Vote for God?

I saw this on a church sign recently...

"Not happy with the candidates?  Vote for God!"

I get the idea behind the statement, and that some churches feel the need to have catchy sayings to attract people's attention, but something about this just doesn't sit well with me.

If you know God, you know He doesn't need our vote.  He doesn't want our vote.  He wants us.  He wants our heart, mind, soul and strength.

Luke 10:27

And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

God's future doesn't depend on whether or not we choose Him.  Our future depends on whether or not we follow Him.  This doesn't imply getting a bumper sticker, going to church meetings, and contributing financially is what it means to follow Him.

It goes way beyond that, and yet not...

Love.  If we love Him, we will obey Him.  If we love Him, we will serve Him.  If we love Him, we will follow Him.  Without fanfare or recognition, but with humility and kindness. And if we love Him, we will love others... And they will know we are His disciples by our...

Love

Heaven help us. . .

As we continue in this direction

As we wait on solutions for greed and pride

As we listen to words spoken, promises made and promises broken

Heaven help us

As we look for the answers, but not quite high enough

As we talk through the problems that seem too insurmountable

As we hope for justice and truth to come forward

Heaven help us

Help us lift our eyes

Help us speak Your words

Help us trust and see that You know

That You are

I AM

Help us

For the Invisible Ones

The pull of wanting to be seen

And yet wanting to blend in

The struggle of walking outside with a smile

Or staying in your room with a book or paintbrush or pen

The reality that life is to be lived and experienced

Paired with the reality that life can be scary and lonely

Looking at those traveling the same path

Wondering if anyone else struggles with

The pull of wanting to be seen

And yet wanting to blend in

The Beginning of Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday.

On the church calendar, this marks the beginning of Lent.  A season to prepare our hearts for the coming remembrance of the death of Christ, and the celebration of His resurrection.  For some it can be time to give up certain things - perhaps to join in the suffering of Christ by sacrificing some habit or item that we hold perhaps, a little too closely. 

Chocolate
Certain TV shows
Certain language
Soft drinks
Red meat

You get the idea.

Are these really sacrifices?  Or are they ways we make ourselves feel like we are contributing something, you know, "doing our part" to remember...

Jesus knew what was coming.  He went in to Jerusalem the week before His death, knowing the pain, suffering and sacrifice He would endure.  And He still went. 

For us.

To pay a debt we could not pay.

To conquer something we could not even begin to fight.

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it."
Acts 2:21-24

I Believe

There is so much going on right now, my mind is in a fog.  As I dropped one of the girls off at youth group tonight, the CD that was in the car started playing a song that I love.  Andrew Peterson's "The Good Confession". 

It tells the story of a young boy who heard the call and was baptized.  As he took his preacher father's hand, he was asked to "say the words" - words I learned as a child growing up in the Lutheran church.  Words we memorized early on, and recited over and over.  Words that are meant to be something more than just words.

The words hit me tonight, with things happening, where is my trust?  Where does my faith stand?  How deep does my belief go, and what do I believe?  Do I believe that I truly am saved through faith in Jesus Christ, that His death on the cross was the sacrifice required by God the Father, and willingly given for me?  That there is nothing I need to do to earn this salvation, except to confess my sins, accept His grace and gift, and believe that He is the Son of God. 

How then shall I live?

Purpose

It is a small word with big implications.

Purpose

What is it?
What is mine?

When I think of purpose, I think about meanings.  What is the meaning of my life here?  Where will I find meaning?  What does this meaning look like, feel like?  Will I know when I find it?

Then I think about the "bigger than me" picture.  My purpose shouldn't be about me and what I can accomplish in this life.  It should be about others and what I can do to help make a difference for them.  This life isn't about me.  I was put here for a reason, a purpose, yes, but the focus of that purpose should be so much more than my little bubble of existence.

So I continue on this journey. . .

The Day Begins

I wake to a quiet house
Sounds of cars outside heading down the street
I begin my morning Summer routine
Preparing my lunch
Making coffee
Getting myself ready for work
All in the quiet

Thoughts of gratitude
For the people who sleep
For the quiet that surrounds
For the provision of all of these

Thoughts of the day ahead
Of tasks to tackle
Of lists to complete
Of time on the clock moving constantly forward

I step out of the quiet house
On to the porch near the street
Making my way to the car
Making my way to the office
Getting myself ready for work

The day begins...