Step Forward Day: St. Francis Center

GCBS participated in Step Forward Day today, along with over a thousand volunteers from the Pepperdine community. It was a wonderful experience as we helped serve breakfast and pass out groceries to those in need at the St. Francis Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

I was especially pleased to witness how well all of the helpers from the various volunteer groups were able to work together. People stepped in to lend a hand wherever help was needed, and we were able to serve as many people as possible who came through the center's doors. It seemed as though everyone left their personal agendas and egos outside and truly devoted themselves to servitude, which unified these groups of strangers in a way that some well-established business organizations could only wish they could achieve.

"Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." (Heb 13:16) It's all too easy for us to get caught up in our never-ending list of things to do that we feel we don't have the time to volunteer. Today served as a great reminder that sacrificing three hours on a weekend can make a significant impact for the less fortunate... and can also be a fun time :) It also makes our prayers that much more meaningful when we think of the homeless and near homeless families in our communities.

Step Forward Day was a lovely way to start out the school year for our club, and I look forward to the future opportunities to serve our community. Below are a few photos from today's activities: [1] Caitlin, Chelsey, Dr. Williams and Michael loading up delicious pies donated by Bonert's Pies. [2] Chelsey and Sarah serving the tables during breakfast.

- Jessica

Overcoming Negative Thoughts

Recently I have been letting negative thoughts attack my everyday attitude.  Sometimes something very small will happen during the day that will consume my mind and seem to take over anything great that happens.  It really feels like a miniature spiritual battle that I have internally.  One of my favorite verses is: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  It's really a great sounding verse, but a lot tougher than it seems.  Take the first part, rejoice always.  How often can you say that you are constantly rejoicing, all the time?  Yes we may rejoice when something great happens, but are we really rejoicing all the time?  Can you imagine if we were actually following this, how many people would be able to see a difference in us, that we are always joyful?  Take the next part, pray continually.  Yes, I pray multiple times a day about many things, but am I constantly praying?  Definitely not.  The power of prayer is immense and if we really were the praying community that we could be, the light that we have would be so much greater.  The last part, give thanks in all circumstances, seems easy as well.  Of course we thank God when we get the job or we get the grade but are we thanking Him all the time?  For every little and even challenging thing that is happening in our lives?  I doubt it.

On the other hand I think if we weaved these three simple things into our lives it would drastically change the way people see us and the light that we could shine around us.  The last part of the verse that I love is this: "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".  I can't tell you how many times I have asked, WHAT IS GOD'S WILL FOR ME?  Well here it is laid out in three simple things.  If I just did these things and turned my focus towards God instead of letting negative thoughts impact my mind, I'm sure there would be drastic changes in my spiritual life.

Keep Our Gaze Fixed On Christ

Below is the address Pope Benedict XVI recently delivered to university professors at the Basilica of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid, taken from an email forward from Professor Joe Hahn:

"I have looked forward to this meeting with you, young professors in the universities of Spain. You provide a splendid service in the spread of truth, in circumstances that are not always easy. I greet you warmly and I thank you for your kind words of welcome and for the music which has marvelously resounded in this magnificent monastery, for centuries an eloquent witness to the life of prayer and study. In this highly symbolic place, reason and faith have harmoniously blended in the austere stone to shape one of Spain’s most renowned monuments.

Being here with you, I am reminded of my own first steps as a professor at the University of Bonn. At the time, the wounds of war were still deeply felt and we had many material needs; these were compensated by our passion for an exciting activity, our interaction with colleagues of different disciplines and our desire to respond to the deepest and most basic concerns of our students. This experience of a "Universitas" of professors and students who together seek the truth in all fields of knowledge, or as Alfonso X the Wise put it, this "counsel of masters and students with the will and understanding needed to master the various disciplines", helps us to see more clearly the importance, and even the definition, of the University.

The theme of the present World Youth Day – "Rooted and Built Up in Christ, and Firm in the Faith" (cf. Col 2:7) can also shed light on your efforts to understand more clearly your own identity and what you are called to do. As I wrote in my Message to Young People in preparation for these days, the terms "rooted, built up and firm" all point to solid foundations on which we can construct our lives.

