Friend Dumped

³⁵ Jesus wept.
John 11:35 (ESV)

Ever had a friend just decide that they don't want to be friends anymore?  They may blow up at you, they may tell you they don't have time for you, or just fade away out of your life and start ignoring you.  I looked for verses in the Bible that dealt with this, and one was the "shortest verse in the Bible".  Jesus wept.

At first I was like, that doesn't apply.  He was crying because Lazarus was dead.  He was grieving over the loss of a friend who had died.  And yet, he knew what he was going to do.  He knew that Lazarus would be alive again.  Yet he still wept.  He still grieved.  And so the lesson to me here was, even when it seems silly - even when it seems like a pointless gesture - sometimes you have to grieve, because that is how you feel.  Jesus wasn't crying because he would never see his friend again.  He was crying because he was sad.  He had suffered a loss.

Sometimes, you just gotta grieve.

Every time someone walks out of my life, it is intensely painful to me.  I do not handle rejection well.  I always internalize it and endlessly examine what I might have done wrong to make someone not want to be my friend anymore.  One of the things I have learned through swing dancing is that rejection is not about you - it's about them.  There can be a lot of reasons for rejection.  Whatever the issue - it's not yours.

If a relationship is worth saving, someone will go through the effort of explaining their issue with you and resolving it.  If they aren't willing to put in the effort, then they're not the friend you thought they were.  That doesn't mean they're not worth the effort though.

Our society puts a lot of emphasis on cutting and running when things get tough.  Movies tell us everything should have a happy ending.  TV shows tell us that if a relationship is bumpy, it's better to break up - if a marriage isn't working, get a divorce.  Any relationship takes two people.  If one is done, there is nothing you can do.

So you must move on.  And weep.


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Height and Depth

³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

I took this picture in Brazil.  It immediately brought this verse to mind.  It was a lonely time for me - three weeks in a foreign country on business and no one to talk to because my Internet didn't work.  Seeing this cliff over the sea evoked the idea of height and depth and reminded me that even in the midst of a place where I knew no one, God was still there.  In fact, off to the left of the frame, across the water, was a giant statue of Jesus called Christ the Redeemer.

To me, this picture is a reminder that we all feel far from God and our fellow man, but that He is always there.

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God and Vegetarianism

© Meredith Sizemore Photography

¹ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. 

Romans 14:1-4

When I read this last Sunday, it made me smile.  I never realized the Bible had anything to say on vegetarianism!  This passage speaks directly to the issue.  If you want to be a vegetarian, do so.  But whether you are a vegetarian or not, you should not be judging people who have different diets.  Instead you should support their gastronomical choices.

This verse is of course more than just about food.  It's about the fact that it's not our job to judge others.  That's a tough thing to swallow. (Pun intended.)  It's much easier to judge.  We all have perceptions of good and bad.  God says that he doesn't care, he forgives it all whether we think an act is good or bad.  And that's the point: God is the arbiter.  He decides what is good and bad.  It doesn't matter what we think, whether we agree or not.  God decides when someone has done something wrong and will handle the situation at the appropriate time.  It's our job to do our best to forgive.

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Speak, for your servant is listening.

Rio De Janeiro Coastline as seen from the MAC

 ¹ The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
 ² One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. ³ The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then the LORD called Samuel.
   Samuel answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
 ⁶ Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
 ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
 ⁸ A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
   Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. ⁹ So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
 ¹⁰ The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
   Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

1 Samuel: 1-10

I was thinking about this verse today and I thought I'd write about it.  Lately I have felt like Samuel.  I hear God's call, and yet I do not know how to answer it.  When I move towards that call, things seem bright and easy.  When I move away from it, things seem dark and difficult.

I have heard that depression is anger turned inwards.  We become depressed because we are angry with ourselves.  When we are depressed, we do things that upset us even more.  It can be something as simple as being lazy and sleeping all day.  Then we look back on that wasted time, or those mistakes and we grow angrier with ourselves.  There are drugs and therapy that can help with those things, but the realization that you're doing this yourself isn't always enough to solve the problem.  You can't "snap out of it".  And yet people who have not been depressed cannot understand.

