Wednesday, June 12th Day 5

Per usual we wake up and get ready to arrive at the church by 8am for breakfast.
I am not looking forward to this day as much because I realize that it is our last day working with St. Richard's Church from Jackson, Mississippi.

The whole trip- outside of the day we arrived- people have been saying that you cannot tell us apart. We really teamed up right from the beginning. They are a GREAT group. They have more girls represented, just like us, their teens were about the same ages as ours, they also brought three leaders. The difference was- they were Catholic and we were Protestant. But, that never got in the way. We talked openly about our differences and they were gracious as our students asked questions about their theology.



For me, I was raised in a crazy environment. My dad was Jehovah's Witness. My mom took me to all kinds of churches on her weekends so I could see what else was out there other than JW's as my dad took me to the Kingdom Hall on the weekends I was with him. Then, when I was about 11, my mom married a man who was Catholic. Back then, I despised religion. Everyone thought they were "right" and others were "wrong". I thought it was a bunch of garbage because from what I read- Jesus wanted us to live in peace and be unified.... I called it hypocrisy and stopped going. But, that is another story! Let's just say, though, that my opinion never changed. Unity was where it was and is and I was glad we were at a Baptist church working with a Catholic church and we came from a Christian church! ;)

So, today, we had some training time with Praying Pelican on sharing our testimonies. One of our leaders, Andy, shared his with our whole group first. We had some similarities in our stories....I knew I liked this kid! He had a little bit of a rough road and now look at him-he was working with youth and reaching out to others. A tattoo on his foot said Romans 10:15. He was living that life. :) After he shared, we broke into groups of 3-4 and shared our stories. It bonded us even more! I had 2 young ladies from St. Richards in my group and 1 of their leaders. Hannah had been a Christian always and yet she had never grown stale- she is very passionate about her faith and sharing it- not common for a lot of the whole-life Christian kids I know. Ramsay- she was a compassionate soul and some of that has stemmed from having a sibling with some kind of disability. It was a privilege to hear them both.I was proud of them, and I barely knew them! Amelia- their leader. She was one that I really felt closer to at the end of our sharing time. I wished we had done this activity earlier in the week!

Next up- The nursing home! I adore elderly people. This would be one activity I had been looking forward to all week. I used to visit and take care of my grandmothers quite a bit. They have been gone for a while now and I miss having them around. The were wise, funny and SO loving.









We begin by talking with the residents of the home. I talked with about 8 of them and each one shared that they were so happy to be living in this home. I was happy for them and a bit perplexed... in the US, you seldom hear about people being happy living in a nursing home!!





We sand hymns with them. Mostly we sang- but some of them joined us and others just sat back and  enjoyed the music.... Thank goodness for Conner- he lead our group well! Our church doesn't sing hymns often. We are more contemporary.







Next, we danced for them using some of the songs we were dancing to at VBS. To my surprise, they really enjoyed this! A couple of them joined us in dancing! This made my heart happy!









Finally, they played some of their music and low and behold- more joined in! A lady grabbed a hold of me and started dancing with me! I was in heaven!

They were holding our hands, kissing our cheeks, the out-pour of love was overwhelming to my heart! It was soon time to go and as we got on the bus I placed my sunglasses on my face so my tears wouldn't be so noticeable. My heart was deeply touched that we had gone there to be a blessing to them and yet they had blessed us SO MUCH!

We came back to lunch and VBS. We seemed to grow more each day! Amazing since it was exam week at the schools! I was feeling a little off today. I had been taking my vitamins. But, got dizzy a couple times. I was forcing myself to drink the water which I was actually very sick of by now. It was always warm and had additives I could taste. (The clean, crisp cold water of Colorado had spoiled me, I decided) I also continued to try to make myself eat. Although I liked the Plantains and Coconut Rice we had each lunch, I was tiring of having them each day. I guess variety is also something I am spoiled by!  It's always the little things that matter, isn't it? The humidity and heat wasn't bothering me as much anymore. The sweat sort of felt good. I am crazy like that, I love to work out, sweat and feel the burn.... lol.


This evening after dinner, we left the church as they had a Men's Bible Study. We went down town again and this time, we were allowed to do some shopping and purchase our own snack! PIZZA!!!!!!

 

(I am thinking back and I don't know how it happened....but somehow, we left on a bus away from the St. Richard kids.... maybe only our group went downtown. I was with the other female leader from my team and the female leader from PPM, so it is hard for me to say. But, I remember lots of hugs and gathering all of their first and last names so our group could find them on Facebook, etc.  We made them a big picture with little sentiments and signatures....It was hard to imagine going to the church the next morning and them not being there with us. We were blessed that this group ended up being placed with us kind of last minute!)