But where will young people encounter those reference points in a society, which is increasingly confused and unstable? At times one has the idea that the mission of a university professor nowadays is exclusively that of forming competent and efficient professionals capable of satisfying the demand for labor at any given time. One also hears it said that the only thing that matters at the present moment is pure technical ability. This sort of utilitarian approach to education is in fact becoming more widespread, even at the university level, promoted especially by sectors outside the University. All the same, you who, like myself, have had an experience of the University, and now are members of the teaching staff, surely are looking for something more lofty and capable of embracing the full measure of what it is to be human. We know that when mere utility and pure pragmatism become the principal criteria, much is lost and the results can be tragic: from the abuses associated with a science which acknowledges no limits beyond itself, to the political totalitarianism which easily arises when one eliminates any higher reference than the mere calculus of power. The authentic idea of the University, on the other hand, is precisely what saves us from this reductionist and curtailed vision of humanity.

In truth, the University has always been, and is always called to be, the "house" where one seeks the truth proper to the human person. Consequently it was not by accident that the Church promoted the universities, for Christian faith speaks to us of Christ as the Word through whom all things were made (cf. Jn 1:3) and of men and women as made in the image and likeness of God. The Gospel message perceives a rationality inherent in creation and considers man as a creature participating in, and capable of attaining to, an understanding of this rationality. The University thus embodies an ideal which must not be attenuated or compromised, whether by ideologies closed to reasoned dialogue or by truckling to a purely utilitarian and economic conception which would view man solely as a consumer.

Here we see the vital importance of your own mission. You yourselves have the honor and responsibility of transmitting the ideal of the University: an ideal which you have received from your predecessors, many of whom were humble followers of the Gospel and, as such, became spiritual giants. We should feel ourselves their successors, in a time quite different from their own, yet one in which the essential human questions continue to challenge and stimulate us. With them, we realize that we are a link in that chain of men and women committed to teaching the faith and making it credible to human reason. And we do this not simply by our teaching, but by the way we live our faith and embody it, just as the Word took flesh and dwelt among us. Young people need authentic teachers: persons open to the fullness of truth in the various branches of knowledge, persons who listen to and experience in own hearts that interdisciplinary dialogue; persons who, above all, are convinced of our human capacity to advance along the path of truth. Youth is a privileged time for seeking and encountering truth. As Plato said: "Seek truth while you are young, for if you do not, it will later escape your grasp" (Parmenides, 135d). This lofty aspiration is the most precious gift which you can give to your students, personally and by example. It is more important than mere technical know-how, or cold and purely functional data.

I urge you, then, never to lose that sense of enthusiasm and concern for truth. Always remember that teaching is not just about communicating content, but about forming young people. You need to understand and love them, to awaken their innate thirst for truth and their yearning for transcendence. Be for them a source of encouragement and strength.

For this to happen, we need to realize in the first place that the path to the fullness of truth calls for complete commitment: it is a path of understanding and love, of reason and faith. We cannot come to know something unless we are moved by love; or, for that matter, love something which does not strike us as reasonable.

"Understanding and love are not in separate compartments: love is rich in understanding and understanding is full of love" (Caritas in Veritate, 30). If truth and goodness go together, so too do knowledge and love. This unity leads to consistency in life and thought, that ability to inspire demanded of every good educator.

In the second place, we need to recognize that truth itself will always lie beyond our grasp. We can seek it and draw near to it, but we cannot completely possess it; or put better, truth possesses us and inspires us. In intellectual and educational activity the virtue of humility is also indispensable, since it protects us from the pride, which bars the way to truth. We must not draw students to ourselves, but set them on the path toward the truth, which we seek together. The Lord will help you in this, for he asks you to be plain and effective like salt, or like the lamp which quietly lights the room (cf. Mt 5:13).

All these things, finally, remind us to keep our gaze fixed on Christ, whose face radiates the Truth which enlightens us. Christ is also the Way, which leads to lasting fulfillment; he walks constantly at our side and sustains us with his love. Rooted in him, you will prove good guides to our young people. With this confidence I invoke upon you the protection of the Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom. May she help you to cooperate with her Son by living a life which is personally satisfying and which brings forth rich fruits of knowledge and faith for your students. Thank you very much."

Rapture

I should have posted this about a month ago or so.  Anyways, when the rapture was supposedly happening it really got me thinking.  We don’t really know when Jesus will come back, and people were freaking out about the rapture, almost anxious.  I wasn’t worried, but it did make me think about what I would do if the rapture was tomorrow.  This feeling of impatience and excitement started brewing inside me.  It made me realize we shouldn’t live that anxiousness when someone predicts the rapture; we should live that anxiousness every day.  Like Jesus is coming back tomorrow.  We should be living like Him and spreading His word.  The first things I thought about were my family and friends that didn’t know Him, and how if the rapture was coming tomorrow, I would tell them about Jesus.  We should live that anxiousness and excited anticipation every single day not just when falsely predicted.  A fellow Pepperdine student ends many of his prayers wishing that Jesus would come back tomorrow or today or even before the prayer is over, that’s how we should really live.

