Daily Blogs

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The real problem is hopelessness

I saw racism at work today and it was an ugly monster.

Racism will never go away until unchanged, hateful hearts hear the Truth.

There are not adequate words to describe what I’m feeling right now. It’s a weird mixture of anger, sadness, empathy, and……..resolve. I know resolve isn’t a feeling, but it found its place inside my heart in the midst of the emotions.

The young man came into my office and told me what happened. He had the saddest look on his face. The man was hurt, yes, yet he forgave the woman immediately.

Do you know what still had him sad?

His sense of overall hopelessness.

I can’t get his words out of my head:

I guess what hurts me the most is that this kind of thing happens and no one has my back. No one’s going to do anything.

Wow.

Here’s some questions for us to consider:

What if a mentality of hopelessness is behind all of the tension–racial and otherwise–around the world?

What if our own hopeless utterances of “things just are the way they are” is keeping us from doing the right thing?

This is not me negating the importance of personal responsibility or excusing bad behavior. This is me wrestling with my own negligence while a hurting world is simply running around in the dark looking for hope.

I was convicted today because I saw a young man who was told his skin color made him less than–and he really believed it.

He was just as hopeless as the perpetrator of the offense.

Pray for him.

Pray for the perpetrator.

Pray for me.

I’m going to share the gospel with my new friend. The only thing that drives out hate and hopelessness is a Love beyond words.

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Book talk is the best

IMG_1632I love book people.

My waitress at lunch today was a book person. She came into work with a book in her hand. She saw me reading after I ordered and struck up a conversation.

What are you reading?

What’s the book about?

What’s your favorite genre?

Talk about a great time of discussion. My book obsession is not shared by many! Statistics say that the number of readers is shrinking with each generation.

Literacy is such a precious gift. Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451, once said:

You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.

Our society puts a lot of emphasis on education, yet it does not stress the importance of reading enough. I can’t count the number of articles I’ve read in the past couple of years dealing with “screen time” and “how technology is reshaping education.”

Technology is wonderful. Making education fun is fine. What’s not fine is that the majority of children I meet hate reading.

The notion that blogs and magazines, tutorials and games can replace the knowledge found in a book baffles me.

I’m not going to debate the virtues of e-readers vs. paper books in this post either.

Let me just go ahead and define what I consider “reading”:

  • Printed books
  • E-books
  • Audio books

I value all the forms of reading available to us today. This debate of what does and does not constitute reading is silly in light of the bigger problem at hand.

I don’t care about your preferred method of reading. I’m just happy you are reading at all! This is no time for us to start hating on methods.

So, don’t be afraid to interrupt my reading at a restaurant. After I dance a jig, I will happily discuss books with you.

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All the love you need

God’s love for us is big.

He has children, the chosen nation of Israel, but then He reached out to us Gentiles and offered to adopt anyone who would accept the way of salvation.

God the Father is the first adoptive parent. Adoption is a central theme of the Christian faith.

What makes all of this possible?

Love.

At least, that’s what we tell people.

God’s big love is for you.

His love transcends all other love.

Open your heart to His love.

I now want to shift our attention to the millions of children who need a home.

It’s cool to hear the adoption stories of fellow Christians, but they all have one element that bothers me:

“You know, it took us awhile to accept the idea of adoption because we just didn’t know if we could love a child that wasn’t ours.”

Wait a minute.

All Christians were once orphans, but we have to think about loving a child who’s not ours?

I have a problem with this statement.

How can I not love a child?

There’s no denying the beautiful connection between a parent and a child.  To say, though, that my love can only be limited to those who came from me is selfish.

Ask yourself: What if God had excluded Gentiles?

(A Gentile, by the way, is anyone who is not a Jew.)

Thank goodness His love is bigger than ours or we’d all be in trouble.

Please hear me: I’m happy families are adopting.

That’s awesome!

Is there anything wrong with looking at a situation and saying, “Can we do this?”

No.

Seek wisdom in making the decision because it is a big decision.

Our ability to love, however, should never be a factor. We received our love–and the power to love–from God.

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Unity is better

There are 7 billion people on this planet and no one is just alike.

This should be as common knowledge as the fact we all need oxygen to breathe. And yet, the way we talk about differences online makes it sound like scientists just figured it out.

