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Monday, September 12, 2011
WWJND?
I've been studying James 3 this week. "Taming the Tongue." Personally, I think it's one of the hardest chapters in the Bible.
Radical sacrifice? I'm good with that. Caring the for orphan? Check. But taming that tongue of mine? Not so much. It's been a life long struggle for me and it probably always will be.
Dan and I might be crazy but we're sure not perfect. We're sinners, in need of grace, and we mess up all the time. Especially where our big mouths are concerned. Recently, my friend Alysia, (y'all know Alysia, by the way -- she's written on the Crazy Blog a number of times) shared with me about a major mess-up. A "Christian fail" as she calls it.
I've asked Alysia to share her story below because hearing it blessed me immensely. It was a great reminder that I'm not the only one who strugglesconstantly occasionally. At the end of the day, we're all a mess. We all fail. And still, Jesus loves us.
So without further delay, I give you...
WWJND? No, this is not a typo. This stands for "What Would Jesus NOT Do." You've seen the cute shirts, the bracelets, the Christian fish, the WWJD letters. I don't own any of those. For me, this is probably a good thing. In getting dressed each day I really can't be sure if I'd represent Christ well if I were wearing one of these. Sometimes I feel the best thing I can do for the Gospel is lay low and go as unnoticed as possible.
Radical sacrifice? I'm good with that. Caring the for orphan? Check. But taming that tongue of mine? Not so much. It's been a life long struggle for me and it probably always will be.
Dan and I might be crazy but we're sure not perfect. We're sinners, in need of grace, and we mess up all the time. Especially where our big mouths are concerned. Recently, my friend Alysia, (y'all know Alysia, by the way -- she's written on the Crazy Blog a number of times) shared with me about a major mess-up. A "Christian fail" as she calls it.
I've asked Alysia to share her story below because hearing it blessed me immensely. It was a great reminder that I'm not the only one who struggles
So without further delay, I give you...
WWJND?
By: Alysia C.
WWJND? No, this is not a typo. This stands for "What Would Jesus NOT Do." You've seen the cute shirts, the bracelets, the Christian fish, the WWJD letters. I don't own any of those. For me, this is probably a good thing. In getting dressed each day I really can't be sure if I'd represent Christ well if I were wearing one of these. Sometimes I feel the best thing I can do for the Gospel is lay low and go as unnoticed as possible.
I ran an errand the other day. It was going to be a simple run to our local
Farmers Market. Just an innocent trip to the grocery store to pick up some
necessities before our new wee one needed to nurse again.
This was one of about 3 times I've ever left our 4 month
old at home with my hubby. Little one and I have been pretty attached at
the...well, not the hip...but you know what I mean. I grab my diaper bag (because I'm on kid #3 and now my diaper bag doubles as my purse) and head out.
Upon entering the market a lady approaches me to tell me she is
going to have to take my bag, as they do not allow backpacks in the store. WHAT? I've been
shopping here for years and
I've never been hassled. I explain that it's my diaper bag, that I only
have an hour to shop because I have a new baby at home, that I've never been asked
to do this before, and that I had no intention of giving her my bag thank you
very much. Then I walked away and headed to the organic apples.
I'm immersed in apples when I'm approached by a rather large security guard who
apparently made sure he had his Wheaties that morning. He proceeds to tell me
that I have to give him my bag. OK, close your eyes. Imagine me and Wheaties Man. Now picture this scene unfolding in your mind:
I tell him that I'm really disappointed that I have to do this, but I understand
that it's a rule and so I'll respect it. I then hand him my bag and decide this
could be a great moment to share about Christ with him. I offer to grab him a
cup of coffee for his service to protect us all at the market and then I ask him if he
knows the Lord.
Are you picturing it? Well that is exactly what I did NOT do. Nope.
Now close your eyes and imagine the polar opposite. Imagine a woman who has decided that this man's very attempt to take her bag represents all that is unjust in the world. I proceeded to inform Mr. Wheaties of the rampant rate of identity theft, of the fact that it should be my Constitutional right to carry my own bag through the store, that he's wasting the very little time I have to get my stinkin' apples, and that I have everything in the world I need in this bag and I have no intention of leaving it with some strangers behind the bag check counter.