-Carly

No School = No Skimming

In some ways we, as Believers, are much weaker than our counterpart non-believers that walk through life with little to no care in the world. There is a lot of Christian rhetoric that will tell you otherwise, but I know it because I’ve felt it. Secular individuals believe that they neither need nor have a religious crutch which they will cling to. Whether they consider their “end of days” and the implications of not believing in something or not, they decide that Jesus Christ is a waste of time and a serious hindrance to living a fun and ceaselessly entertaining lifestyle. They may experience little earthly consequence because of affluence of the Western culture and the obvious superfluity of a God in a culture where we have everything we need. In many ways, I see how this view proliferates. We can relate to the doubt, the intrigue and the attraction of living in the moment. Oft considered, we can imagine how fun and easy it would be to drop the weighty responsibilities of following a religious creed on earth and seek the most sensual desires of our heart. At this very moment, at the moment of forming this wild and unbridled thought, something holds me back.

What is this weakness that I feel and the overwhelming sense of inability to pursue my most worldly thoughts? If I can imagine this so vividly and feel the self-confidence surging through my veins, what can possibly stop me?

Dependence is the thing that stops me. What a dirty sounding word to me. As I begin to formulate an independent and primal urge, I’m struck by an immovable experience of unyielding obligation. This obligation doesn’t feel like an obligation to change my oil or spend time with my overly precocious cousins at seasonal holidays. This obligation has no frame of reference in my life because I’ve only felt it in the context of my faith. In this moment I am weak. I am the anti-hero. I have no power to save the day. I fear death. I fear my own fragility. I doubt myself. My true nature is exposed and I am ashamed. Even my favorite tools like the power of positive thinking and my parent’s nurturing empowerment are impotent forces.

This is the moment that I see how weak I am compared to those around me who can dismiss this obligation of reliance. You think you know what’s coming, “He’s going to say that he feels God’s peace wash over and a warm buzz of good feelings dissipate the shame.” Actually, I feel none of that. As I see the world laughing at my weakness and fragility, I don’t feel better about myself at all. It is not a matter of my emotion, but of my soul. A spark inside my soul is ignited, a flicker of faith…that I have been redeemed by some power that I desperately need. In spite of the way I feel, my soul, my very essence, KNOWS that my pathetic weakness is my eternal strength. 

-Luke (I love you guys, hope everyone has a great summer and keep posting on here!)

He Loves Me

I learned something fundamental this year. I learned that God loves me. I learned to show emotion frankly. I learned to trust despite uncertainty. I learned to try to understand success. 

Finally, and above all, I learned that He loves me so much.

Can something be ‘very’ true?

That was a question a friend asked me years ago.  Well, not really a friend, or at least, as it turned out.  But, the question stuck with me.  Like gum on the bottom of your shoe.  Like that annoying friend who you later find out is really a better friend to you than you were to him/her

The reason the question stuck with me, I’m pretty sure, was because ‘truth’ and what it actually consists of has haunted me most of my life, and especially, in my study of the Scripture. 

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

People quote this verse all the time.  Pastors quote it, athletes quote it, ‘unChristian’ entertainers and actors/actresses quote it, Sunday school teachers quote it, and politicians even quote it.  Why?  I’m pretty sure because we all have a lot of natural yearning for freedom.  Freedom to what?  Usually this means to do whatever we want.  ….if we only knew what that actually was.  If we look at the context of the verse, we see that Jesus has just brought the verbal pain to the Pharisees, telling them they don’t know God, the Father, His Father.  And His statement about ‘being free’ is a conditional one.  It starts with “if”.  “IF” you continue in Jesus’s word, He says, you shall become His disciples.  THEN you get the truth.  Then you get set free.  Kinda how Peter was set free to get crucified upside down.  How Paul was free to get stoned and snakebitten and ship-wrecked.  How Jesus was free to give up His life and die the most gruesome death imaginable.

