A Life Worth Living

I was speaking with someone the other day about a talk I had just heard from Francis Chan early this month. He is an author and used to be a pastor at a church in California, but recently he has felt lead to serve God in other ways outside the church. For the last two years, he has been one of the main speakers at Passion, which is a non-denomiatioanl ministry geared building up and encouraging college students in their faith. I couldn't tell you everything that he touched on during his message last year, but one question that he asked has kept me stirred up most of the year;

"Are you living your life worthy of the gospel?" 

I had to take a step back and reflect on this question for a minute. Is that my life? This question was based off a passage written by Paul in Philippians 1:18-22 and  27-30. From it we learn several things about a person living their life in line with the gospel of Jesus:

• They believe in the gospel, follow the laws based on the gospel, and lean on gospel promises. 
• They make every effort (live and die for) to honor and make Christ known through their lives.
• They rejoice in making Christ known around them.
• They stand firm in their faith in the gospel themselves and with other Christian believers (one mind and spirit).
• Are not easily shaken by things others opposed to their faith say or do to them.
• They embrace the conflict and suffering in their lives for the sake of Christ. 

Reading this list for the first time, I was like 'Whoa!' Evaluating my relationship with Jesus, I could say that some of those things were true of me, but not all. I am proud to stand for Christ and bring honor to His name, but can I honestly say I made EVERY effort to live or die to make Christ known? For myself, I did do some of these things. And maybe sometimes only when it was convenient for me. Or other times I did have this mind set, but then I was easily distracted by the things going on in my life. I was easily caught up in doing so many other things, living my life worthy of the gospel fell to a quick second or even last place.

I had heard about Chan's book "Crazy Love," which talks about this same idea and topic. God's amazing crazy love for us and what our lives would look like in full awe, fear, and reverence, toward this God who loves us enough to send His Son to die on a cross to accept the penalty for me breaking His commands. A God we say we love. So I bought it, but it like other books, it got lost on my book shelf for the past year. But this question stuck with me and wouldn't go away, "Are you living your life worthy of the gospel?" Did my life reflect the true joy and thankfulness toward a creator who loved me beyond measure? I felt compelled to have my life truly reflect what God desires of those who follow Him. All of me. And not just out of convenience.


So I started reading more of my bible, sometimes feverishly. I felt compelled to drop to my knees when in prayer or singing out to God. At other times wondering why people didn't get excited about really praising God when worshiping at church. Did they want to shout out or clap their hands but felt shy or that others would think that they were weird or uncool for doing so? I know I have felt this way before. I have sometimes wondered if people would think I was too over the top with praising God or that maybe I was putting on a show. All I know are lies I believed for too long. It is ok for us to be jumping up and down when we are singing or crying out to God. Whatever we feel, God gives us the freedom to express in whatever way our love for Him. Blessed are the uncool...


If you are wondering if I ever picked up that book to read it finally, the answer is YES! And it is blowing my mind like I knew it would.So that question that haunted me for over a year now will be with me longer. Whatever it takes to motivate me toward living a life worth living. Outside any books in the bible, I feel like it is already the best book I have read this year. And yes, I know it is still January. It has already been that good. I will take time to reflect my thoughts on it here. But I would say why wait to read my thoughts. You should honestly just go and buy it and start reading it before you get anywhere close to your bookshelf at home.


The video below is of Chan speaking on some of the things I have touched on here. It is 15min long, yet worth the time to listen to fully. And then take a little time yourself to stop and ask yourself, "Do I believe in an creator of all things and people? If no, what is it that holding me back from believing in an all loving God who desires to show great love to all? If yes, am I living worthy of the calling He has placed on my life?   

...To the Least of These

I began a new adventure a few months ago by volunteering with the Cru ministry (formally known as Campus Crusade for Christ) on our campus here at Central Michigan University (CMU). It is a non-denominational campus ministry focused on sharing the gospel of Jesus and being a spiritual resource to students; helping them to understand and grow more in their faith in Jesus.

Students and staff from CMU and Saginaw Valley State University

I was once involved in Cru as a college student. I will share about that experience another time. All to say, it has always been on my heart since college to encourage college students as they are on their spiritual journey. So God amazingly provided the opportunity this semester for me to get involved with the ministry here CMU!


Cru host annual Christmas conferences in several regions of the country, allowing for the students to gather together on a lager scale to learn more about and celebrate Jesus. So we packed our bags and road tripped to Indianapolis, IN a couple days after Christmas. We arrived to find about 2,000 students from various colleges in the region ready to learn how God was GREATER than anything and everything we can imagine or go through! Let's just say, it was a great time of mind blowing speakers and worship to God!   

