I think Slapastolic is funny. And usually truthful. I was nervy about it at first... that I would be called out, yikes. Afraid that it was inappro... Alas I caved & became a follower/friend. And since then I've not regret it. It's most amusing to me because so many of the tweets/updates are the exact thoughts that have gone through my mind so many times but definitely not going to say out loud for fear of being pebbled to death via Twitter.

I see the people who tweet back calling Slap an idiot, stupid, ignorant, and other various mature names. I find that in itself to be stupid, idiotic, and ignorant. All Slap is doing is pointing out some faults in a system. Slap does this by presenting "scenerios" based on an opinion. An opinion that others share; others, not everyone. Yes, I agree with most of what I see in Slap's timeline, I admit it. But I also admit that it's subject to opinion & other opinions will vary. 

This being said, I'm also a recent follower of Clapastolic, the opposing side to this silly little Twitter war. Not gonna lie, a few of the posts have bothered me at first glance because they counter my personal opinions/experiences. I had the feeling Clap's posts were a tad bitter/hateful. I'm going to decide that I had that feeling simply because they go against my own thoughts. It's hard to hear the tone these Like Believers are tweeting in. Yes, "like believers", regardless of conserv/lib - like believers. Anyways, the Clap posts are a bit offensive to me, if I let myself be easily offended. I follow Clapastolic regardless.

I guess my whole thing is I don't want to be close minded or ignorant enough to think that I'm 100% right. I can handle reading an opposing opinion & instead of jumping to name calling I can pause & reflect/inspect my actions. Opinions are there for a reason. Opinions are formed from observation for a reason. As much as it stinks to hear/read that somebody disagrees, they disagree for a reason. Forget getting angry over it, just take it in and consider you may need some improvement or rearranging of things you do/think. Not necessarily, but maybe.

Another approach altogether would be to spend less time on Twitter/FB. And with that: logging out.

I'm currently reading "A Tale of Three Kings; A study in brokenness" and so far enjoying it. It's a quick, easy read & I recommend this book if for nothing more than the seventh (brief) chapter.

Here the author, Gene Edwards, is depicting King Saul as the angry king - God ordained - but nevertheless angry. In his anger & jealousy he throws spears at David. Edwards asks the question in chapter 6 "What do you do when someone throws a spear at you?" and answers "Why, you pick up the spear and throw it right back." Of course this is reasonable behavior & only makes sense - if we strive to be "after the order of King Saul".

The following was David's approach.
You can easily tell when someone has been hit by a spear. He turns a deep shade of bitter. David never got hit. He discovered three things that prevented him from ever being hit:

One, never learn anything about the fashionable, easily mastered art of spear throwing. Two, stay out of the company of all spear throwers. And three, keep your mouth tightly closed.

In this way, spears will never touch you, even when they pierce your heart.

Recently I've felt spears being thrown at me from different angles. I have pitied myself relentlessly & been turning all shades of bitter (despite efforts to prove different). Close friends, respected elders, enemies, God ordained/chosen authorities, you name it & I've a spear with their name on it. And yes, me even acknowledging it here is vulnerable, still somewhat pity'ish & "victim mentality", I realize that. But I feel comfortable doing so because of what I'm about to say.

I'm ready to keep my mouth shut & not throw back. Losing the victim mentality is appealing and the "fashionable, easily mastered art of spear throwing" is no longer enticing me. I do not want to be of the order of King Saul.

Some may say its weak to simply dodge the spear in a quiet way. But in my opinion it's a humble & wise victor who can let his/her pierced heart continue on in love for those who attack. There's a bigger picture & a bigger plan.

I will pretend I'm not seeing these spears as I dodge them. And I will leave them lying there as crumbs marking my path traveled.

Today I ran across an article including the following video. It's good stuff & a subject my dad is frequently harping on. The most useful tip out of the vid/article for me personally would be #1. Live Below Your Means!!!! Definitely something I need to practice. My taste is too pricey. Thought I would share... And btw it's gorgeous outside!!! Ready to leave this office to run in circles outside (envision a dog chasing it's tail). Laaaater.

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"The American dream has assassinated the apostolic vision." Wayne Huntley

True - But it's more assassinated the christian vision as a whole. We want the house, the family, the car, the job/income, the vacation spots, the beautiful church buildings with all the latest & greatest, and in my case the dog (boxer named Jubilee - see photo below).

The point is - as "ministry minded" as I say I am, when it comes down to it I'm spending the majority of my day focusing on my job so I can earn money to have my version of the "American Dream". I spend hours at work. Then I have to go home and relax bc I'm "so tired from my work day". Then I have to socialize on iChat, phone, FB, etc. How much time am I spending focusing on my christian vision? When my hours are spent looking for puppies online (that I can't even have thanks to my landlord) or filing papers or whatever I spend my hours on... how much time do I have left to really cast my vision on God?

I want nice things and I'm not saying we should toss our jobs out the window. Uh oh, we'll be in trouble then. But I want to not care so much about the American dream that I lose focus on my purpose.