After our big meeting time together, we went back to our hotel and it was my turn to lead our study with our team of 16. The reading was Matthew 3:1-17. I had someone read it out loud to the group as not everyone had done it in the morning. I liked this study, although the questions just seemed to review what you read and that bored me some. So, I made some of my own questions.

1. What do we have in common with John?
 Some answers:We left comforts of home. Left relationships- understanding our mission for the week we aren't looking back. Leaving internet, TV, ice....

2. Why is what we are doing here on this mission important?
Some answers: Church from different places working together. Poor area- painting, cleaning, making life better. Body of Christ coming together. Telling about Jesus' love at VBS and sharing life with natives.

3. Why do you think God included this Scripture in His word? (This one is from the book)
Some answers: Shows us to tell people about Jesus. Prepare people to know God. My biggest take- John saying that the work he was doing was nothing compared to the one after him- Jesus. We do what we can to plant water a seed- but ultimately it is GOD who makes things really happen! What we do is nothing compared to what He does and is doing!!

We prepared for the next day- planning session.

I was feeling pretty queezey. It would not be a good night of rest for this girl!

WHAT GOD HATES

Proverbs 6:16-19There are dsix things that the Lord hates,dseven that are an abomination to him:    
17  ehaughty eyes,~Think about it. If a person has "Haughty Eyes"- looks down on others, thinks they are better than others- no one really enjoys a relationship with them. They will feel judged and less worthy. They may not be honest and show their humanity in front of such a person as they can't really lower defenses and be "real" with a person they feel is already looking down on them!If you can't be real, there won't be much of a relationship.~

 fa lying tongue,~If you are around a person who is a liar, there is no trust and therefore you will again not be open with them in relationship. If someone can lie to you about something- they will most likely be able to lie to anyone about anything!~

and ghands that shed innocent blood,~ I have not been around a person who shed innocent blood- but I can't begin to imagine WANTING to be around a person who was capable of it!~

18  ha heart that devises wicked plans,~I have been around a person who devises wicked plans.... plans that can bring trouble or pain into another person's life aren't GOOD plans.... if they devise those kinds of things for one person, who is to say they won't do it to you? Again, relationship breaker. No trust.~

ifeet that make haste to run to evil,~Feet that make haste to run to evil. This reminds me of a soap opera--- you know, the people who seem to thrive on drama?? Who needs to add to the drama already provided naturally just through living..... Relationship breaker- too much energy is lost.~
19  ja false witness who kbreathes out lies,~A false witness who breathes out lies. Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!! Who wants to hang out around anyone who is going to talk about you behind your back? Or make us stories? Or tries to make you look bad???? NO ONE..... with any sense....~

and one who asows discord among brothers.~One who sows discord among the brothers..... Wasn't Jesus' last prayer about us all being ONE. Not divided.... but UNIFIED.~ 

This is in the Bible. Reality- these are things the Lord must hate because they do exactly OPPOSITE of HIS WILL. Instead of drawing people together and to Him, they push people AWAY from each other and from Him.

My church had a wave about a year ago of people leaving for various reasons. I loved how my church leaders continued to love on the people who felt they needed to leave. It is not for a person to decide for another where they should go to worship God. That is between that person and God. 

Our church leadership encouraged us to PRAY for and love on those who felt they needed to leave. And that is what we did.

If we are part of a church and we are doing these things pictured above, no wonder God hates it! He created us to be in relationship with Him and others... and all of these things will do nothing but break those relationships down.

People who see and hear Christians living this way, have no choice, really, but to assume they don't want to be a part of this thing called "Christianity" if that's how people act. So, in essence, we push people away from ourselves AND GOD.

Please do what you can to live at peace with everyone. Please do what it takes to be as loving as possible.....Please try not to stir up trouble- especially among fellow believers.... It must be important if it was Jesus' last request before dying - that we would be unified.......

Losing Religion

Hey there!
Last Sunday my pastor spoke about something that rings true for me.....
He spoke about GUARDRAILS......

He compared them to guidelines set up for people in the Bible..... Don't leave yet.... hear me out. Share your thoughts after you do!

So many people I know have this fear of religion. A prejudgment of religion or a judgement. I would have to say for those of you who are religious.... I would LOSE IT! Those of you who dislike or fear religion- you may have good reason. See, in religion, often times, people get into this habit of just conforming, mindlessly.... (and maybe that is just my own opinion).

