so that we would see the right way and have a way to the Father because we cannot do it on our own.

I write this having just come in from looking at the Lunar Eclipse.  It was really cool- and as I looked up it flooded me- this miracle that a billion people are looking up at along the eastern coast of the United States… God did that for us today!  And over 2000 years ago He did another miracle in the skies that led a group of royal travelers to a great and mighty king in the form of a child!  WOW!  What a Christmas...

Count Your Blessings!

If you ever find yourself getting upset at something... remember that it is a gift- a blessing... then try and go a week without it and see what happens.  I realized this since our dishwasher is broken and we have to hand wash everything (including over thanksgiving)... it makes me really consider what I am eating to create minimal pans to clean...  The environmentalist in me is being threatened by the laziness-  paper plates vs. dishes that I have to wash... (don't worry... holdin' strong to the dishes!)

But it reminds me of the importance of "fasting" from certain things... be it food... an appliance you take for granted... when you get upset at your computer for going so slow imagine all the work you'd be doing without it.  I'd like to see any of us go a week without running water.  It really makes you appreciate the things in your life that you take for granted and reminds you of how blessed you truly are.  

lets get to the point...

So I was laying in bed this morning pondering love and thinking about art… actually I had just gotten up and I don't know if that was the case because I was praying and this vision of God's love in our lives just came to me in the form of art.  It was a contrast of realism and pointillism and how we are all tiny points in a huge painting where God is the artist.  We each have our own unique colors and placement- we are uniquely placed around other points with intention and care.   

Background- realism is an art style where you create your drawing or painting based on recreating exactly what you see in front of you.  Pointillism is an art style where you create an image using dots of color.  Examples below…. realism and pointillism:

The image I had is that regardless of what we do we are all a small part of this larger picture.  God is the artist and has a vision in His head of the grand painting.  When we are put onto the picture He then gives us the opportunity of how we want to live as "points".  We can either be a point that reaches out and touches the other points around us or we can be a point that keeps itself separated from the points around us.  In that we have the opportunity to share God's love… that if we choose to be the point that reaches out and touches the other points around us it makes the image flow smoothly and it is easy to see the picture close up.  The love that flows from one point and reaches out to those surrounding it can then be sent even further out and create such a beautiful image that you can view up close and see exactly what it is.  The converse is everyone acting of their own accord and not reaching out and touching the points around them- not sharing that love.  When this happens you cannot tell what that larger picture is up close… it just looks like a whole lot of individual dots.  Which is what we are- a whole lot of individuals, not a community living in love.  But the beauty is that even in this situation-  you can still step back and see the image that was trying to be created.  It just takes longer and is harder to understand at first.

Regardless of how we choose to live as the dot we are in relation to those around us, the artists' image will still ultimately be portrayed.  That is so cool-  that in a world where everyone lives selfishly it is a lot harder to see the ultimate image but you still can- that when we live selfishly we are led further away from God's beautiful picture of love.  And in a world where you live truly loving and reaching out to those around you it is so much easier to see God's picture- but either way it will be revealed… God is such an amazing creator!

things i am thankful for… 2010

1. a bed to sleep in
2. warm blankets and clothes that i have plenty of (especially since we have not yet turned the heat on…)
3. even though its not on… a house with heat
4. a house 
5. a television to watch the thanksgiving day parade on
6. parents who can afford to feed me meals
7. a coffeemaker to brew delicious coffee
8. goodwill stores…. the place where i got my coffeemaker and a large portion of my clothes… that we can reuse stuff instead of always having to buy it new
9. a country where we are free to be Christians
10. for soldiers who give their lives and their time fighting for me and millions of people they have never even met- who miss out being with their families so we can be with ours
11. for my uncle- being clean and having a job… what a turn around from a couple years ago.  that he was a ref and is doing so well and for the blessing that he is to those around him with his loving spirit
12. for running water inside our houses- sink, toilets….
13. for a dishwasher- it was broken but made me appreciate how convenient it is when it is working and how much time it saves us
14. for apple cider donuts and just the amount of food that we have in such close proximity
15. for glasses and contact lenses so that I can see
16. for the people who grow that food whether its in the form of animals or just agriculture… 
17. for a family that watches the dog show and roots for the beagle to win every year even though it seems silly
18. for a family that doesn't care what you look like- that they care about you… and that we could enjoy thanksgiving in comfortable clothes and relax
19. that we have cars that work and roads to travel on
20. to be able to pick up Mom-Mom and have her spend thanksgiving with us
21. for Mom-Mom's 90 years of life
22. for a family that loves one another and wants the best for one another
23. for a delicious meal
24. for a table and chairs to sit and eat it around… for music… 
25. for fun traditions watching muppets christmas carol 
26. for so many amazing friends to wish happy thanksgiving and all the blessings that they have brought me throughout this year and my life
27. for different forms of technology to stay in contact with them
28. for a dog and a neighborhood to go on a walk
29. for chilly nights and warm clothes… for starts even when I can't see them

There is so much that I spent the day thinking about and thanking God for.  He has given me so much… but even if He were to take it all away and I were left freezing cold, blind, hungry, with no friends or family in the middle of nowhere today… I could still praise Him because despite of whatever circumstances I am in He still sent His son to die for me- not because I am worthy of that but because He loves me that much.  That I can always be thankful for the way he loves- and that He can't love me anymore and He won't love me any less.  That He is willing to pay that price for me- someone seemingly so worthless…

" You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the   ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."       -Romans 5:6-8

I am not even a good person and Christ was still willing to die for me… that is such a gift.  I can't wait to one day hopefully be able to use this day with my own family to serve others out of the wealth of things that we have to be thankful for.  To spend the day giving others reasons to be thankful for and be thankful to give to them.  I hope that you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and no matter what the circumstances there is always something to be thankful for.  God Bless!