Which, tangent, but – every time we see a cross around someone’s neck we should really imagine a gas chamber or the electric chair instead – because if Jesus had lived and died and rose again today that’d be the symbol to remember Him by, not one with no cultural relevance to the current time and place.  But I digress…

The point of this passage, I think anyway, is that Jesus sets up a construct for following Him, His word, becoming His disciple, getting in sync with the Father, knowing the Father – THAT sets free.  Like a chemical process.  This is scientific…if-then…something happens.  And it’s not about us, it’s about becoming 1) a disciple of Jesus and 2) connected to the Father & knowing Him.

Which, according to most of the Bible, anyway, usually involves hardship, pain, death, torture.  That stuff.  Not exactly the American dream.  But I digress…

I think, by the way, now, after years of contemplation, that something can be ‘very’ true and other things just ‘true.’  What I mean is, a filet mignon steak is ‘very’ good and that cheap standardized flank steak you are getting thrown on your plate as you’re bused through a line like sheep or cattle yourself in a sketchy cafeteria is just ‘good.’  There are degrees to things that can be good or valuable or pleasurable, just like degrees to truth.  Jesus however is speaking of truth as an either/or.  Either you follow Him or you do not.

Main takeaway:  In summary, I would submit that he’s speaking about God/Him/Holy Spirit as the praxis of truth itself.  As in, truth being worked out in the hearts and souls of human beings.

Two supplementary quotes—one from the Indian author of ‘House for Mr. Biswas,’ and the second from my journal while building a log cabin in Colorado w/a buddy who embodies the Truth of Christ in His life in a way that has challenged me to the core:

"Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision." —V.S. Naipaul.   How does this relate to your intellectual and other pursuits?

Like the fabric and threads of that old blanket which conjures instantaneous sentimentality in your mind, God has been stitching together time, experiences, relationships, events, thoughts, feelings, and a plethora of components out of which he has, and is weaving, a life.  Your life.  Which, the Psalmist says is like a “fleeting vapor” that moves over blades of grass.  So guess what, it doesn’t matter anyway, at least, not as much as you might think.  We are all vapors, God-breathed, and may we settle well on His grass, and be enjoyed in His nostrils, freely, lively, abundantly…

-Matthew

You Can Skim This One

How will you measure my life?

Clayton Christensen is a Harvard Business School professor who recently wrote an article posing this question to graduating MBA students. The author is a Christian and offers a model that is meant to be used to by individuals to define the important things in their life and what metrics are pertinent to track implementation. A short read, I highly recommend it.  

Where is my value found?


Placing my value entirely in God is impossible. It goes without saying that I would tell you I want my value to be completely interwoven into the fabric of our relationship, but my actions betray my altruistic rhetoric. In fact, using pretentious language like "altruistic rhetoric" just tied up some value in what I perceive as a facetious mind.

I spend a lot of my time trying to make sure that I seem valuable through: popularity, professional success, relationships, personal appearance, a wise demeanor and fractiously battle any enemy -- especially God. These exogenous variables valiantly defy the Almighty, but why?

Unusual circumstances often serve as points of clarification. Recently, God revealed how satisfying and "right" it was to yield all (or as much as my sinful mind could) of my value proposition into His grace and loving arms.


Eternity panic attacks

In Ernest Becker's book, The Denial of Death, he discusses the dualism of having an animalistic nature with all the functions of a sentient being-but also having a symbolic self, such as a name and self-awareness. This thought led me to an "eternity panic attack" which I occasionally have. You know, the thought of forever and what that will be like. I can grasp the idea that I have a symbolic self and how that places me on higher tier of creation, but if you want to feel insignificant and completely dependent, look up at the sky and imagine uninterrupted existence.

The dualism of having a symbolic self, like a name and cogent thought processes combined with the eternal purpose that God created us makes me feel like a dumb mule. Thankfully, God grants a clue to this dumb mule, and has offered the gift of eternal life.

It was interesting that when I stopped fretting about eternity, I looked less at myself and began to look at ways I could spread this exhilarating thought.

-Luke (sorry if this post was overly fragmented...hopefully you just skimmed it anyway :)

Power -> God’s Glory

I’m a man of little faith, most of the time.  I’ve increasingly grown less confident of my own ability to do anything, and yet instead of realizing this displacement is God’s strategy to shift my focus inevitably toward His all-sufficing provision, capability, and resurrection power, usually I see things as falling into an awkward state of limbo from which there seems no proximate remedy.  Over the years God has been developing in me, through adverse circumstances and loving discipline, an awareness to His sufficiency and my minute mortality. 

