Realizing the true way... remembering the Family...

The monotony of life can lead us to forget the unique experiences that each one of us share. I see the culmination of these experiences defining a life that we can truly call our own. With unique experiences we are each formed to develop different skills, and we begin to wonder where we fit in. Especially during the lives of young adults, they find it difficult to remain faithful because the elements that they have come to know are changing so quickly around them. As we stood in a circle Wednesday night after a response to the Gospel, I remember holding the hand of this newborn babe in Christ and thinking that we are truly unique and different from the rest of the world. The Body of Christ is so unique and individualistic that we can accomplish so much. We stood there in this bonding ring of brotherhood, but at the same time the diversity within that singular ring was so profound. We began to sing "God's Family", and that is when the light clicked. We have been brought into this family and despite all of our differences we are completely dependent on each other. No single person can truly be independent from the rest of the Body, but this does not mean that they cannot be individualistic. We can not hide what makes us different. We must embrace this difference with open arms, and like children, as we are call to be, look to a Father who encourages our individuality. Can the eye do what the finger does? Can the finger do what the eye does? No. We are different, but dependent. Once we realize that we are interlinked and that we are to fully rely on each other and God, we can truly begin to have a more positive outlook on the world and transform the way we think.

A Mary or a Martha

I think of the story of Mary and Martha in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is drawing close to their town, and Martha invites Jesus into her home. There she begins to serve the Lord as her sister Mary sets at the feet of Jesus and in awe attentively listens to the words of the Savior. Martha is highly worried about the details of her service and wants to be as hospitable at possible, but loses sight of the fact that Jesus is there before her. 

I can only imagine the anticipation of Martha as Jesus is approaching the city, and she is preparing herself to invite him in to her home. I know on each occasion where we were to have a visitor into our home my mother would become frantic in preparation for several weeks in advance. She would become so involved in preparation that it would  dominate her thought and sometimes she would lose sleep over it. I can see Martha being the same way. She wanted to please the Lord so much that she became enamored in the preparation and service of Him, and forgot to take the time to appreciate the one whom she was serving.  There was the Son of God before her and she was so worried about service that she took no time to spend with Him. We can tend to do this ourselves when it comes to worship. It begins when we wake the morning of church. We press and have clean clothes, clean dresses and suits, shined shoes, and we neatly tuck our Bible under our arm to complete the classic church fashion. We show up at an appropriate time so that when it is time to begin we can start with class. We are sure to get our lesson finished so when the teacher calls on us we will have the answer. We move into the main area of worship after classes, and this is where the real focus begins. We get ourselves wrapped up in the actions and often forget their meaning. We want to make sure we sing the right notes, get the smallest piece of cracker, quitely sip our juice, give our offering, bow our head in prayer, and attentively listen to the preacher. However, what are these actions without meaning and true devotion.

The primary contrast between Mary and Martha is that Mary was so focused on the words of Jesus that she had no time to worry about the things that "needed" to be done. This is not to say that our worship is filled with things that are not needed. The elements that were earlier described are needed in our service, but we must make sure that our thoughts and actions revolve around God and Jesus. For Mary, her attentiveness was the only request that Jesus had. The same goes for Martha. We can become wrapped up in worrying about the material details of our service to God that we hinder ourselves from truly serving Him. Let us listen for His voice, be attentive, and cast off the worries that trouble us so much for a service to Him that is full of Spirit and Truth.

In Him,

Macon

The dissappointments of life bring renewal of faith...

It seems like so many times in our life the things we want seem so far out of reach. We struggle and try to reach like the small child straining for the cookie jar that is placed well out of our reach. We strain and try to climb to the highest point we can shift things around us to reach that thing we most desire, and yet it still is so far away from us. Is there a reason for this? Does God want to distance us from those things that we desire? In certain instances, it can be very clear that God wants us to keep us away from certain things. No matter how good or beneficial a situation or decision seems to us, God knows how it will truly impact our life. How it will work to mold and shape us. we must be wiling to have faith in our Father who through all things lifts us up and perfects through His work. For this to happen, we must be willing to let go of those things that he places out of our reach. All of self and none of thee must become a thought of the past and we must change our way of thinking. Let go, and let Him take control. This is hard for us to do. We feel helpless and insignificant when we let him take over. We must learn to let go, and renew our faith in these times of dissappointment. Trust Him.

Lesson Learned...

