He's Reaching Out

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

So even though we  doubt and  sink beneath the waves sometimes, the Lord is still there reaching out His hand to help us. He is not angry that we doubt, he doesn't punish us and let us go on down, he reaches out to help us because he loves us and all we have to do is take that hand.

Pebbles to a Mighty God

Pebbles to a Mighty God

By Rachel Fagan for Naqah and Naqiy Schepp

What to do? How to live? Who to be and when?

Can we open our hearts

When we’re not sure they’d let us in?

What is standing? What is being?

We feel this tying and long for freeing.

Feeling stuck, to say the least,

Starving, looking for the feast.

I read them once:

Words that changed it all.

They said “Don’t be afraid

Even if you fall,

Talk it out with the Lord of peace

Pray and give thanks

And you’ll find release.”

The weights that depress that heart of yours

Are not what they seem,

They are nothing more

Than pebbles to a mighty God

Who, yet in His strength,

Knows the path you trod.

So open your heart to the peace you’ll find

When you lay all your worries

Before a King who is kind.

He’ll keep you safe

And never betray you,

You’re His princess

To you He’ll stay true.

I’ve heard it said so many times:

Love casts out fear

When fear blurs the lines.

Along with this truth it is defined

That true love is patient and unfailingly kind.

I, myself, have found this to be true.

I find the greatest freedom when I love God and love you.

You and I are equally special,

To a mighty God who makes gems out of pebbles.

Be Without Waiting

I like patterns. Sometimes.

I've noticed a pattern in me and it is this: I can't be free and easy and awesome, unless I know they like me.

This can be a problem. Some people decide to like you even before they know you. Others, however, are not so willing and generous. Others want you to prove you're likable before they decide to like you. Still others might like you but never show it.

So that's why it's a problem for me. In certain situations, I get really confused about who I am and what I should do and I want to learn to be free of that. I wanna be awesome no matter who I'm with, if they like me or not and if they show it or not.

This is one of my goals. So how do we do this? How do we be without waiting for the security of knowing we're liked? Create a new pattern?

It Is All About You

You know, there's a lot of breakup songs out there. Sometimes I get confused because the girl in the song wants the guy and then he comes into the song and he wants the girl and they're both singing about how they miss each other and I'm like "hey you guys agree, what's the problem?"

Other songs confuse me too. The guys sing about how they love a girl and she ruined everything. The girls sing about how they love a guy then he ruined everything.  So I'm confused, are the girls messing things up or are the guys ruining the world?

Let's continue on this thread with another thought:  Pinterest, Facebook, Hot Topic.  All these have some recurring themes. Posts and t-shirts that say things like
"I'm not antisocial, I just don't like you" "You'll end up really disappointed if you think people will do for you as you do for them, not everyone has your heart"
"Not everyone deserves to know the real you, let them criticize who they think you are"
"Sometimes you have to unfollow people in real life"
"It's All About Me"

The dramatic quotes and songs that blame the other person and victimize self erk me to no end. The attitude t-shirts that scream about how the world is against ME. We are so worried about other people judging us and hurting us.  We talk about what they do but take no thought or responsibility for ourselves.

History is full of hate. White people hating black people, black people hating white people, men hating women, women hating men, German people hating Jewish people, Jewish people hating German people, Egyptian people hating Jewish people, Jewish people hating Egyptian people.

 There's a lot of hate today, everyone knows that, Americans hating Islam, Islam hating America. China, Britain, Japan, Australia.  Movies often portray the disdain other countries have for those "filthy Americans."  I think it's because of our "me, me, me, I have rights", victim mentality.

I once watched an excellent reality mini series called "Erasing Hate". It was the story of a man who had been a part of white supremacy groups along with his wife. He had white supremacy and hate tattoos all over his face and arms and neck.

There was a point in their lives when he and his wife realized the unreality and hypocrisy even in that hate group. Leaders of the group would talk about honor and taking care of their children and protecting them from the world that's against them and yet they were caught hurting children and doing completely dishonest things.

The whole victimisation attitude and the unreality of it really got to this couple. There was this idea that was hyped up among the group that all other cultures are against white people and are going to take over and rage war and destroy everything for the white people.  This didn't sit well with these two people.  They just couldn't believe what they were hearing and seeing.  They left the group, became Christians and the man went through a painful process of removing the tattoos.

This story reveals to me, again, how we as humans victimize ourselves and say that everyone is against us. Human nature is such that we only see out of our little eyes and think out of our little brains and imagine that all the world is watching us. All the world is NOT watching you, all the world is worried about themselves.

That is why it is so funny when a person is worried what others think about them because others are not thinking about them.

It is a great lesson to learn and to carry with you always that your are not that important and everyone is not watching you or thinking about you or plotting against you.

I think America would greatly benefit from a change of heart. If we could stop worrying about what others are doing to us and for us and concern ourselves instead with what we are doing to and for others.

We need to take responsibility for our own mistakes in our families, with our friends and with those we don't even know. We need to open our eyes to see the bigger picture and open or minds to the truth and reality and stop making it ALL ABOUT ME!