One of the stories of Jesus’ steps on our planet that has most intrigued me goes like this [end of Matthew 8]:  two dudes have so many demons they’re uncountable, thus called ‘legion,’ demons recognize Jesus as having power over them and they ask to be sent into farm animals, Jesus sends them into some pigs [thus honoring their request…odd], economic loss of pigs ensues when pigs run off the cliffs, townspeople have entirely inverted priorities of the universe and prize economic value over supernatural visitation of the Lord God Almighty in their town and kick him out of town….

…which leads to Jesus showing up and mind-reading the religious dudes who are looking down on him for healing a previously lame person, which sets up Matthew 9:8-9:

“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.  And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him”

           That’s quite a turn of events.  Let’s be honest: what would you do if you turned on the evening news to see pigs running off a cliff due to being recently possessed by demons – demons who had just had a conversation with some dude who claimed to be the Son of God, who everyone has been talking about, and then after you turn off the news your buddy who’s been lame his entire life walks up to your house claiming this Son of God dude just healed him?   Oh, and your neighbor’s cousin’s wife’s friend Matthew just up and left his cushy job and started following this guy right afterwards?!  But wait, do you even think that some of the causes of events in our world and/or actions of people are directly attributable to demon possession or God’s direct healing hand on someone’s life? [but I digress, as that is another conversation…]

            

           We have a perspective today which, I believe, does not truly account for the power of God.  Or at least, I don’t.  Sure, we acknowledge the saving power of God over our sins, etc., but do we contemplate that it is power over EVERYTHING.  Over life, over death, over demons, over disease or deformity?!  We might claim we believe the Bible is true, but when’s the last time you overheard someone in church say:  ‘so, I was having an argument with this demon the other day…’ or ‘my daughter was recently raised from the dead’?  I’m overstating to make my point, but overall I believe we down-size God to match the parameters of our current problems.issues.wants.wishlist.mood.  If we contemplate God’s power, we see God as being all-powerful over our job search, our upcoming final, our relational drama, our income taxes, etc.  We see something like the tragedy in Japan and…is our first thought of God’s omnipotent power or Him or the destruction and how devastating it must be?  I know what my first inclination is. 

And yet, the Scripture says that God had ‘given such power unto men.’  A friend who is much smarter than I believes this passage shows that God’s design is to give us power, and cites how the apostles healed others, cast out demons, etc. when Jesus sent them out.  And I do get his point, and I haven’t studied the Scriptures to the degree he has, but I would agree with him thus far that a general construct goes like this:  God is all-powerful.  That means He has power over EVERYTHING.  Our God is not diffracted and does not report to someone else.  He gave this power to men.  Jesus and the apostles, to name a few.  We are made in His image and are built to become ‘little Christs’ and thus replicate Jesus with our very lives.  Thus, His design is for us to wield His power as well…why?  The Scripture says the result of Jesus using God’s power is that when the multitudes of people saw Jesus do it “they marveled” and “GLORIFIED GOD.” 

When I ask God why I’m weak the answer is usually that I’m not glorifying Him.  Every time, now that I think about it, that I’ve ever been powerful, channeling God’s power through me, it’s been synonymous with my life glorifying His.

And, Lest we think this is a one-time thing, or something Matthew blew out of proportion to justify him leaving his job to follow a random stranger, consider the very last instruction of Jesus to his disciples before ascending into heaven [talk about a sight to behold!]

Matthew 28:18-20  “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Then in Acts 1:8 Jesus instructs them that “you will receive power” and be His witnesses…to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Main takeaway:  There is one Being with all the power in all Heaven and earth given to Him.  And He says we will receive power.  Why?  To be His witness, and to glorify God, that’s what His power’s for.

--Matthew

Comfortably Uncomfortable

As humans, I think we strive for comfort.  Some of us take comfort when we have enough money, others take comfort in having a good education, others in a family, and others in a career.  We like our routines, we find comfort in small things, because we know what to expect. 

Living a comfortable Christian life is easy too.  Go to church, go to fellowship, read the bible, have a few conversations, pray—all of these things are safe and comfortable.  And I’m not saying they’re wrong, but I do think there is a way for us to be challenged and thus have a stronger faith.

When we are comfortable, it’s hard to depend on God because we have other things to depend on; we are not much different from the rest of the world.  When we are uncomfortable, the only thing we have is God, and we have to put all of our faith in Him.

