Friendship

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Loving the Cantankerous

One of the lady’s at the nursing home was being feisty today. 

Who’s the boss lady?!? 

What’s a woman gotta do to eat around here? 

She came walking through the cafeteria and wanted to address the group. 

One of our more outgoing chapel goers tried to get her to quiet down and join us. Her loud reply was:

Listen here, lady, I own this place!

At this point, I stifled my urge to laugh and stepped into the situation. 

All I did was walk over to my new friend, stretch out my hand, and ask her to take a walk with me. 

We strolled to the nurses station where my friend was given a banana to snack on until dinner time.

 She walked happily back towards her room, greeting (very loudly) everyone she met. 

Obviously my boisterous new friend has a touch of dementia, but what I saw the most was her loneliness and desire to be understood. 

She smiled at me the whole time we were walking and she did not want to let go of my hand. 

Most of my friends at the nursing home never have visitors, yet they ask for prayer for their family members. 

Whenever I get an opportunity to pray with my friends, I make it a point to ask the Father to show them how much He loves them that week. I ask Him to whisper in their ear, “You’re never alone.”

I am glad my friend interrupted chapel today. 

It was a good reminder to me that my job is to help others–no matter how cantankerous they’re acting.  

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Captain America: Civil War

I just finished watching Captain America: Civil War. 

And I walked away from the movie feeling conflicted.

 All of the heroes were only acting out of their convictions, but I can’t help thinking that humans are odd. 

Determination is an awesome quality. On the flip side, determination looks a lot like stubbornness at times. 

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were both determined, driven by their personal convictions, and in the process they almost killed each other. 

Vengeance was another strong theme throughout the movie. 

Between the vengeance of the super heroes and the vengeance of the villain, I couldn’t help but notice that no one’s motives were pure. 

Like I said, I walked away feeling conflicted. 

What I did enjoy was how this movie was action packed from start to finish. 

If you’ve watched the movie, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

  • Did you walk away conflicted? 
  • What was your favorite part?
  • Your least favorite part?
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Escape from Bubble Land

Okay, I want to talk about something that might or might not get me in trouble….? 

My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ (those who are not Christians, this is actually a really good time for  you to let me know what you think) we are all overthinking the “in the world, but not of the world” scripture.

Let’s take a minute to look at what Jesus actually said: 

15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one.16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world (NLT).

I am not convinced, based on what Jesus said, that we are called to live in Bubble Land. It’s just….not even biblical, okay? There’s no other way to say it. 

Many Bible teachers hammer home that in order to not be contaminated by evil influences Christians must stay away from non-believers.

Any time I hear this kind of teaching my thoughts go to: 

Wow. What about Jesus and the disciples and the early Christians who hung out with all kinds of people? 

Seriously. You can’t read the New Testament and reach the conclusion that it was the nonbelievers’ fault for a Christian’s poor behavior.

If anything, Paul (and the others) chastised the Christians for their weak faith, for not following the teachings of the Bible. It was his or her own choice!

This is why having a home base–be it a friend, your family, or a small group–is key. You can’t live a missional lifestyle and not be accountable to someone. 

Choosing to not share the gospel because you want to live in a bubble is not okay.

 

 

 

 

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A garden full of character

Today was gardening day, which means that I spent the afternoon with my friend Nina. 

We planted okra, corn, radishes, cucumbers, and spinach. 

It was also cool to see that the veggies we planted last time are coming along nicely. 

Next time I head out there I will snap a few photos to show you. Nina’s beans are coming in and the bean plant’s flowers are beautiful!

Of course, getting to dig around in the dirt is always fun as well as chats about anything and everything as Nina and I get the work done. 

Seeing Nina’s love of gardening, of establishing a strong homestead, inspires me. She’s truly passionate–this is not a passing fad for her. 

There’s a lot to be learned about sticking something out even during times of failure. Not all of Nina and Jeff’s homesteading adventures worked out at first, yet they kept learning, kept trying. 

Persistence, focus, and dedication are traits that are often discussed but rarely lived out.  

And the fruits of their strong character are evident to me as I look around their farm. 

I am blessed to have friends who are teaching me through their example. 

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Wedding Fun

Today’s post is going to be super short. 

I helped cater a wedding for a sweet couple who are recent graduates from Rhema. 

In the process I:

  • Made 2 new friends 
  • Got to know 2 ladies from my prayer group better 
  • Washed a lot of dishes
  • Stood on my feet all day (minus 10 minutes)
  • Laughed a TON

It was hard work, but I enjoyed every minute. Getting to be a part of someone’s special day was neat. 

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Thursday Night Lights

I made a new friend today. 

