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.


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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

Coffee Shop Wisdom

I had a simple, yet brilliant conversation with a friend on Christmas Eve. My friend is a Christian who's faith makes mine look like a half-empty bottle of questionable apple juice to his overflowing goblet of eggnog latte.

He listened to me pour out my heart about how badly I wanted a job, great relationships, and some new Jack Purcell Converse shoes for about 30 minutes until I had run out of things to say. Looking me square in the eyes he said, "Luke, sometimes people misinterpret their will as God's will."

This made me think for a moment and so I inquired further as to his meaning. He said, "you've spent the last half-hour telling me what you've wanted and how you think these things are all God's will, but really you're just telling me what you want and then stamping God's seal of approval on it."

How often do you find yourself doing this? In your job search, dating relationships, service projects? Sometimes we just want God to approve our personally planned goals, never stopping to ask what GOD'S will is in the first place.

Christmas break is a great time to have conversations with people outside your circle of influence around school. Take an hour to talk with a fellow believer over coffee and renew your spiritual strength.

-Luke