God clearly called me to Pepperdine, and for me this was an uncomfortable choice.  I had a safe and comfortable choice at home; I could stay in my hometown, I could work at my same job--easy choice.  I had to step out in faith and depend on him 100% and the peace I felt by making that uncomfortable choice was surreal.

What if God called you to…Africa…or to live homeless…would you make that leap?  I can think of many reasons why not to make that choice including fear, loneliness, safety, etc.

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”—Isaiah 6:8

So many times we cry out to God “Here am I. Send me!”  Then we complain that we never hear Him calling us, but I think sometimes we have selective hearing.  “Here Am I, Send me…but only if it’s safe and I will feel comfortable.”  I have made this same cry myself…there are many things that I feel God has called me to do…and I have ignored a lot of them because I’m not sure how I am supposed to do them or where I am even supposed to start.

We can’t expect to change the world if we live by the same rules.  Jesus I’m sure was quite comfortable in heaven, but instead He came down into the world in a very uncomfortable position…knowing He was going to be crucified.

If Jesus can put himself in a position like that for us, certainly we can step out in faith in uncomfortable situations and depend completely on God.  We can take comfort in the fact that God is not going to let us fall, and even if we do stumble, He’s going to be there. 

I think living uncomfortably, but depending completely on God will allow us to see Him work in a refreshing and rewarding way.

--Carly

Dependence

Two main things that God is working on in my life are craving His word and depending on Him.


Graduate school has really taught me how to skim a reading.  When we are assigned hundreds of pages of reading I have learned how to skim these pages by quickly reading them looking for key words or dates that I should pay attention to.  Unfortunately this seems to be the only way I know how to read now.  Since the business school is on break I was excited to take up reading as a past time again, at least for a week.  Although when starting to read I realized that I was skimming even a book I was reading for pleasure.  I have been reading the bible like this as well.  Every night when I sit down to read a chapter or two of the bible, I have been skimming searching for key words as well.  I now have to force myself to read it a few times to completely comprehend what I am reading so that I don't automatically go into this mode.  God has really been working on me to learn to separate what I am reading for school and actually crave reading his word in a real way instead of reading it like I am reading a book for school.  Sometimes it seems reading the bible is just another check on my to do list for the day but instead it is becoming a reward at the end of a long day.


--


When I think of truly living I think of depending on God 100%.  For someone who really likes things planned out, this is really hard for me.  I honestly have no idea where I will spend this summer for my internship or where I will be living next year or where I will be working in a year from now when I graduate.  These uncertainties are really hard for me to deal with and they really put me outside of my comfort zone.


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. --Jeremiah 29:11


I need to remind myself constantly that God does have a plan and that even though I am feeling out of control and have no idea what will happen in the next year, God is in control and He knows exactly what will happen and that His plan is good.  Although I hate this feeling of lack of control, the idea of depending on God and truly letting Him work in my life really allows me to rest in Him.


-Carly

"Jesus? Or no?"

One of the things I struggle with most is procrastination.  I find myself putting things off until the last possible minute, telling myself that I work best under pressure.  I make long lists of things I need to do, but instead of doing them, I can always find a reason to wait until “later.” 

A few weeks ago, I was listening to an incredible woman share her thoughts about what it means to walk with Jesus, to really know him for who He is and not just things about him.  In Matthew 16:13-15, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  They respond with “John the Baptist…Elijah…Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”  Then Jesus asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” 

That seems like an easy question.  I’ve known Jesus since I was a little toddler in Sunday school singing about how much He loves me.  Of course I know who Jesus is!  But really think about that.  Do I really have an answer that even begins to describe character and depth of the person of Jesus Christ?  Do I have more than a scripted list of all the things I simply know about Christ or all the things He’s done for me?  What does my relationship with Christ really look like? How often to I just listen to Him speak to me?  Am I always looking for what he can give me? Do I wake up every day eager to know Him more deeply than the day before?  Do I choose to follow him wholeheartedly and intentionally in every choice I make?

It was at about this moment that the woman hit me with this: every single day we have the choice of “Jesus, or no.”  Every day.  Following Christ is not a decision you make once and then go on living as you want—it is a choice you make daily.  And while I was completely struck by the truth of that statement, I also had to wonder if I can honestly say that I deliberately “choose” Jesus every day of my life.  It’s so incredibly easy to get caught up in my own plans and lists and desires and all these things that the world places above Christ. 