I think God understands, and that is why he calls us.  Not just so that we can do good, but so that we can feel good.  He forgives us our sins, big and little and he points us in a direction where we can say, "I feel happy about what I did today."

I hear the call, and yet I am still working on being still and just listening.

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Post- Kairos Lethargy

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;
 ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew their strength.
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31(NIV)

Pastor Kristin Hunsigner put this verse on my warm-fuzzy at Kairos this year. (For those of you who don't know, warm fuzzies are little postcards youth event participants send to each other through the week.)  When I got back on Friday, I had to go to work on Saturday, and then again on Monday.  Usually I catch up on my sleep by taking a 24 hour nap.  Not so this year, and my recovery has been kinda slow.

I kinda thought this verse was perfect for how I'm feeling now.  I'm tired and haven't had enough free time to reflect, finish warm fuzzies or even fire up my XBox 360. Having that time to reflect is important.  Like studying for a test, repetition is important.  So I encourage you to read over the verses from our week (I Peter 4 (Yes the whole chapter) and reflect upon them.  Now that you're done with your time away from the world, what do you think about the verses we spent the week living?

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Selah

Psalm 67

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

 ¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
       and make his face shine upon us,
       Selah  ² that your ways may be known on earth,
       your salvation among all nations.
 ³ May the peoples praise you, O God;
       may all the peoples praise you.
 ⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
       for you rule the peoples justly
       and guide the nations of the earth.
       Selah
 ⁵ May the peoples praise you, O God;
       may all the peoples praise you.
 ⁶ Then the land will yield its harvest,
       and God, our God, will bless us.
 ⁷ God will bless us,
       and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

 When I read this verse today I became curious about what the word Selah was doing there.  A little googling told me that no one really knows, but many people think it has something to do with a musical pause.  I particularly enjoyed reading this explanation: http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/faq/selah.html  Ultimately, I liked the definition of  a pause for thoughtful reflection.  Since we're not singing this, the definition works for this discussion.

After having a definition, I re-read the psalm and it was very mellow.    You read a line or three and then pause to reflect.  This is song about how Awesome God is and how we should praise him.  The devotional I am reading brought up the thought that it's easy to praise God when things are going our way.  It's not so easy when things are going wrong.

It seems like this is just the kind of psalm to read when things are falling apart around us.  Sometimes when we're upset we don't need commiseration, but something to lift us out of the muck.  Even in the dark of night, God, our God, will bless us.

Are you my neighbor?

 ¹⁵ " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
 ¹⁶ " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
      " 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD.
 ¹⁷ " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
 ¹⁸ " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:15-18 (NIV)

I've been reading Christ In Our Home, a daily devotional that Pastor David Penman, the chaplain for Kairos this year, gave to the Kairos planning group.  At first I didn't want to steal from it, but I've decided to share my thoughts based on where the devotional leads me.

Today the discussion was about how sometimes when we love others as ourselves, we are doing a pretty bad job because we don't love ourselves all that well.  The good news is that God loves me even when I don't love myself.

This got me thinking . . . all those times when Jesus is talking about our neighbor, he's not just talking about our friends - or even our enemies - he's also talking about ourselves.  The above verses jumped out at me as an instruction manual on how to deal with depression.  Depression is often caused by being angry with yourself.  Verse fifteen says, don't be too hard on yourself.  This doesn't mean you shouldn't be upset when you do something wrong, but don't berate yourself endlessly for the mistakes you've made.

Verse sixteen is pretty straightforward.  Don't kill yourself.  Seems like kind of a "no duh" thing to say, but placed with the slander part it also seems to talk to the idea that people who are mad at themselves sometimes go out of their way to ask for trouble.  Don't do things that are dangerous just because they are dangerous.