Tonight was the opening home game for Franklin County High School, and for the first time in a long time I found myself in the stands. It was a great feeling being there amongst the Rebel fans, and there was a buzz in the atmosphere as the opening kick-off was taken. The hype building up to this night had been building all summer, and with a new coach at the helm there had been a lot of talk about this opening game against Wilson Central. By the end of the game we had been defeated on the field, but we had also been defeated in the stands. The atmosphere that had been building for so long was like a balloon that had been overfilled. It popped.

We find ourselves in the same situations in life. There is so much hype as to what life is supposed to be, and what a change can do for us in our success. Then the time comes when this comes into question through the experiences that we have. We find our own battle. That one thing that never goes away, and haunts us no matter how far we run. It seems to be a part of us and our story, and like a shadow it is attached to us. We thought the redeeming blood of Christ would make it disappear, and we would never battle against this again. Then we do. We lose faith, and our head begins to drop. We find the positive attitude that Christ had a hard thing to hold on to and incorporate into our life. We become weary, and we allow negativity to creep in and dictate the mindset that we have. 

The perceptions dictated by this loss (whether spiritual or physical) can be overcome when our perceptions of the situations change. We wonder how God could allow these things to happen in our life, and begin to wander down the shaky road that leads to a decline in our faith. However, there is a more important question we should be asking ourselves. How is God going /trying to use this situation for his good, and where is he taking me with this? We must realize that God wants our lives to be an amazing journey with Himself as the guide. If we allow Him to take over the reigns and drive, we can set back and enjoy all the experiences and opportunities that he provides us. When we do let go of it all we can see these doors that He is opening, enter them, and see the reason that He has placed them before us. God wants to use the negative experiences in our life to bring us closer to him, and make our journey all the sweeter. He does not coordinate these events, but in His knowledge and foresight sees the way in which these may create a closer relationship with Him. He is our Father, our Master, and our GOD. Despite these crushing blows, we can have a hope and a positive mindset.

In Him,

Macon

Holding Fast...

We struggle so many times in our life with thoughts and temptations that are unique to each of us. We wonder why we are placed through so many trials, and sometimes we are in this journey alone. Christ has told us to hold fast and be faithful to the message that He has brought to us, but yet the temptations of the world continually dangle themselves in front of us. What are we to do when we see no end in sight? We can find ourselves looking into what can be in our short foresight a future that is void of hope and an escape from the darkness that we live in. This lack in confidence is slowly becoming common place in a world that pushes the message of a negative image, and offers supplementary things to fulfill the need that negativity has created. So the end result is a pill for everything with a side of buy some of this. I'm not knocking the free market system, but I see that we are in a dangerous position. We can come out of this confusion and chaos, and when we see ourselves its as if we are looking in a fun house mirror. A warped and askew image of what is really there is all we can see.

TAKE NOTE: The first step towards creating an attitude of positivity is clearing the haze and fog that negativity of the world places before our eyes. It's like when you get out of the shower and you have forgotten to turn the vent on. The mirror is all fogged up, you can't see yourself, and its all because the air in the room and the glass are at different temperatures. Once the air cools off the haze begins to disappear. We must admit the influence of negativity is in our lives so that we can work towards clearing the air, and creating the atmosphere of positivity.

In Him,

Macon

A New Beginning, and A Hopeful Future...

Positivity seems to have become one of the vain endeavors in mankind's journey towards the day when we will see the One who created us from the dust which He created. We find it to be so difficult to keep a mindset that focuses on the eternal life which we each live, and the destination which dictates our journey. The choice which echoes throughout eternity like an anthem of time. We have allowed the negativity of the culture to permeate each of us with a tongue of despite and extreme criticism. We have become the PC generation that the previous generation so longed to be. Where has it gotten us? Nowhere. Hatred, hypocrisy, and judgementalism have become the monikers that a lost and dying world has placed on us, and as a result God has become a hate monger in the sight of many who do not understand him.

What has this brought the message to? A standstill....

Jesus in his darkest of hours had the wants and needs of others in the front of his own mind, and knowingly sacrificed himself to those who despised the positive message that He brought. Jesus never lost sight of the goal and in the worst of situations saw the positive outcome of what was going to take place. This message is one of peace, love, grace, truth, and hope. This is a message we have abandoned for a message of despair, despite, damnation, and destitution. It has begun to produce a fruitless and empty faith among the Followers of Christ, and is destroying the Body of Christ like a cancer. Those who had made that choice to change themselves for the glory of God have forgotten their higher calling. Those who left the world, but still dwell in the world. Those who are willing and wanting to make an impact in what seems to be such a negative time. We can be the light in the darkness that Christ has called us to be, and make an impact on people's perception of God and the Church. It all begins with salvation, and a PUSH TO BE POSITIVE....