And grad school seems to magnify all of this—we are constantly under the pressure of assignments, papers, tests, presentations, internships, interviews, career planning, job searching, projects, networking…the list goes on and on.  Everything about school is telling us to plan, to work hard, and to achieve.  And while these things are not necessarily bad, it’s terrifyingly easy to let our relationship with Christ take a backseat to our own initiatives and goals.

How many times have I thought, “I just really need to finish this project…I’ll spend time with Jesus when I’m done” or “I know I need to spend time praying about this…but I’ll do it later”?  How many days go by with nothing but a short, tired prayer of “thanks for this and these are the things I need your help with?”  Too many than I would care to admit.

The fact is, Christ offers us more.  He is not just a place to dump our laundry list of problems, and He is not someone that’s just along for the ride as we plan out our futures and worry about how we’re going to find jobs, etc.  He invites us to be a part of His plan, to be on mission with Him in a way that is far bigger than anything we could even imagine, let alone plan ourselves. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” - Proverbs 19:21. 

So why would I live in a way that places daily stresses and planning above being with God?  I don’t want to “procrastinate” building a deeper relationship with Christ—thinking all the while that I will get to it eventually.  In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis is speaking from the perspective of a head demon when he says, “We have trained [people] to think of the Future as a promised land which favored heroes attain – not as something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” 

The reality is that every minute contributes to who we are and the depth of our relationship with God.  In one of my favorite quotes, C.S. Lewis also points out that “every time you make a choice, you are turning the central part of yourself, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before.”  Every time we make a choice, we can choose Jesus, or we can say to Him, “No, I need to do this my way, on my time.  I will listen to You later.  I will get to our relationship when I’m done with all of these other things.” 

My prayer is that even in the midst of school, work, and concerns about the future, we would choose to put Jesus first.  I pray that, especially with finals coming up, we’ll resist the tendency to procrastinate spending real, quality time with Him.  Because when it comes down to it, I want to have an answer to the question of who Jesus is that can only come from walking with Him at all times, from valuing my relationship with Him above everything else, from seeking His face rather than his blessing, and from choosing Him daily.   

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.   For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

-Chelsey

Edification or Gossip?

"Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear."

Ephesians 4:29

I remember being in elementary school and seeing the other girls staring at me and my friend Danny from across the playground, whispering, giggling then running away. Later that day the rumors spread like wildfire. "ooo, Danny and Lindsay sitting in a tree..." Were we "going out," as the lingo of the 4th grade class was at the time? No, we just both happened to like Beanie Babies and enjoyed looking at the latest edition of the catalogue on the playground. Needless to say, Danny  never wanted to hang out with me anymore on the playground after that. 

This would be a funny anecdotal story of a silly fourth grade class of kids, but the gossip never stopped. As we aged, the compulsion to gossip never ceased, but the implications changed from year to year. I, too, was drawn into this lure of mindless chatter about my peers around me. Never stopping to verify its validity or thinking about how the spread of this information could hurt those involved. It didn't end in junior high either, nor in high school, nor in college, nor in the workplace, and it most certainly has not ended in grad school. One thing I have definitely come to realize around my peers that cannot hold a conversation without belittling someone else, is that more than likely, they probably say some similar things about me. How can that type of knowledge possibly build a community of trust?

This is especially problematic within the body of Christ. Paul encourages us in Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear." 

We, as fallen human beings, struggle with this issue. I have seen this (and unfortunately participated in it) within churches, Christian fellowships, small groups, and other Christian groups. We try to draw a hard line between what is and what is not gossip. I think Paul gives us a clear definition in Ephesians 4. There are a few "lies" I think we as Christians tell ourselves to make us feel better about the words that come out of our mouths.

Lie #1: It's not gossip if it is true!

Although rumors that spread that are not true are also bad, it is the rumors that are true that tend to hurt the most people. No one appreciates having the dirty laundry spread around the community. We are all sinners. We all have a past and have done things we are not proud of. Things have happened to us that we had no control over. Even if it is true, if it does not build or encourage another, there is not need for it to be discussed.

Lie #2: It's not gossip if it isn't a secret!

Simply because everyone already knows about something does not mean that discussing it is edifying to the hearers. Though there are points in time when issues within a community must be discussed, it should not be something that is dwelled on. Paul says we should say that which "is good for edifying as the need may be." Dwelling on these failures is not what Paul had in mind. Once an issue is addressed, it should not be repeated unless the issue arises once again. 

