What about the poor…

There is a lot of talk about the poor, and how there is plenty of resources to go around.

We in the United States of America are some of the wealthiest people in the world.  The homeless people in this country are better off than soem working folks in other countries…

So why are we not working harder to change this, eradicate the poor!  NO NO not get rid of the poor people, why are we not working harder to get rid of poverty?

Maybe that is not what we are called to do… Jesus told us, “you will always have the poor with you…”  We will always have the poor with us regardless of what we do.  It is not our mission or our calling to get rid of poverty.  It is our calling to love, and to serve in love.  Not to try and change a political/economical situation so that all the world has what we have…  That is judging and saying we are superior, and our ways are better than what you are living in…

Paul tells the Romans and he tells us, to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, to give up our lives and this is our spiritual worship! This is our following what God has called us to do…  Follow God, love yourself and love your neighbor!  Do not think you will change the world, or even your neighbor, that is God’s job, and if you are lucky He might just use you to do something!

Hypocrite Song eLi

Yesterday I took my oldest 2 daughters and dropped them off at camp.  Camp my favorite place in the summer or for a retreat.  I went last week, my oldest 2 daughters are on their 2nd week of camp this summer, and in 2 weeks, we will go to family camp… but I digress…

I was listening to my iPod and a variety selection of songs as we drove. We heard Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, Hold on to Jesus by Erin O’Donnald, and many others, but the song that stuck with me was The Hypocrite Song by Eli…  You can find the lyrics here: Hypocrite Song Tabs – eLi Praise and Worship Lyrics & Chords by Higher Praise.

This is a great song, that helps us all remember that we are not perfect.  The final verse says:

“I can’t wait to see my Savior and look Him in the face shake His hand and plainly thank Him for forgiving my mistakes and for helping me remember that even when I’m right I’m wrong. Then we’ll rejoice and sing this hypocrite song.”

Another great line from the song is “I thank the Lord that there’s a heaven full of hypocrites like me.”

We are all so ready to tell everyone else how they need to live, yet fall short of even taking our own advice.

Thank you Jesus for forgiving me, and loving me as I am. Help me to be more like you and to not judge others, but love them.  Help them to see the right way to live, but not point fingers in judgment.  Give me your love and help me to love others…

Great Article on Leadership

http://www.arenewalenterprise.com/2010/07/good-leadership-books.html

The link is to A Renewal Enterprise blog. This one gives the reading list from a class on leadership and 3 movies that were recommended for the students. The best part about this thought is the quotes from the students about leadership.

Maybe if we all saw it is not about power or control, and about what we’ve been called to do through our gifts and how we use them together we would go farther.

Thank you ARE for the work you do!

Lent…

Today at camp is Lent. The 40 days that we remember Jesus’ trek in the wilderness. We remember the testing Jesus went through with the questioning of Satan.

Lent is the time for reflection and self actualization in who we are in Christ. This day is to help the youth here remember what was done for them, that we all celebrate in Easter.

Maybe today we all can reflect on what are hardships are, and how they do not compare to that which Christ went through for you…

This is the day…

Today is the day we get to live. We have some say in what happens, but some is left to chance, or karma, or insert the word of your choice here.

My devotional readings this morning delt with hardship, and how we are not promised a great life with no hardships when we follow God. Even if we are whole heartedly seeking out the creator of everything, we coukd still be going through one of the darkest valleys!

That is when the verse, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” popped into my mind.

I am suppose to rejoice in the valley, and be glad in my hardships? Yes, because every situation has a door that can lead us to greater intimacy with God.

So no matter the circumstances, rejoice and be glad today that God loves you.

The Cross

I walked out of my cabin on Christmas morning to be struck with the image of the cross…

That is the focal point of it all right? The cradle would not matter if the cross was not there…

The cross is the most beautiful and ugly piece in all of history. Ugly for the suffering, beautiful for the freeing from suffering!

Today at camp is the season of Christmas, and Christ is with us. May the cross over shadow your life today, helping you to remember the suffering he went through for you, and the freedom from suffering you were given.