Now close your eyes and imagine the polar opposite. Imagine a woman who has decided that this man's very attempt to take her bag represents all that is unjust in the world. I proceeded to inform Mr. Wheaties of the rampant rate of identity theft, of the fact that it should be my Constitutional right to carry my own bag through the store, that he's wasting the very little time I have to get my stinkin' apples, and that I have everything in the world I need in this bag and I have no intention of leaving it with some strangers behind the bag check counter.
He tells me to put
my valuables in a plastic produce bag. We exchange more dialog that
includes everyone in an 8 foot radius hearing exactly what I think
about these stupid rules and how they should not apply to nursing moms who are a carrying diaper bags for purses, for crying out loud!!
Finally,
I realize I'm beat and make a big, dramatic deal about emptying out everything in
my bag into this little produce bag. Which involves an awful lot of slamming and huffing
and puffing.
I then slam my bag down at the bag check table and give another speech to the lady
that ratted me out. And proceed to call my hubby on my cell phone loudly
explaining what happened and describing the involved employees as a
bunch of communists.
As you can see the whole things was handled very, very poorly.
As you can see the whole things was handled very, very poorly.
Did I turn the other cheek? Not so much. Did I act in love? Nope. Did I
do what Jesus would have done? I think we all know the answer to that. This
would be called a "Christian FAIL." This was definitely not a bright
shining moment for me. I was not a "city on a hill", a "lamp on
a table", or "salt of the earth." Instead, I was a landfill of anger, a
charred match of rebellion and a dose of vinegar.
But, for reasons I may never understand on this side of Heaven, Jesus still loves
me. He loves us like we really, truly are. We don't have to be perfect. We don't have to act like
amazing Christians all the time. We can fail, flop, and flounder and, miraculously, we still
have the hope and promises of Christ.
My petty and self-justifying response was wrong and grieving to the Lord, I'm sure. But how grateful I am that He is my
Father, that He forgives me, and that He's already paid the atoning price for my sin.
I can rejoice in knowing His mercies are new every morning and
leave this all behind. But, just in case...I'll leave those WWJD T-shirts behind
too.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Thank. You. Lord.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9
Thank. You. Lord.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Just a Glimpse
If you were on the ground in Uganda with SixtyFeet this week, here's a glimpse of what you'd see:
This is my dear friend, Joy. She's holding hands with a child prisoner at M1. Those are real bars. And that's a real cell. And that's a real child. God's child.
This is a time of worship and thanks with child prisoners. Ponder those words for a moment... and then view this picture:
And below are some thoughts from one of our team members, Christen, describing her experience at M4 on Tuesday of this week.
This is my dear friend, Joy. She's holding hands with a child prisoner at M1. Those are real bars. And that's a real cell. And that's a real child. God's child.
This is a time of worship and thanks with child prisoners. Ponder those words for a moment... and then view this picture:
And below are some thoughts from one of our team members, Christen, describing her experience at M4 on Tuesday of this week.
"As I sit listening to
the rain pounding on the metal roof, she lays against my
chest, sound asleep. It took a few minutes for her to warm up to me enough to let me hold her. My eyes burn with tears and
my heart breaks for this beautiful little girl. She's naked and I hold her close
to myself, afraid of her becoming too cold. The temperature quickly dropped as
the rain came down and I wish I just had a blanket to help shield her.
I pray
over her, hoping the spirit will speak through me because my words fail.
If I was to guess, this little girl is about two but I am starting to realize
that the effects of malnutrition make it very hard to tell. I gaze into her sad
eyes and wonder how long she has been here, how she was brought here, and
where her mommy and daddy are.
It's clear that the
caregivers in this facility love the children dearly and are very
protective of them. They care for them the best that they can with the
limited resources they have available. But it's not a substitute for a loving family
with a Mommy and a Daddy.
It was beautiful and yet heart wrenching to
watch the older children step up and care tenderly for the younger ones. When it was
time to leave it was painful to hand that little girl back into the
arms of a young girl who is still just a child herself.
The pain
I have seen here in the last couple days has felt like more than I can bear at
times. But I have also seen such genuine joy and love for Jesus that it is almost just as overwhelming. I have seen things that I
pray I will never forget. I plead with my Jesus to change my heart forever."
And this is just a typical day on a SixtyFeet mission trip. Join us next year or join us in 2013. But definitely, join us. As Christen says, it will change your heart forever.