This is even more true about the mindless chatter that is easy to fall into about a person's sense of humor, personality, or looks. When you tear down fellow human being, regardless of their shortcomings, you are tearing down an important piece of God's creation that He loves so much, He died for it. 

Lie #3: It's not gossip if it is in the context of a prayer request!

This is a trap that I have seen so many people in Christian groups fall into, including myself. There is something beautiful about sharing prayer requests with one another and lifting each other up in prayer. However, there is a definite tendency for prayer request time to become a feel good gossip circle. It is a time to talk about others and their situation under the auspice of "praying for them." This doesn't necessarily only happen in a group setting. It is an easy tendency to tell others one on one about issues regarding other people for the same reason. This is a tricky trap. 

There are times when sharing things with others is both necessary and edifying. But how do we know? Ask yourself these things before you proceed:

1. Is what I'm about to say corrupt? 

Are the words I am about to say both true and glorifying to God? This is especially dangerous for the mindless chatter about the fellow Christian in your community whose personality you just clash with.

2. Is what I'm about to say edifying? 

We are encouraged to build each other up. Talking about the successes and victories of our friends is encouraged! We are one body so it is wonderful to celebrate with one another over these things. We are also told to rebuke one another in love. In the case of someone living a sinful lifestyle, one should first approach that person directly before anyone else is ever involved. (Matthew 18:15-17)

3. Is what I'm about to say applicable right now?

We are all sinners and are always in need of edification. However, constant reminders of past sins or shortcomings will only continue to tear a person down. 

4. Am I extending grace with my words?

Even if harsh things do need to be said, they should always be done so in a way that extends grace. Christ extended his grace towards us so we are commanded to do so to each other.

5. Is my audience appropriate?

This is sometimes a hard line to walk. If something needs to be said, be careful to whom you confide. Communities are prone to the "Group Think" phenomenon. If one person mentions a dislike or a suspicion of another person, it can plant that seed of thought into the mind of others and create a dislike that was not there to begin with. 

Ultimately, Paul's letter to the Ephesians was a letter of encouragement. It was a letter of excitement over all they were doing in Ephesus. Despite their wide success as a Christian community, Paul still warned them to be careful with their words. The words that we use are the most powerful thing we have. They can both build up and completely destroy a community. 

My prayer for myself in the past few years has been to be known as "the girl that never says anything bad about anyone." I've met only a handful of people like that in my life and those are the people I admire the most. I write this blog out of frustration of my own failures in this area. I have by no means conquered this temptation in my life but God has certainly been working on my heart to combat it. I pray that he does the same for you.

~Lindsay

Outlive Your Life

So for Christmas my mom wanted this book by Max Lucado, "Outlive Your Life" but once I gave it to her I stole it and brought it with me to Malibu.  I did end up buying her a copy and shipping it back to her.

This book is amazing and is really having me rethink my role as a Christian.  Sometimes I seem to think that I am doing all the "right" things by going to school and getting my education so I can live out God's will in my life.  I psych myself into thinking I am living my Christian life to it's fullest.  I get stuck in my own little world and forget about all of the things going on around me and around the world.

The first chapter of this book really made me think even more about this.  It asks, "Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you have taken a stand against Hitler?  Had you lived in the South during the civil rights conflict, would you have taken a stand against racism?"  Immediately after these questions I think to myself of course I would have taken a stand against these things.  I'm Christian and I would give my life to whatever God wanted me to do.  As soon as I feel all high and mighty about my decision, it asks this question: "When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?"  My feeling quickly changes.  It's easy to look back and say we would have taken a stand during those tragic times but when we look at our current lives, are we doing all we can to take a stand regarding the issues that are going on now?

Immediately after I read this chapter I felt like I needed to travel to a third world country and start feeding the hungry but two things came to mind.  1.  I live in LA, and there are tons of hungry and poor people right here that I could help and 2. I really need to bring this to God and see what He wants me to do instead of trying to fit what I think I need to do in His plan.

The catch phrase of this book is "You were made to make a difference."  After all, "We are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things planned for us long ago." (Eph. 2:10)

It's so easy for us to forget there is a greater plan than the one we see in the next 2-3 years (graduation, career, etc.).  We really were made for a greater purpose and were made during this current time for a reason so we could help with these issues.  So I think back to the original question: "When your grandchildren discover you lived during a day in which 1.75 billion were poor and 1 billion were hungry, how will they judge your response?"

-Carly