My (New) favorite Bible Verse

My new favorite bible verse is  :1 Peter 2:11-12, which says:

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. (NASB)

I admit that I am a perfectionist at nature. In my own sinful nature-the weather MUST BE perfect. circumstances MUST be perfect. Everyone must be happy and everything must be in their place. Or else all h-ll breaks loose! But in my perfectionism, I tend to forget “keeping my behavior (READ: personable-ness) excellent among the Gentiles and the world.”  So, strangely enough these verse(s), especially verse 12,  encourage me not to forget to “Keep my behavior excellent” because a.) People (especially non-Christians) are watching me as I interact with other people and themselves, and I wouldn’t want to give God or Christians a bad name. b.) People may come to know the love and hope that comes from knowing Jesus (i.e…glorify God in the day of visitation) because of me. c.) I also remember that it is God they will glorify , not me, because apart from God I am nothing.  So, in case that pride barometer peaks, that part of the verse encourages me to behave excellently to glorify God , not myself.

Grace not Moralism

My first reaction when people rail against the people and sinners of the world without an ounce of compassion and love and without helping them is anger. Then, my heart breaks for them because they have missed the a key point of the gospel—grace. (now, i don’t claim to be an expert on grace –I’m not, but I do know it is so needed in this world today).  Dave Burchett, author of When Bad Christians Happen To Good People,rightly said “We cannot herd sin neatly into our theological corral. Sin cannot be managed by moralism.” (When Bad Christians…,120)

Merriam webster defines “Moralism” as

1 a.) the habit or practice of moralizing (which is to give a sense of direction of right and wrong to
b.) a convential attitude or saying

2.)the exaggerated emphasis on morality or morals.)

Source: merriam-webster.com

If we look at people through the moralism lenses they are reduced in our eyes as mere animals or beings in need of restraint. It is like when one trains the dog to “go fetch” and to eat without petting it or giving it the love it desires. But when we look at people through Jesus’ eyes, we see a complex being that was loved and cared so much by Him that He died for their sins (I believe) so that they didn’t have to be seperated from that love. We see people in need of someone (you or I perhaps?) that can show them the love of Jesus.
Yes, I agree that Christians (me included) need to show them the truth of the gospel. That we are sinners and that we desperately need Jesus. That we cannot live without Him. That our “Good deeds are like filthy rags” to him, and they cannot get you to heaven. But we also need to show them that following Jesus is not about our church attendance or our “perfect-in line” theology, it is about loving Him and others sacrificially and gracefully. It is about humility–saying sorry when we mess up and ‘fessing up to God and to others for our sins. Following Christ is about mirroring Jesus, not about condemning or judging people who don’t theologically or ontologically agree with what we do. Leave that to God. Just follow Him.

Things I learned this Christmas and holiday season

1.) Some people find Christmas and the holidays very very hard. –I hate that a.) That there are people who would inflict pain and suffering on those who are celebrating Christ’s birth and with their families. I have heard stories of countless adults who had been abused when they were children, and especially on Christmas, and now Christmas is not a reminder of innocence and joy of celebrating Christ’s birth , but of the abuse they endured. b.) That some other people who don’t know what that kind of suffering is like at all , instead of showing compassion and grace to them, tell them to buck up and be happy like everyone else. How can they when their very INNOCENCE and JOY is taken away from them?  It’s not so easy for them. So, unless you have endured the same kind of pain as they, please be considerate of those that instead of rejoicing ,have ocassion to mourn for whatever reason, on this holiday season.  c.) Some people have to endure Christmas and the holidays alone. I feel bad for those who have to endure the holidays alone. May this new year bring them some caring and loving people who will bring some joy and belonging in their life. Some people are also mournful during the holidays, because they  have lost someone close to them during that month/season.

So, if you find the holidays hard please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope the God of peace and love will comfort you. If you know someone who finds the holidays and/or new year’s hard, please try to be compassionate and loving towards them. If you are a Christian like me  especially please remember to “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn(Romans 12:15)” and to “love your neighbor as yourself,” especially those who find the holidays painful and/or are lonely.

2.) It’s not about the gifts, stupid! <directed towards me, not you>…..This year, I learned especially that the best gifts are not material, but are being surrounded by those I love and cherish most.

3.) God is good; God is good! -This year, I learned through a variety of circumstances how good God has been to me by giving me His son, sparing me from various ailments, and for saving me from myself sometimes! For instance, as much as I love my friends, sometimes God has had to pull me away from them in order to spend much needed time with my family. Also, my family is in good health and good spirits, at least my immediate family is.

Guilty as charged

Black Friday started earlier this year, most stores opening at midnight or earlier! Some retail workers reported working an average of 12 hours or more, missing Thanksgiving (a time where one is supposed to give thanks) with their familes in order to sleep so they could work the next day! Many stores required their employees to work or else….All  the while, we spent all our time shopping for more stuff we don’t need. I heard of a family who didn’t even check on their children because they were so busy shopping that Friday. A woman pepper sprayed 20 customers and more people pushed and shoved to get the games that were on sale at Walmart.(source:  http://www.batangastoday.com/walmart-black-friday-2011-pepper-spray-in-los-angeles-by-woman-injures-20-shoppers/18847/) We went shopping on black friday. We didn’t push or shove people, but still….

Meanwhile…..****
22,000 children worldwide die because of poverty.

1 Billion out of two billion children that inhabit planet earth  live in abject poverty, and of those 1 in 3 don’t have adequate shelter, and 1 in 5 don’t have adequate water.