Well, I made several new friends today because I had the opportunity to serve during Thursday Night Lights. 

Every Thursday a group of believers come together to serve and eat dinner with the homeless. 

A local missionary to the homeless brings a truck and trailer loaded with picnic tables and other supplies. 

Different groups volunteer each week to prepare dinner. It truly is a collaborative work within the body of Christ. 

My favorite part was hanging out with the men and women. One of my new friends is a little girl–let’s call her Joan–who is the same age as my sister Sofia. 

She was super shy at first but by the end of the night I got her to smile at me. 

Her smile was beautiful and it absolutely broke my heart…

What’s her daily life like? 

What are her dreams?

These are the questions that were burning in my heart. And if you know me at all, I will ask her these questions in due time. 

I’m reading through Matthew’s gospel and already there have been 3 times that Jesus was moved with compassion when He saw the multitudes. 

My heart was filled with compassion today. I never want to look at a man or woman and not see them as Christ sees them:

Loved. 

Accepted. 

Worth every sacrifice. 

I know that there’s a stigma about the homeless, but my goal is to take all my preconceived notions and throw them in the trash. 

It’s not my job to sit around and rank the people according to their various levels of poverty. 

Who is that helping?

My only job is to love people, to be their friend, and keep pointing them back to Jesus. 

Joan’s smile is still in my head…

All I see is the bright future that Christ has in mind for her. I look forward to getting to know my new friend and helping her see it, too. 

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Filter your words

I scrap a lot of posts…

There’s no telling how many times I get to 200 words and hit delete. (Maybe I should start a file of my “Almost got posted” words.)

Here are a few reasons I scrap posts: 

  • I’m thinking too negatively about a subject.
  • It’s just a really silly topic.
  • I’m simply spewing unprocessed emotions.

I started this blog to put into writing the everyday happenings and thoughts of my 25 year old self. 

Of course, my mind always wanders back to you, my reader, because I want these posts to be a source of encouragement to you as well.

Years ago, a friend of mine jokingly said she processes everything through her Jesus filter. 

I know she was joking, but I seriously do process everything through that filter.

What would Jesus say?

What would Jesus post on Facebook?

A lot of heartache would be avoided if we’d only think before speaking (or posting). In fact, just today I said the right thing in the wrong way.

Did you catch that?

It was the right thing to say, but I said it the wrong way, so I ended up needing to apologize to a good friend of mine for not being sensitive to her situation. 

Words are powerful.

Everything you and I say is either building someone up or tearing someone down. 

There is a time and place to share unfiltered words and thoughts–and it’s not on blogs or on Facebook or to any random stranger you meet.

For this reason, self-control is just as much about knowing when to speak as it is about watching what you say. 

 

 

 

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Nacho Social

The Nacho Social was awesome! It was nacho average social. 😛

Sorry…couldn’t resist the pun…

I enjoyed floating around and talking with different groups of folks. 

You can’t make it around the whole church auditorium during fellowship times but you can easily walk around the cafe!

Besides eating some yummy nachos (and drinking a Dr. Pepper and a Coke. No judgment, okay?) I had the opportunity to help clean up. 

It takes many hands to feed a big church–and many hands to help clean up, too. 

I met a really fun group of volunteers, which made clean up time go faster. 

This Sunday was busy with morning worship, nursing home ministry, serving as a camera op, and ending with the social. 

All in all, it was a great beginning to the week. 

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Many members, one body

I love when a prayer is answered in an unexpected way. 

Tonight I stumbled upon a community of Christians who are living out the principles the Lord is asking me to more closely examine. 

Their hospitality is downright refreshing. 

I look forward to further connecting with this group and the larger ministry as a whole. 

And the coolest part is that they meet on Friday nights, so it doesn’t interfere with my involvement at Rhema Bible Church. 

The body of Christ at large is doing great things. 

I enjoy connecting with different churches and parachurch ministries because it broadens my perspective. 

A narrow viewpoint, to me, is one of the biggest killers of unity. 

Just like God’s plans are bigger than us, so is His body as a whole. The idea that I’m a small, yet vital, part of the body of Christ, His hands and feet on earth, truly humbles me. 

And to think there are many members of the body and God knows us all personally?

One more reason to add to my list of why God is awesome.

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Reminders of love

I’ve received several blessings over the last few weeks.

These reminders of God’s love and faithfulness have brought me tremendous joy. 

  • Fresh fruits and veggies
  • A piece of gum (given with a big hug)
  • Chocolate
  • A pen
  • Lunch 
  • A piece of cake

I am thankful for friends who are so thoughtful!

I am thankful to my Father who knows that my heart delights in fun reminders of encouragement. 

What reminders of God’s love have you recently received?