Hi friends and family!
The upcoming election has been weighing heavily on my mind because of my deep desire for change for this country. I hate where we are at and I hate what we have become over the Bush years. After reading this disgusting article in the Gazette yesterday titled: "A Democrat's guide to Colorado Springs" I felt ashamed of this city that I live in.
http://www.gazette.com/articles/county_39694___article.html/springs_colorado.html
I felt ashamed that so many claim to be a Christian here yet I seldom see any traces of Christ in their words or behavior. This article is representative of the majority view here, but that is so sad to me. It has been so hard to watch the direction that this city and our country have taken over these last few years and I feel that we simply cannot continue down this path of selfish, shortsighted consumerism and expect to be relevant in the world around us in a way that would reflect Christ.
As you debate and decide who to vote for, I want to challenge you not to just vote republican because it is "the good Christian thing to do" but to actually think about your vote and what it means for our country.
Here is an article that Chris found about Barack Obama, who is also a Christian. Please give it a read and consider that he might just be the change this country needs.
http://www.barackobama.com/2006/06/28/call_to_renewal_keynote_address.php.
In the face of a city that champions conservatism above anything else, including behaving in a Christ-like way, I will be voting for Barack Obama and hoping for Christ-like radical and liberal change - because, after-all, Jesus was a radical and a liberal! Amen!
That's all, thanks for reading my thoughts!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
August Thoughts . . .
Chris sent me an e-mail about the My Utmost for His Highest this morning and I found, upon reading it, that I could breathe deeply again. I felt a great relief as these words sunk into every area of my brain. Here's what I read:
August 21st.
THE MINISTRY OF THE UNNOTICED
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Matthew 5:3
The New Testament notices things which from our standards do not seem to count. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," literally - Blessed are the paupers - an exceedingly commonplace thing! The preaching of to-day is apt to emphasize strength of will, beauty of character - the things that are easily noticed. The phrase we hear so often, Decide for Christ, is an emphasis on something Our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him - a very different thing. At the basis of Jesus Christ's Kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. The thing I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, then Jesus says - Blessed are you, because it is through this poverty that I enter His Kingdom. I cannot enter His Kingdom as a good man or woman, I can only enter it as a complete pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that tells for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is priggish and un-Christian. If I say - I wonder if I am of any use - I instantly lose the bloom of the touch of the Lord. "He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water." If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life the implicit is never conscious, if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.
from: http://www.myutmost.org/08/0821.html
I feel inspired. I feel relieved. Relieved because this reminds me that Chris and I do not have to worry about the impact of what we do. We feel the burden of that a lot - we question: what are we doing? How is this relevant? What impact are we having? We feel restless and discontent when those thoughts flood us, but Chambers' words remind us that those thoughts are lies - they are meant to discourage us. We needn't be discouraged by this wrong thinking. As we do what we do, it is Christ who brings forth fruit from it. We cannot make anything we do relevant or influential - but He can. I find this truth brings such peace to my restless mind that is constantly questioning me. Christ is so gracious! He made me, and all I have to do is be me and He will take care of the rest. This is a care that I can never fully appreciate, but am overwhelmingly grateful for none-the-less.
August 21st.
THE MINISTRY OF THE UNNOTICED
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." Matthew 5:3
The New Testament notices things which from our standards do not seem to count. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," literally - Blessed are the paupers - an exceedingly commonplace thing! The preaching of to-day is apt to emphasize strength of will, beauty of character - the things that are easily noticed. The phrase we hear so often, Decide for Christ, is an emphasis on something Our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him - a very different thing. At the basis of Jesus Christ's Kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. The thing I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, then Jesus says - Blessed are you, because it is through this poverty that I enter His Kingdom. I cannot enter His Kingdom as a good man or woman, I can only enter it as a complete pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that tells for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is priggish and un-Christian. If I say - I wonder if I am of any use - I instantly lose the bloom of the touch of the Lord. "He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water." If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life the implicit is never conscious, if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.
from: http://www.myutmost.org/08/0821.html
I feel inspired. I feel relieved. Relieved because this reminds me that Chris and I do not have to worry about the impact of what we do. We feel the burden of that a lot - we question: what are we doing? How is this relevant? What impact are we having? We feel restless and discontent when those thoughts flood us, but Chambers' words remind us that those thoughts are lies - they are meant to discourage us. We needn't be discouraged by this wrong thinking. As we do what we do, it is Christ who brings forth fruit from it. We cannot make anything we do relevant or influential - but He can. I find this truth brings such peace to my restless mind that is constantly questioning me. Christ is so gracious! He made me, and all I have to do is be me and He will take care of the rest. This is a care that I can never fully appreciate, but am overwhelmingly grateful for none-the-less.
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