More trip details are available on the Visiting Orphans site. Or email missions@sixtyfeet.org for more information.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Too Good Not to Share #4: Imaginative Kids
Growing up and all the way through college, I studied Latin. I actually have nearly a decade of Latin education trapped inside my brain. And I do mean trapped... as I can't seem to remember a single word of it these days.
Several years ago, Dan and I were at a polo match. We were looking at the barns and noticed a Latin inscription carved at the top and Dan, recalling my superb level of Latin scholarly-ness, asked me what it meant. I studied it for a few minutes and then answered, with complete seriousness: "I think it says something about horses."
Yep. All those years have certainly paid off. Big time.
Now that I'm a homeschool mom and I am easily swayed by peer pressure, I've decided that my children should also study Latin. I mean, I'd hate for them to be stuck at a polo match someday and unable to figure out that the barn is for the horses. Or worse.
So I've begun subscribing to this Latin educators catalog. It has some great curriculum items and some interesting articles. And one of them, I must share with y'all tonight:
1. Keep Your Children Indoors as Much as Possible
2. Never Leave Children to Themselves
3. Keep Children Away from Machines and Machinists
4. Replace the Fairy Tale with Political Cliches and Fads
5. Cast Aspersions upon the Heroic and Patriotic
6. Cut All Heroes Down to Size
7. Reduce All Talk of Love to Narcissism and Sex
8. Level Distinctions Between Man and Woman
9. Distract the Child with the Shallow and Unreal
10. Deny the Transcendent
To put it another way, in my own non-poetic words, the How Not To Destroy Imagination: Make your children play outside as often as possible. Teach your children to self-entertain. Don't buy toys that require batteries. Allow your children to explore new things. Stick with the tried and true stuff and avoid the latest fads. Turn off your TV (or better yet, don't own a TV). Read, read, read. Especially classic fairy tales like the Brothers Grimm. Encourage and nuture your children in their personal relationships with the Lord -- and talk to them about the way He's real and present in your own life.
Creativity and imaginations are gifts from our Creator and it's our responsibility to use them and encourage our children in this. Dream big, for nothing is impossible with God.
Several years ago, Dan and I were at a polo match. We were looking at the barns and noticed a Latin inscription carved at the top and Dan, recalling my superb level of Latin scholarly-ness, asked me what it meant. I studied it for a few minutes and then answered, with complete seriousness: "I think it says something about horses."
Yep. All those years have certainly paid off. Big time.
Now that I'm a homeschool mom and I am easily swayed by peer pressure, I've decided that my children should also study Latin. I mean, I'd hate for them to be stuck at a polo match someday and unable to figure out that the barn is for the horses. Or worse.
So I've begun subscribing to this Latin educators catalog. It has some great curriculum items and some interesting articles. And one of them, I must share with y'all tonight:
10 Sure Ways to Destroy the Imagination in Your Child
by Anthony Esolen
1. Keep Your Children Indoors as Much as Possible
2. Never Leave Children to Themselves
3. Keep Children Away from Machines and Machinists
4. Replace the Fairy Tale with Political Cliches and Fads
5. Cast Aspersions upon the Heroic and Patriotic
6. Cut All Heroes Down to Size
7. Reduce All Talk of Love to Narcissism and Sex
8. Level Distinctions Between Man and Woman
9. Distract the Child with the Shallow and Unreal
10. Deny the Transcendent
To put it another way, in my own non-poetic words, the How Not To Destroy Imagination: Make your children play outside as often as possible. Teach your children to self-entertain. Don't buy toys that require batteries. Allow your children to explore new things. Stick with the tried and true stuff and avoid the latest fads. Turn off your TV (or better yet, don't own a TV). Read, read, read. Especially classic fairy tales like the Brothers Grimm. Encourage and nuture your children in their personal relationships with the Lord -- and talk to them about the way He's real and present in your own life.
Creativity and imaginations are gifts from our Creator and it's our responsibility to use them and encourage our children in this. Dream big, for nothing is impossible with God.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
On A Mission
Just yesterday, the SixtyFeet mission team departed for Uganda. Included on this trip were several of my girlfriends from Atlanta -- Joy, Cathy and Laura, my pastor, my husband's dear friend, Judd, and a handful of other crazy, amazing folks from all over the country.
I organized this trip myself and I'm so proud of the precious souls traveling this week. The team is made up of everyday, ordinary people with an extraordinary thirst for God. It consists of moms, dads, businessmen, medical professionals, young singles and the like -- who desire not just to hear the gospel but to go forth and live it.