In verse seventeen we get straight to the heart of the matter: "'Do not hate your brother in your heart."  You cannot hold onto the anger.  There's a popular saying, "Hate the sin, not the sinner."  This distinction is important when you're looking inward at your own sin.  We are hardest on ourselves.  But until we can separate ourselves from the sin and say, "That's not who I have to be."  The sin continues to hold power over us.  "Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt."  Own up to what you have done.  Really examine it, and make a decision to change your behavior - and then rely on the Lord to help you.

This brings us to verse eighteen.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  When Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is, this verse from Leviticus is what he quotes as number two, after "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind."  Number two is love your neighbor as yourself.  Where to begin?  You start with yourself.  You love yourself so that you can love others.  God will always give us more love, so don't forget to hold onto some for yourself when you're giving it away.  Trust in the Lord.

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Bad Romance

1 Surely God is good to Israel,
       to those who are pure in heart.

 2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
       I had nearly lost my foothold.

 3 For I envied the arrogant
       when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

 4 They have no struggles;
       their bodies are healthy and strong.

 5 They are free from the burdens common to man;
       they are not plagued by human ills.

 ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
       I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
       I will tell of all your deeds.

Psalm 73:1-5

Today I watched some of Lady Gaga's videos for the first time.  I had heard some covers of her songs at youth event talent shows, but never heard any of her actual music.  After watching Bad Romance, which I found very artsy, I did some reading about her.  The song appeared on her second album, The Fame Mnster.  She was quoted in Rolling Stone as saying about the album while writing it, "I’m kind of obsessing over the decay of the celebrity and the way that fame is a monster in society!"

In looking for a verse for today, I opened up my concordance and looked up the word "lost".  It's how I've felt lately, and I wanted to see what the Bible had to say on the subject.  Other than lost coins and sheep, and prodigal sons, there was one psalm that used the word.  So I looked it up.  Verse two fit with how I was feeling, "But as for me, my feet had almost slipped".  As I read it in context, the verse was about losing faith because of seeing the prosperity of people who get things for nothing.  Verse four says, "They have no struggles".  This reminded me of the Lady Gaga quote.

It's so easy when we watch TV, listen to music, and go to movies, to be drawn in by the celebrity.  We see things that are better than what we have.  Entertainment entertains because it allows us to escape our lives.  We want our lives to have happy Hollywood endings because we want hope.  We like mushy romances because we want to be loved.  As a society we have a bad romance with celebrity.

Jesus shows us a better way.  He teaches us to love one another.  Psalm 73 speaks of how it's natural to envy, and concludes with where we should return - the side of our Lord.  We are sent out into the world to witness, and that means that we will be tempted by the world.  The key is to remember to come back to Jesus.  That's one of the reasons we have church every Sunday - to remind us of the gift of Grace God has given us.  It is greater than all the money and fame in the world.

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My soul finds rest in God alone.

1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 62:1-2 (NIV)

This verse reminds me of Exodus 20:3 "You shall have no other gods before me". Except that it's turned on its head. Instead of a commandment from God, it is an exclamation of God's greatness. I have no other gods before me, because my salvation comes from my God. He is my rock, my fortress. My soul finds rest in him. It's just so uplifting to view one of the commandments, and the one Jesus said was the most important, in such a wonderful new light.

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Being Put to the Test

No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

I Corinthians 10:13 (NRSV)

This was one of the verses in the second lesson on Sunday, March 7th. I underlined it. I've been carrying it around in my back pocket ever since until I got around to writing a blog post on it. This verse spoke right to me in church that day. I've been having a tough time of things lately, and this was a nice reminder that God won't give me anything that I can't handle. When you're struggling to see daylight, it's hard to get out one step at a time. Instead it's easier just to ignore your problems. Sure, they often get worse, but if you ignore them, it doesn't matter, right? The funny thing is, even if you ignore them, God doesn't give you anything you can't handle. No matter how bad things are, you can get through them. One step at a time. One day at a time. God is always there beside you - and that's a good reminder to have.