Fighting over differences makes no sense when you understand that humans are created for relationship.

God said to Adam, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18).

The church is called a body and we are to work together for the growth of the kingdom by spreading the gospel.

unityAll of these things point to relationships, so why are we struggling?

I could list a million reasons, but the crux of it all comes down to the issue of unity. We have forgotten what connects us all.

In the absence of this knowledge, division is rampant. It’s blinding and leads to disconnection.

Looking back to Genesis, this is what connects us: All humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27)

I do not believe “all ways lead to Heaven” and “we’re all God’s children”.

There is only one way to Heaven (Jesus) and while we are all created in the image of God, only those who accept the one way (once again, Jesus) become children of God.

Here’s what makes the gospel so powerful: Jesus came to redeem all humanity. No one is left out. We can all have a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

In all of our wonderful, God given differences, may we never forget what unites us: We are the most precious of God’s creation.

Everything God did in Genesis 1 and 2 was done for man and woman. Provision and shelter, safety and rest, family and friendship all started in the Garden of Eden.

Even when we messed up, God’s redemptive plan was to give it all back.

Let’s agree to unite around the gospel.

Let’s agree to unite around the fact that people are important.

Differences are wonderful, but unity is even better.

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I know where I’m going

IMG_1694Many times the Lord gives me direction through dreams. I think of it like a road map.

“Audra, this is where you are headed.”

With a dream, though, comes the knowledge that staying stuck is not possible. You cannot decide to camp out on the side of the road when you need to be moving forward.

I find myself facing some situations where running away would be so easy. (I think by now my vulnerability issues are well known.)

During these tough times, I yell–I mean, pray–to the Lord.

He’s given me permission to be 100% honest with him. His exact words were, “I know your heart anyway, so stop hiding.”

God has seen the angelic side of me and the grumpy side of me. My prayer is that as I follow Him, Angel Audra shows up more and more. (Think halo not being held up by horns.)

Do you know where He takes me at the end of each conversation?

My dreams.

Remember, Audra, where you are going. Don’t settle for anything less than where I am sending you.

All of my tantrums are ruined by God.

I am pouting and angry and God just laughs. And HIs laughter is like a whack from a belt.

Then I remember my dream.

I’m such a hard headed brat……..

When God shows you something don’t let go. Take it and run. Let that hope be an anchor for your soul. Nothing will motivate you more than a glimpse of where God’s taking you.  

And no worries if you find yourself camping out either. God will help you pack back up and keep moving.

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Must see: Woodlawn

You need to watch Woodlawn. 

Talk about a wonderful movie…I heard a reporter say that Woodlawn is this generation’s Remember the Titans. I agree. 

Not being an avid football fan, I hadn’t heard of Tony Nathan’s story. 

Southerners aren’t proud of the past, for sure, but this movie isn’t about the shame of the past. It’s about the redemption that came when a brave group decided to not stay stuck. 

And the way out? 

Jesus. 

This is not a cop out answer either. Real encounters with Jesus do not leave you the same. 

I need to read up on the Jesus Movement. The movie references it several times.  It happened way before my time, so I don’t know much about this period in church history. 

The movie did a great job of presenting Christians in a non-cliche way. It simply showed the power of Christians walking in obedience. 

I highly encourage you to watch Woodlawn. If you already have, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

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Tips from the water cooler

The transition has begun!

I started training my friend and coworker today to take my place as full time office manager in January. 

We spent the morning doing the monthly reports and moving in a new tenant and lots of other job related things. (I had a list.)

It was cool to teach someone else about my job. I know that’s unusual, but it taught me a lot about how to leave a place better than when you came. 

Training the next employee is a great way to leave a workplace ready to move forward after you’re gone. 

I realize that not everyone has this opportunity. For me, though, it’s my way of giving back. This is what I can do to say thank you to my employers. 

Despite what you see in our culture, going to work is a great privilege. Not every job is awesome, but burning bridges as you leave is not a good idea. 

I’ve been blessed to only have wonderful bosses. I can only imagine the bad ones I’ve heard about from my friends. 

If you’re like me, be sure to thank your employers. 

If you have a bad boss, well, try to find at least one nice thing to say. Cling to it like a life boat while you look for employment elsewhere. 

