words

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

This is the infamous quote we love to spat off as children in an effort to not feel hurt from the things other kids said to us. And while it may be a cozy little saying, it couldn’t be more wrong.

Because, you see, sticks and stones may leave a temporary bruise, but our words leave internal wounds that can last a lifetime.

A few years ago I learned just how much power is tangled in our words. In this period, I had word curses spoken over my life that left me feeling rejected, hopeless, and bitter. I constantly felt like the woman at the well, as stones of judgment were being thrown at me. And it sucked. And I almost gave up on God because of it.

Don’t go feeling too sorry for me though, because I myself have gone to the batting cage more than I’d like to admit. And it sucks equally as much knowing you caused that much pain to somebody else. And I almost gave up on myself because of it.

But, you can’t go back. And so, you grow from experiences and learn from mistakes.

One night, I was lying on the floor of a room filled with 3 friends and about 12 Cambodian women, packed in and nuzzled like a can of sardines. I was winding down from the day, and decided to read a story in the Bible before going to bed.

This decision completely wrecked me.

Now [Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young children came out from the city and mocked him and said to him “Go away, baldy!” When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 boys. 2 Kings 3.23-25

When I first read this I thought it was freaking WEIRD! Seriously? Bears tearing up kids because they made fun of some old bald dude. What on earth kind of Holy message is that all about?!

But then I stopped trying to think so hard. And that’s when Holy Spirit started speaking to me… and it all became SO obvious.

You see, right before this happened, Elijah’s mantle was passed down to Elisha. And I believe this was probably Elisha’s first taste of the weight that now rested upon him, because as we learn here, with great anointing comes great responsibility.

He used his authority to curse those kids. And those WORDS caused torment on their lives. It made me wonder if it would have gone down differently if he would have blessed those that cursed him.

The message, to me, isn’t one that testifies of a vengeful God. The message, to me, is that our words have power.

Because then I read about the valley of dry bones and how Ezekiel spoke life, and as he began to breathe the breath of life he heard a noise, and the noise turned into a rattle, and in front of his very eyes these bones started forming back together. And as he continued prophesying over these bones, they came together and turned into a MASSIVE ARMY! (Ezekiel 37)

We are to call out the things that be NOT as though they are. We were never charged with calling out the things that be as they are.

And it’s because of some key truths:

When love speaks, creation forms. When love breathes, life happens.

When judgment speaks, creation crumbles. When judgment breathes, death occurs.

I think there is a deeper reason God doesn’t want us to slander or gossip or speak ill of other people. I don’t think it’s because that’s what a “good” Christian is supposed to do. I think it’s because our words truly do build up or tear down. In the natural. And definitely in the spiritual.

And so, it leaves me convinced of this weighty truth: life and death truly does lie in the power of the tongue.

the b-i-b-l-e

When it comes to talk about this infamous book, there is much debate, and heated arguments, over the purpose of it. Some believe you have to quote it in order for it to manifest in your life. Others believe you have to memorize it front to back to have all of your life lessons figured out.

But for a select few, it serves as a means to better understand the heart of God.

When I first committed my life to Jesus, I would say that I looked at it as a manual to life. Later down the road, I was involved with a church that believed you had to name it and claim it in order to see God manifest.

God didn’t love you because you experienced it. God loved you because that’s what the Word told you.

Needless to say, during these years, I never fully grasped who God was or how much He really is for me or the radical love He has for me.

Over the last 2ish years though, I would say I have become a part of the select few that believe the writings in the bible serve to give better clarity as to the nature and character of who God really is, and what He has done in the lives that have gone before me.

This doesn’t mean I add any less value to the importance of the stories, prophecy, and truth that fills it.

I do believe it to be infallible and alive and the inspired word of God.

But I also believe that it’s not to be idolized as if it’s God Himself.

That it’s not a manual.

And I don’t believe I can make God love me more, or bring greater blessings upon myself, if I just study harder.

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” -Jesus

It is a testimony.

Of God. Of broken people. Of you. Of me.

The truth is there wasn’t always a book to turn to. And there was a time when not everyone had access to it.

But that didn’t stop people from knowing God.

Why?

Because the Bible is not where you experience Him. The Bible tells of Him.

