By Being Far

I was feeling today like I really needed to start blogging again and then I noticed that it had been exactly one month since I last blogged.  Interesting.

I've recently been thinking about what it means to be a good friend.  And what it means to be a good human being, in general.  Not like "good" as in "good works" (Heaven forbid!!!).  But like just to be someone who brings blessings and value into other people's lives by the way that I live (act, speak, etc.). I want to encourage people, but some times I just don't know how.  Jesus went 100% and  I know that I need to work up to that.  But how?  Do I "work" as in "good works"?  Or do I just allow the Holy Spirit work in me?  Or both?  Many of you would say both. But often, I get so frustrated with the lack of activity of the Holy Spirit in my life.  Now, I've heard it all, so please don't start into the whole-"Well, obviously, there's sin in your life and you are blocking Him. Repent!"-thing. As far, as I know - and believe me, I've thought about it a lot over the past few weeks - I don't have anything standing between God and me.  (and yes, it's "me" and not "I".)  So, what's going on?  I guess I just have to trust that He is greater than the boxes that I have put Him in, and that He can jolly-well go on for the rest of my life never speaking to me again and He will remain My Very Great Reward, My Lover, My Counselor, etc.  And there is something attractive about that.  There is something hot about the fact that He isn't doing what I have been led to think that He will do based upon my actions.  ie. if I read my Bible and pray and live an obedient life of love, then God will be near.  Well, He isn't, and I think that's kind of cool because He is doing His own thing.  By being far from me, God is teaching me about Himself.  Stick that in your pipe and smoke it, you who have written devotionals for the past 50 years.  I think before 50 years ago they wouldn't have taught people that our actions will cause God to do certain things.  I think they were aware of His Infinite and Strong Independence. What happened to change our view of Him?  Why have we made him small?  

So, anyway, I guess I can be a blessing to others by continuing to live how I know He'd want me to live, even if He's not doing what I think He "should" be doing based upon my check-list of things that I've done.  And I guess I shouldn't be frustrated with the Holy Spirit and his activity or lack thereof.  I should just think it's cool that the God that I serve doesn't serve me and my tiny preconceptions.

P.S. I always have thought it was so funny that we say "activity of the Holy Spirit".  It makes me think of VBS and how the teacher would say, "Now we are going to do an activity!".  And it was usually either coloring or gluing cotton balls onto a piece of paper and adding glitter.  I don't think that is what "activity of the Holy Spirit" is. 

The Value of Purity

So, how do I show that there is great value and reward in purity when our culture tells us that we are losers if desire said purity?  What can I say to teens who have all of their sexual "theology" from music, movies, the internet, and books?  (shudder, shudder)

I'm thinking of doing a talk in a couple of weeks on sexual purity.  It's going to be geared towards the teen girls, but I think I'm also going to invite some "college & career" girls if they want to come.  I'm thinking of entitling it: "So you say that you love and follow Jesus and want His best for your life? Well this is kind of what that looks like in the area of sexuality."  Kind of long. Maybe too long.  

I definitely don't want to bring to them a list of rules.  Our purity must stem from our love and passion for the God who made and saved us.  Anything a part from that is legalistic sin. Therefore, I know that I need to be careful about what I present and how I present it.  I want to talk about how important holiness is to God.  I want to talk about how we are supposed to be being made into the image of Jesus (sanctification).  I want to say how important righteousness is.  Like is says in Romans 6, "How can we sin any longer?  We died to sin!".  But then you have to talk about how sex outside of marriage actually is a sin.  Something a lot of these girls don't know.  It's about "whenever the time is right for me"  and  "if I feel like we really love each other".  Commitment people!  Ever heard of that word?  But, no, most of them haven't.  Wow - this is going to be difficult.  But I feel like I'm supposed to do it, so I'll trust that God will lead and guide me.  

Thoughts?

My Colombian Friends

Tonight I talked with 3 of my friends from Colombia.  Three people with whom I was very close.  

