1 Day Post-Easter

Easter has come and gone and has it made a difference? I had my Lent activities, gave up some bad habits in favor of better ones, read more, prayed more, wrote more, reached out more. But did it make a difference? Who am I, actually? Does Christ mold me and make me or do I do that myself? Or, worse yet, does the world do it? Where are you Lord? Show me. Am I truly dead? I love Easter, but does it touch my life? Or just my emotions? What do I want? Jesus asked someone, "what do you want me to do for you?" and he had a ready answer. Do I?

Too many questions. Time to go clean the kitchen.

Friendship, Christianity and Growing the Hard Way

I have some friends who are being evicted from their home in two days. Their truck was recently re-possessed and both parents have health problems without any health insurance. They are Christians, have a family and have lived a hard life by the world's rules until a few years ago when the "head of the house" found the Lord. The rest of the family is following his lead.

They are being evicted by a Christian landlord. We all go to the same church. Already I feel my friends making judgements on one side or the other. But that could just be my feelings talking. All I can suppose is that I have no idea what is really going on and that all involved are suffering. Being a Christian doesn't guarantee that we make right decisions. Or that we can manage money. Or that our heart is in the right place when it comes to mercy and grace and responsibility. Or that we will never be evicted.

I know something else; this family means a lot to me. My church means a lot to me. And the Lord disciplines us out of a deep and passionate love and a commitment to see us grow toward him. I want to help, but don't know how. It's hard to even offer, but I will. I want there not to be division between people who belong to the Lord. I don't want to gossip or to judge, but to offer Godly encouragement. I feel the delicate faith of some in this family. I want to trust God and not second guess what he allows into the lives of his children. I want to be a Christian that is their friend, not a friend that is a Christian. Does that make sense? I want to serve the purpose of Christ in all this. Yet, I feel overwhelmingly inept to do so.

Lord help me part of your solution.

Pursuit of Happyness

I saw a movie this week, The Pursuit of Happyness. It was a good little adventure about a man who wouldn't give up on himself. But what struck me is the conditions in life that some people have to put up with. I have soooo much materially and yet I sometimes feel poor. Is it my greed speaking those words of discouragement to me? I have a flaw in the area of materialism and often have the feeling of needing more. God is showing me over and over that want and need are not the same thing and that I can fight inappropriate wants by giving them to Him. More of Him is what I really need.

I have never slept in a shelter, or subway or a public bathroom. I have never been able to or had to carry everything I own around with me all day, because I had no where to leave it. I have never had fear for keeping my children safe. I have never done my laundry in a sink, because there was no money for the laundramat. I've never become desperate for the $14.00 someone might owe me. I've never been homeless or even had that prospect enter my mind.

I so rarely put myself in someone else's shoes. Yet I am called to do just that. May my ears be opened to hear that call more clearly and more often.

You know, just writing to hear yourself think is an interesting activity. I'm not so sure it's my thing. Do bloggers like social interactions/people interactions or do they blog to avoid interactions? Is blogging any opportunity to say things that we wouldn't be brave enough to say otherwise, or is an invitation to others to say things they would never say to us?

who can say. I know when I'm on the computer, there's not a lot of interaction going on.

Blog heavy world

So what is blogging about anyway? Is it all about me? Is it a way to get all the attention we want without having to interact with anyone? No accountability? No social responsibilities? I guess I'll see what the attraction is in the days to come.