Religion defined :
1   a : the state of a religious religion
>      b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2

: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3

archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

4

: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

Being religious isn't what I believe God is interested in, anyway..... It is a relationship.

If God is my Father (spiritually) and I make that my comparison to a relationship one would have here on an earthly realm....You would understand, I think, that a Dad isn't interested in having a kid grow up in his house acting like a robot. I mean, for me, I would hate to think that I raised children who would blindly follow a set of rules I made for them without having the ability to think them through.... sometimes test them, but to learn that rules I set were guidelines to keep them safe and had their best interest at heart. If at some point I had a rule or guideline that wasn't good anymore or was imperfect, I would be ok with them coming to me to discuss it. Since I am not perfect, I would expect that sometimes, I would make mistakes.I would not want them to mindlessly or out of habit follow rules.... I would want them to think about what habits they were developing as they were developing and not just fall into some mindless rut..... I would want them to share with me their triumphs and failures and let me comfort them when needed, or share in excitement of their triumphs with them. I would want to be involved and more than anything, I would want them to KNOW without a shadow of doubt that I didn't expect perfection from them- but that the things I do I do to help them and not harm them- to guide them into a happy, rich and fulfilling life.

I look at the commandments or rules that are in the Bible as such - rules- however....more than that I have come to realize that they are guidelines set up to keep me safe and pretty much in a "happy place"....

These are things that all of humanity struggles with.... maybe you personally do not struggle with a particular one, but, for the most part.... being that we are all imperfect - we are all in the same boat.....

#1- Put God first. When we put things or other people in our life before God, we are bound to be disappointed and unbalanced..... 

For instance, maybe it is work- you wake up thinking about it, go to bed thinking about it.... it is your number one priority. When that happens, other things in life get slighted- family and friends- other things are not given the same priority that they need/ deserve..... God calls us to follow HIM first- give Him priority and then when we do that, we find other things and people falling into place. (God, Family, Business....) Maybe you have done this before- maybe not with work, but with a person, or a sport- making them or it your everything and then slowly watching most of the other things in your life fall apart....

#2- Do not make yourself graven images....

 If we make an image to worship, we will always be let down as they are not real. They are of our own making and we are not infinite, so neither is what we create. Eventually, what we create will fail to some degree. God never fails. To those who follow Him (relationally), they will fail at times as they are not perfect- but He never does.

 Maybe you don't know that about God. If you don't it may be because you don't have a relationship with Him. For those who do- life comes at them just as hard as it does anyone. The difference is they are not in it alone, ever. And, any situation that they go through, no matter how bad at the time can eventually be used for good. For themselves and most likely someone else they will eventually be able to help. There is a constant source of HOPE and HELP a believer and follower of Christ has that many others don't. Often times we think a person has everything- money, fame all they could want in life- and yet they feel completely alone and without hope until they begin a relationship with God. That booze, those drugs, that sex, those thousands of dollars spent on stuff just weren't enough- because they aren't.

#3 Thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.....using God's name in emptiness...meaningless....futile ways.....

I am a huge believer in this. A person can SAY whatever they want- but if you are just throwing God's name around and AREN'T believing and acting on it.....you have nothing. That, in my opinion, is why religion is bad. People pray, but it means little or nothing to them. People say they are a Christian and they follow God-- but it is just that- something they "say". There is no relationship there. A relationship goes both ways. A person can't expect anyone to feel close to them when they just talk about people and not with them. A person can't feel close to anyone that they just think about spending time with, but never see or do anything with.

Have you ever tried to have a relationship with a person like this? I have and it JUST DOESN'T WORK!

#4 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 

For crying out loud! Even God needed a day to rest during creation. If He does- we being mortal and imperfect certainly do!! Yet, we sometimes feel we can go on forever without a break! Personally, I get both recharged and  ready to tackle a big week every time I take that one day of the week to only rest and focus on God. I have been through periods in life, repeatedly, when I do not pay attention to this one and it shows..... I get exhausted, cranky, tired and unable to keep on keeping on at my normal high energy level!

#5 Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother.

For the most part, a person's father and mother, like God, want what is best for their child. (At times, since we are imperfect human beings this is not the case- and then it becomes more difficult as a child to show honor and respect- but it can be done with help- and sometimes is better done from a distance, if there is abuse and neglect involved.)

When, as a child, you disobey, dishonor and disrespect your parents, you are learning and implementing a behavior that will serve to destroy many potentially wonderful things in life. For one, you may come into harm's way when you break a rule they have put into place for your safety. For another, you learn that authority isn't important and so you get into trouble for treating a teacher at school poorly- or lose your job because you cannot handle being under the authority of your boss.