After our second day in Indy, we took to the streets of the city to put our faith in action. Cru partnered with some local churches in the Indianapolis inner city to hand out boxes of food to those in need. I have done this same thing before and it was always and fun and growing experience for me when I was in college. But there was something about this time that was different. I felt that God broke my heart into many pieces after having conversations with several people in the community. They had similar stories - they felt the neighborhoods were not safe for the kids to play in and that they felt they had no support from others inside and out of their community. 

One of my conversations I had was with a single mom of two. She just wanted a place where her kids could play safely without the dangers of drug deals and violence going on nearby. She was worried about how to fully provide for her children while she is without a job. I was so thankful to have met her because listening to her helped me to put things in perspective. I told her that sometimes people have what they think are hard things going on in their lives and it seems like the end of the world. But there are people who really are going through things that are rocking their worlds in ways that IS the worst of the worst. I thought that I had really experienced hard times before, and I have, but here she was living it everyday.  

My heart hurt.       

All I could think of was a verse in Isaiah 1:17 which says, 

"...Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."   

I desired greatly to help bless this woman in whatever way I possibly could. I couldn't leave without doing something. The problem was that right before knocking on her door, we had just given out our last box of food to another woman. All we had were some small toy presents for her baby. I sent the student who was with me to check down in the car for another box. After some time had passed, I did not know where the student was. So I left to go check myself. I quickly found out that we had no more boxes. Dang it. But I felt it on my heart that we had to check the church for any left over boxes. We went back and found no more boxes on the bus where they had been stored temporarily. I prayed out to God that we would find something, anything to bring back to her. I asked a man just inside the doors of the church if he knew of any left over boxes. He said that he thought someone had brought one back, but was sure that it was gone by now. There was nothing. I didn't know what to do. So I just started walking to the sanctuary, maybe just maybe... The second I walked into the room, I saw one box sitting on the floor. I grabbed it and rolled out of the church.   

Praise you Father! 

I drove with another student and thanked him for dealing with my craziness. I only had one objective in mind... seek justice, correct oppression. As we drove, I shared with him about this woman story which was the cause of me being so stirred up. He reminded me of the passage in the book of Matthew where Jesus is talking to his disciples about what the heart of a true servant of God's looked like, 

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it too me" Matt 25:40 

In other words, we are showing true love and worship to the Lord by serving and blessing his people. By providing food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, welcoming strangers, clothes for the naked, visiting the sick and those in prison (Matt 25:35-40) By loving those in need around us, we are showing love to God. There was no other explanation or conversation needed as we went to bless this woman and her children. Praise Him!

I didn't want to share this to puff myself up and have people be proud of what we did that day. I felt it was important to share the heart behind it all. That maybe someone else would be encouraged to be attentive to the needs of others around them. AND to share about how God always provides when there is a need to be met. I believe that God is able to provide whatever we ask in faith. He promises that in His Word. May we all choose to believe in faith that God is able to provide whatever our needs or the needs of others around us.

Before we left the neighborhood where these conversations took place, I took a picture to remember to pray for this place filled with brokenness...lest we forget.

 

Matt 25: 31-48 (full text) 

"Freedom: Indifference Is Not An Option"

"This very moment, more than 
27 million people 
are trapped in modern day slavery..."

"from young girls and boys trafficked for sexual exploitation, to children abused in factories, to men and women trapped as bonded labor slaves and countless other horrific abuses. This isn’t just a massive statistic…these are people. Real, living, breathing people. Men, women, and children living with no hope of escape or a future." - 268Generation.com

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

This year, PASSION Ministries is supporting the efforts of the A21 Campaign by educating and giving students from around the country an opportunity take action in the fight to end modern day slavery. Check out the link below to find out more. 

DO SOMETHING NOW

Christians Gone Wild

By now, you have probably heard about the woe's of Jim Tressel (recently the former head coach of Ohio State University). And if you don't know, you probably don't care about sports, or at least sports in the mid-west. Tressel just recently lost his cushy head coaching position after it was found out that he had clearly lied to the NCAA about knowing of certain violations in which his athletes had been involved in. This of course is a big deal in the world of college athletics. For us folks in the mid-west, this is a HUGE deal.

Why? Here's a little background...

I was born and raised in the great lake state of Michigan. I will be forever proud that I can show you where I live just by holding up the palm of my hand and pointing. Who else can do that? There are too many things to love about this state. But I think the one thing that makes Michigan stand out is the multiple number of sport rivalries people of this state involve themselves in. I figure when it snows for 5-6 months of the year, people need sports to distract them from the lack of natural vitamin D production. Hands down the most well known rivalry exists between Michigan vs Ohio State. I grew up loving all sport teams from the University of Michigan. Blue through and through! Anything Ohio State is considered blasphemous. Seriously, there are stories where people from both states travel to the other and will not stop for gas so to not contribute financially to the state. Quite possibly a myth, but who knows for sure.    