The first one I talked to was Zach Bewley - the pastor's son.  We met him before his grade 11 year and we were there to see him graduate.  We saw him change from an unsure, shy, and almost fearful boy into a confident, gracious, intelligent man. (Keep growing, Buddy.)  I refer to him as one of my kids, sometimes.  Jared and I always talk about the youth group from Colombia as "our kids".  They will always have a special place in our hearts.  I hope that they saw Jesus in us.  And I hope that somehow by knowing us, they want to know their Creator more.  It's been a year since we left and I still feel the pain in my heart as fresh and and as new as if it was yesterday.  But I know I should be thankful for that, because that's how I know it was real.  I know that I will always think of them and pray for them.  They were (and I'm sure still are) so beautiful to us.

The second person I talked to was my friend, Alexandra Sinisterra.  She and her husband accepted Christ shortly after we arrived.  Their story is so awesome.  I'll have to write about it sometime.  Jared and I watched them grow from the newborniest of Christians into growing Christians who were walking with Jesus.  They didn't know hardly anything, except what the Catholic schools and church had taught them (a lot of it was lies).  They were so hungry and curious.  I remember crying as God revealed truths about Who He Is through scripture to them in our young adult Bible studies on Wednesday nights.  Those were some of the most amazing experiences I have ever had - to see them become enlightened only through the Holy Spirit.  Incredible.  Memories of those times will always be some of my favorite - memories about how awesome and mighty God is.  He took lies and darkness and brought them into light and life and truth and peace.  God strengthened them and blessed them, even though that culture is not very friendly to protestants, especially those converted from Catholicism.  Their lives were such an encouragement to us.  Such beautiful people and such a beautiful work of God.

The third person I talked to was my best friend, Ellen Gill.  She and her husband are missionaries in Colombia.  Well, "were".  They are moving next week to Florida to work with the International Missions Board media center there.  She  was such a blessing to me, I know that I'd have to write several books about her just to scratch the surface.  (Thank you, Ellen.) She called to me as I was coming out of the darkness.  She helped me to know that I am lovable and that I am loved.  God used her (and a few others) to heal my heart.  Such an amazing blessing - a blessing that, thankfully, I still have!  Only my husband has been a better friend.  I never thought I'd have that kind of friend.  (Thank you, Ellen.)  And thank you, Jesus, for your immeasurably great gifts!  

Thank you, Jesus, for your amazing gifts.

MIssing the God of the universe for a free lunch.

(originally written May 23/08)

"When they found him back across the sea, they said, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?'.  Jesus answered, 'You've come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs - and for free'."      John 6:25-26 The Message

We can't just do church because it fills something in us.  Whether it's emotionally, intellectually, physically or even spiritually.  Jesus' miracle of feeding the 5,000 was not about the act of eating exclusively.  It was because Jesus wanted to show God's power (and capabilities - correct word?).  They missed seeing God in His actions (ironic) and went straight to how the act met one or more of their needs (specifically here: the need for lunch, the need for a king, the need for the supernatural, the need for some one to provide for them, etc.).  Of course, Jesus meets all our needs!  He can fill every part of us!  But we can not stay at that place.  We must look beyond that to see Who He Is and Who He is trying to reveal. When we are singing (worshipping, although not necessarily) on Sunday morning or on Wednesday nights at youth, are we doing it to get our 'need-to-worship-something' bucket filled?  Or our 'feel-good' bucket filled?  Or our 'being-with-other-people' bucket filled?  Let us not go looking for Jesus (vs 26) just because we know that He can fill us, but also because we want to get a glimpse of God.  Why settle for another free lunch when we can have the God of the universe standing before us?

Help me, Father, to worship you because of Who you are.

2 legit 2 quit

So, I'm just starting to do blogging and my husby told me to do a test one, just to see how it goes.  I hope to write some good things here, things to make people think and things to encourage them.  We'll see how it turns out!  Some of it might just be brain-barfs, but I'm hoping that most of it is legit.  2 legit 2 quit.

Love - Katie

(That's silly)