Luke 4:18-19

Luke 4:18,19
The spirit of the lord is on me. He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed. Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

I Am Not for a Man, I Am for God

I love my body, I love almost everything about it.  A lot of times I think that I have the perfect body and the most beautiful eyes and the strongest yet most beautiful hands and the most extraordinary hair.

Sometimes I'm sad because I watch romantic movies and I think about how I wish a man would look into my eyes, I wish a man would hold my hand and kiss my lips.
Well, I realized, that's not all I'm good for.  I realize that obviously God has more for me than that.

My mind is meant to know Him, my eyes are meant to look at Him, my lips are meant to praise Him, my arms are meant to reach for Him, my hands are meant to work for Him, my body is meant to go where He leads me and to build His kingdom and love Him.
I am not meant for a man.  At least not right now.  I am meant for God and I can be satisfied in that.

My mind is for no man, my mind is for my God.

My eyes are for no man, my eyes are for my God.

My lips are for no man, my lips are for my God.

My arms are for no man, my arms are for my God.

My hands are for no man, my hands are for my God.

My body is for no man, my body is for my God.

My feet are for no man, my feet are for my God.

A Letter on Being Gay

I saw a picture on Facebook of a boy who was about 12 years old, he was crying and the post essentially said "I am gay and I'm afraid of what my future may hold."  Lots of people commented sympathetically, encouraging him to have courage.

I've been thinking about all this gay versus not gay stuff that's blowing up the internet and the world.  I know none of it is new, people have been gay for centuries past.  The theme these days seems to be "This is who I am, this is how I was born, I'm embracing the truth about me, don't try stop me."

I was thinking about the little boy.  I was thinking about the two friends I have who's husbands left them to be gay.  I have been fortunate enough to have a friend who used to be gay and who obviously was around gay people a lot.  She helped me understand a little about how hurt and abuse from the opposite sex can lead someone to find refuge in a gay relationship.  I feel for those who have been hurt and I wish better things for them.

A Word to Christians:
I say I was fortunate enough to know her and a couple other people who were gay because I think it's important for us to not de-humanize gay people.  They are people who are just like us.
Few things anger me more than someone who hurts others out of ignorance and fear.  I strongly believe we should be kind to and get to know people even if they do things we think are wrong.

I've heard of so-called Christians who wouldn't dream of even talking to a gay person even though Jesus said "love your neighbor as yourself". I think that's sick.  I think some people are afraid that if they get close to and try to understand a gay person, they might be convinced that being gay is not wrong after all.  If you're afraid to obey Jesus by loving people (which includes not judging them until you know them) than your relationship with God probably needs some work.

I also have a problem with that fact that Christians elevate sexual sin above other sins.  I don't think that's even biblical.  Sexual sin does have a profound effect on people but I think sins like fear, greed and jealousy are equally offensive to God.  How many of us do all those things on a regular basis?  My point is, sin is sin and we have no place to judge our neighbor.  We're supposed to "work out our own salvation."  Phillipians 2:12.  All of this is NOT to say "Oh, we all sin, so chill and let me enjoy myself in my sin!"  I just want us to get back on track with the reality of our human condition.

Now to Continue the  Discussion:
I have heard over and over people saying they are born this way, they didn't choose to be gay, this is who or what they are.

If we make being gay out to be something that just happens and just is, then we make it out to be, something out of our control, an accident.  And if we believe that it's just who we are and that it's out of our control, then no one can judge us for it or ask us to take responsibility for our actions.
If we believe that it is not a choice then we secure for ourselves in our own minds a comfortable reassurance that there is nothing wrong.

It reminds me of the ploy to make abortion okay in the minds of people.  They de-humanize it by changing the terminology.  They tell people they are just "getting rid of a few cells", disposing of insignificant "tissue".

I'm not a soap box ranter.  I just want to be in reality and say it like it is.  If you're going to be gay, then be honest and say that you are making the choice to be gay because it is a choice.

It makes me sad that my friends were hurt by their husbands who left them and their children to be gay.  It was as if in the minds of those men, they were justified by the world's opinion that they are simply being true to themselves and that is somehow noble?

Back to the little boy.  I want to tell you and everyone else:  you don't have to be gay.  Believe it or not, the world is practically telling us we have to.  If you are softer featured than most guys, if you're a prettier guy than most guys, it doesn't mean you're gay and you don't have to be.  (I am speaking mostly to men, I guess because I've seen more guys than girls being gay, but maybe that's just me) Just because you can relate well to girls, just because you like dance more than football, it doesn't mean you have to be gay.   The world will tell you that if you don't "come out" and say you're gay than you're denying yourself.

Hey, that's an interesting thought.  Didn't Jesus say to"deny yourself"?

They practically put labels on people and make us think we have to be something we're not.  They convince us.  They say A+B=C and you have to embrace it.

So dear brother, dear friend, I believe being gay is a choice.  As a Christian, I believe it is a choice that saddens my Lord because He has better things for us.  I am not God and I know only a little about how He judges us.  What we do is certainly important to Him.  Our choices certainly lay us open to His judgement, whether He judges that we do good or bad.
He has amazing gifts for all of us if we would, in the words of Keith Green, "Come to Him humbly, lay down at His feet and say "You're the Lord!  And I'll follow You the rest of my life on earth, so that I can spend the rest of eternity with You."