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Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum (INRI)

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

John 19:19-22

On Sunday I was looking at the paraments in church. I noticed the one on the altar had letters above it, and I wondered what they stood for. So at the end of the service, I asked VA Moyer, the pastor who had preached that day. He told me it was the Latin letters that had been written on the cross. So I looked it up.



Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum

Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews

So often we see symbols and don't know what they mean. It was interesting to find out why those letters were on the parament. As I was looking up the Bible verse, I read the next few verses as well, which are included above. I find it fascinating that Pilate, who crucified Christ because he was afraid of the people, also feared God. I may be reading a lot into these two verses, but Pilate was willing to admit that Jesus was who he said he was. If a man that was not a Christian can do that, cannot we as well?

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Sharing Our Faith

This was the second of two personal reflections I wrote for a retreat this past weekend.

Open your journal and write down your response to these questions. Spend as much or little time as you need to answer these questions. When you are done please sit quietly until your small group leader tells you it is time to come back.

Have you ever tried to share your faith with someone?

Have you ever had someone share their faith, Christian or otherwise, with you? How did you respond?

Jesus tells us that we are to share the faith in a passage called the Great commission. Read Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus tells us to go and make disciples of all nations.

What’s your first response to this? Is it fear, nervousness, excitement, or something else entirely?

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples. Why do you think they apply to us as well?

Often when we are not prepared for a question, it is difficult or impossible to answer it. Take a few minutes and write down what you would say if someone asked you what you believe in. There is no right or wrong answer here. If someone asked you what you believe, what would you tell them?


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Sinners & Saints

Here is a personal reflection I wrote for a retreat I planned this past weekend.

Open your journal and write down your response to these questions. Spend as much or little time as you need to answer these questions. When you are done please sit quietly until your small group leader tells you it is time to come back.

When you think about the word sinner, what comes to mind?

What does the word saint make you think about? Would you ever call yourself a saint?

Martin Luther said that we are all both sinners and saints. Open your Bible and read Ephesians 2:8-9. This passage talks about how we are saved by God’s doing – not because of anything we do for ourselves. Even though we sin, God continues to forgive us and offers us his free gift of grace.

What do you think about being both a sinner and a saint? Do you think this means it’s ok to sin, or does it mean something else?

What does this information mean to you when looking at other people?

Does it make it easier to forgive them?

How does this affect your relationships with friends, family and others around you?

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Youth

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

I've been reading a lot on youth ministry lately: books, emails, and papers written by friends in seminary. One of the themes that keeps coming up is relationships, and how relationships with youth are an important part of youth ministry. This is youth ministry 101, so it's not surprising it comes up. One of the things I've been thinking about though, is that it's not just about adults having relationships with youth, or even youth having relationships with each other.

Youth ministry's ultimate goal is to make new Christians. Therefore successful ministry must not only model healthy relationships, but teach its participants to create new relationships and sustain them. Most of my closest and longest-lasting relationships are with people I grew up with in the church. These are the relationships I come back to - the people I fall upon in times of need. They are also the people with which I share my joys.

1 Timothy is called one of the pastoral letters. It is written to leaders. It is famous for the above verse. This verse is calling youth to mentor others. You do not have to be an adult to work with youth. Ministry of any kind is about relationships and you are never too young to minister.

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Delightful Service

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

So today's verse comes from Princess Belle. Chelsea LeValley who I watched play Belle this past weekend, had the above verse in her cast Bio. It struck me as very appropriate for a Princess, someone who is a role model to little girls and young women alike. :)

Recently I've been talking a lot with people about the purpose of their lives. "What am I supposed to be doing with my life?" "What is God's plan for me?" "How can I feel fulfilled?" The answer is simple, and yet it is a lifelong journey.

What is God's plan for you? He wants you to share the good news. He wants you to tell everyone about Jesus. That is God's plan for you. "But how?" you ask. Well that's where it gets a bit tricky. That's also where today's verse comes in handy.