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...

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.



Click HERE to Give Someone Clean Water!!

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? 

God's Challenge

I was recently invited a week ago to attend a prayer walk in downtown Detroit. I was excited about sharing in this opportunity with my friends. But then the report of rain all day came. Not just that, but cold too. I'm not gonna lie, my first thoughts then were, "I think we should stay home." But I glad that we didn't. It was hands down the highlight of my year so far! Why? For one God was present. Do I need to go on? It was just amazing to come together with other Christians (about 20,000 that is!!) and pause in the middle of our busy lives to praise the name of God. But it didn't end there. We then walked almost 2 miles Adoring God, Confessing our sins, speaking our Thanks towards Him, and sending our Supplications (petitions) to Him (ACTS). It was powerful to see many people from so many different walks of life come to this event. Different races, cultures, and ages. Some stopped along the walk route to pray. My heart was filled with joy as I observed parents and their children praying on the side of the road. Another time of joy was when I was singing "Shout to the Lord" by myself. A random girl who was walking beside me joined in with. One other highlight was hearing an older woman praying out loud, continually praising God, asking Him to rebuild this city. Wow! My thought was, "Why doesn't this stuff happen all the time?"  When else in downtown Detroit are a mob of people so kind toward one another?? I included a video just below that gives a glimpse of the day.

At the closing of the event, the pastor leading said this: "Let this not end here. Let this work that began here continue through us as we actively serve the community." I felt challenged. Challenged to step up and put my faith in action. Not just singing some songs and talking about how awesome God is, but to share the love of Christ to others. Allowing God to work IN and THROUGH me. I don't know what this looks like right now, but I desire to look for every opportunity that God might use me in to show His love to others. How about you? Are you allowing God to affect your life in this way?


"He [God] says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant ... I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 

I am encouraged and I hope that you are too. My prayer is that we would stop acting as Christians and actually BE Christ followers! Are you up to the challenge? If so, let's move!!!
     

I had to include the video below. It was during this song that the clouds began to part (picture on right). I remember thanking God for being present there with all of us and allowing the sun to shine on us as we sung how great He is! It wouldn't have mattered if the rain was falling, because God was there. Enjoy!

"If I Had Sneezed...."

I just wanted to share with you the last speech of Martin Luther King, Jr. He gave this speech on April 3, 1968 in Memphis, the night before he was killed. Probably my favorite speech of his. Basic theme: the cost of freedom. I love the story he shares of getting stabbed by a lady that almost killed him; if only he had sneezed. He knew that he had to do whatever God called him to do in order to aid those fighting for their basic civil rights. Even if it cost him his life. Oh, that we would push ourselves out of our comfort zones and do what is right even when it's not comfortable.

"Let us develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness." - Martin Luther King Jr.




Martin Luther King, Jr: "Mountaintop" speech full length from Filip Goc on Vimeo.

Forgetting Resolutions

I can't believe that I have returned back to the world of blogging. My first reasons for ever wanting to post was to allow my family to keep tabs on me. I have been living the nomadic life since leaving home after high school, it seems. I guess my reason for jumping back on has been a process over the last couple of years. If I can get talked into using Twitter, why not blog right? So the reason remains the same. To those who care to keep up with me on my random or not so random adventures.

How fitting it is that today is New Year's Eve. This is usually the time people tend to try something new out in their lives. Resolutions. To quite smoking, to loose weight, to get organized (just to name a few). I don't really do resolutions. I think maybe because I probably forget that I made them in the first place. There are a few things on my heart that I will be striving to do this next year. To seek God's will for my life in every decision that I make. That I would allow Him to pull me out of my comfort zone and take me places I've never dreamt of. To live everyday as my last. 

These are not resolutions. Not even promises. But desires that has been placed on my heart to do because of the calling placed upon me and all who call God their Daddy. 
 
"...Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:1-6
 
 I will for sure take a tumble or two along the way, but I know that if I remain focused on Jesus (my strength) I will stand firm in the end. The same is true for all. Hence the name of this blog: the heights. Also the name of a David Crowder song that I rather enjoy :o) The picture in the heading is of myself and some students as we descended Notch Mountain in Colorado (elevation 13237 ft). It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, yet amazingly awesome! I didn't go in with many expectations, just a fun time really. I surprisingly was blessed with the most beautiful sunrise and view of  a "sea" of red mountains. I expect to be challenged and surprised in this next year. Hopefully you do too. Happy New Year!

The lighting shelter others and I slept in on Notch Mountain.