It is only because of everyday people, like you and me, who wrote down how God worked in their life, that we have a better understanding of who He is.

But, I believe, the encounter is separate from the truth.

Because I believe this truth has to manifest in our own lives for it to become an encounter.

And whether I read it all the time, or not at all, it doesn’t stop it from being true, because who He is will never cease.

I know it to be true, not because I read it, but because of the ways I have seen Him move and have felt His touch… in my own life.

The book didn’t stop at Revelation chapter 22. And it hasn’t stopped yet.

Because the truth is, YOU are a key part to the story.

“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can’t go back to being normal; you can’t go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”  Donald Miller

jesus>religion

Yep, I caved and decided to share some thoughts on the controversial video that is causing so much hysteria, you know, the one that has had over 9 million views in just 4 days. I wasn’t going to make any remarks on the subject, but I just can’t believe how offended people are getting. As perplexed as I am by all the uproar, I’m also very excited, because I’m all for stirring the religious pot of death.

I mean, Jesus was all about shaking the foundations of religious mindsets, so I’m just going to give an old amen to the slow rattle that has been increasingly shaking for a while.

Watch the controversial video (if you surprisingly haven’t already): jesus>religion

Based on all of the negative criticism it’s getting, I’ll just go ahead and give a few of my positive thoughts on the subject.

To understand, I think we have to go back to the very beginning, in the garden. The one thing Adam was told not to do was eat of the fruit that would reveal right, wrong, good, and evil. From the very beginning God has been trying to tell us that pointing out the sin of the world brings DEATH.

For too long the church has been living in a new covenant age with an old covenant mentality. Jesus rebuked the ones that knew the book, the “church” leaders of his time. They said stone, he said LOVE.  He came to revolutionize the way we do things, because it is love that sets a person free. When we manipulate that love with fear and false prophecy (tearing people down and pointing out their sin instead of calling out greatness/the way God sees them) it creates death.

I’m not trying to get into another argument or debate about this video because the body should be united regardless of our doctrine, but I think that’s one of the many points he’s trying to make in this poem. Doctrine is man-made, and yet we too often forget we have a commonality: Jesus.

We need to be for each other, but we get so blindsided with judgmental biases that really aren’t our responsibility to begin with. When we believe that, we strip the Holy Spirit of who he is and the power he possesses.

We manipulate others and put a standard on the world that isn’t fair. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t think grace is an excuse for doing whatever you want to do, but I also believe that these actions don’t reveal the heart of man, which is what God looks at. I believe it reveals a root: bitterness, anger, depression, rejection, etc.

I think what this guy is trying to say is we need to be more like Jesus to people, and not like the pharisees. When he says religion, he’s not saying christianity, he’s saying the law. The pharisees played by the rules, lived and died by it. But Jesus came to fulfill that law. He said, no more will you live by the standard of right, wrong, good, bad.

The pharisees said condemn, Jesus said forgive.

Too often we act like the pharisees of old, instead of living by the commandment God gave us. LOVE.

Love sets people free.

Compassion sets people free.

Calling out the things that be not as though they are sets people free.

Grace -getting what you don’t deserve- sets people free.

Why?

Because these are the ways that expose who God is, and once you’ve tasted that sort of freedom, you are ruined for life.

I think one of the problems is we are, and quite often do, get caught up in semantics. He’s saying religion, but again, he’s talking about acting like so many of us that play the part of the pharisee and force agendas and play God, when that really isn’t our responsibility.

I’m not trying to undermine anyones beliefs, but I honestly believe if we want to see His kingdom spread, we need to stop taking control of the areas only He can move in.

And i think that’s this man’s point.

adam

There is a certain commercial that comes on at every interlude, on literally every station I find myself watching. And every time I watch this particular ad, a part of my insides cringe. Literally. For all of you reading, if you watch even just 30 minutes of TV a day, I’m sure you’ve seen it too.

Yes, it’s that pesky AT&T commercial.  The one that goes a little something like,”Did you hear Chapman rolled his ankle.” “That was so 12 seconds ago.”

Makes.me.ill.

There have been a few occasions I’ve asked myself if these are actually men…

Because they’re acting like women!