There are people who claim that short-term missions trips are not about rescuing, fixing or saving. These same people will tell you that short term missions are a foolish waste of money -- how could one possibly expect to accomplish anything with real and lasting results by spending a week or two in a foreign country?
And to those people I'd say this: you're dead wrong. Because short term missions do rescue, fix and save. Just not in the way you might think. Short term missions rescue us. Me and You. The people who travel on these trips. The people who raise the money and take the time out of their lives to go and see, firsthand, how the rest of the world lives.
They rescue us because they cause us to see the world in a new and better light. They cause us to recognize the value of overseas ministry and to embrace our responsibility to our Christian brothers and sisters in the third world. They cause us to live more simply and to use our money more wisely. They cause us to make better choices and to live for something bigger than the American dream.
These trips change us forever. They rescue us from ourselves. They keep us from wasting our lives. And that is money and time well spent -- because it's a eternally invested.
I'm headed back over to Uganda myself in one month. It's about time. My spiritual batteries need some recharging and, personally, I think Africa is the best place to do it.
Later this week, one of the trip participants will be blogging live from Uganda, right here on the Crazy Blog. She'll give you a taste of SixtyFeet missions work and share some personal stories about our team on the ground the children we serve.
If you're so brave to consider joining us for such a trip, check out upcoming trip information on our partner site Visiting Orphans. Dan is leading the trip in January 2012 and I'm hoping to lead a mother-daughter trip in the spring of 2013, along with my daughter, Madeline.
Go and visit. See it, smell it, taste it. You'll never be the same.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27, emphasis mine
I organized this trip myself and I'm so proud of the precious souls traveling this week. The team is made up of everyday, ordinary people with an extraordinary thirst for God. It consists of moms, dads, businessmen, medical professionals, young singles and the like -- who desire not just to hear the gospel but to go forth and live it.
There are people who claim that short-term missions trips are not about rescuing, fixing or saving. These same people will tell you that short term missions are a foolish waste of money -- how could one possibly expect to accomplish anything with real and lasting results by spending a week or two in a foreign country?
And to those people I'd say this: you're dead wrong. Because short term missions do rescue, fix and save. Just not in the way you might think. Short term missions rescue us. Me and You. The people who travel on these trips. The people who raise the money and take the time out of their lives to go and see, firsthand, how the rest of the world lives.
They rescue us because they cause us to see the world in a new and better light. They cause us to recognize the value of overseas ministry and to embrace our responsibility to our Christian brothers and sisters in the third world. They cause us to live more simply and to use our money more wisely. They cause us to make better choices and to live for something bigger than the American dream.
These trips change us forever. They rescue us from ourselves. They keep us from wasting our lives. And that is money and time well spent -- because it's a eternally invested.
I'm headed back over to Uganda myself in one month. It's about time. My spiritual batteries need some recharging and, personally, I think Africa is the best place to do it.
 |
| Shelly and Joy with Boaz, Uganda Fall 2010 |
Later this week, one of the trip participants will be blogging live from Uganda, right here on the Crazy Blog. She'll give you a taste of SixtyFeet missions work and share some personal stories about our team on the ground the children we serve.
If you're so brave to consider joining us for such a trip, check out upcoming trip information on our partner site Visiting Orphans. Dan is leading the trip in January 2012 and I'm hoping to lead a mother-daughter trip in the spring of 2013, along with my daughter, Madeline.
Go and visit. See it, smell it, taste it. You'll never be the same.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27, emphasis mine
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Now THAT Was Grace
I was out this week enjoying a rare, brief moment of solitude. I wasn't doing anything special or exciting -- just an appointment with my optometrist. But hey, if it means I get to be alone for a few minutes, I'll take it.
I was driving along, basking in the peace and quiet, listening to some praise music. I glanced down, for just a second, to grab something laying on the passenger seat. And then it happened. I rear-ended the car in front of me.
My hands started shaking, my stomach tightened into a knot and a lump formed in my throat. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!! I can't believe I just did that!
The car in front of me was a BMW. A nice one. It looked pretty close to brand new. And I just plowed into the back of it with my big ol' Yukon XL. Perfect.
A nicely dressed man got out of the car and went to examine his rear bumper. I threw the Yukon into park and started digging for my insurance card and registration.
