So, as most of you know, I'm a huge fan of music. I love it and I have to get my fix every day or I get a little sad. Amy bought the new Casting Crowns album (only because she got a gift card when she bought it). Let me just say... AMAZING! There's some average songs, but let me tell you what. It's got some super awesome lyrics. The song Jesus, Friend of Sinners is amazing. It basically punches the typical church in the teeth! It says
"We cut down people in your name with a sword that was never ours to swing"
"The world is on their way to you, but they're tripping overme."
"Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing finger"
"Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded."
"What if we put down the signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like you did?"
Wow... Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. We cannot seek and we definitely cannot save if we avoid... Jesus told us not to judge, yet that is exactly what we do when we see a man on the street, a pregnant teen, a pregnant homeless woman... We say "She's homeless! She should be more careful to not get pregnant. She put herself in that position." I say shut up... Shut up and show that person that you care. Show that person that Jesus does indeed care for her. O, I know... you're busy. Your show is coming on in 10 minutes. The food needs to get started. You need to go to church... I'll just say that one day God is not going to say "Congratulations, my child. You were able to prepare meals on time all the time. You never missed an episode of your TV show. You never missed a church opportunity. Enter into the Kingdom!
He's going to do quite the opposite. He is going to say that when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was in prison, you visited me. Jesus said that whatsoever you do to the least of these, you've done for him. How about we quit doing things for ourselves and do something for Jesus (aka. the homeless, poor, marginalized, hurting, sick, old, and dying. That's what Jesus would do...
I've been going to downtown Chicago on Sundays doing a program called "Sunday Snacks." We (students at Trinity) fix lunches and drinks and then walk the streets of Chicago and talk to and feed the homeless living down there. There are so many different people out there. Some are super friendly and love to talk, others don't so much at all. Some are so grateful and some don't care much. There's something that a few of them always tend to say. When you ask them how things are going, they will say, as they look upward, "He woke me up again this morning. I can't complain." AHA! That's it, isn't it. If we are grateful for waking up in the morning, maybe we won't get upset when we burn supper or when it seems like there is no time in the schedule for anything. I think we can all learn a lot from the "bums." We would all do well to spend some time with them. As Casting Crowns' song The City on a Hill, on their new album says: "It's the story of the poor man that needs to be told."
Anyways, the reason that I'm posting today is that I actually have an hour of free time between classes at school. So, thanks for reading and have a nice day!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Heaven is for Real
Justin keeps telling me I need to post and up until now I've had nothing to really post. I could ramble on about nothing but that didn't seem like a good first post. I finally bought the book Heaven is for Real after coming close to buying it other times and deciding not to. I thought it would be an enjoyable book but also thought I wouldn't really get much out of it, so I always found another book to buy in its place with the money I had. Its basically a book about a little boys astounding story of his trip to heaven and back. I started reading it this morning, and like I do with most books, I'm reading it pretty quick and am over halfway done. Nothing had really stuck out to me until I got to chapter 17, which is titled Two Sisters. Colton is the little boy who has the trip to heaven and back and the book is written by his father, who is a pastor, named Todd. Todd and his wife Sonja are just sitting around when Colton tells his mom, I have two sisters. Colton does have an older sister named Cassie, but that is it, so Sonja tells Colton that he only has one sister. He tells his mom that no, he does have two sisters and that his mom had a baby die in her tummy, right? Earlier on in the book, we were told that Sonja had a miscarriage before having Colton but they have never told Colton any of this. He's able to describe to his parents what his sister looks like as well as tell them that she doesn't have a name yet. Todd and Sonja miscarried when she was about two months so they didn't know until now if their baby was a girl or a boy. Then he says something that is so sweet; he says that she just can't wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven. They now argue over who is going to get to heaven first to name their baby girl because while they were pregnant with her, they could never agree on a name.
When me and Justin miscarried, we both always wondered whether or not our baby would be in heaven. Like Todd says in the book, the bible never really states whether or not unborn babies go to heaven but we both wanted to believe that our baby would be there. I remember Justin left the hospital room to go call his dad and when he came back he told me about some of the conversation they had. Justin's dad had told him that the baby they had miscarried and our baby were now in heaven together and I don't really remember what all he said, but it was just comforting to try and picture our baby getting to meet its aunt or uncle in heaven.
I'm not one for near death experiences where you see the light and come out of it with crazy stories to tell. Not saying it doesn't happen, I just think people easily either play up what happens or completely make it up, but with this 4 year old boy, there are things he knows about the bible and scripture that he saw in heaven that he was never taught and had no way of knowing. That chapter just made me so happy especially when he told his parents she can't wait for them to get to heaven.
I've never, ever liked the idea of heaven being forever and you never really cease to exist. Weird, I know, but at some point in time I would like to just die. I've been told many times you just can't imagine what heaven is like and once you get there you won't ever wanna leave, and this is all true, but I still have never wanted to "live" forever. I'm at peace with the idea now, more than ever, knowing that in heaven I have a son or daughter who can't wait for me to get there!