What does it mean to delight in the Lord? God gives us all gifts. When I am asked, "What does God want me to do Doug?" My reply is, "What do you like to do?" God gives us gifts. The things that we really like to do are the things we're good at, and those are related to the gifts God gives us. So the question, "What should I do?" can be answered, "Whatever God made you to do!"

Of course, it's not always as easy as that. When I asked someone the other day what they liked to do, the answer was soccer. How do you turn that into a lifelong way to serve? I don't know. I'm still working on that one. However how you act on and off the field is a chance for you to witness. You never know who you might inspire and not even know it.

The other thing you can do is listen to the people around you. Part of the process for becoming a pastor is to have the internal call that God gives you be affirmed by an external call. That means people have to think you'd make a good pastor. When someone tells you you're good at something, even if you have trouble accepting the compliment, file it away. External call is God's way of helping to affirm that we're on the right path.

So take a look at what God is calling you to do, and if it doesn't make sense you know where to find me. :)

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It's All in the Timing

For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!

2 Corinthians 6:2

I was in the Ash Wednesday service at Peace Lutheran in Charlottesville this week. The past week had been pretty stressful because I had some pretty major things hanging over my head. I had gotten them done earlier in the day and I felt tons better. As I listened to these words in the service, they spoke to me. I remembered someone saying that sometimes God's time is waiting for us to be ready. I felt like that was what happened to me. I had to be ready to take a step on my own, and that was what made the time right for things to work out. In the same way we are not meant to be a passive people, but to act out our faith on a daily basis.

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How do I share my faith?

After Jesus died and was resurrected, His last words recorded in the book of Matthew are called the Great Commission.

Read Matthew 28:16-20 in your Bible.

Talking about our faith is a scary thing. Are there certain people it is easier to share our faith with?

If someone asked you what you believed, what would you tell them?

What if you came across someone who didn’t believe Jesus was the son of God who died for our sins. What could you say or do to share your faith with them?

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Who is my strength when I am weak?

What do we do when our faith is weak?

Read Ecclesiastes 4:10 in your Bible.

What does this passage say about friends?

How do you rely on your friends?

Read Romans 15:30 in your Bible.
Paul asks the Roman church to pray for him when he is weak. Did you know that people in our church pray for you? What do you think about that?

Who could you pray for right now? Write a short prayer for them.

Have you ever had your friends let you down? What do you do when that happens? Read Proverbs 3:5-6 in your bible.

How easy is it to put your trust in God?

How do you go about putting your trust in God?

Previous Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-do-i-live-my-faith.html

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How do I live my faith?

Living our faith in a sinful world can be a difficult thing to do. Read Mark 12:29-31 in your Bible.

Jesus tells us the two greatest commandments. The second is often called the golden rule. How is following the golden rule living out your faith?

Can you think of other ways to live out your faith?

Read Ephesians 5:1-2.
How can you be an imitator of God?

Previous Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-faith.html

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Who am I?

Last September I promised a series that I used for my youth group overnight. I never followed through, and so I decided to start the new year by completing that series. I have left the wording the same in case anyone else wants to use them for a retreat. The one I posted in September is actually the second reflection. This is the first. I will post links to all of them bel

These are interactive. Take the time to pull out a journal, a notebook, a scrap of paper, or pull up your blog, or a Facebook note and spend 20 minutes writing your own thoughts down. You can share them if you want, but this reflection time is for you. If you find you have things you want to discuss, you know where to find me. :)

Throughout this weekend we will be taking time in the Word of God. You will have four opportunities to do so. Find a quiet, comfortable place – outside or inside. Take your journal, a pen and your Bible. Do not come back early. Spend the entire 20 minutes reading and reflecting quietly. We will come get you when the time is up. Please be respectful of others and do not talk during this time. What you write in your journal is personal. We will not read it and will not ask you to share it unless you want to. When the weekend is over, you get to take your journal home with you.