Less than a minute later, the man approached my window. I rolled it down and braced for the worst. I was at fault, I deserved for him to really let me have it. But this man did the strangest thing... he smiled at me. "Hey, don't worry about it" he said. "It doesn't really look like anything major. Just give me your cell number and I'll call you if anything comes up."
"Sir, are you sure?" I asked him. "My neighborhood is right up there. Do you want to pull in and take a closer look?" He smiled again. "It's fine. It's almost dinner time. I'm sure we both need to get home." And with that, he hopped into his BMW and drove away.
Whoa. I sat for a second not really able to comprehend what had just happened. Did that just happen? Did I just do something completely stupid and irresponsible and I got off scot free? As if it never happened?
And then there was nothing left to do but put the car back into "D" and drive it home. It wasn't until that moment that I realized I was so overcome with gratitude and relief that tears were actually running down my cheeks. When I turned into my neighorhood a few moments later, I distinctly heard the Lord whisper to my heart..."and that, my child, was grace."
True grace isn't just NOT getting what you deserve. It's getting way more. Grace is a smile and a kind word when you deserve a serious tongue lashing. Grace is excessive patience in a stressful situation. Grace is gentle humility towards a person who has wronged you.
I've replayed the rear-ending scene in my mind about a million times this week. I've gone outside and examined my bumper, looking for evidence that this thing really did happen. It's caused me to ponder the miracle of grace afresh.
It's prompted me to demonstrate grace, not just mercy, but grace -- when my children really have it coming to them. It's prompted me to humble myself towards others and to smile and offer an encouraging word -- when that's the last thing I feel like doing. Grace is the gospel. And the gospel is grace. It's getting way, way, way more than we ever imagined.
When you've experienced grace firsthand, you can't help but extend it to others. And, if you're a Believer in the Lord Jesus, you have definitely experienced grace. Spread it around.
"Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve." --Cathleen Falsani
I was driving along, basking in the peace and quiet, listening to some praise music. I glanced down, for just a second, to grab something laying on the passenger seat. And then it happened. I rear-ended the car in front of me.
My hands started shaking, my stomach tightened into a knot and a lump formed in my throat. STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!! I can't believe I just did that!
The car in front of me was a BMW. A nice one. It looked pretty close to brand new. And I just plowed into the back of it with my big ol' Yukon XL. Perfect.
A nicely dressed man got out of the car and went to examine his rear bumper. I threw the Yukon into park and started digging for my insurance card and registration.
Less than a minute later, the man approached my window. I rolled it down and braced for the worst. I was at fault, I deserved for him to really let me have it. But this man did the strangest thing... he smiled at me. "Hey, don't worry about it" he said. "It doesn't really look like anything major. Just give me your cell number and I'll call you if anything comes up."
"Sir, are you sure?" I asked him. "My neighborhood is right up there. Do you want to pull in and take a closer look?" He smiled again. "It's fine. It's almost dinner time. I'm sure we both need to get home." And with that, he hopped into his BMW and drove away.
Whoa. I sat for a second not really able to comprehend what had just happened. Did that just happen? Did I just do something completely stupid and irresponsible and I got off scot free? As if it never happened?
And then there was nothing left to do but put the car back into "D" and drive it home. It wasn't until that moment that I realized I was so overcome with gratitude and relief that tears were actually running down my cheeks. When I turned into my neighorhood a few moments later, I distinctly heard the Lord whisper to my heart..."and that, my child, was grace."
True grace isn't just NOT getting what you deserve. It's getting way more. Grace is a smile and a kind word when you deserve a serious tongue lashing. Grace is excessive patience in a stressful situation. Grace is gentle humility towards a person who has wronged you.
I've replayed the rear-ending scene in my mind about a million times this week. I've gone outside and examined my bumper, looking for evidence that this thing really did happen. It's caused me to ponder the miracle of grace afresh.
It's prompted me to demonstrate grace, not just mercy, but grace -- when my children really have it coming to them. It's prompted me to humble myself towards others and to smile and offer an encouraging word -- when that's the last thing I feel like doing. Grace is the gospel. And the gospel is grace. It's getting way, way, way more than we ever imagined.
When you've experienced grace firsthand, you can't help but extend it to others. And, if you're a Believer in the Lord Jesus, you have definitely experienced grace. Spread it around.
"Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve." --Cathleen Falsani
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