#6 Thou shall not kill.

I know this one may seem kind of obvious. People, even those who kill because we are in battle or war- are often traumatized by the memories of such an act. This one, unless you are mentally unstable is easy to understand why it is in place, I think. 

#7 Do not commit adultery..... this one kind of goes in line with the last one. 

Marriage is a commitment between a man and a woman. One of the biggest commitments you can make. It is a commitment that was also intended to involve God. People can break that commitment in a number of ways- they can emotionally, sexually or visually and also thoughtfully run away with another person outside of that marriage bond. When that happens, it doesn't really fill a void. It pulls you further away from your spouse, causing more problems than you had already. Feelings of mistrust, guilt, separateness and the like develop and a greater strain is put on the marriage than there was to begin with. This is one of the only times the Bible actually says it becomes "Okay" to divorce.....On the other hand, I know of several marriages that have been through an affair of some type or combined types and actually come out stronger- but in the cases I know of, the marriage relationship and each person's relationship with God is focused on and improved upon very intentionally for this to happen.

#8 Don't steal.....

Have you known a person who has stolen? They have to lie.... then make up another one to cover something else....it turns into a big mess. Also, they aren't satisfied with what they have. People lose trust in them. They usually feel guilty.Relationships are harmed, if not completely ruined. Why did they steal in the first place? Learning to earn what you have is important in life. Hard work is something that brings satisfaction- just taking things that do not belong to you, doesn't bring that satisfaction. Not being satisfied or happy is one thing, but we need to learn to be happy and content and even thankful for what we have as when we aren't, it can lead to many bad things....(this goes along with the last one)

#9 Do not bear false witness.... why lie about another human being.....? 

Again, this will only cause trouble. Destroy relationships, cause disharmony, chaos, emotional, verbal and sometimes leading to physical harm. When we speak of others it should be to edify, help, encourage..... not to destroy. I think about kids who are bullied..... so much harm is done when we speak lies to people telling them they are ugly, amount to nothing, spread rumors, say they are disgusting.... the truth is humanity is beautiful and amazing and has so much potential if only......

#10 Do not covet your neighbor's house, wife or possessions.

This one, in my mind is reflected in many others. We have given ourselves over to many temptations when we want something or someone we do not have..... Often times, people have this tendency to look at their own life and compare it to another person's. When this happens, often times, the only things we can see are what is allowed to be seen in public- and people generally don't allow too much of the bad in their lives show (a whole other topic, really). But, when we look from the outside in, things look shiny and new and lovely and so attractive. It is only when we live in it that we truly come to know where the dust collects, where the cracks and spider webs are, that the floors squeak or just how much water and fertilizer are needed to keep that grass so green! If we aren't careful and we buy into what we see from the outside looking in, we can become disenchanted with our own things and life and people in our lives and start trying to get in on what we think might be "better". When in the end, it is all pretty much the same.... You focus on good - you get good. You focus on bad- you get bad. You take the time to nurture- it grows, you don't it dies.....

I hope this shows- these "Commandments" aren't set up to make a person miserable or to be a "rule- follower"..... the Bible is clear that none of us are perfect or capable of keeping our noses out of trouble or not messing up! What is set up in the Bible again and again are GUARDRAILS- much like the ones on the roads that keep you safe. If you start to go off the path, and you hit one of the guardrails, it stops you or at least slows you down....to help keep you safe so you can continue the journey. 

Sometimes, we just scrape by the guardrail and it causes some dents and paint smudging....Sometimes, we break through the guardrail. Maybe we were going faster than it could handle or we just didn't pay attention or care at all that it was there and we flip and total our vehicle....

No matter what the case, there is no damage done that I know of that God can not redeem and restore! In a relationship with Him, we can come back to our Dad in heaven, because of Jesus' blood shed for us, and we can find forgiveness and hope. We don't have to continue driving around in a damaged vehicle and we don't have to keep repeating and replaying the accident again and again in our minds.....

Therefore, I don't like mindless RELIGION. Religion condemns me and reminds me I cannot live up to all the rules and regulations. I love God who wants a RELATIONSHIP, who knows I can't and won't be perfect and loves me through the mess ups and sometimes because of the mess-ups- because it is during the mess-ups that I realize most sometimes how much I need God! 

And I don't understand why people who feel like these Commandments shouldn't be shown in public or talked about. What makes them bad? But, I guess that, too is a thought for another blog..... ;)