Open your Bible and read Genesis 1:26-27.

The Bible tells that God created us in His image. What does that mean to you?

How do you see God reflected in you?

How do you wish you could be more like God?

Are there ways you wish you could be less like God?

Open your Bible and read John 3:1-21.

Jesus tells us that we must be born again. You’ve probably heard that saying before. What does it mean to you?

Reflect on your baptism and your confirmation process (whether you are finished or working towards confirmation). How has being a baptized child of God affected your life?

Next Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-faith.html

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Peer-Pleaser or God-Pleaser?

19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

Galatians 2:19-21 (The Message)

¹⁹For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Galatians 2:19-21 (NIV)

I was talking to Lisa Myers the other day and she told me that this Bible verse from "The Message" translation "blew her mind". So I checked it out. I've also put the NIV translation up, because I found that it was a verse I've read and heard quoted before. The Message translation made me look at it in a new light, and I thought that was awesome.

I found this part especially pointed: "Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God?" How easy is it to try to adopt what we believe to please our peers. It is so "in" these days to accommodate everyone else's point of view on religion and try not to offend them. It seems like the right thing to do. If we are accepting of their beliefs, then we're loving them, right? Well maybe.

Then again, maybe not.

This verse talks about us having a relationship with God, and living out our lives through that relationship. If we are instead trying to live our lives to please our peers and trying to build a relationship with God based on that, we are not on a firm foundation. I think it's important to note though, that Paul never promises this is an easy task. It takes work to have a relationship with God - just like any other relationship. It's a much more rewarding one to have however because God never bails on you and He's always ready to take you back no matter how many times you bail on Him.

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God is in my iPod

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

John 6:68 (NIV)

It's been a bad day for me today. I turned my iPod on shuffle and just the right songs came up to speak to me. It's nice to know God is in my iPod.

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Psalm 139

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

It's been a while since I've posted, and even longer since I have posted with reliability. Over the past few months I have been thinking and praying about my call. I have been asking, "What does God want me to do?" It has been a time of confusion and darkness. I have felt as if I can't see where I'm supposed to go, and so I've stopped moving forwards - mainly because I've lost my bearings and I'm not sure where to go.

However what I've found is I haven't lost my way in my day to day life. I still know where I'm going and what I'm doing on the small scale, and I enjoy it. Today's passage was recommended to me by my friend Meggie. She suggested that I read it, pray about it and reflect upon it as I work on figuring out my call. I printed the passage out and carry it around in the back of my planner. It reminds me that God is here, He knows and He is patiently waiting for me to get where I need to be. But I don't have to lose hope in the meantime, because no matter where I am in my life, He will use me while I'm there.

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My Refuge

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

I got this one from a daily verse site. I thought it was interesting. It evoked the idea of God being an experience of all the senses. It is also a simple verse of assurance - blessed is the man who takes comfort in Him.

Give God thanks.

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Ministering to Our Brothers and Sisters

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart

1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)

When looking for today's verse I was inspired by the people God has sent to me over the past few days, and who God has sent me to. I have had many conversations over the past few days. In many I was ministering. In some I was ministered to. In one more than the others, I felt that I was both being ministered to and ministering at the same time. In all these conversations, I heard God.

I realized today that I hear God speaking to me differently than some people. For some people, they hear God in their hearts, or in the words in the Bible. I hear God in those places as well, but it is my relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ that helps me put everything together. Do not overlook the power and value of a conversation with a fellow Christian. You never know when God wants you to be ministering to each other.

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What is Faith?

Today's post is a bit different. Today and for the next several days I'm going to be posting the personal reflection exercises I am writing for an overnight our church youth will be doing in a couple weeks. There are still verses to read, but if you like this may be a chance to get a little more involved. Take the time to pull out a journal, a notebook, a scrap of paper, or pull up your blog, or a facebook note and spend 20 minutes writing your own thoughts down. You can share them if you want, but this reflection time is for you. If you find you have things you want to discuss, you know where to find me. :)

What is Faith?