There is a serious epidemic that has broken out in the last decade or so in this country, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s freaking me out a little bit.

The feminization of men.

Now, I know, as a woman, we are equally flawed. This is, of course, the same decade that consists of Snooki, apple bottom jeans and the boots with the fur, and fake everything.

Issues exist in both sexes. Not even a debate.

But, as a woman, I just want to know one thing:

Where are the manly men?

Not the “men” that think they’re men because they pump iron and drive fast cars and can hook up with the hottest chicks.

No, the men that fight from their guts and have calloused hands from being a dedicated worker and know to practice chivalry is to practice honor.

It makes me wonder:

In a society where men like Charlie Sheen are glorified for their lewd and distasteful acts, can we really blame them for not stepping up and acting… like men?!

My Jewish grandmother (think The Nanny) has been asking me since the age of 16 if I’m getting married anytime soon. Her guess is as good as mine. See, she grew up in a period when it was normal to open the car door for a woman, and let her order first, and walk her to the door at the end of the night… without expecting an exchange for the dinner he just bought her.

And are these little things so much to ask for?

[The problem is 30 really is the new 20.]

Men of this generation,

Ditch the idea that women actually want to be pursued via text message, Facebook, or any sort of technology for that matter.

Ditch the idea that we will like you more if you act cocky.

And for the love of god, please oh please, ditch the idea that if you actually express an ounce of transparency it means your less of a man. It will actually make you a better one.

And so, I’m going to patiently wait for my chivalrous, filled with the Spirit, blood and guts warrior of a man!

And I refuse to settle for anything less.

wholeness

Since the beginning of my journey with God, I knew my life was going to take a turn away from normalcy. Well, what America views as normal at least. I traded lives just 8 months into this new journey. I have now been doing the missionary thing for the last 4 years, finding myself in at least 15 countries within 4 different continents.

Meeting the love of my life, making babies, landing a 40 hour work week, and paying a mortgage just has not been on the radar. Not saying these things won’t ever happen, but at the cusp of 29, I’m still not there yet.

This time has been some of the most amazing [and liberating] years of my life. It’s been filled with joy in finding abundant life, transformation in traveling the globe with some radical people, and awareness in living amongst the outcast and the poorest of the poor.

It has also definitely been filled with some life lessons and crazy *bleep* experiences.

And as I find myself living back at home, learning to embrace being fully here, I still wonder what is around the corner. And while nothing is set in stone yet, deep down I have a feeling that it is going to look much different this time around.

Being back in this place has been a reminder of the earlier years in my faith, right before I took the plunge of turning into a crazy. In these early days there was a song by Hillsong that I would hear continuously for months on end. ”Jesus I believe in you and I would go to the ends of the earth for you.” This definitely marked the things that were stirring in my heart and the desires I couldn’t shake.

While this is a moving song, a song about dropping everything for God, the truth is it was easy to go to the ends of the earth. Africa, Asia, Europe, South America… sign. me. up.

Even though it’s quite messy being taken out of your comfort zone, there is something exhilarating about sleeping on filthy sheets, bathing with a bucket, having to squat to the floor to go to the bathroom, and being submerged in the life of a different culture.

Not so exhilarating: working at a soap store or standing in the checkout aisle at Target or living back at home with your parents. You know, the daily grind of life.

But, this is where I am.

And what I’m learning is that I choose how this time goes down, because the truth is, He’s the same God here that He is anywhere else.

I’m learning a life fully lived isn’t merely defined by doing unusual things. A life fully lived is embracing the day for all it has in store. Feasting on the daily bread. And being thankful for it.

Israel wasn’t great because of all the stuff it had to offer. It was great because it represented righteousness, peace, joy! The wilderness, on the other hand, represented stinkin’ thinkin’- the Israelites had all of these miracles and blessings right in front of their faces, but couldn’t see it because they were blinded by circumstance.

Another thing I’m learning, there’s no glory without a fight involved.

So, as 2012 approaches, I desire to step away from the mentality that my life can only be great if I’m doing not-so-ordinary things. I hate resolutions, so this is more of my declaration. As the number 12 represents wholeness, I declare this year to be about living a wholly, full life. in the every day.