Martha Martha Martha!

I am sooooooo Martha!  Thankfully not Martha Stewart, but still.  I'm the typical older sibling with that same irritating tendency to take charge.  Whenever I read this story, I never picture myself as Mary - who was able to just relax and sit with her guests even if all the food wasn't ready to serve, or the dishes cleaned up right away so the kitchen looked nice.  Mary was able to serve Jesus with her hospitality in a more personal and meaningful way than Martha, who kept herself so busy she ended up neglecting her guests.

Last Halloween I did the same thing as Martha.  Actually, since then I've been holding onto a lot of resentment towards my guests (mainly the women).  I was inside preparing all the food for our guests...and they all stayed outside talking together by the fire pit.  I was hurt and angry that nobody came inside to help me, that they all chose to spend time together when there obviously was work to be done.  So I missed my chance to spend time with my friends because I was too worried about all the food being served properly...and then I was even more upset later because hardly any of the food was touched and I ended up wrapping it back up and storing it for another day.  I thought I was serving my guests...but after I look at the situation with an open mind, I was only serving myself by staying in the kitchen preparing all the food.  I was worried about all the wrong things.

Like Martha, sometimes my awareness of details can prevent me from seeing the whole picture...I'm still learning when to serve and when to sit back and relax.  Thankfully Jesus is patient with me too.

Come ON Already!!

I've been waiting all flippin morning for the new reading list to go online so I can work on my blog.  That thought was running through my mind...and then I realized what I was doing - "work on my blog" was the focus...not read my Bible.  When did that happen?!?  Well, that realization sucked...so I figured it would be best for me to work on my Bible study and get into the Word for real.

So I pull out my homework that I've neglected all weekend, and the first thing is Bible memorization:

Matthew 5:8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God"

I dip my feet in a bit and read a little more about what it means to be blessed - "to experience the fortunate or enviable state of those in God's kingdom...to experience hope and joy independent of our circumstance".

"C'mon in boys, the water is fine!"    

Colossians 3:12"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved,

clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Now I start to get deep.  My mind got stuck on the phrase "clothe yourself".  I spend a fair amount of time worrying about my clothes...shopping for nice outfits, concerning myself with my outward appearance and the acceptance of others.  But if I want to really understand words like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience - I need to go to the Bible.

My homework leads me to the next verse:

Psalm 25:12 "Who is the man that fears the Lord?

He will instruct him in the way chosen for him".

To fear the Lord is to recognize Him for all that He is.  "Who is the man" reminds me of my place in the kingdom...that I was chosen by Him, holy and dearly loved - to live for Him.  When I put something first other than myself - things like compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience start to flow with the Spirit a little easier.

Finally, I read the last verse which is John 15:19. 

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it's own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you."

God's timing is awesome, and it's so cool when I realize it when something is put in my path for His purpose.  I was so frustrated this morning because the new week reading list wasn't posted online, and I couldn't work on the blog.  That is more than a little messed up!!  I had lost my focus, which should have been on reading the Bible for my own instruction...and instead was setting my sights on my own selfish desires.  So God took away my opportunity to blog first, bible later...and all of these verses made me realize so many things today. 

I am chosen.  He has a purpose for me.  I am treasured...loved.  I have been spending too much time lately worrying about my position in the world that I've forgotten my position in the kingdom.  I don't know if this will be of use to anyone else - but this was a good eye-opener for me...thanks for letting me share it here with you!!

Christianity is for the Weak!

Very thought provoking Christian Ethics bible study this week for us. It was about copyright piracy. Yes we all have and maybe some of us still do it. The class talked about limewire sites down to burning CD's, movies online or loading others Ipod's with songs. It seems like such an innocent topic that isn't really "that bad" but on the other hand it is wrong no matter how you look at it. From the moral/ethical dilemmas to the economic impact (job loss, price increases etc...) and how is it right that we think these people (not just the artists) should work for free?

I once heard someone say being a Christian is for the weak and a clutch. I would argue that being a Christian is anything but. Before following Christ, let me tell you, I didn't really think too much or deeply about my choices and the impact they had. It would be a lot easier to go back to the days where I didn't give a rats ass about things... maybe a whole lot more empty but it would be easier and more convenient hands down.

But the fact is, my choices matter and there is a whole different level of meaning and weight attached to them. Not that I am complaining because at any time I can go back to my old self and live like I used to...but you couldn't offer me all the money in the world to go back to that dark place in my life.

Now I do want to clarify for those non believers out there... I used to think, "I am not sure I really want to relinquish control of my life" or you know "Jesus can rule in this part of my life but not all of it". I really didn't want to live by all these rules and laws. The funny thing is, after receiving Christ, you are not motivated to change because you have to. You are motivated to change and make different choices because you actually want to. But even when this happens, it doesn't make it easy to do, especially in our society.

Now, on to the dilemma of our topic today. We have a lot of media in our home that was the act of piracy. I am left with a choice of deleting the media or some how making good on those products. So this is a "small" ethical dilemma but ethical none the less. One that would certainly be more convenient or easier to ignore...