The dictionary has many definitions of the word, "faith".

Faith
–noun

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.

The root of the word "faith" is the latin fidere, which means "to trust". What does the word "faith" mean to you? What is your faith? What do you believe in?

Read the following verse from Hebrews 1:11 and then take 20 minutes to reflect upon your own faith. Write your thoughts in your journal.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Previous Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2010/01/who-am-i.html
Next Reflection: http://kairosverse.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-do-i-live-my-faith.html

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Love Eternal

15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
I will not forget you!

16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are ever before me.

Isaiah 49:15-16 (New International Version)

There's more that dances on the prairies
Than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There's a love that is fiercer
Than the love between friends
More gently than a mother's
When her baby's at her side
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

These verses are God responding to His people's cry that He has forsaken them. He says that he will love us more than a mother loves her child - never forgetting us no matter what. It is a love eternal. This passage is one of comfort and hope.

This is the last set of verses and lyrics for Rich Mullins' song, If I Stand. The song has always been one of comfort to me, even though it's a somewhat sad and slow tune. The verses he ascribes to his lyrics speak of God's greatness, the eternal reward of heaven, his love for us. They speak of hope, comfort and love.

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Weeping for Our Home

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.

2 There on the poplars
we hung our harps,

3 for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"

4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD
while in a foreign land?

5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill .

6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy.

Psalm 137:1-6 (New International Version)

But if I weep let be as a man that is longing for his home.
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

This passage makes me think of how we often forget how awesome heaven is in comparison to where we are now. When we enjoy where we are - and what we're doing - we lose sight of our ultimate goal. At the same time, this verse says to me - anything you weep for, it is less than the grief of not being in heaven. It is both a comfort and a warning.

It is very easy to say, "Try your best and you will go to Heaven." It's a comforting thing to think. However that is a simplification of the concept of grace. This verse speaks poetically of the woe of those far from their homes. God's grace gives us a place in heaven and the Bible tells us what our response should be.

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A song of ascents.

© Alyssa Grabinski

A song of ascents.

¹ When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
² Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
³ The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
⁴ Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
⁵ Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
⁶ He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
Psalm 126 (New International Version)

So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to you
If I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs

- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

Today's verse is about how God turns our sorrow to joy. Even in the midst of our sadness, he can turn things around. Those are words of comfort when we are sad or depressed. Rich Mullins' lyrics say, "Even if I can't sing about joy in my life now Lord, I can still rejoice in the joy that brought me to you." His grace is abundant, and it is always there to catch us when we fall.

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Every Good Thing

¹⁴but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

¹⁶Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. ¹⁷Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:14-17 (New International Version)

The stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the giver of all good things
- Rich Mullins, If I Stand

This verse goes back to the question of "Why does God let bad things happen?" Bad things come from sin. Good things come from God. That is a simplification, but that doesn't make it untrue. Bad things happen because we live in a broken world - a world broken by sin. Rich Mullins' lyrics tell us that we don't owe any allegiance to that sin. We owe it to the Almighty. Our verse tells us that he is constant and good, and that is why he deserves our devotion and allegiance.


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Law and Gospel

¹⁷ The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,

¹⁸ and the idols will totally disappear.

¹⁹ Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²⁰ In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.

²¹ They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.

²² Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

Isaiah 2:17-22 (New International Version)

There's a loyalty that's deeper than mere sentiment
A music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of Earth competes for the allegiance

-Rich Mullins, If I Stand

I've been learning about how we as Lutherans interpret the Bible so that I can teach a class in Sunday school. On of the things Dr. Mark Allen Powell talks about is how pastors are taught to look for both Law and Gospel in every verse they preach upon. I look at this verse and I see law. People will run in fear and cast aside their idols when the Lord comes. Rich Mullins' lyrics talk about the promise of gospel however. Loyalty that is more than just words - it is a truth so true and pure that it cannot be expressed in its fullness. Law and gospel.

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