When me and Justin miscarried, we both always wondered whether or not our baby would be in heaven. Like Todd says in the book, the bible never really states whether or not unborn babies go to heaven but we both wanted to believe that our baby would be there. I remember Justin left the hospital room to go call his dad and when he came back he told me about some of the conversation they had. Justin's dad had told him that the baby they had miscarried and our baby were now in heaven together and I don't really remember what all he said, but it was just comforting to try and picture our baby getting to meet its aunt or uncle in heaven.
I'm not one for near death experiences where you see the light and come out of it with crazy stories to tell. Not saying it doesn't happen, I just think people easily either play up what happens or completely make it up, but with this 4 year old boy, there are things he knows about the bible and scripture that he saw in heaven that he was never taught and had no way of knowing. That chapter just made me so happy especially when he told his parents she can't wait for them to get to heaven.
I've never, ever liked the idea of heaven being forever and you never really cease to exist. Weird, I know, but at some point in time I would like to just die. I've been told many times you just can't imagine what heaven is like and once you get there you won't ever wanna leave, and this is all true, but I still have never wanted to "live" forever. I'm at peace with the idea now, more than ever, knowing that in heaven I have a son or daughter who can't wait for me to get there!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Update
So, first off, sorry for not posting for a while. I've been busy and lazy...
Since the last time I posted, I started school and am getting close to getting a job. I'll talk about school first. I'm taking: Developmental Psychology, Technology in Education, American History, Public Speaking, and Theology. I'm really enjoying it so far. It hasn't gotten to hard, but I'm sure it will be hard to keep up with the pace later on. I love my history class. I guess that's good because I want to be a history teacher.
Now, about the job search. I did a job fair and interviewed with a company. They wanted to do a second interview and apparently it went well, even though they want an electrician and I'm a mechanic. The only thing that I'm waiting on is if they are willing to work around my class schedule this semester. I did not think that the company would want me once I found out that they wanted an electrician, but thank God, they saw my potential.
This then brings me to another place in my life. I have to balance work, school, family, and my heart for Christian service. They are all important, some more than others, and they are all time intensive! Well, I'm sure that God will give me time to do what he wants me to do.
I got in touch with a couple of groups today. One group is a group that goes to downtown Chicago and brings lunches with them to hand out to the homeless. Now, they don't just hand it out and that's it. They meet with them. They learn their names. They show them love. I'm interested in doing something like that. There is also another group that houses men who are homeless and suffer from addictions or issues with the law. They both sound interesting and I think that I'm going to get involved with them soon. Well, that's it! BYE!
Since the last time I posted, I started school and am getting close to getting a job. I'll talk about school first. I'm taking: Developmental Psychology, Technology in Education, American History, Public Speaking, and Theology. I'm really enjoying it so far. It hasn't gotten to hard, but I'm sure it will be hard to keep up with the pace later on. I love my history class. I guess that's good because I want to be a history teacher.
Now, about the job search. I did a job fair and interviewed with a company. They wanted to do a second interview and apparently it went well, even though they want an electrician and I'm a mechanic. The only thing that I'm waiting on is if they are willing to work around my class schedule this semester. I did not think that the company would want me once I found out that they wanted an electrician, but thank God, they saw my potential.
This then brings me to another place in my life. I have to balance work, school, family, and my heart for Christian service. They are all important, some more than others, and they are all time intensive! Well, I'm sure that God will give me time to do what he wants me to do.
I got in touch with a couple of groups today. One group is a group that goes to downtown Chicago and brings lunches with them to hand out to the homeless. Now, they don't just hand it out and that's it. They meet with them. They learn their names. They show them love. I'm interested in doing something like that. There is also another group that houses men who are homeless and suffer from addictions or issues with the law. They both sound interesting and I think that I'm going to get involved with them soon. Well, that's it! BYE!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Live in Love - Times of Grace
Amy showed me this video today and it's awesme. Who says that metal isn't good stuff?
Just live in love, believe in loveIn my life I have seen all the ways hatred destroys mankind
Break society's system, change the mind state, there's no compromise
Don't mistake kindness and compassion for weakness
It takes so much more strength to be selfless and live in love
Strive to live in selflessness and live in love
Through all your days, just live in love
Through all your pain, believe in love
All that you think you know is just a fraction of this world
Take the time to think about your life, live righteous
Strive to live in selflessness and live in love
Through all your days, just live in love
Through all your pain, believe in love
The words we speak, the ones we don't say
Power you don't know you contain
Through all your days, believe in love
Don't you see, we are of
Don't you see, we are of one blood
Brothers and sisters, we are one
Brothers and sisters, we are one
WE ARE ONE
And I pray this is not in vain, all that you know about, all you can't hide
All that you feel inside
Live in love
All that you know about, all you can hide
How would you feel inside (Live in love)
All that you know about, all you can hide (Through all the days)
How would you feel inside (Live in love)
All that you know about, all you can hide (Through all the pain)
How would you feel inside (Live in love)
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