Memorial Day

Being that it is Memorial Day, I felt that it was only fitting to share this video. Because of my military roots, I've listened to this song too many times to count, but it still means a lot to me. I feel that it is important to remember those who have given their lives for this country. Thank you to those in uniform today! God Bless America!

And Justice For All...

For the past four months, I have been studying the book of Isaiah with some pretty cool women. I think my initial expectations were that I would learn about more history of the Bible and even some prophecy. Quite possibly making me the biggest geek, but excited nonetheless. I would later learn that God had much more planned for me than a history lesson.

Lucky for you, I am not going to give a thorough analysis of this 63 chapter book! In all honesty, I think the first and last chapters sum up most, if not the whole book. But that can left for a future debate. The verse that struck a cord with me was indeed from the first chapter:

"...learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17

I was spurred to want to put my faith in action, more than I had before. But what? I live in a small town, so I was not that familiar with the opportunities available to reach out to those in need. My first thoughts were I needed to find a shelter in town to give of my time and possibly money. Something. Anything. I guess I didn't fully understand the verse when I read it the first couple times. But God wasn't just saying to give money to the homeless or go work at a food shelter. No, the message was very clear: seek to also provide justice for those who are not able to do it themselves. Plead the widow's cause...

That's A Wrap...

After braving tornado sirens, the throwing of javelins in the dark (who would be a judge for that?), a track lite with the headlights of Gators, and 80 degree weather that dropped to 50 degrees a day later, my 2011 track season has finally come to a close.  So I thought I would share some of my favorite pics/memories from the year. Enjoy!

Restoring Unity

It is interesting that even as a Christian, it is easy to forget sometimes that our lives are not about us. We are called by Christ to love and serve those around us, yet we tend to think about life from the "me" perspective. The Rally to Restore Unity has been a great reminder of that my life is not my own. Thanks Rachel! I have had an opportunity to learn more about different beliefs within Christianity. I may not agree with you on everything, but I'm always up for a healthy (friendly) debate about it :o) I believe that we can all agree on this passage here:

"And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" 26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law ? How does it read to you?" 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." 28 And He said to him, "You have answered correctly ; DO THIS AND YOU WILL LIVE." (Luke 10:25-28) 

Let's all choose to LIVE! I hope you get a moment today to ponder this passage and learn some new things yourself. Maybe you will even be inspired to spread a little love to that person sitting next to you.



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First Reactions

The last 24 hours have been quite overwhelming with the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden. I was prompted to write this after reading an insightful blog. (check it out here) --> rachelheldevans.com The author asked the following question at the end:

What was your first reaction to the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death? What was your reaction upon further reflection?  

My first reaction was WHAT? Basically, I was was speechless. I sat there watching the crowds grow in front of the White House cheering and singing pro-American songs/anthems. Then all of a sudden I became emotional. I was like" Are these feelings of patriotism? No, I quickly realized it had stirred up my emotions of 9/11 from 10 years ago. It had caused me to remember that day. None of my friends or family were directly affected, but for whatever reason, it is still a bit hard for me today to even watch the memorials about it.

I saw a lot of posts on Facebook of people poking fun at it, cracking jokes about it, rejoicing about it.... it honestly made me feel uneasy. I'm not perfect by any means. Trust me, I have had more than my fair share of the taste of my foot in my mouth. But after ingesting a lot of information from TV and the Internet, my response to a friend's post on the Internet was this: "Like anyone, I want nothing more than for justice to be done. In the end I know and believe that God will bring justice to those who have gone against His will. To those who have committed crimes they might think they have gotten away with. This is an important development, but I'm uneasy right now about full out rejoicing. It is nice to see people coming together though..."  

I have learned some things about myself and others through this. Not all good and not all bad. In the end, I am thankful for God's love and forgiveness for me, a sinner. My friend Dan said it best, "I also do not fail to realize that in God's sovereignty Bin Laden's eternity is exactly as it should be. But by God's grace, mine would be the same...."

Hopefully you have had some time to reflect yourself. I'm a music person, so I tend to reflect on things with through the aid of a song. I went to bed listening to "Your Love is Strong" by Jon Foreman. Take a listen.

Your turn. What was and what is your reaction?