Water problems affect half of humanity:
•Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.
•Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
•More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day.
•Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%.
•1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)
•Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhoea
•The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.
•Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.

 (source :Anup Shah, Poverty Facts and Stats, Global Issues, Updated: September 20, 2010)

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

While we are pushing and shoving for the latest gadget (or at least our peers are), while we are waiting in line to get so-and-so in our family, or worse yet, OURSELVES, the latest thing we don’t really need, more than half the people in this world would die just to get the scrap heap of what stuff we have!  Or wouldn’t really care at all because they just want to be able to live this year, literally.

Guilty as charged we are, I am, because we cared more about the stuff of this world than the people suffering in poverty in this world.  Guilty as charged because I (and surely most of you) didn’t spend nearly as much time ,effort, or money on the poor in this world, even the ones in our own nation! Sure we  Christians can claim the blood of Christ washes all our sin, and I am not discounting that, but don’t use Him and His sacrifice as cheap grace, as an excuse not to care more about the nation’s–the world’s poor.

So please, this Christmas, holiday season, or any other celebration you may have :

Reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and Christ’s birth to you.

Be thankful for what you already have. That means don’t get into the rush of buying the latest thing for your child or yourself. If you already have, ask for forgiveness from God (if you believe). And then STOP. STOP buying stuff for yourself things you don’t need. If you have extra time or money this year, invest it in your local food pantry by volunteering and/or giving to it. Better yet, give your time, talent, or treasure to the people around the world that need it.  Many people criticize Rob Bell for his  teachings, but he IS doing something good in his church—promoting and collecting funds for clean water in the very places where it is needed most: Visit http://marshill.org/serving/water/ for more info.

Be thankful also for the things that last longer than stuff –like God, your family and friends, and all the blessings that have been given to you that make you smile other than material stuff.

 

They will know we are Christians by our love….

We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah they’ll know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yeah, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

I was saddened to hear someone being abused that was a non-Christian by someone claiming the name of Christ. I was also angered by the fact that the non-Christian now has been given ocassion to hate Christ and all Christians because of that action from that person who claimed to be Christian (NOTE: I said “Claimed” not at all talking about SINCERE followers of Christ around the world who show their love and grace, some even amidst persecution.). I also think that Jesus would agree about the abuser who claimed the name of Christ and everyone who practices lawlessness in Christ’s name: ” “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ (Matt 7: 21-23).

Sure, I am a hypocrite to at times. Everyone is at some point; thankfully all of God’s grace and mercy covers even our sin of hypocrisy. Here is my prayer :

Dear God, please help me to show your love and care as the song above teaches and Your Son Jesus taught, even to those who may not believe in You. I hereby repent in dust and ashes of all my hypocrisy and damage I have done in the name of Christ, and hope you will be able to forgive me for that. Please help those brothers and sisters in Christ around me share your good news with truth and love and help us not to glorify ourselves in so doing, but You, who is deserving of all honor and glory. Amen.

How to Heal

I don’t claim to be (and am not) an expert in how to heal, but I hope it the following will help you still:

1.) Forgive others- I have realized that when I don’t forgive others, that it gets in the way of MY emotional healing. Grudges can even make a small wound worse. Forgiveness in my humble opinion, should follow Matthew 18 of the Bible (in other words)
a.) Forgive continually (seventy times seven )
b.) When someone offends you, go to the person and calmly and nicely explain how he or she hurt you. (This is not in the Bible, but “I feel ….” statements are particularly effective in addressing this rather than accusatory “yous” . For example, I felt hurt and betrayed when you stole $20 from me, is better than “You were conniving and mean when you stole $20 from me!” )
c.) If they don’t listen, take another person with you (or two). And calmly explain again how he or she hurt or offended you.
d.) If they still don’t listen and the sin (moral wrong) is serious, take it to your church or an assembly.
e.) If they still don’t listen, stay away from them. Forgive them in your heart, but don’t have a close relationship with them until they have express repentance or a turn around from their sin.

Forgiveness is NOT excusing or forgetting. Forgiveness is NOT a feeling, but an act of the will. Forgiveness is leaving judgement to God and forfeiting your right to revenge or even thinking vengeful thoughts towards the person who wronged you.

2.) Exercise and eat right–not too much or too little, and eat healthily.
3.) Enlist the help of others—When you have trouble healing, you may want to pray and talk to God about your troubles (if you believe) and He will help you!You may also want to have a face to face conversation with a trustworthy person. You may also consider counseling or seeing a therapist. If that is not possible,there are a lot of online support groups available.
4.) Write poetry and stories about how you feel at the moment, to get out the emotions that are bottled up inside

New Blog and meaning of my username

I am having a new blog. Some of it will be public and some of it will not. This week has been filled with sadness, anger, joy, frustration, jubliation, and celebration.  Out of this is birthed a new username and blog with much meaning to it:

Butterfly: When a butterfly is still learning and growing nothing of it looks good. It is a caterpillar. But as it grows and changes, it starts looking more and more like a butterfly. The growth process is never easy or comfortable, and if it stops growing completely it will die and never be a butterfly. But the hard work of being a caterpillar and in a cocoon is finally worth it , when it finally flies and becomes a butterfly! I feel that I am much like the caterpillar and butterfly. I am nothing in and of in myself, but God who has beautifully shaped me and make me continually grow in a cycle that makes me from a caterpillar to a butterfly, grow another butterfly first becoming a caterpillar, and then goes on and on forever until I meet God in Heaven.

5 17: Simply- Corinthians 5: 17 which is a Bible verse saying, ” Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he [or she] is a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come.” (NIV)