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Birthday Wishes to a Great Friend

bffl faveI’m going to do something completely cheesy today.

This blog post is dedicated to my friend, Bethany Fletcher, in honor of her birthday.

We met in college and became friends instantly….NOT!

In fact, I remember the time she told me that the first time we hung out in a big group she went to her room and cried. She also used to lock the door on her side of our Jack and Jill style bathroom suite.

Eventually, though, she and I realized (and began to appreciate) all of the individual qualities that make us both awesome. christmas friends

Bethany taught me about many things, but for some I am eternally grateful:

  1. Fashion–thanks for helping me get past dressing like a granny.
  2. Music–my previous musical tastes involved a lot of Reba and Patsy Cline. I’m still their number one fan, but my musical taste has broadened–a lot.
  3. Blogging–if it wasn’t for Bethany, I would not be a blog lover today.
  4. Encouragement–this chick has walked with me and encouraged me through some pretty dark times. She’s also slapped me back into reality, but it’s always followed by a hug.
  5. Jesus–Bethany’s friendship with our Savior is out of this world. Seriously. I’ve always looked to her example in how to live, love, and serve Jesus.

Bethany, I hope you’re okay with me dedicating a whole blog post to you. It’s just that you know I’m horrible at sending out cards…..but I do want you to know that I am thankful for your friendship.

bffl pumpkinHappy Birthday, BFFL!

I hope that your 26th year is awesome.

Know that my thoughts and prayers are always with you and, of course, Mr. Fletcher.

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An amazing and sustaining grace

Many of the bloggers I enjoy following are so bold. They take fierce stands on hard topics and ride the criticism like surfers ride waves.

I’ve deleted everything 5 times today.200 words here, 150 words there. The thought of hitting publish made me queasy.

Playing it safe is a hard trap to escape.

How many times have we talked about being bold? Being unafraid? Not hiding?

Your fearless leader was a coward today.

She cried over what to make for dinner. Seriously. This happened. When told to put something together for dinner I freaked out. The need for approval and the fear of rejection collided in the perfect storm.

Over dinner.

Today is not the first time I’ve struggled with words and dinner either. Today is simply the first time I’ve had the courage to talk about it.

Dear Friends,

I have a hard time making choices without a plan and saying things without fearing the opinions of others.

Sincerely,

Tired-of-being-scared Audra

Yesterday I talked about Bold Christians vs. Sissy Christians. (Insert face palm.)

Sorry about that…

I strongly agree with what I said, but you need to read today’s post for a much needed addendum.

It’s hard to be a Bold Christian when you cry over dinner planning. (This is what’s been haunting me all day.)

But remember what I said about grace for the lost?

Grace is for Christians too. There are no double standards with Jesus.

Look at Romans 5:

10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

If grace and love is available while we were sinners, grace and love will sustain us even more when we become Christians.

Learning how to extend grace to yourself can be hard. We see our fallacies and failures so clearly. Remember, though, that grace gives us new vision–for others and for ourselves.

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Grace changes vision

When I was an enemy of God, He decided to make me a friend. His forgiveness is readily available to everyone. It’s not available once your life looks pretty. It’s available right now.

Romans 5:7-8 says:

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

My heart was a mess before Christ. I tried really hard to be good. Some people even bought into my costume too.

But I knew and God knew that what I really needed was grace–God’s DNA–to make a change. Once I accepted God’s grace, everything changed. I gave up my acting career and became an honest woman.

Grace is a change in vision.

God's loveI now see people as God sees them: forgiven, free, loved, and full of potential. This is the future for those who will accept the freedom purchased by the blood of Christ.

Verse 8 says that God loves people when they are still sinners.

As Christians, we are called to love as God loves. This means that I am to love people when they are still sinners.

The exclusivity of the church from the world makes me angry.

Living in Christian Bubble Land is not included in the Great Commission.

I will not pray for anyone to be delivered from a non-Christian environment. What I will pray is that he or she will  grow up in the faith and stop being a Sissy Christian.

Sissy Christians are scared of non-Christians and don’t understand grace.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it’s truth.

Jesus is no sissy and I follow Him.

He defeated sin, death, and hell to give us grace, love, and mercy.

This is the Good News, the gospel we need to spread.

I think some of us forget that we were once a mess. No one asked us to clean it all up before coming to Jesus.