not-a-plainJane

God is in full control in the midst of all of this & everything he does is the best for you..

when He hits pause.

God loves you so much... I just feel like He really wants you to know that in the deepest bottomest part of your soul

All the slander is too much for any one person to digest. They don’t get me. [...] what’s ironic is that I’m so bothered because Jesus actually challenges me to not only care for the souls of all humanity, but to feed the hungry, aid the sick, regard the stranger, visit the prisoner, and love my neighbor in tangible ways [...] Hang out with me long enough, and I’m bound to let you down. But I’m working on me. Well, God is. And as He is, I hope for grace and mercy and prayers from all those who really care. God Bless.

I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female -- for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Being happy does not mean that everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections.

Longing for community is what makes us human. Community is needed. We don’t create it. We discover it as we find out what we have in common. Friendships look like the one in Mark 2. What makes us friends is we look at each other and ask, “Do we love the same truth?” The very condition for having friends is we should want something more than just friends. Deep friendships must have a common passion. Do you love the same truth? His name is Jesus. The Church is a group of people with which you say, “I want you to get to know me.” The real me. I want to say: Will you carry me? Because I will carry you. I want my heart to trust & believe: I am fully known and fully accepted. If community is what has hurt you, community is what will heal you. Jesus was constantly let down, constantly misunderstood… Yet over and over He put Himself out there and made Himself vulnerable. Things are getting hard. We hurt and we offend. We forgive. We work toward reconciliation. Even though we constantly rejected Him, He never cut us off. He never stopped forgiving and loving me. If you’re not offending someone, maybe you’re not going deep enough. Sincere: free of deceit. Come as you are. Have you found a church where you can come as you are? It’s so exhausting to pretend that we’re something we’re not. I’m so glad so relieved so freed to know that I am finally at a church where I can come just as I am. I can only be loved to the extent that I am known! When I am fully known & fully loved, my soul comes alive. “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” James 5:16 1. Am I willing to acknowledge my need? Confess? 2. Am I willing to create time & space & resources for community? 3. Am I willing to enter into discomfort for this? This means not being self-centered with what God has given me (I.e. Time, living space, money, food, etc.) Dying to myself should feel uncomfortable. To follow Him is the call to die to myself. When I die to myself, I realize I gain a life much better than my own. 4. Am I willing to observe? People who notice I’m hurting when I don’t even realize I’m hurting. These people are the ones in front of whom I find myself tearing up. Because I was noticed. I was observed. Your own soul flourishes when you notice others. Your own soul flourishes in the moment you forget about yourself. Observing means you notice. It’s not about me. Lord, may I observe others. Will you help me serve others.