And I really wish I could remember my voicemail password! I just straight forgot it last night & haven't been able to check my messages since then. Driving me nut

Have a great Saturday, friends. It is possible! Although... drinking from this does make things more bearable. My Friend's cup.

Last night's thought - It's really hard to go and offer your talents & a meek spirit to one who has aught - anything at all - against you. Especially when you genuinely feel you are not in the wrong. But it's required. And if we all truly lived by this biblical rule of thumb think how much more peaceful life would be. Sheeew. I gotta work on this in my life... Now back to my tea.

Lately I've been feeling so restless. I've not talked about it much but have felt it. It's not a  bad or disturbing feeling - for me it translates into more a feeling of expectancy.This video was sent to me by a friend recently & I fell in love. So I find myself listening to it on my Monday morning... dwelling on the sweet lyrics. It's really how I feel. Love finding a song that expresses the truest & most quiet thoughts. Yay! Thought I'd share.

Real quick I have to share what I just read in Beth Moore's book, "Breaking Free". She says: To be liberated in Christ, we've got some sacrifices to make. Make sure He's the one asking for it, but if He is, any sacrifice you make will be wholly consumed by Him as such a sweet sacrifice. He will bless. We fear making sacrifices. But the irony is that we make a lot of sacrifices when we are not living the will of God. How many things have we placed on the altar to Satan's kingdom? We live sacrificially when we're outside the will of God, giving up all sorts of things that were meant to be ours in Christ. Good stuff that made me pause. =)

An excerpt from "My Utmost for His Highest" September 11 and my response:

The things that Jesus did were of the most menial and commonplace order, and this is an indication that it takes all God's power in me to do the most commonplace things in His way. Can I use a towel as He did? Towels and dishes and sandals, all the ordinary sordid things of our lives, reveal more quickly than anything what we are made of. It takes God Almighty Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty as it out to be done. 

How often we dream of the end result of ministry - the bright lights, the faces, the numbers. We forget that ministry is dirty & starts out small. But then again maybe it starts out big. I believe the biggest of all tasks is the task nobody sees. It's so easy to do a job well done when there is a crowd watching and acknowledging. But when nobody is there to applaud & approve... that's when the true desires of the heart come out to play. This is an indication that it takes all God's power in me to do the most commonplace things in His way.

Ministering as opportunity surrounds us does not mean selecting our surroundings, it means being very selectly God's in any haphazard surroundings which He engineers for us. The characteristics we manifest in our immediate surroundings are indications of what we will be like in other surroundings.

I may see myself in another ministry setting - but if I lose heart & don't give myself completely to my intended purpose right where I am for as long as God has me, then I am useless elsewhere. The characteristics we manifest in our immediate surroundings are indications of what we will be like in other surroundings.

Colossians 3:23 - Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.

"Young people are not looking for a lecture about salvation; they are looking to see whether our lives, the way we speak, and the way we listen, reflect the compassion and love of Christ. In other words, they are looking to see Jesus." -Serving With Care & Integrity; Trainee Edition

We (our lives) MUST reflect Him, at all times.

Live love. Live forgiveness. Live humility. Live compassion. Live Christ. ...because people are looking to see Jesus.

Luke 8:
43: And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, and though she had spent all her living upon physicians, she couldn't be healed by anyone,"
44: She came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood ceased."
46: And Jesus said, Somebody has touched me"
48: And he said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace."

I was reading this story the other day & the following thought encouraged me, so here it is for you...

In Luke we see the woman with the issue of blood. This poor woman has spent her entire life & all her money searching for the answer/cure to her illness. She has nothing left. Her friends have most likely left her behind. She is an outcast to society; some would say, a nobody. She literally has nothing & feels like even less. She is, no doubt, hurt & very much alone. Aren't we all in this situation more than once in our crazy lives?

So how does she deal with it? She reaches out and gets his attention. She recognizes the one who can help her. In her desperation she grabs his attention, and literally grabs his robe. She is immediately healed & he tells her to go in peace. Wouldn't it be nice if in our own lives we could reach out, touch his robe(making our issues disappear) & "go in peace"?

No, God may not physically/literally be walking around in a robe for us to grab, but he is right here. And we can grab his attention. The very mention of the name Jesus provokes such power that man cannot deny. Tell me why you wouldn't try the name that makes satan himself tremble. If we could just get to the point of desperation and be consumed with such desire & faith as the woman in Luke we too could "go in peace". While we might not be able to physically grab his robe/attention we can grab His attention with our words, lives, & actions.

The other bit of encouragement I found in this story I found when I read verses 46 & 48. You see, before verse 46, this woman is a nobody, a sick person, an outcast. But in 46 Jesus turns it all around for her when he says " Somebody hath touched me". She instantly goes from a nobody to a somebody. And to go a step above and beyond(doesn't he always?) in verse 48 he calls her daughter.

How beautiful that no matter how hurt, sick, lonely, angry, ashamed, rejected(etc) we feel... we are given the priviledge of whispering the name above all, Jesus. And its at the mention of that name we are given the opportunity to not only become a somebody to God, but more than that, his child. That's better than anything.